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Robotics
VW sensor-driven Passat for 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge
By Mike Hanlon
June 19, 2007 One of the world’s most unconventional car races gets underway on November 3 with the running of the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. A variety of teams will be entering their “smart” vehicles on a course covering 60 miles of simulated urban driving conditions – the aim being to post the fastest time while, of course, observing traffic regulations. This requires participating vehicles to merge into traffic, cross roundabouts and negotiate busy intersections – all without drivers or remote control - meaning that all cars will be navigated and driven by computers and sensors. Stanford won the last Grand Challenge using a VW base vehicle and one of the favorites for this year’s event is this customized Passat built by Volkswagen’s California-based Electronic Research Laboratory (ERL) with assistance from Stanford University. Read More
Rogun the robot learns to recognise faces
By Loz Blain
June 18, 2007 Around-the-home robot servants are almost starting to become practical - we've had the robot PA, the robot vacuum and the robot beer fridge, now meet Rogun - a robot babysitter and security guard with the fascinating ability to recognise familiar faces. The diminutive humanoid will happily wander around playing with the kids, broadcasting video of them wirelessly to the net so you can see what they're up to while you're at work. He'll also act as a wireless internet or videophone terminal, and keep watch when nobody's home, calling your mobile phone if there's a stranger in the house. Read More
The World’s Largest and Strongest Robot
By Mike Hanlon
June 13, 2007 German industrial robot manufacturer KUKA Robotics has created the world’s largest and strongest robot. The KUKA KR 1000 titan 6-axis robot has a total of nine motors, which together deliver the power of a mid-sized car, giving it a payload capacity of 1000 kg. Combined with its reach of 3.2 meters and its ability to withstand a static torque of 60,000 newton meters (Nm), the Titan is ideally suited for bridging distances of up to 6.5 m and ensuring precise handling of objects such as engine blocks, stone, glass, steel sections, components for ships and aircraft, marble blocks, and precast concrete parts. Read More
Cyborg machine-insects prepare for the battlefields of the future
May 31, 2007 Cyborgs and bionic humans have long been the domain of science fiction with the concept popularised by the seventies TV series, Six Million Dollar Man, about a cyborg working for the OSI. As technological development funded by military spending has accelerated in recent times, we’ve seen the development of the bionic eye, the bionic hand and the bionic arm, with lots of work also being done in the area of exoskeletal robotics to help soldiers run faster and longer and carry heavy loads. Now it appears that we’re about to see the concept of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Cyborgs morph. Whilst UAVs have been among the most successful and high-profile innovations in military technology over the past decade, the arena of unmanned aerial technology is about to become a whole lot stranger as hybrid insect-machine "cyborgs" become a reality. The prospect of a remote controlled dragon-fly capable of transmitting video and other environmental data from the front-line still seems like the stuff of science-fiction, but research into hybrid insect-machines is accelerating under the auspices of DARPA. Read More
The inhumane treatment of robots
By Mike Hanlon
May 9, 2007 The development of robots for the U.S. Military is primarily so they can do jobs that keep humans out of harm's way. One of the world’s foremost roboticists, the delightfully eccentric Mark Tilden, recently encountered an interesting response while testing an autonomous landmine-detecting robot according to the Washington Post. Tilden is best known as the designer of Wowee’s Robosapien, RoboReptile ad infinitum range of robotic toys, but has worked for NASA and more recently Los Alamos National Laboratory where he is developing a five feet long stick-insect-like autonomous robot designed to step on landmines, get itself blown up, then intelligently adapt so that it can continue onwards with its remaining legs and step on more mines. During a demonstration, where the robot was continually blown up until it was down to one leg, Tilden was ordered to stop by an Army Colonel who was distressed at seeing the crippled robot hobbling toward the next landmine. With his judgement clouded no doubt by seeing humans engaged in the real thing, the Colonel declared the demonstration was inhumane. Read More
Remote-controlled robot uses thermal imaging to detect and eradicate termites
By Loz Blain
