Robotic Bed Converts into Wheelchair by Voice Command

October 19, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

I guess there are days when anyone could use a robotic bed.  Imagine having this special bed for the mornings when you just can’t get up and you need to make it to the kitchen where your robotic coffeemaker has the caffeine waiting.  This bed makes itself into a wheelchair that can carry you to your desired destination. Okay, so that was just to get your attention.  

Seriously, this robot was not developed for the lazy or the sleepy.  It is for the patient who has a medical disability that keeps him or her from moving about on their own.  Activated by voice commands, the robot can convert itself into a motorized wheelchair with no other input from the patient.  There is a security monitor to allow the person see what is happening in other rooms.  It can even turn the patient to prevent bedsores.  Watch the video on You Tube and check out the stories at the links below.


Credit: Rediff

Robotic bed that converts into a wheelchair
Business Standard
The robot also helps the user turn over to prevent bedsores. Panasonic, which formed a robotic unit last year, sees a profitable future in robotics. …
Wheelchair Bed Robot Daily Contributor 

all 6 news articles »

Robotic bed that converts into a wheelchair – Business Standard
(author unknown)
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:47:17 GMT

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New Robot Delivers Snacks

October 17, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Here is a robot for the junk food junkies everywhere. If you need a snack, then this is the machine for you. Carnegie Mellon University has developed this robot to serve snacks to students, faculty, and office personnel that work on the campus. Of course, it also has a more serious purpose: To serve (pun intended) as a research platform for autonomous operations in a business office environment.

As the researchers explain, "The research will allow the robot to navigate through congested areas in a socially acceptable fashion, detect individual people moving near the robot, recognize when someone that the robot knows approaches it, and autonomously learn to recognize new objects."

If you look at the original source for this article at Carnegie Mellon’s website, then you will find video links and a pdf of the research paper on the Snackbot.

Snackbot-robot-02

Credit:  Carnegie Mellon University via Live Science

Snackbot is an autonomous mobile robot whose mission is to bring tasty treats.

New Robot Delivers Snacks by Bill Christensen

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:10:03 GMT

Snackbot is a mobile autonomous robot, intended for both fully autonomous and semi-autonomous operation, built by an interdisciplinary team at Carnegie Mellon University. Snackbot has two jobs. One job is to serve as a research platform for projects in robotics, design, and behavioral science. We welcome new partners or sponsors for this work. Snackbot’s other job is to serve snacks.

Original Source:

Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.snackbot.org/about-public.html

Lee, M.K., Forlizzi, J., Rybski, P.E., Crabbe, F., Chung, W., Finkle, J., Glaser, E., and Kiesler, S. (2009) The Snackbot: Documenting the design of a robot for long-term human-robot interaction. In
Proceedings of HRI2009, 7-14. [pdf]

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Robot Inspired by Roach

October 15, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

This is quite an amazing little robot.  Nature has provided a very adaptable example to follow in this case.  Inspired by the lowly cockroach, it is as tough to destroy as its real-life model.  It can survive a fall of 90 feet and scurry off like it has seen a can of Raid.  Built so that it uses only one motor, this roachbot turns by flexing and slightly deforming its frame.  You have to see the video on You Tube to see the robo roach in action.  It has always been said that if there is ever a nuclear war, only the roaches would survive.  Now, it may be that the robotic roaches will be there too!  Check out the story at IEEE by clicking on the link below or read the article at ZDNet by following the link in the quote below.

motorcrawler roachbot

Credit:  Biomimetic Millisystems Lab and UC Berkeley

IEEE Spectrum writes of a small resilient robot created by Paul Birkmeyer and Prof. Ronald Fearing at the Biomimetic Millisystems Lab at UC Berkeley.

Aptly called DASH (Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod), the six-legged insect-inspired robot can reach speeds of 1.5 meters per second and is flexible/strong enough to be dropped from a height of 28 meters without breaking. A single DC motor powers the legs and a small servomotor to slightly deform the robot’s body, allowing it to make turns.
Emerging Technology Trends – http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/

Resilient cockroach-inspired robot survives large falls, dashes …
Chris Jablonski
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:01:48 GMT

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Rolling Robot – Next, What To Do With It

October 13, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Spherical robots are not new, its just that they have had a few drawbacks.  Primarily, how does a sphere climb over obstacles like large boulders that are in its path?  Greg Schroll has developed a possible solution to that problem by using gyroscopes to maintain momentum.  His invention has possible applications in space exploration, environmental studies, and underwater research.  Check out some of the previous spherical robots covered here on RobotNext.  The NXT-based rolling robot and the hamster ball for lunar exploration are two good examples.

Spherical Robot

Credit:  Westword

By Rob Fisher in Tech ​Colorado State grad student Greg Schroll has taken the idea of the spherical robot — basically a robot contained in a ball, …
See all stories on this topic

A CSU grad student's rolling robot is turning heads, but what the hell do we …
Westword
Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:51:37 GMT

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Robot Ready for Shovel-Ready Moon Projects

October 12, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Here is a project that combines two of my great passions:  space exploration and robots.   These college students have developed a robot for the NASA Regolith Excavator Centennial Challenge at Ames Research Air Force Base in Mountain View, California, on October 17.  Winner of the challenge will win a half a million dollars.  In order to even qualify, the robot must dig 150 kg of simulated lunar regolith in under 30 minutes.  You can watch the video on You Tube of the robot in action as it scoops dirt in both directions and then travels up a ramp to dump the load.  Will it make the goal or not?  Check out the complete story at PhysOrg.com.


