Robot

Robotic fish in action at London Aquarium

By Mike Hanlon

October 11. 2005 There may be a different fish to see for every day of the year at the London Aquarium at County Hall, but there's a new variety that has never swum any of the world's oceans. Since October 6 the Aquarium’s unique robotic fish has been swimming in a specially-designed tank. Three stunningly beautiful robotic fish have been created with jewel-bright scales and sinuous, astonishingly life-like movements. They have been produced by Professor Huosheng Hu and his human-centred robotics team of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Essex. Professor Hu's team have been working with the London Aquarium for three years to develop a biologically inspired robotic fish which mimic the undulating movement of nature's fish species – aiming for the speed of the tuna; the acceleration of a pike, and the navigating skill of the eel. Read More

Stanford University wins DARPA Grand Challenge race for robots - five complete course

By Mike Hanlon

October 10, 2005 The DARPA Grand Challenge race for autonomous robotic vehicles has been run and won, with five robots completing the 132 mile course and the first four all finishing within minutes of each other. History will record however, that the winner was Stanford University’s Volkswagen-based "Stanley" beating out the two Carnegie Mellon Team Red entries by 11 minutes and 21 minutes respectively, with the Gray Team a further 16 minutes behind in fourth place. Had minor circumstances played out differently, any one of those four teams could have taken the US$2 million first prize and a place in history. As the Stanford vehicle crossed the line after 132 miles, the team's followers cheered and lifted team leader Sebastian Thrun shoulder high. Thrun is the director of Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Lab and Associate Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. Congratulations to Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab and to the team, and congratulations too to Carnegie Mellon robotics professor William "Red" Whittaker who put two vehicles in the race and finished with a close second and third place. It was a far cry from the results of the first DARPA Challenge, where the best-performed vehicle travelled just 7 miles – all but two of the 23 vehicles that started this event bettered that performance and four completed the course inside the allotted time. Most importantly, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsorship of the event over the last two years has yielded pure gold – the US$2 million prize has catalysed a dramatic acceleration in the development of autonomous ground vehicle technologies and demonstrated conclusively that autonomous robotic vehicles can travel long distances across difficult terrain at militarily relevant rates of speed. Read on for a full report from Gizmag’s Robotics reporter, Dan Christian with images and assistance from Eric Zbinden. Read More

Robot lifeguard wins 15th International BraunPrize - full details of finalists

By Mike Hanlon

September 19, 2005 The BraunPrize for 2005 has been awarded to Jens Andersson from Sweden for his design “Rescue Buoy” - a swimming robot in the form of a lifebuoy. The other four International BraunPrize finalists were Australian Greg Scott’s ingenious Yolk headgear for skiers and snowboarders, Canadian Lynn Borneman Animal Factor which monitors the health of a horse during strenuous activity, Chinese Wa Yao’s Mesh Editor, a mobile space-planning tool to facilitate the rapid creation of light and safe large-span structures and Brazilian Adriano Galvao’s Easy-XM which simplifies and reduces the amount of time required to take blood from patients. Read More

Fujitsu Begins Limited Sales of Service Robots

By Mike Hanlon

September 13, 2005 Fujitsu Frontech Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced that Fujitsu Frontech will begin limited sales of their new service robot, enon, on a limited basis in Japan from September 13, 2005. Jointly developed by the two companies, enon is an advanced practical-use service robot that can assist in such tasks as providing guidance, escorting guests, transporting objects, and security patrolling. Read More

Face Robot facial animation technology pioneers new approach to believable, emotional digital acting

By Mike Hanlon

August 3, 2005 The world’s most important computer graphics showcase SIGGRAPH 2005 opened yesterday with a rash of new important announcements and techniques to be seen on the floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center, though none are likely to have the far reaching ramifications of SoftImage Face Robot, a revolutionary new facial animation technology. Face Robot software is the first technology that allows 3-D artists to achieve realistic, lifelike facial animation for high-end film, post and games projects. The technology is built on a new computer model of facial soft tissue that mimics the full range of emotions portrayed by the human face. SIGGRAPH attendees made a bee-line to the Avid Computer Graphics booth to experience the Face Robot system. The technology offers artists a very intuitive way to interact with CG characters while providing precise control over facial details, including wrinkles, frowns, flaring nostrils and bulging neck muscles. Read More

Robotics toys get very intelligent.