May 8, 2007 Hasta la vista, termites. Due for release later this year, the Termibot carries video and thermal imaging cameras where human pest controllers can't go. When a telltale heat or moisture signature is detected, Termicam breaks termite nests open to confirm the infestation, then pumps pest control chemicals directly into the source. It's an ingenious non-invasive pest control device - but its appeal won't be limited to exterminators. Read More
The SUGV Early – Boeing and iRobot join forces to create the next generation Reconnaissance Robot for military, civil and commercial Use
By Mike Hanlon
April 24, 2007 The remarkable success of robots in Iraq and Afghanistan is now well documented. UAVs have proven invaluable at every level and robotic ground systems, primarily iRobot’s Packbot, have performed tens of thousands of missions and saved countless lives from the dreaded Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The PackBot is used daily in war zones to disarm IEDs and search buildings, caves and tunnels. Now, the Boeing and iRobot are to combine knowledge to build a next generation of the robotic military ground platform. The SUGV Early will be a smaller, lighter version of the PackBot, and will provide military, civil and commercial users with unprecedented reconnaissance and secure, real-time intelligence capabilities. Read More
OFRO+detect AUGV for enhancing security
By Mike Hanlon
March 22, 2007 Meet OFRO+detect, the first autonomous reconnaissance robot that detects not only potential attackers but also nuclear and chemical warfare agents. The unmanned ground vehicle (AUGV) is has a built-in Multi-IMS (ion mobility spectrometer) and can detect all current tactical gases as well as nuclear hazards. Offie was specifically designed under an international project for camp protection and border security. It can completely assume responsibility for protection of a defined area against unauthorized intruders. Integrated within its swivelling 360 degree sensor head, are an LCD and a thermal imaging camera, enabling it to detect intruders up to 100 m away in any conditions, terrain or weather and issue an alarm to the command post. During its autonomous patrols, the robot transmits noises, video or thermal images, and sensor data via a military WLAN to mission control, providing a real-time picture of the situation. Alarms are issued automatically as soon as objects penetrate the protection zone. Read More
Intellibot IV800 Robotic Vacuum for industrial cleaning
By Mike Hanlon
February 22, 2007 Robots have begun their inevitable march into our environment and a noteworthy incursion of recent times is the IV800 developed by floor care innovator Intellibot Robotics. Introduced last March, Intellibot’s IV800 is designed for large carpeted or hard surface hallways in convention centers, hotels, hospitals, office buildings and other facilities that get heavy traffic and must frequently be cleaned to a high standard. Using onboard computers and ultrasonic sonar sensors, the robotic vacuum requires only about 25 minutes of operator attention per eight-hour shift, reducing labor costs by up to 85 percent while increasing cleaning quality and consistency. This frees the operator to do other, higher value cleaning tasks. Read More
Junior – Son of Stanley set for DARPA Urban Challenge
By Mike Hanlon
February 19, 2007 The 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge marked a milestone in artificial intelligence when five autonomous vehicles finished the course and Stanford Racing Team’s Stanley went down in history as the winner of the first race for autonomous vehicles. Centuries from now, the win will be equally significant as winning the first auto race from Paris to Rouen in 1894. Indeed, a century from now, there’s every chance that cars will all be autonomous, as computers make less mistakes than human beings. The robots in the 2007 Urban Challenge, however, will need all of Stanley’s capabilities plus a whole lot more as this time they need to handle real traffic. “In the last Grand Challenge, it didn’t really matter whether an obstacle was a rock or a bush because either way you’d just drive around it,” says Stanford Team Leader Sebastian Thrun. “The current challenge is to move from just sensing the environment to understanding the environment.” Thrun is the Director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab and Associate Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. When the bookmakers frame the odds for the Urban Challenge, Thrun’s charge will be favourite. On Saturday, Thrun introduced Stanford Racing Team’s new challenger to the world. Junior is a new generation of autonomous vehicle built to accomplish missions in a simulated city environment, which includes the traffic of the other robots and traffic laws. This means that on race day, November 3, Junior not only will have to avoid collisions, but he will have to master concepts that befuddle many humans, such as right of way. Junior began life as a 2006 Volkswagen Passat wagon. Read More
iRobot introduces NexGen Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robot
