Robot
Lockheed Martin achieve autonomous navigation milestone
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July 10, 2007 Lockheed Martin has successfully demonstrated its Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) robotic vehicle’s ability to autonomously navigate complex obstacles. The MULE's Engineering Evaluation Unit (EEU) climbed a 30-inch step and bridged a 70-inch gap without operator intervention, relying only on parametric descriptions of the obstacles and the vehicle's self-awareness. This brings the project a step closer to its aim of providing robotic vehicles by 2013 that can keep pace with dismounted soldiers on any terrain whilst providing firepower support, casualty evacuation or enough payload capacity to support two dismounted infantry squads Read More
Bionic arm uses elephant’s trunk as a design model
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July 4, 2007 The more we learn about intelligent design, the more we understand the engenuity of nature, and the latest lesson in this regard has come during the development of a bionic robot arm by German researchers. The technology is expected to be used in therapy to restore the use of injured limbs, and low-cost, flexible prosthetic devices. Such devices could be commercially available within two years.
TASER-armed robots keep police out of harm's way
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June 3, 2007 Love them or hate them, TASER stun guns have become an essential and effective part of law enforcement armory. Perhaps their main drawback has been that even the long-range wireless shotgun-mounted TASER XREP puts a police officer within 30 feet of a potentially dangerous suspect before they're in range. Now, a new partnership between TASER and iRobot will see the construction of TASER-wielding robots that can be sent in to incapacitate violent suspects without ever exposing police officers to the risk of harm. What's more, TASER has released their Remote Area Denial (TRAD) system, an unmanned device that operates in a network to identify and incapacitate intruders in secured areas. It all points towards an interesting future with embedded moral implications; how long will it be until suspects are told "you have 15 seconds to comply?" Read More
RoboCup 2007 underway in Atlanta
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July 3, 2007 RoboCup 2007 kicks-off today in Atlanta where nearly 300 teams from 37 countries are gathered to compete in the annual showcase of artificial intelligence at the Georgia Institute of Technology. RoboCup presents an ideal platform for the demonstration of robotic traits such as multi-agent collaboration, strategy acquisition and real-time reasoning and not only that – it’s an engaging spectator sport. In addition to competitions for small, medium, humanoid and four-legged robots, this year’s tournament sees the debut of the Nanogram League, a competition involving soccer-related agility drills for microscopic robots. Read More
LANdroids - self-organizing, self-healing communications network for urban warfare
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June 25, 2007 Modern warfare is increasingly urban - when you're fighting small groups of anonymous guerrilla insurgents there's no pitched battlefields and American forces are finding that their radio communications are suffering in these Non-Line-Of-Sight environments. The solution? Squadrons of smart communications robots, or LANdroids, each the size of a deck of cards, that can be scattered through an urban environment to create a self-organizing mesh radio network. Each unit constantly repositions itself for maximal signal strength, and if a LANdroid is destroyed, the rest of the units will reposition themselves to restore communications. Read More
Rogun the robot learns to recognise faces
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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 inhumane treatment of robots
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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
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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
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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
iRobot introduces NexGen Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robot
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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
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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
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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
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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
The autonomous wheelchair raises the promise of assistive mobile robots
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December 17, 2006 There are few areas in which technology can make such a great difference as in mobility assistance for the disabled and aged market. We’ve already written about Kanagawa Institute of Technology’s Power Assist Suit, Independence Technology’s iBot, and a mind-controlled wheelchair, but the announcement this week that researchers in Sweden have developed a wheelchair that can be driven manually, by remote controlled or fully autonomously suggests that devices enabling the most severely handicapped people to achieve independent mobility are inevitable .
