Robot
Electrical rubber could be used as synthetic skin for robots
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Scientists at the University of Tokyo have created a material with the texture and flexibility of rubber, but possessing more than 570 times the electrical conductivity. Made by grinding carbon nanotubes with an ionic liquid and adding it to rubber, the material could be used to make intelligent steering wheels and mattresses, stretchable television displays, or sensitive e-skin for robots.
Robot controlled by biological brain
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The University of Reading has designed a robot that is controlled by 300,000 cultured rat neurons. The team anticipates that the behavior of the rat neurons will provide insight into how brains store data, which could lead to a better understanding of disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and strokes.
University of Maryland wins Unmanned Underwater Vehicle competition
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The University of Maryland has won the 11th Annual International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition, in San Diego California. The event is organized by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and the Office of Naval Research, and challenges universities to design and build an AUV capable of navigating realistic underwater missions.
Robots reinvigorate computer science classrooms
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Education has long been based around the three R's, but now for computer science students throughout the U.S., a fourth R is making ground - Robotics. A program that began in 2006 through the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE) using robots as the circuit breaker in introductory computer science courses is being expanded to 28 more high schools and universities. Gizmag spoke to Dr. Tucker Balch, director of IPRE, to learn more.
Robots developed that drive themselves up the wall
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July 23, 2008 Scientists in the US have developed robots that are capable of climbing walls. BBC News has reported a team in SRI's Mobile Robotics and Transducers Programme have used the same principles behind electrostatic charges to develop machines about the size of a remote-controlled car that can scale a range of surfaces including brick, wood, steel and glass.
The Care-O-bot 3 - always at your service
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The one-armed robot glides slowly to the kitchen table. With its three fingers, it carefully picks up the bottle of apple juice and puts it next to the glasses on the tray in front of it. Then it glides back into the lounge and serves the drinks to the guests. This is how artificial assistants might work in future. Only 1.45 meters high, Care-O-bot 3 is the prototype of a new generation of service robots designed to help humans in the household. The quick-to-learn assistant was developed by research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart.
Seagull-cam military/spy camera technology
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Video capture and transmission technology has become so compact, reliable and cheap that remote-controlled spy-cams are making their way into general military use in a variety of creative packages. That seagull bobbing quietly up and down on the water, for example, could be one of Macroswiss's electrically-propelled remote control surveillance cameras. The company also manufactures small gun-mounted targeting cameras that allow operatives to point their firearms around corners and shoot whatever's on their wrist-mounted screen like it's a video game. And then there's the short-range throwing camera, which can be lobbed grenade-style into a dangerous or hostile area. It automatically rights itself and transmits a remotely-controlled rotating view back to an assault team so there's no surprises when they enter the area.
A.M.P. – the dancing, mobile, robot boombox
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The semi-autonomous robotic boombox the Miuro has a new big brother. Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro Inc. has teamed up with Japanese distributor SEGA Toys to introduce the Automated Music Personality (A.M.P), a 2.4 feet (73 cm) tall black robot that can be hooked up to an MP3 player or iPod and bobs its head and dances while red LED lights on its head flash. The A.M.P. pumps out 12 watts of stereo sound through a 5" mid-range speaker and two high output tweeters while more boom can be added to any song with the dedicated bass boost button. The A.M.P. also features two turntable shaped hands that allow users to be the DJ and use A.M.P. as a virtual mixing deck. The touch pad hands serve as a way to layer different sound effects and scratches over the music with the left touch pad used to add music effects and the right touch pad controlling the audio.
Scientists developing intelligent pipe-inspection robot
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Scientists at SINTEF are working on a robot that can navigate inaccessible industrial pipes in order to check their condition, locate leakages, and clean the ventilation systems.
400th robotic-assisted heart surgery
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The rise of robotic surgery has marked a new age in medical science and one of its pioneers has just reached a major milestone. Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr. has performed his 400th robotic-assisted mitral valve repair at Pitt County Memorial Hospital.
DARPA Grand Challenge winner returns to Silicon Valley
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The pioneering autonomous vehicle that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge will complete its world tour with a visit to its home town before taking its place at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Dubbed "Stanley", the robotic Volkswagen Touareg developed by the Stanford Racing Team will be on show at the Silicon Valley The Tech Museum of Innovation from June 20 through July 17.
Sega gives new robot the feminine touch
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Somewhat mysteriously dubbed E.M.A, or Eternal Maiden Actualization, this 38cm tall Sega robot was designed to look and move in a distinctly feminine manner, and can seek out nearby human faces for a kiss when in “love mode.”