By Mike Hanlon
February 8, 2007 That good-for-nothing son of yours who wasted all those hours playing mindless video games might have been building some valuable skill sets after all. IRobot’s newly announced iRobot PackBot 510 with EOD Kit is a second-generation explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robot that will begin shipping in April and it uses a game-style hand controller. The PackBot 510 is 30 percent faster than its predecessor, drags larger objects, lifts twice the weight and has a grip that is three times stronger. To date, iRobot has delivered more than 800 PackBot robots which are mainly used in Iraq and Afghanistan. The robot’s new hand controller is modeled after video game controllers, making PackBot 510 easier to use, and resulting in less training time and more rapid operations in the field. In addition, the advanced track technology significantly increases the robot’s performance on rough terrain. Read More
Wii Wireless Controlled Robot Concept
By Mike Hanlon
January 30, 2007 Robotics in general and consumer robotics in particular seem to be making massive headway, and a development certain to draw a lot of attention in the next month is a wireless concept robot created by industrial robotics manufacturer KUKA Robotics Corporation. The new robot will be shown for the first time at ATX West Expo in Anaheim, February 13-15, 2007. The company will be showcasing an application using a KR16 robot and KRC 2 Controller being controlled by individuals utilizing a Wii controller & Bluetooth technology (video here). This concept cell was designed to show the next step in the trickle down of robotic technology to consumers from the industrial robot market. Read More
iRobot unveils US$130 programmable robot for developers and students
By Mike Hanlon
January 10, 2007 iRobot has unveiled iRobot Create, an affordable, programmable robot designed for aspiring roboticists. Create is based on the core technology of iRobot Roomba, the vacuuming robot that is cleaning millions of homes worldwide, and is compatible with Roomba’s rechargeable batteries, remote control and other accessories. Create comes pre-assembled, so developers can design new robots without having to build a mobile robot from scratch. Pricing starts at US$130, enabling developers to begin designing new robot applications out of the box. This new platform provides access to robot sensors and actuators via an open interface. Create also features standard connections for electronics and threaded mounting holes that allow users to secure their inventions to the robot, streamlining the integration of third-party electronics such as sensors, cameras, arms and wireless connections. Read More
The thought-controlled humanoid robot – puppet without strings
By Mike Hanlon
January 4, 2007 The personal robotics industry may still be in its infancy, but it is being predicted that it will rival the automotive industry in size two decades from now – by that time, robots will be far more advanced than those we know today and an inkling of just what might be in store comes from the University of Washington where researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to control the movement of a humanoid robot with signals from a human brain (see videos - AVI- QT - WMV ). Being able to command a robot via thought alone obviously has massive ramifications for the development of robotic servants, labourers and mobility devices for the handicapped and aged population. With a few decades of intense research, we may well have robotic servants that cater to our every wish – quite literally! Read More
Asimo - the perfect brand spokesperson
By Mike Hanlon
December 15, 2006 The world of personal robotics is drawing closer, with some estimates of the personal robotics industry putting it abreast with the world automotive industry two decades from now. Honda has already established itself as the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and has branched into a dozen different recreational and business markets as diverse as jet aeroplanes, jet skis, and industrial engines. Its biggest market may be yet to come, because it has been working diligently for 20 years in the development of a bipedal humanoid service robot named Asimo and if it works half as well as the rest of the company's products, it'll be one of the pioneers into the home when robotic servants reach mass commercialisation. Asimo is already a well known brand but when Honda begins airing 90 second commercials in the UK later this week, where Asimo becomes the ideal fully-owned, never-makes-a-mistake brand spokesperson, we figure history is being made. Asimo embodies the Honda attitude towards technology – warm, approachable, human, optimistic and always moving forward – as the Honda spokesperson, he will become the first publicly known robot on a global scale, and he’ll evolve publicly across all languages. Honda's new warmtechnology web site goes live today, and there are also five short films available at www.honda.co.uk. The series of webcasts introduce Asimo, and show how its warm approach has brought science and technology to a broad audience across the world. Read More