New technology for simultaneous control of multiple robots
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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
Remote control Robotic Insectoid
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October 27, 2006 Whenever we get shown the next generation of high tech toys we get the feeling we were cheated by having our childhoods a decade or three too soon, and the new N.S.E.C.T. robotic attack creature from Mattel/Tyco had the usual effect. Hot on the heels of last year's smash-hit Toy Industry Association “Boy Toy of the Year" Shell Shocker creature, the latest Tyco R/C creation to emerge from labs is named the N.S.E.C.T. (New Science of Experimental Combat Technology) and features Variable Motion Technology, allowing it to move just like a spider. All six legs work in conjunction with one another to help the N.S.E.C.T. creature scurry across the floor and overcome various obstacles. “Armor plated” and ready to go, the N.S.E.C.T. creature comes equipped with an assortment of weaponry seldom seen in the R/C aisle. Besides its intimidating appearance, the creature also features a pinching claw that allows it to pick up and transport objects. However, its greatest weapon is concealed and with the press of a button, the creature’s eyes change color from a cautionary yellow to an angry red as its wings rise to reveal a hidden cannon that can be adjusted for targeting. Press another button and the N.S.E.C.T. creature fires its six foam suction cup darts in rapid-fire succession or one at a time. The N.S.E.C.T. creature is available in two colors and frequencies (for head-to-head battles or multi-bug attacks) for a suggested retail price of US$100, each sold separately, subject to availability and comes with batteries and a charger. Read More
The Asahi Refrigerator Robot holds and pours six cans
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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
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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
Miuro – the semi-autonomous robotic boombox
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September 4, 2006 It’s been billed by some media as an over-the-top iPod accessory which is being somewhat unfair to the JPY108,000 (US$924) Miuro robot. Yes, it does accept the iPod, but as it’s much smarter than the average boombox, and it has its own wheels, it can be summoned from wherever it might be by remote control. Equipped with Kenwood speakers, it will stream any audio format (MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, AIFF including web radio) wirelessly (802.11 b/g) from your home computer, has AM and FM radio, can follow set routes around the house, or remember the optimum spot to position itself in each room. It’s a new concept – a mobile, semi-autonomous boombox, which combines your MP3 collection, AM/FM and web radio and brings it to you. The result of a joint venture between Japanese robot company ZMP (makers of Pino, e-nuvo and nuvo) and audiophilic icon Kenwood, Miuro can be reserved via the internet, as of yesterday, but only if you’re living in Japan. They’re promising delivery before Christmas 2006, with overseas availability expected in the second half of 2007 – we expect there’ll be shopping outlets on the internet with it the minute it becomes available in Japan. Excellent image gallery.
New SCARA robots and PC-based control platform enable easy automation solutions
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August 25, 2006 The prospect of a robotic production line might seem well beyond the financial constraints of most small businesses but industrial robots are improving productivity in smaller companies every day. KUKA Robotics new high speed KR10 SCARA robot is designed for customers needing highly reliable and precise automation solutions of long reach tasks. The new 4-axis robots when combined with KUKA Robotics' user friendly PC-based control platform gives customers an extremely easy to learn and use, pick-and-place automation solution. The new SCARA family of robots is expected to find application in a diverse range of industries including the appliance, automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, logistics, food, pharmaceutical, medical, foundry and plastics industries and in multiple applications including material handling, machine loading, assembly, packaging, palletizing, welding, bending, joining, and surface finishing. Read More
The Civilian-ELROB (C-ELROB) - European Land-Robot Trial
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August 24, 2006 With the discipline of robotics still in its infancy, the first European Land-Robot Trial offered an opportunity for Unmanned Ground Vehicles to show their capabilities in organised testing procedures to military personnel from across not just Europe but the entire world. In the end, 20 different UGVs from five countries were on display and the event was an unqualified success. Now the European Robotics Group is planning a Civilian European Land-Robot Trial 2007 (C-ELROB 2007) in Monte Ceneri, Ticino, Switzerland in August 2007 featuring both UGVs and UAVs! C-ELROB is being conducted in order to provide an overview of the European state-of-the-art in the field of unmanned vehicles with focus on short-term realizable robot systems. It is envisaged that the audience will be made up primarily of representatives of security companies, fire brigades, civil protection, police, and disaster control agencies. As with the military version, C-ELROB will be accompanied by a comprehensive robotics exhibition. Read More
New robot balances and moves on a ball instead of legs or wheels
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August 13, 2006 Contrasting with the bipedal humanoid robot portrayed in science fiction, Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new type of mobile robot that balances on a ball. “Ballbot” is a self-contained, battery-operated, omnidirectional robot that balances dynamically on a single urethane-coated metal sphere. It weighs 95 pounds and is the approximate height and width of a person. Because of its long, thin shape and ability to maneuver in tight spaces, it has the potential to function better than current robots can in environments with people. Papers can be downloaded here and here. Read More
Grand Challenge winner talks autonomous robotic vehicles of the future
