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Robot
Robo-Bat: mini spy-plane of the future?
21:44 November 6, 2008 PST
Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) undoubtedly have the potential to revolutionize both military and civilian surveillance operations, and the quest to find the most efficient design for these airborne spies of the future is leading to all kinds of radical platforms being investigated. Several are derived from nature, where evolution has produced designs that out-strip the performance and efficiency of humanity's aerial achievements on a proportional scale. Even extinct examples like the pterodactyl are not immune from this scrutiny, but in this case, the inspiration comes from the only mammal naturally capable of flight - the bat. Read More
Californian prisons employ robotic scouts
By Kyle Sherer
16:43 November 3, 2008 PST
California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has agreed to test remote-controlled, 1.2-pound surveillance robots in hostile prison situations. After pulling an activation pin, the hardy robots can be thrown into place, or fired from a tear-gas launcher. Read More
Robot swarms could help colonize Mars
By Kyle Sherer
03:13 October 28, 2008 PDT
Hundreds of micro-robots will work together to carry out repairs inside machinery, explore deep-sea environments, and even colonize Mars according to predictions from the EU-funded I-SWARM project, which is developing centimeter-scale autonomous robots that co-operate like a colony of ants and therefore can compensate for the failure of individual members. Read More
The robot plant - do not water!
By Darren Quick
23:49 October 19, 2008 PDT
Not only are humanity's days as the dominant life form on the planet numbered – it seems plants might have to start looking over their shoulders as well. The robot research laboratory at Chonnam National University in Korea has developed a robotic plant that has humidifying, oxygen-producing, aroma-emitting, and kinetic functions. Read More
Mining the moon: the Scarab lunar prospecting robot
02:16 October 16, 2008 PDT
Plans are afoot to have humans back on the moon by 2020, but if we want to make it more than just a brief visit and truly begin to colonize the solar system, the challenge will be to find ways to extract and exploit local resources that can help sustain a lunar outpost. That's where the Scarab comes in. The four-wheel, 880-pound lunar prospecting robot designed by Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, and soon to be field tested by NASA on the slopes of a dormant volcano in Hawaii, is equipped to drill and collect three-foot samples of soil and rock while operating in one of the harshest environments imaginable - the moon's southern pole. The rover will act as a terrestrial testbed for the development of technologies that it's hoped can be used to find hydrogen, oxygen and possibly even water, that could be mined from beneath the moon's surface. Read More
Machine vision cameras powered via Ethernet cable
By Kyle Sherer
00:14 October 8, 2008 PDT
Baumer’s new line of GigE (Gigabit Ethernet) cameras receive power via a Cat6 Ethernet cable, eliminating the need for a separate power cord. The cameras provide machine vision for product lines and robotic applications- a process greatly simplified by the reduction of cables. Read More
Pterodactyl-based UAV design for urban combat scenarios
By Kyle Sherer
16:29 October 7, 2008 PDT
Scientists have designed a highly-maneuverable UAV modeled on a 228-million-year-old pterodactyl. The 30-inch robotic craft would alter its wing shape to “squeeze through confined spaces, dive between buildings, travel under overpasses, land on apartment balconies, and sail along the coastline.” Read More
Underwater exoskeletons mimic dolphins and penguins
By Kyle Sherer
17:45 September 25, 2008 PDT
The University of West Florida’s Institute of Human and Machine Cognition has released designs of biologically inspired aquatic exoskeletons – robotic suits that enhance the user’s strength and provide great advancements in speed, stealth and maneuverability, allowing the wearer them to mimic the efficient swimming styles of penguins, dolphins and turtles. Read More
Wrex the robot dog
By Emily Clark
05:39 September 11, 2008 PDT
Based on a similar concept to the now defunct Aibo, Wrex The Dawg is the latest robo-pet from WowWee and his moods are distinctive. Ill-mannered Wrex was styled using discarded mechanical and electrical parts and is designed to be any kid’s mischievous robotic pal. Read More
FANUC debuts world's largest, strongest six-axis robot
By Kyle Sherer
17:45 September 10, 2008 PDT
FANUC Robotics has introduced the heavy-duty M-2000iA line of robots, designed for handling truck, tractor and car parts. The model which was demonstrated during the IMTS 2008, sets new records for size, reach and wrist strength, claiming the title of world’s largest and strongest six-axis robot. Read More
Electrical rubber could be used as synthetic skin for robots
By Kyle Sherer
09:07 August 20, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
Robot controlled by biological brain
By Kyle Sherer
10:27 August 18, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
University of Maryland wins Unmanned Underwater Vehicle competition
By Kyle Sherer
07:53 August 11, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
Robots reinvigorate computer science classrooms
13:36 August 8, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
Robots developed that drive themselves up the wall
By Darren Quick
05:06 July 23, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
The Care-O-bot 3 - always at your service
By Mike Hanlon
06:06 July 10, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
Seagull-cam military/spy camera technology
By Loz Blain
01:33 July 7, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
A.M.P. – the dancing, mobile, robot boombox
By Darren Quick
16:41 July 1, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
Scientists developing intelligent pipe-inspection robot
By Kyle Sherer
20:24 June 29, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
400th robotic-assisted heart surgery
By Emily Clark
01:03 June 24, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
DARPA Grand Challenge winner returns to Silicon Valley
22:57 June 19, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
Sega gives new robot the feminine touch
By Kyle Sherer
21:22 June 19, 2008 PDT
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.” Read More
Robofish demonstrate group communication
By Kyle Sherer
18:43 June 17, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
MAARS ground robot system ships
22:54 June 5, 2008 PDT
QinetiQ has delivered the first of its combat-ready Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS) ground robots to the US military. Read More
Miniature robot leaps 27 times its body size
By Kyle Sherer
20:14 May 29, 2008 PDT
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. Read More
Rex Alfie Lee
- November 9, 2009 @ 12:19 UTC
