Robots That Can Walk on Water May Be Next

June 2, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Once again nature provides a model for the next thing in robot development.  This time robots may do the miraculous and walk on water.  The technology is based on the surface structure of water strider’s legs.  By repelling water, the legs enable the insects to walk across the surface of water.  This property is called super-hydrophobia. 

For robots to achieve this feat, it seems to me that they would have to have some other properties.  Certainly, they would have to be very light weight.  Still, this is a fascinating idea.  Read the whole story at the link below.


Water Droplet on Super-Hydrophobic Surface: Xiao Cheng Zeng
Popular Science

Robots Borrow Hydro-Repelling Tech from Insect Legs to Walk on Water
Popular Science, NY
By Val Wang Posted 06.02.2009 at 11:19 am 0 Comments A robot that can walk on water: such a miracle is one step closer to reality, thanks to some new research that learns from the work nature has done with water striders. Walking on water may seem like …

Robots Borrow Hydro-Repelling Tech from Insect Legs to Walk on Water – Popular Science
Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:35:01 GMT

Filed Under: Nature, Robots · Tagged With: , , ,

Megasaurus is More Dragon Than Dinosaur

June 1, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Irresistible is right.  Something about Megasuarus captured my attention.  This is not a new robot and maybe not the next thing in robots, but it is very large and very destructive, and it is new to RobotNext.  From the video I saw of this monster,  it can pick up a car in its giant claws and then incinerate the insides of the vehicle.  Other than the entertainment value of this beast, I saw it as yet another example of robots imitating nature.  Well, sort of.  In this case, a robot has supposedly been designed on the idea of a dinosaur.  To me this robot seems more like a mythical creature, namely a dragon, than a dinosaur.  However, in many ways, it does resemble a certain Japanese science fiction creature from the movies.  

Where as some robot builders are constructing robots to see how nature evolves, this robot is definately a case of robots devolving.  See this story below for the latest exploits of this robotic creature from the junkyard.

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Megasaurus was irresistible. Children, filled with wonder and awe, walked up to the robot-dinosaur hybrid. They studied it, asked questions and grinned wide. Adults balanced wide-eyed queries with their own inspection of the beast …

Megasaurus Brings Fire And Mayhem To Bristol Dragway – TriCities.com
Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:03:00 GMT

Filed Under: Nature, Robots · Tagged With: , , , ,

ViRob Follow-up

May 29, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

This is a follow-up to a recent post here on RobotNext on the ViRob.  In this medGadget story, more of the details of the microrobot are explained.  The first target for treatment will probably be lung cancer.  This little robot is ideal for reaching tumors in the lung and delivering a direct dose of chemical agent to the cancer cells.  medGadget has the story along with some great photos of the little robot.  Check out the links below.

… to lung tumors as well as take samples from different areas within the body. In addition, a number of these micro robots could simultaneously treat a variety of metastases. Researchers also plan to install additional equipment on the robot, …

ViRob, a Cavities Crawler
Thu, 28 May 2009 17:12:32 GMT

Filed Under: Robots · Tagged With: , ,

Insect-like Robot

May 28, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Insectoid Robot

Photo Credit:  Robot Watch

Nature strikes again in the form of a robot that has insects to thank for its shape and form.  Although it is billed in this post from DVICE as insectoid, it has four legs, not six, but it does have two arms, so that does make a total of six appendages.  Read the article below and then see the photos on the Robot Watch website.  Links are below.

Via DVICE and Impress Watch

Japanese construction firm unleashes insectoid robot crane on humanity
DVICE
If you think the towering fictional robot monstrosities of Terminator 4 are chilling, you probably won't be happy to see the very real ROBOTOPS at your local construction site. The four-legged, two-armed robot is actually a kind of automated mobile …

Japanese construction firm unleashes insectoid robot crane on humanity – DVICE
Thu, 28 May 2009 11:00:42 GMT

Filed Under: Nature, Robots · Tagged With: ,

Robot Pets or Pet Robots

May 27, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

In a previous post here at RobotNext, I explored the idea of a pet for a robot.  Specifically, a robot dog for a robot-acting human.  Now, this article from CNET News explores, among other things, how real pets are adapting to robots in the home.  I do not have a iRobot Roomba or a Scooba in my home, but I can only imagine how my cat would react.  She would most likely be curious about this intruder into her territory, but just as with the non-robotic vacuum cleaner, she would doubtless run and hide when it began its cleaning.

Robots have definitely found a niche in cleaning floors.  However, they have not become a multitasking, one machine does all, robot.  Today’s robots are single function specialists.  Good at vacuuming or washing floors or cleaning pools, but not all three.

For a look at the future of robots and what may be coming next, take a look at the article link below.

Robotics is an industry in which managing simple tasks and goals is paving the way for the grand visions of science fiction. But first, the floors need to be cleaned. In this three-day special report, CNET News takes a look at the growing world of …

CNET News special report: – CNET News
Wed, 27 May 2009 13:21:00 GMT

Filed Under: Robots · Tagged With: , , ,

Robot’s Best Friend?

May 25, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

If robot’s are to truly become more human-like in their behaviors, then maybe they need pets.  So the next thing is the Robo Dog.  The mechanical beast is a project of an electrical engineering student and a university lecturer at the University of Bradford in the UK.