Robofish demonstrate group communication
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Scientists at the University of Washington have created a sub-surface robot that uses fins instead of propellers, and is able to wirelessly communicate enough information to move in tandem with other units. The Robofish is roughly the size of a 10-pound salmon and will be used to track animals and map the bottom of the ocean.
MAARS ground robot system ships
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QinetiQ has delivered the first of its combat-ready Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS) ground robots to the US military.
Miniature robot leaps 27 times its body size
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Researchers at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL have developed a jumping robot inspired by the grasshopper. The 5cm model uses a 0.6-gram pager motor and a cam to charge two torsion springs, which trigger a jump from the robot’s 1.3mm carbon rod feet. The 7-gram robot can jump 4.6 feet (1.4 m), more than 27 times its body size, and ten times the distance of any existing jumping robot.
Snow-going robots to assist in climate change research
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May 28, 2008 Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University are developing a hardy breed of autonomous robots designed to collect critical on-site data that will aid in the understanding of how climate change is effecting the world's ice sheets and therefore enable the creation of better climate models.
Robot climbs 1640-foot cliff at Grand Canyon
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May 26, 2008 Panasonic have sent a 17-centimeter tall, 130-gram robot up a 1738 foot (530m) length of rope suspended next to a 1640 foot (500m) cliff at the Grand Canyon. The PR stunt was designed to showcase the endurance of the Evolta AA alkaline battery, which the Guinness Book of World Records recently recognized as the longest-lasting of its kind. Powered by two Evoltas, the robot reached the top after 6 hours and 45 minutes.
Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys to create robotic claws with nanometer precision
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Researchers at the University of the Basque Country have used ferromagnetic shape memory alloys to develop experimental devices that can position objects within an accuracy of 20 nanometers. The devices do not consume energy after being put in place, and have applications ranging from medical science to positioning mirrors in high-power telescopes.
Adept announces Cobra s800 packaging robot
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May 14, 2008 The latest high-speed handling robot from Adept Technology - the Cobra s800 Inverted IP65- is designed for case and carton loading applications in the packaged goods industry.
SPARK programs robots with insect perception
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The EU-funded SPARK project has developed a perceptual control architecture that allows robots to adapt to cluttered and changing environments, and learn from experience – an ability that may eventually suit it to disaster or war zones. The design is based on the neural processes of insects, and allows robots to form a unique, abstract representation of the environment, and modulate their behavior accordingly.
iRobot expands pool cleaning range
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iRobot is known to consumers as the creator of all types of home helpers, from the gutter cleaning Looj to the floor scrubbing Scooba. The company has now expanded its iRobot Verro Pool Cleaning Robot line to include two new models, the Verro 100 and 500.
Raytheon's robotic exoskeleton delivers super-human qualities
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May 6, 2008 The advent of the robotic age is upon us and we can expect a huge transformation in the coming decade as robots of all shapes and sizes make their presence felt in many aspects of our lives. But robots wont just stand by our side as assistants, we'll actually climb aboard and wear them like a shell or suit of armor. This type of robot - known as an exoskeleton - is being developed in various guises that deliver extraordinary strength and endurance to the wearer and have the potential to impact on military, medical, industrial and transport arenas - anywhere that personal mobility, agility and strength is required. Raytheon's progress in the field is making headline news this week thanks in part to an intriguing article appearing in the May issue of Popular Science which makes the link between the company's ongoing research for the U.S. military and the release of the much hyped superhero flick Ironman(R).
Chinese teams take points in robotic showdown
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May 6, 2008 Close to one hundred teams from around the world invaded the Matadome at California State University, Northridge with their robots last weekend for the inaugural VEX Robotics World Championship. An alliance of three teams from China won the fast-paced competition with robots built by the students using the VEX Robotics Design System. The winning alliance teams, Chengdu Shuangliu Experimental Middle School, Chengdu No.7 High School and Nanshan High School Mianyang, were triumphant on the game “Bridge Battle”, which was created by Innovation First, the organization behind the Vex Robotics World Championship.
Disney enters growing robotic toy market
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May 1, 2008 Known for DVDs, plush toys and movie character figurines, Disney Consumer Products has announced that it will now enter the fast growing robotic toy market. Disney has created its debut line in collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, Thinkway Toys and WowWee.
