7.05.2009
Body-swapping robot
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4.13.2009
The Autonomous Grape-Vine Pruner
A robot with a sophisticated vision system and sophisticated arms is able to prune grape vines on a twig-by-twig basis:
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4.02.2009
Robot bulldozers
Israelis' invulnerable, 60-tonne robot bulldozer force to double
From the article: "The regular D9, from Caterpillar, is an imposing brute. It weighs nearly 50 tonnes - reportedly more than 60 with IDF armour - boasts better than 450 horsepower, and is generally equipped with a normal bulldozer blade at the front and a "ripper" delving tool at the back. The Black Thunder unmanned version is fitted with cameras and remote actuators, and can operated unmanned or with a driver as may suit."
From the article: "The regular D9, from Caterpillar, is an imposing brute. It weighs nearly 50 tonnes - reportedly more than 60 with IDF armour - boasts better than 450 horsepower, and is generally equipped with a normal bulldozer blade at the front and a "ripper" delving tool at the back. The Black Thunder unmanned version is fitted with cameras and remote actuators, and can operated unmanned or with a driver as may suit."
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3.22.2009
Robot taxis
Driverless, Electric Taxis Set for UAE Debut
From the article:
From the article:
- The streets of Masdar City are said to be entirely free of traditional cars, so these podcars will be the only way of getting around short of taking a train, riding a bike, or just walking.
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Robots ready to run the world
From the article:
From the article:
- An intensive study into the possible achievements of robots has allowed scientists to surmise there will be an amalgamation between humans and robots. Antonio Lopez Palaez, co-author of the research and a Professor of Sociology at Spain’s National Distance Learning University said,
“Just as we depend on mobile phones and cars in our daily lives, the next 15 years will see mass hybridization between humans and robots.”
It is believed the leisure and entertainment industries will benefit most from the “robotic revolution”. Due to unification between robots, computers and home entertainment there is expected to be a dramatic increase in robots in entertainment by the year 2011.
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Programmable matter
Morphing programmable matter gadgets could soon be a reality
From the article:
Shows a photo of a current prototype about 3cm across using magnets for connections in 2-D. Obviously that will have to shrink quite a bit, and 3-D connections are necessary.
From the article:
- Researchers are just a few years away from bringing to life revolutionary morphing devices known as programmable matter which can change size, shape and function.
Programmable matter, or "claytronics", involves creating devices made of millions of microscopic robots that are to 3D objects what pixels are to a screen.
Shows a photo of a current prototype about 3cm across using magnets for connections in 2-D. Obviously that will have to shrink quite a bit, and 3-D connections are necessary.
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Cyborg limbs
SmartHand: Cyborg Limbs Will Feel Like User's Own
From the article:
From the article:
- SmartHand is a European collaborative project to develop a next-generation robotic prosthetic limb, and as part of the project Swedish researchers have successfully demonstrated a neat psychological trick that makes wearers feel like an artificial limb is actually part of their body.
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New Army technology could save soldiers' lives
New Army technology could save soldiers' lives
From the article:
From the article:
- This remotely controlled robot, called BEAR, could help remove injured soldiers from battlefields.
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Photos of Robots today
Robots
From the article:
These are great photos of some of today's latest robotic advancements.
From the article:
- Robotic systems continue to evolve, slowly penetrating many areas of our lives, from manufacturing, medicine and remote exploration to entertainment, security and personal assistance. Developers in Japan are currently building robots to assist the elderly, while NASA develops the next generation of space explorers, and artists are exploring new avenues of entertainment. Collected here are a handful of images of our recent robotic past, and perhaps a glimpse into the near future. (32 photos total)
These are great photos of some of today's latest robotic advancements.
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3.08.2009
Roboto medics
Robots could replace army medics in battle
From the article:
From the article:
- In 10 years' time the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital may be replaced by a "Trauma Pod" manned by robot surgeons and nurses.
A prototype already undergoing trials contains a three-armed remotely controlled robotic surgeon - the equivalent of Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce, played by Alan Alda in the M*A*S*H series.
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2.01.2009
Robots in warehouses
1.26.2009
Lightweight UAVs
The LP960 is a simple UAV used for reconnaissance. It weighs 2 pounds and has a 10 megapixel camera. Basically a glorified radio controlled airplane:
LP960 UAV flies around, shoots high def photographs, video of its journey
Since it is just a glorified R/C airplane, it brings up the obvious question: can "normal people" modify R/C aircraft and turn them into their own UAVs? Yes - there are whole websites dedicated to these flying robots. For example:
BASIC Stamp UAV code now in beta
Basic Stamp autopilot tutorial
LP960 UAV flies around, shoots high def photographs, video of its journey
Since it is just a glorified R/C airplane, it brings up the obvious question: can "normal people" modify R/C aircraft and turn them into their own UAVs? Yes - there are whole websites dedicated to these flying robots. For example:
BASIC Stamp UAV code now in beta
Basic Stamp autopilot tutorial
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12.12.2008
Canadian Android
A robot from Canada is getting a lot of press this week:
Ontario man builds real-life female android
From the article:
The project's website: Projectaiko.com
Ontario man builds real-life female android
From the article:
- According to the official Project Aiko website, the android can read newspapers, provide weather reports and tell different types of medicine apart.
Aiko can also distinguish between types of touch to her body and can even make toast.
But she cannot walk -- yet. Trung said he needs 14 motors worth $500 a piece to get Aiko walking, and until he gets a financial sponsor, that goal has to stay on hold.
Trung hopes to make Aiko capable of completing tasks that he hates to do.