By Mike Hanlon

July 26, 2005 As computer chips get more powerful and cheaper at an exponential rate, we’re going to see toys, cars, shoes, hats and even door knobs becoming surprisingly intelligent. How intelligent? Meet Amazing Amanda. Amanda is a 21” interactive doll that utilises voice recognition, sensory technology and articulated animatronics, so she can play the role of a baby girl more authentically than you’d have thought possible. Like a real toddler, Amanda can show the whole gamut of human emotions including laughing and crying and after an initial five minute bonding session (AKA voice recognition induction session) she even recognises her own ‘mother’s’ voice and responds differently to mum compared with strangers! Amanda can talk, respond to questions and loves to play games and sing songs! She interacts with her food, potty and hair accessories, knows when she is being fed, having her hair brushed and can be programmed to wake at the same time every morning to act as a pseudo alarm clock. She remembers mothers day, birthdays and through realistic animatronics, shows her feelings in her facial movements and voice responses. Does this sound like science fiction? Amazing Amanda hits the shelves in the US, UK and Australia next month with a retail price in the vicinity of US$100. Read More

First human robotic arm implant

By Mike Hanlon

July 15, 2005 The first implantation of robotic arms into a human being is to be performed at the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In a statement issued by the hospital, an agreement was signed during June that will see a team of neuroscientists from Duke University, in the United States, led by Brazilian doctor Miguel Nicolelis, perform the implant in approximately three years time. A microchip implanted into the patient's brain will make it possible to control the prosthetics. Nicolelis has long been regarded as the most-likely to develop the technologies for such a procedure, having recently been named one of the 50 top scientists in the world by Scientific American. Read More

Fujitsu releases HOAP-3 programmable Linux robot

By Mike Hanlon

July 10, 2005 Fujitsu has shown the third iteration of its Humanoid for Open Architecture Platform (HOAP) series of robots which first went on sale to research institutions and universities four years ago. As you’d expect, the HOAP-3 model is way better than HOAP-2 after four years of development and the new model has advanced image recognition capabilities and the ability to not only communicate but also to display emotion – a feature that seems high on the agenda for Japanese robotics manufacturers. HOAP-3 is now available to universities and its open systems architecture is designed so students and researchers can explore the little feller’s (he’s 60 cm tall and weighs 8 kg) RTLinux operating system and many advanced built-in features. Read More

The Robotica Zucchetti Evolution: State-of-the-art Robotic lawnmowing system

By Mike Hanlon

June 19, 2005 If you’re an avid gardener with a sizeable area of lawn to mow, the Evolution might be just what you need so you can spend more quality time with the roses and plants which thrive on additional care. The Evolution is a premium quality lawn mowing robot built by Italian industrial robotics manufacturer Robotica Zucchetti and is a prime example of just how far automated systems have come in saving time and money in the home. It’s electric, recharges itself and will work any hours of the day or night you require, and will look after three quarters of an acre of grass on its own. If you have the right sized lawn that makes the Evolution a bargain at US$2299. Read More

Food Tasting Robot

By Mike Hanlon

June 13, 2005 One of the really scary things about NEC’s Papero robot is all the capabilities it keeps adding and what it eventually may become. We had a good look at Papero last year and we were very impressed with its English-Japanese translation capabilities in conjunction with its personality and social skills – now a new variant of Papero has been shown at EXPO 2005 in Japan and this one is a “health food adviser robot” which analyses any food you give it using infrared spectrum analysis and reports on the fat and sugar content. Read More

World's Fastest Robotic Case Packer - Carbon Fiber reduces weight increases throughput