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June 19, 2006 Those who had a passing interest in the DARPA Grand Challenge and the field of autonomous robotics will no doubt be interested to learn of AutoBlog’s recent article reporting on Dr. Sebastian Thrun's keynote presentation at the 2006 Sensors Expo. Thrun you may recall, was the project leader of Stanford University’s Volkswagen-based autonomous vehicle (aka Stanley) which won DARPA’s Grand Challenge for autonomous vehicles, hence ensuring himself a place in history. Apart from being director of Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Lab and Associate Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, we believe that robotics will become so ubiquitous one day, Thrun's work will be regarded as landmark in the same way that the Wright Brothers first flight is revered. Thrun openly discussed Stanley’s technology and even gets into the future of autonomous navigation on the roads. Read More
Spaceward Foundation and NASA create US$250,000 Telerobotic Challenge
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June 16, 2006 Following the success of the 2005 Space Elevator competition held at NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Spaceward Foundation today announced the Telerobotic Construction Challenge, a new competition with $250,000 in prize purses that has the potential to significantly impact the nation’s space exploration program by developing technologies enabling semiautonomous robots to perform complex construction tasks with minimal human intervention. Read More
High-resolution touch sensor for robots
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June 12, 2006 One of the trickiest decisions facing a cancer surgeon today is where to stop cutting. The surgeon doesn't want to stop too soon and leave cancer cells in the patient's body, but he or she also doesn't want to take too many cells and do unnecessary damage to organs. That decision could soon be made much easier, though, thanks to a high-resolution touch sensor developed by chemical engineers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that may allow surgeons to tell at the level of a single layer of cells whether or not they have excised a tumor in its entirety. Ravi F. Saraf, and his doctoral student, Vivek Maheshwari, report in the June 9 issue of Science, the international weekly journal of science, that they have developed a self-assembling nanoparticle device that has touch sensitivity comparable to that of the human finger, a capability far beyond any mechanical devices now available. Read More
RoboReptile – new advanced reptile robot
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May 23, 2006 Mark Tilden is a master roboticist, with his creations for WOWWEE such as Robosapien I and Robosapien II, RoboPet and Roboraptor among the most sought after toys each year and we recently reported that we expect coming generations to be much smarter – already Wowwee has sold more robots than any other company on the planet and each new generation gets a fair bit smarter than the last. Now there’s a new Wowwee robot about to be set loose – Roboreptile is a highly interactive, seeing and hearing 72cm long cyber-reptilian with a 28 function remote control. Roboreptile has direct control functions, free roam, program mode and guard mode capabilities. Incorporating a complex array of sensors (vision, touch and stereo sound sensors) and advanced artificial intelligence, this futuristic reptile achieves new levels of awareness. No firm pricing just yet but expect a price in the US$120 area when the beastie becomes available in July. Read More
Robotic bartender understands verbal orders and tells jokes
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March 12, 2006 If there was a list of professions least likely to see humans replaced by machines, the barkeeper would logically be on that list. But students in the final year of a computational linguistics and phonetics course at the University of Saarland in Germany have created a robotic bartender to demonstrate how digital language technologies can be combined with robotics. The robotic Barkeeper understands natural language and hence takes orders in exactly the same way as a normal bartender. It has a database of cocktail recipes, and will propose drinks to the customer at the beginning of the conversation. The user can then choose any cocktail by spoken commands, or create their own cocktail by choosing the ingredients. Then while it is making the drinks, it keeps the customers entertained by telling jokes. The Barkeeper has an extensive jokes database, with additional specific jokes about each cocktail and each ingredient.When it serves the drink, it also explains to the customer exactly what the alcoholic content is. Read More
The world's most advanced quadruped robot
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March 4, 2006 Boston Dynamics has released images and details of BigDog, which it is billing as the most advanced quadruped robot on earth. If that seems like a tall claim, check out this video of BigDog (Caution 27MB WMV) doing its thing by walking over uneven ground, up slopes, over piles of rocks, snow, through water etcetera – though clearly still in development, BigDog is incredibly impressive and we challenge anybody to view the movie and not see BigDog’s future potential as a perfectly-mannered mechanical pony for children, as an all-terrain four-legged “wheelchair” that can take a 90-year-old for a walk over an orienteering course or a mechanical mule to carry all your camping gear into the middle of the wilderness or … much, much more. In short, BigDog is a quadruped robot the size of a small horse, and could equally have been called a robotic mule, because its skill sets are pre-destined to see it pressed into military service as a mule-like carrier companion for soldiers where conventional vehicles cannot go. Initially developed with funding from DARPA, BigDog’s raison d’etre is to carry ammunition, food and supplies into battle. BigDog can walk, run at speeds up to 3.3 mph, climb over rough terrain or up slopes up to 35 degrees and carry heavy loads – currently up to 120 pounds, but as development goes on, that figure might be significantly increased. BigDog is currently annoyingly noisy thanks to power being delivered by a gasoline engine that in turn drives the hydraulic actuation system for its legs. BigDog is much more than a dumb mule however - it is a pointer to the future - a wonderful example of humanity learning from the biomechanics and energetics of animal movement to build better robots that will serve humanity in many endeavours. Go on, check out the video - we promise you'll show all your friends. Check out the article's images gallery to see clips from the video and schematics.