How interesting would it be to see if the human-acting robots mentioned in yesterday’s post could give the robo dog commands of sit or fetch.  This is something I would like to see.

See the university media release for the whole story.  Below is the story from The Telegraph and Argus newspaper article.

A Robo Dog capable of appearing happy, hungry or even bored was showcased at a university open day to give employers the chance to see work from this year’s engineering students.

Walkies? Robo Dog can get bored of that
Mon, 25 May 2009 10:42:02 GMT

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This Robot Shows Emotions With Body Language

May 23, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

So, we have robots that imitate snakes, beavers, cockroaches, and ants.  Why not humans too?  This robot can simulate human emotions with movements and poses.  See the example below and click to see the picture from the Robot Watch website.  There are other photos of this robot doing its thing on the site. 

 3311

 

 

Credit:  Robot Watch

Robots that can show emotions would be more likely to have successful interactions with humans and this is a step towards a more personal service robot.  One thing about this robot:  It does look like it got into its mother’s cosmetics drawer.  Those red lips look like my two-year old niece’s after she did her make-up for the first time.

Check out the article below at Topix and also look at the video posted on robots.net.

Robots have been made capable of doing almost anything humans can do except expressing emotions.

Humanoid robot overcomes emotional hurdle
Sat, 23 May 2009 20:02:20 GMT

Filed Under: Robots · Tagged With: , , ,

Band of Brothers and Bots?

May 21, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Military personnel become so attached to their fighting robots that they actually give them names and mourn their loss.  This phenomenon is documented in the article at MSNBC.com.  I have written several posts about military robots in RobotNext that may have a dark side, but there is no doubt that they save lives and that the soldiers that fight along side them develop close ties with the machines. In one case, even an inspired father sought to develop a robot in honor of his son.


MTV.com

Real soldiers love their robot brethren
msnbc.com
Thousands of robots now fight with humans on modern battlefields that resemble scenes from science fiction movies such as "Terminator Salvation ." But the real world poses a more complex situation than humans versus robots, and has added new twists to …
Welcome The Robot Apocalypse With Our 'Terminator: Salvation … MTV.com
Real Soldiers Love Their Robot Brethren LiveScience.com
6 real robots that are Terminators in the making DVICE
Houston Press
all 5 news articles

Real soldiers love their robot brethren – msnbc.com
Thu, 21 May 2009 16:25:40 GMT

Filed Under: Military, Robots · Tagged With: , ,

Beaver-tailed robot mimics tree-climbing insects

May 20, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

image

Photo Credit: University of Pennsylvania and Boston Dynamics

Once again nature provides the model for a robot.  I have written several posts on this topic in RobotNext.  See Nature Inspired Robots and Snakebots in a Building! just to name two. 

This machine is a cross between a beaver and a cockroach, and it climbs like a koala.  It is called the RiSE V3.  See the excerpt below from the post at CNET News by Mark Rutherford.

Here's another offering from Boston Dynamics' zoomorphic line: the RiSE V3, a multi-legged, beaver-tailed robot that can skitter along the ground, shimmy up a pole, and then quietly cling there and stare at you.

The research by Haynes et al was published by the University of Pennsylvania and Boston Dynamics in a paper (PDF) titled Rapid Pole Climbing with a Quadrupedal Robot.  Rutherford summarizes the research nicely as follows:

The development team's aim was to reproduce movements they had observed in climbing insects. This is something else that sets this wall climber apart. Most other climbing robots have generally relied on "surface-specific attachment mechanisms," i.e. magnets and suction devices.

Beaver-tailed robot mimics tree-climbing insects
Wed, 20 May 2009 22:32:00 GMT

Filed Under: Nature, Robots · Tagged With: , ,

Autonomous DIY robot based on cheap MAKE Controller

May 19, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

 make_controller_mobile_robot_1-480x317 If you want to build your own robot, this one looks like it could be the one to try first.  I saw this article on the SlashGear site and thought it would be worth looking into.  Also, I have included a quote from the Make website about the controller and some of its specs.  Please note that the base of this robot is a Linxmotion Rover Chassis.  The web site states that this product is discontinued or out of stock.  There is apparently another version available from http://www.lynxmotion.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=119.  This last site is listed in a comment to the original posting and the price is more than the original Linxmotion Rover Chassis.  I looked at the site and it may be a different item.

The article from Slashgear can be found below.

“It seems like DIY robots are gaining momentum, as more low-cost and straightforward controllers become available. Latest is this wireless-equipped model,”
SlashGear – http://www.slashgear.com/

Check out the Make page for the details on the Make Controller.

“The Make Controller is built around the AT91SAM7X256, and adds the essential components (like the crystal, voltage regulator, filter capacitors, etc.) required to run it, while bringing almost all the processor's signal lines out to standard 0.1" spaced sockets. The software environment remains constant no matter what you plug the Make Controller into – the firmware libraries are organized and documented, making it clear which are compatible with the Controller and Application boards.”

Make Controller 2.0 & Interface Board  can be found at http://www.makershed.com .

Autonomous DIY robot based on cheap MAKE Controller – SlashGear
Chris Davies
Tue, 19 May 2009 14:23:48 GMT

Filed Under: Build It · Tagged With: , , , ,
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