By Mike Hanlon

June 8, 2005 Think carbon fiber and you think of expensive helmets, mission-critical lightweight components in Formula 1 racing cars and ... places where strength, performance and light weight are not optional. So a seemingly mundane production line robot is not exactly where you'd expect to find an exotic composite. Light weight components can make a huge difference when they're in the right place though and KUKA Robotics' new KUKA KR 40 PA case packing robot is a prime example. Read More

World's First Robotic Floor Washer: iRobot Scooba

By Mike Hanlon

May 24, 2005 The company that brought the world’s first practical, affordable and viable Robotic Floorvac to market is set to show a next-generation model that simultaneously vacuums, scrubs and dries hard floors. The new iRobot Scooba Robotic Floor Washer will be shown in a "sneak preview" today at The Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference in California. Scooba, a next-generation robot, is designed to vacuum, scrub and dry hard floors automatically. The new robot builds on technology advances from the company's iRobot Roomba Robotic Floorvac. The Roomba and Scooba will be seen in centuries to come as the very first robotic assistants to reach the home - some experts predict the home robotics market will rival the automotive industry in size within 20 years. Read More

Snake-like robot conquers obstacles

By Mike Hanlon

May 20, 2005 A virtually unstoppable "snakebot" developed by a University of Michigan team resembles a high-tech slinky as it climbs pipes and stairs, rolls over rough terrain and spans wide gaps to reach the other side. The 26-pound robot developed at the U-M College of Engineering is called OmniTread. It moves by rolling, log-style, or by lifting its head or tail, inchworm-like, and muscling itself forward. The robot's unique tread design prevents it from stalling on rough ground, said research professor Johann Borenstein, head of the mobile robotics lab at U-M. Read More

Hug and SenseChair Robotic Prototypes

By Mike Hanlon

Developed by a team of Carnegie Mellon University interaction and product designers, the Hug and the SenseChair are robotic product prototypes designed to improve the quality of life for the world’s growing elderly population. The Hug, which looks like a 16-inch pillow, uses vibrations and heat, light and sound signals to mimic human interaction (such as a child's hug) and is designed to augment phone calls and ultimately help the elderly communicate more meaningfully with distant family members. The SenseChair is equipped to sense, monitor, stimulate, interact and communicate with the sitter. The products will go on show in New York this week. Read More

3.5 metre Tyrannosaurus Rex Robot

By Mike Hanlon

March 12, 2005 There can be little doubt that the Japanese lead the world in robotics, and the 2005 World Expo to be held in Aichi Prefecture later this year will be the country’s first real opportunity to showcase its advanced robotics capabilities to the rest of the world. Toyota will lead the way with several distinct robotics projects on display such as partner robots, the i-unit mobility system and its robot buses, but a new robotic display has come to light that will be one of the hit features of the Expo – two giant robotic dinosaurs. Read More

Golf robot designed to give everyone the perfect swing

By Mike Hanlon

March 5, 2005 Top Swing is an electronically controlled robot that can hold your golf club, feel your swing, and guide you how to get the perfect swing - unlike all previous golf teaching aids, the Top Swing can enable everyone to FEEL just what the perfect golf shot FEELS like, enabling even beginners to grasp the proper motion concept. With Top Swing, students can feel and execute a perfect swing while advanced golfers and professionals can work on their shot and clinically measure what's happening each and every swing. Read More

Korea shows its robotics prowess with a rival for Asimo

By Mike Hanlon

January 25, 2005 A humanoid robot developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIST) has significantly bridged the gap between Japan's advanced robotic technologies and the rest of the world, once again affirming that Korea will be a major player in the fast-growing robotics industry. Developed in just three years at a fraction of the cost of the world's most advanced humanoid robot, Honda's Asimo, KAIST's robot will be known as Hubo. Hubo is a 150cm tall, 67 kilogram prodigy with a natural walk, voice recognition and synthesis faculties and advanced vision capabilities with both eyes operating independently. Unlike any previous humanoid, Hubo's on-board intelligence is largely supplemented a wireless connection to a powerful external server. Read More