EU project develops inexpensive robots for small and medium-sized companies
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February 14, 2006 Almost a million industrial robots are in service worldwide, and their numbers are steadily growing. However, most of them are found in the factories of major enterprises. An EU project aims to develop new, inexpensive versions for small and medium-sized firms. The European Union’s SMErobot project – the name is derived from “small and medium sized enterprises”, – include leading research institutes, universities and the top five European robot manufacturers. Its participants have set out to make robots attractive beyond the confines of large-scale industry. “For this to happen, the metal helpers must be completely redeveloped to a certain extent,” asserts Martin Hagele of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, who is coordinating the project. Read More
The X-arm robotic display mounting solution
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February 6, 2006 When assessing the size of a potential market, it’s easy to get it all wrong, even with detailed analysis. Take for example, the Xerox photocopier. Invented by Chester Carlson in 1938, the invention was rejected by more than 20 companies before backers could be found. Some quite prestigious consulting firms advised against investment in the project on the basis that the machines were complex and costly and based on analysis of carbon copy paper sales, the market was simply not valuable enough. The rest, they say, is history and Xerox Corporation is today a US$15.7 billion technology and services enterprise with world leadership in the critical and still emerging document management industry. Think you’d have assessed it differently? Then riddle us this one – does this new X-arm motorized wall mount for flat panel TVs offer a significant advantage and will it be able to capture a sufficiently large niche to prosper? The X-arm allows a viewer to adjust the viewing angle of the TV with a remote control. The market for wall mounting brackets is naturally experiencing massive growth at present due to the popularity of flat panel LCD and plasma TVs. Research estimates on the number that will be sold in the U.S. in the next three years vary between 6 million and 8 million units. What percentage of those would be motorized if they retailed for less than US$2000? Read More
The first gun-toting robotic combat soldiers set to be deployed
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January 28, 2006 Meet the world’s first robotic combat soldier – also known as the Special Weapons Observation Remote Direct-Action System (SWORDS). The diminutive remote-controlled US$230,000 SWORDS machine shares the same base as the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Talon robots which have been deployed in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Unlike many of it’s flying robotic (UAV) brethren, the weaponised Talon is not autonomous, being under the direct control of a soldier watching from up to a mile away through an array of cameras which can include both night and thermal vision. SWORDS is completely silent, can keep pace with a running soldier (5mph), climb stairs, right itself, negotiate rock piles, overcome concertina wire, and plow through sand, snow and surf. Most importantly, it can shoot with astounding accuracy and thanks to its universal weapon-mounting device, can carry and fire your choice of an M-16, M-2, M-240 or M-249 machine gun, or the M-202A1 with a 66mm rocket launcher. SWORDS will be deployed to Iraq and see combat for the first time in the next few weeks, beginning a new era of ground warfare. Read More
Murata's Robot Bicyclist
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October 15, 2005 One of the many interesting displays at CEATAC last week was the bicycling robot “Murata Boy” developed by Japanese electronic components manufacturer Murata. Murata Boy was built entirely with standard Murata products such as gyroscopic, ultrasonic, and shock sensors and motion control, battery, imaging, and communication modules and for a little fellow, he certainly packs in the functionality, being capable of speeds up to 60cm/sec (2 km/h), standing upright without falling, obstacle detection, running backwards, running a predetermined course while monitoring his position, receiving instructions wirelessly and capturing and sending images to its PC master wirelessly. Murata is one of the key suppliers of robotics components for the burgeoning Japanese robotics industry and is using the Murata Boy robot to position itself internationally as a robotic components supplier. With the robotics market projected to reach 7.2 trillion yen by 2025 according to the Japan Robot Association, Murata is gearing up to supply the electronic component demand, having established a sophisticated distribution network across Europe, Asia, and North America.
Robotic fish in action at London Aquarium
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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
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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
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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