BAE Systems to lead new miniature robotics research initiative
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April 29, 2008 From fire fighting to termite eradication and exploring the Martian surface, the role of robots in performing tasks that are too dangerous for humans is already well established. Like many emerging technologies, the key driving force behind the development of these systems comes from military applications where robots are now regularly employed for tasks such as battlefield reconnaissance, communications and neutralizing the threat of explosive devices. In the latest news in this rapidly evolving field, BAE Systems has signed a $38 million agreement with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to spearhead development of the next-generation intelligence-gathering military robots with a focus on versatile, miniature platforms suited to use urban environments and inaccessible terrain.
MACS project aims to revolutionize robotic perception
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The Multi-sensory Autonomous Cognitive Systems project is an attempt to imprint robots with the ability to understand the affordances of objects in their environment - or the physical qualities of an object, and the tasks it can be used for. It is hoped that this new approach to computer perception will allow robots to perceive more interaction possibilities, giving them the cognitive tools they need to successfully improvise and interact with their environment in a more human manner.
ASIMO to conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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After an extended world tour in 2007, Honda’s ASIMO humanoid robot will show off its skills in 2008 by conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). ASIMO will lead the Orchestra as it performs “Impossible Dream” to open a special concert performance with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma as a way to highlight the DSO’s nationally acclaimed music programs for young people in Detroit.
FIRST crowns science and tech champions
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April 22, 2008 FIRST, an organization inspiring kids to engage in science and technology, has crowned this year’s champions at its annual science showdown. The 2008 FIRST Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta recognized winners across three categories: Robotics Competition, Tech Challenge, and LEGO League.
Will robots step up to help care for the aging baby boomer generation?
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April 17, 2008 For members of Generation X, a realization must soon be dawning that our parents won't be self-sufficient captains of industry forever - and for the enormous baby-boomer generation, it must be sobering to realize they'll be relying on the most self-focused generation in history to look after them once peaceful retirement gives way to a need for assistance from an aged care industry that will struggle to accommodate demand. Money hasn't traditionally been a problem for the boomers, so perhaps it's a prudent time for technology to start making it as easy as possible for Gen Xers to look after their parents in the autumn of their years. One way is to employ remote robot carers like uBOT-5, which can quietly follow its owner around the house, take care of the cleaning, give reminders about medication, help with shopping and make communication with doctors and loved ones much easier. The uBOT-5 also has the ability to recognize when its owner has fallen or become unresponsive, allowing it to immediately dial 911 for medical attention and relay important information to caregivers en route.
Go fetch! El-E the laser pointer-controlled home helper robot
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March 25, 2008 The nuances and imprecise nature of human language pose big challenges for developers looking to advance voice control technology of helper robots, but researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found an effective way to circumvent verbal communication by instructing a robot to fetch items under direction of a laser pointer. The El-E (pronounced like the name Ellie) robot could provide help to users with mobility impairments by moving or retrieving items via its sophisticated combination of in-built omni-directional cameras, height and pressure sensors, laser range finders and face detection technology.
iRobot to develop new communications relay robot
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March 5, 2008 Most notably known to consumers for its Roomba robot vacuum range and an assortment of home help bots, iRobot has received an award under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) LANdroids program to develop a small, mobile communications relay robot that would empower US warfighters with communications.
Kitchen cleaning Readybot Robot Challenge
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Few people rate kitchen cleaning among life’s highlights. To combat our dislike for dirty dishes, a group of veteran Silicon Valley engineers started the Readybot Robot Challenge aimed at constructing a general-purpose mobile robot capable of cleaning the kitchen.
Rodent-like robots - BIOTACT attempts to mechanically replicate the impressive whiskers of the rat
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Robotics researchers are taking design tips from one of nature’s less majestic creatures: the rat. The EU funded €5.4 million BIOTACT project, which was launched at the beginning of this year, is seeking to replicate the rat’s highly efficient whisker system, which can accurately determine the shape of objects and help capture prey.
Georgia Tech offers Robotics Ph.D
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February 1, 2008 With the global robotics market expected to significantly expand over the next five years, including gains in both the service and personal robotics fields, the College of Computing at Georgia Tech has announced that it will now offer the first interdisciplinary doctoral degree in robotics in the US.
Applied Robotics introduces Smart Gripper 2.1
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January 11, 2008 Employee-owned Applied Robotics has released a new intelligent closed-loop direct-drive gripper known as Smart Gripper 2.1. Designed to deliver precise gripping capabilities with a powerful programming interface, it offers easy integration with commercial robots and Its gripping fingers can be designed by the user to ensure custom use.