Talon Explosive Ordnance Disposal robot gainfully employed in Baghdad

By Mike Hanlon

BAGHDAD, Iraq January 13, 2005 As robotics, automation and autonomous robotics eventually reach consumers in numbers, we will find uses for cost-efficient, energy-efficient, systems that we have yet to conseive. As the robotic age dawns though, there are already some compelling advantages to using robots. The US Army is using robots to reduce the dangers to Explosive Ordnance Disposal in Baghdad. Read More

Talon robot soldiers shipped to Iraq

By Gizmag Team

December 10, 2004 A new era of robot warfare has been launched with the US Army employing 100 TALON robots equipped with off-the-shelf chemical, gas, temperature, and radiation sensors for deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. The explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robots are to be used for a variety of missions ranging from clearing live grenades to neutralising mines in shallow water, and can be adapted for small mobile weapons systems (SMWS) for force protection. Read More

Self-transforming robots promise versatile future

By Gizmag Team

November 29, 2004 Scientists at the Dartmouth Robotics Lab have developed the first reliable methods to produce self-configurable robots capable of controlling their shape according to the task at hand and environment they are in. Based on a 'lattice' of autonomous units linked into a networked organism, the breakthrough promises a new generation of self-transforming robots that can perform a variety of different tasks without human intervention. Read More

U.N. releases World Robotics 2004 survey

By Gizmag Team

November 21, 2004 Over 600,00 household robots are already in use with several million more expected for domestic consumption in the next few years according to the World Robotics 2004 survey, produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in cooperation with the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Read More

Robotic Doctor marks breakthrough in telemedicine

By Gizmag Team

November 13, 2004 Known as RP-6, this "Remote Presence Robot" represents yet another advance in the use of robot technology for the delivery of healthcare. Already utilised in numerous medical roles including surgery, robots are set to become increasingly valuable in the delivery of a wide range of healthcare services, including remote or "telemedical" applications. RP-6 acts as a surrogate presence, allowing doctors to visit patients from a remote location and expedite health services to a greater number of users. Doctors can guide the robot to the patient's bedside, take pictures of charts and speak to the patient through the robot. Aimed particularly at those recovering from surgery, the RP-6 is is currently undergoing trials in US hospitals. Read More

Meet Milo - the world's first Robot Personal Assistant

By Gizmag Team

November 2, 2004 At a time when most handhelds PDA's are racing to miniaturise their hardware, MILO, the world's first Robotic Personal Assistant platform (RPA) - takes a brave step in the opposite direction, developing a four foot tall mix of robot butler and mobile telecommunications hub with programmable commands. Read More

Intelligent network based robots on the market in 2005

By Gizmag Team

November 2, 2004 A new type of network-based robot will debut in Korea in late 2005, greeting customers in around 200 post offices and interacting in real time service applications for commercial and home uses.

One male based robot security guard will guard post offices around the clock and is equipped with a net it can shoot to capture intruders. Another female styled robot will tend to customers and make those long queues more bearable by screening fun video clips on embedded monitors.

The network-based robots are part of a project called the Ubiquitous Robot Companion (URC) being promoted by the Korean Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), who are taking advantage of the country's highest per capita use of high-speed Internet connection and wireless broadband services to deliver flexible robot programming through wireless networks and pre-empt the emerging robotics market. Read More

Using robotics to learn how to walk again

By Mike Hanlon

October 27, 2004

The Lokomat is a bio-treadmill with robotic arms to move a stroke and paralysis victim's legs, allowing them to feel the 'pattern' of walking - which rebuilds muscles faster and speeds recovery.

Designer and manufacturer Hocoma specialises in developing innovative equipment for applications in medicinal engineering and now their new 'Lokomat' bio-treadmill is helping people with disabilities to walk again. Read More