On his wish list? Teaching Aiko to dust, to clean toilets and to clean his ears with a Q-tip.
The project's website: Projectaiko.com
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Japan: Robot Nation
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11.16.2008
Auto robotos
10.24.2008
Packs of robots
Packs of robots will hunt down uncooperative humans
From the article:
From the article:
- robots.jpgThe latest request from the Pentagon jars the senses. At least, it did mine. They are looking for contractors to provide a "Multi-Robot Pursuit System" that will let packs of robots "search for and detect a non-cooperative human".
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10.02.2008
Robot hands
A photo essay on new robot hand designs:
Robot Hands Get a Grip on the Future
From the article:
Robot Hands Get a Grip on the Future
From the article:
- For centuries, people have used the human body, and the hand in particular, as an inspiration and blueprint for engineering innovations.
But copying the human hand hasn't been easy. Its complex muscular and skeletal structure offers a unique, tricky balance: It is dexterous, stable and precise, but also fast moving, strong and flexible.
Despite the challenges, makers of robot hands have called on a host of innovations from a variety of disciplines to bring us closer to fully automated hands.
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9.19.2008
More on Mechanical Turk
Ten Thousand Cents
From the site:
From the site:
- "Ten Thousand Cents" is a digital artwork that creates a representation of a $100 bill. Using a custom drawing tool, thousands of individuals working in isolation from one another painted a tiny part of the bill without knowledge of the overall task. Workers were paid one cent each via Amazon's Mechanical Turk distributed labor tool.
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9.18.2008
Wired Workers
This is the science fiction version of tele-presence, where people control robots at a distance to get work done. In the trailer you can see people doing constuction work, agricultural work and military work:
We already have people flying drone aircraft in this way, but the agricultural and construction robots are still a few years off.
What we do have today is people willing to do more cerebral tasks over the Internet, as described in this article:
Mechanical Turk
From the article:
People checked all the links for a nominal payment (in this case, 2 cents a link).
Both of these ideas fit perfectly into the world of Manna.
We already have people flying drone aircraft in this way, but the agricultural and construction robots are still a few years off.
What we do have today is people willing to do more cerebral tasks over the Internet, as described in this article:
Mechanical Turk
From the article:
- I just finished my first big project using Amazon's Mechanical Turk service. I'm in love.
I had a list of over 6000 business names, addresses and url's of dubious quality that I needed to make sure was accurate. For a brief moment, I thought about checking them myself. But after doing several dozen by hand, I realized that I was violating the principle of Don't Be Silly(TM). So I was stuck. Either I could use half baked data as is or shelve the project entirely.
Enter Mechanical Turk, and the hordes of awesomeness to save the day. I'd heard about Mechanical Turk several years ago, and I had been dying to use it.
People checked all the links for a nominal payment (in this case, 2 cents a link).
Both of these ideas fit perfectly into the world of Manna.
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8.29.2008
When a robot becomes the star of the show
8.26.2008
Robot intelligence
Intel looks into the future:
Robots to be more intelligent than humans in 40 years
From the article:
See Robotic Nation for details.
Robots to be more intelligent than humans in 40 years
From the article:
- The firm predicts in just over 40 years machines may have the reasoning power of humans, though stopped short of saying they will become our masters and we will be forced to do their bidding.
"The industry has taken much greater strides than anyone ever imagined 40 years ago," said Justin Rattner, CTO of Intel said.
See Robotic Nation for details.
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8.19.2008
Lifelike animated people
Watch the video in this article to see how far "animated people" have come:
Lifelike animation heralds new era for computer games
How long will it be before actors and actresses of every sort, along with newscasters, spokespeople, etc. are replaced by animated people like these?
How long before this level of realism is available in games like SecondLife and WoW?
Lifelike animation heralds new era for computer games
How long will it be before actors and actresses of every sort, along with newscasters, spokespeople, etc. are replaced by animated people like these?
How long before this level of realism is available in games like SecondLife and WoW?
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7.11.2008
A Robot That Learns to Use Tools
A Robot That Learns to Use Tools: "To assist humans around the house, robots will need to be able to deal with the unfamiliar. But while researchers can preprogram robots to do increasingly sophisticated tasks, they face a much bigger challenge in teaching them to adapt to unstructured environments. A robot developed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, however, is able to learn to use objects that it has never encountered before..."
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6.30.2008
Robots in the operating room
It is exactly as predicted in a Robotic Nation:
Dr. R2-D2 - The invasion of the surgeon robots
From the article:
Humans prefer robots to people.
Dr. R2-D2 - The invasion of the surgeon robots
From the article:
- There is one realm, however, in which robots really are joining the gang: the operating room. It turns out that Americans love to be operated upon by them. Last year, robots participated in thousands of surgeries, and the years ahead promise even more choices. Cancer surgery, heart surgery, brain surgery, you name it—R2-D2 awaits your call. The robots even have their own medical journal (OK, it's run by the humans who operate the robots, but egad!).
Humans prefer robots to people.
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6.29.2008
Zappos and robot workers
Zappos tries robots on for size
From the article:
The Kiva Systems article is interesting: Kivasystems.com
Archives
From the article:
- the company, which now sells more than just shoes, has just finished outfitting it's Kentucky warehouse with a robotic army to help fill orders, the company supplying the system announced Tuesday.
The Kiva Mobile Fulfillment System from Massachusetts-based Kiva Systems, is basically a team of autonomous, stout, orange robots that sort, store, and move inventory in warehouses. The robots essentially bring the assembly line to the warehouse worker to fill orders more quickly.
The Kiva Systems article is interesting: Kivasystems.com
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