The most prolific 3D figure on the planet
By Mike Hanlon
December 15, 2006 Victoria is the most widely supported 3D figure on the planet, which kinda makes her a beauty queen. So it’s big news in the women’s magazines when a big star gets a makeover, and that’s just what has happened to via her latest release, Victoria 4.0. This new release of Victoria, based on live human models, is closing the gap between real life and models typically seen in 3D environments like Second Life, The Sims, and Halo. Since her first release in 1999, hundreds of thousands of unique users worldwide have downloaded a copy of Victoria making her the most heavily downloaded 3D figure ever. Victoria has been widely used by digital artists worldwide and has graced the covers of magazines, newspapers, and television across the globe. Read More
Top Three Urban Challenge Finishers to receive US$2 Million, US$1 Million and US$500,000
By Mike Hanlon
December 11, 2006 One of the most intriguing contests ever conceived , the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge for autonomous robotic ground vehicles will take place on November 3, 2007, at an undisclosed location in the western United States. First prize will be US$2 million, second gets US$1,000,000 and third takes home US$500,000, awards that will go to the top three finishers to complete the 60-mile course through traffic within the six hour time limit. The fully autonomous ground vehicles will be tested to the full, conducting simulated military supply missions safely and effectively in a mock urban area. To succeed, vehicles must obey traffic laws while merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, negotiating busy intersections, and avoiding obstacles. Human understanding of the technology required to make vehicles smarter and safer will grow rapidly in the preparation for the contest and expedite the time when we’ll be switching to autopilot for long journeys on intelligent roads in our intelligent cars. Read More
GoldenEye 80 ducted fan UAV makes successful first flight
By Mike Hanlon
December 7, 2006 Flying saucer sightings are certain to be on the increase from this point forth as a new type of aerial vehicle comes into existence. The Aurora Flight Sciences GoldenEye 80 unmanned air vehicle made a successful first flight last month, becoming the first ducted fan UAV to fly under the power of a heavy fuel engine. The fully autonomous GoldenEye 80 UAV is being developed under contract to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) through its Organic Air Vehicle (OAV-II) program. The GoldenEye 80 is designed to give company commanders the ability to spot, identify, designate, and destroy targets. With its powerful sensors and quiet operation, the aircraft can dash to a target area, hover motionless in the sky, and observe and designate a target – all without being heard by people on the ground. The unique design and embedded capabilities of the GoldenEye 80 enable the UAV to be used for a variety of military missions, from conducting surveillance beyond hills in rural areas to gathering intelligence while flying between buildings in urban warfare operations. Read More
First UAV to use High-Resolution Synthetic Aperture Surveillance Radar
By Mike Hanlon
December 7, 2006 Lockheed Martin recently accomplished a first for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), demonstrating that high-resolution, broad-area imaging from a Miniaturized Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR) could effectively be delivered by a UAS into the hands of tactical unit commanders, regardless of smoke, dust, heavy rain or night-time conditions. During a successful field exercise at the Minnesota National Guard test facility on October 19, a small SkySpirit UAS carrying a Sandia-developed MiniSAR sensor soared to nearly 3,000 feet and, in near real-time, became the first UAS to successfully transmit four-inch resolution SAR imagery. During four different mission demonstrations, the SkySpirit transmitted MiniSAR images capturing actionable data in two operational modes: focused area circle-mapping and broad area strip-mapping. Multiple imaging passes were post-processed to demonstrate coherent change detection used to identify changes over time. Read More
New technology for simultaneous control of multiple robots
By Mike Hanlon
November 1, 2006 iRobot has released the first information on a new project in development, will allow a single operator to simultaneously control and coordinate multiple semi-autonomous robots via a touch-screen computer. Code named Sentinel, the new networked technology, includes intelligent navigation capabilities that enable the robots to reach a preset destination independently, overcoming obstacles and other challenges along the way without intervention from an operator. Sentinel’s capability will allow warfighters and first responders to use teams of iRobot PackBot robots to conduct surveillance and mapping, therefore rendering dangerous areas safe without ever setting foot in a hostile environment. Read More
Track A Participants announced for 2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge
By Mike Hanlon
October 5, 2006 Please excuse us for being so excited, but the third Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge autonomous vehicle competition is scheduled for November 3, 2007 and this time instead of tackling the desert, the vehicles will be required to negotiate an urban environment. DARPA has established a two-track (track A and track B) system for teams to qualify and compete in the Urban Challenge in order to help accelerate autonomous development and this week it announced the track A teams which will each receive US $1 million in technology development funds. Read More
The Asahi Refrigerator Robot holds and pours six cans
By Mike Hanlon
September 12, 2006 It might seem a trivial and highly specialised application for a robot, but the task of getting another beer that seems to be one that is ideally suited to a robotic servant and that’s exactly what the Asahi Refrigerator Robot does. The little fellow holds and chills six 350 ml cans and at the touch of a button will dispense a can, rip the top off and pour a perfect beer every time. Japan’s Asahi Breweries held a special promotion earlier this year and gave away 5,000 robots via a lottery for participants who had collected 36 seals from special Asahi beer cans. There’s no sign of the robot hitting the market just yet, but there is a video which shows the little tyke doing its stuff. We suspect a 12 can version will be required for foreign markets. Via Gizmodo Read More
The wine-tasting robot
By Mike Hanlon
September 8, 2006 The evolution of information technology that imitates the five human senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste is important in the advancement of a ubiquitous society. Undoubtedly one of the leaders in this area is NEC System Technologies which continues to push robotic development as can be seen from these stories (here, here and here) on its technologies, all of which seem to be able to be shoehorned into the tiny PaPeRo form factor. More recently, the research has moved from areas such as personality, social skills, companionship and English-Japanese language translation to technologies that support the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases through dietary therapy. Last year we saw Papero transformed into a “health food adviser robot” which analysed food using infrared spectrum analysis and did so WITHOUT opening the packet. Not only did it report on the fat and sugar content, the robot actually identifies several types of cheese (Edam, Gouda, Camembert, etc.), meat products (ham, bacon), and bread (pain de mie, baguette, croissant,). This year they set out to build a robot that could differentiate between different types of wine, a far more exacting task using the same technology. The new wine-tasting robot can now discriminate between wine types but the sensor is much larger, needs to touch the surface of the wine and must be cleaned for each tasting. Read More
Skylynx II Unmanned Aircraft System in testing
By Mike Hanlon
September 1, 2006 BAE Systems successfully completed tests on its Skylynx II unmanned aircraft system at Yuma Proving Grounds last month, meeting key requirements for acoustic performance, endurance, and payload capability for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions. The aircraft was developed to support missions such as those critical to the U.S. Marine Corps Tier II (regiment-level) unmanned aircraft program. The Skylynx II flew in a series of flight patterns to demonstrate agility. Using an integrated electro-optical/infrared imaging payload, the aircraft automatically located and tracked vehicle and human targets, transmitting coordinates to a ground station. Read More
Supervised autonomy for unmanned ground vehicles
By Mike Hanlon
September 1, 2006 Lockheed Martin yesterday pulled the wraps off its new Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), leveraging robotic technologies for future robotic weapons systems. The SMSS will decrease the amount of time a warfighter has to spend in controlling robotic systems by providing vehicles with a greater perception of their surroundings on the battlefield. Combining perception with extraordinary mobility will allow vehicles to follow a soldier across any terrain, guaranteeing the payload the robotic system is carrying will be available whenever and wherever it is required. It is envisaged the SMSS will provide manned and unmanned transport and logistical support to Light and Early Entry Forces. Read More
windykites1
- November 24, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