Credit: Global BC

UBC engineering students unveil moon dust-shoveling robot
PhysOrg.com
(PhysOrg.com) — A robot designed by UBC students will be shoveling moon dust at an international robotics competition, vying for a $500000 prize …
Engineering students build moon dirt digging robot for NASA competition  Vancouver Sun
all 5 news articles »

UBC engineering students unveil moon dust-shoveling robot – PhysOrg.com
(author unknown)
Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:40:51 GMT

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Animal Kingdom Inspires Robot Design

September 25, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Robots modeled on nature are fascinating.  Many of the next important design breakthroughs in robotics will probably come from research labs that are working in the area of biomimetics.  This article from the MIT News relates two robot innovations from Sangbae Kim of the Biomimetic Robot Lab of MIT.  First, is a robot called Stickybot that can climb very smooth walls.  Stickybot’s feet are based on the Gecko and use an unusual property called directional adhesion. In other words, the feet are sticky in only one direction.  This means that the feet can detach as easily as they adhere.  You can click on the link under the thumbnail to see a larger version of the photo.  The second project will be to develop a robot that will use the design of a cheetah’s backbone to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.  Read about these incredible robot designs at the links below.


MIT News

From nature, robots
MIT News
To a robot designer like Sangbae Kim, the animal kingdom is full of inspiration.
"I always look at animals and ask why they are the way they are," says Kim, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT.

From nature, robots – MIT News
Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:09:13 GMT

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A New Swimming Robot Based on an Amazonian Fish

September 22, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Anyone who reads RobotNext knows that one of my favorite topics is robots based on nature.  I believe that the field of bionics (or biomimetics) is where many of the next cutting-edge robot designs will originate.  So many current robots have animals as their models.  Many of these have been written about here.  You can find them in the nature section of the archives.  There are snakebots, fishbots, and ratbots, to name a few.  

This particular robot is based on the Amazonian Knifefish.  Dubbed the Gymnobot, this fishbot is designed to propel itself through the water using a fin.  With this robot, the researchers hope to prove the advantages of using a fin instead of a propellor for moving through the water.  Check out this story at the link to Computerworld below.

Fish Robot Gymnobot

Credit:  University of Bath via PhysOrg.com

Swimming robot mimics Amazonian fish

Last year, the Sintef Group, a research company based in Trondheim, Norway, announced that it was working on a robot based on snakes. The robots, which are …
and more »

Swimming robot mimics Amazonian fish – Computerworld
Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:00:33 GMT

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Robot That Hops Over Obstacles is in the News

September 18, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

There have been many posts on this hopping robot all over the blogosphere this week.  I finally decided to put the story on RobotNext in order to add my comments to the discussion.   So far, most of what I have seen on this bot has been about its military applications.  However, it really seems well suited to search and rescue operations.  With its ability to jump over objects and onto balconies or roofs of buildings, it could be a boost to first responders to an emergency.  This robot could hop onto the second story balcony of a burning building and provide up close surveillance of the situation.  Perhaps, it could even carry a fire hose with it to put water on a fire that firefighters could not reach.  Check out the story at the link below.

hopper-midair-dr

PHOTO: SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES

During normal travel, an electric motor powers the wheels. But when needed, the robot can engage a hopping mechanism and leap over 25 feet in the air to clear an obstacle (as the video posted by Sharon demonstrated earlier this week) . It may look strange, but its unique capability might give the Hopper an important role in urban warfare.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have been working on hopping robots which, much like grasshoppers or fleas, can leap over obstacles several times taller than themselves.

Precision Hopper = New Urban Commando
David Hambling
Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:00:44 GMT

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Weekly Newswrap

September 13, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Here’s this week’s newswrap from RobotNext.  While there is no theme to tie this report together, the robots from the posts of the last seven days are interesting and varied.  From Friday, the Japanese are at it again.  They have released a robot to help the elderly exercise.  Lately, there seems to be a new health care robot coming out of that island nation every day.  Then, there is the clothes folding robot from Thursday’s story.  Actually, this laundry bot has been mentioned in several blogs and I just happened to pick this one.  Wednesday had yet another robot that mimics nature.  Now, it is robot bees.  Built to demonstrate communal behavior, these robo-bees join the robo-ants, robo-flies, and other robo-insects crossing the line from nature to mechanical.  Tuesday’s robot is the machine every couch potato craves.  The kegerator is a beer-pouring robot.  Maybe this would be perfect for the sports fanatic who doesn’t want to miss a moment of the game.  Finally, in RoboBath, NASA has developed a way to clean and sterilize a robot of bacteria and other living organisms, so that future robotic landers going to planets or moons won’t contaminate the surface with Earth lifeforms.  Check out the stories at the links below.  Let me know what you think.  Leave a comment.

Video: Sporty robot Taizou wants the elderly to exercise

Another week, another healthcare robot coming put of Japan (and this is generally a good thing). This new model, named Taizou [JP], is …
CrunchGear – http://www.crunchgear.com/

Video: Sporty robot Taizou wants the elderly to exercise
Serkan Toto
Friday, 11 Sep 2009 11:02:22 GMT

FOLD-E! Clothes-folding robot demonstrated at SIGGRAPH

Who wouldn't want one? Scatter your undies on the ground (if they're not there already), give FOLD-E the go-ahead, and scant minutes later, …
CrunchGear – http://www.crunchgear.com/

FOLD-E! Clothes-folding robot demoed at SIGGRAPH
Devin Coldewey
Thursday, 10 Sep 2009 11:43:24 GMT

Robot bees mimic communal feeding – The Engineer

Robot bees mimic communal feeding
The Engineer
A Northeastern University neurobiologist is to bring his expertise in animal robotics to a five-year, $10m (£6.1m) National Science Foundation (NSF) …

Robot bees mimic communal feeding – The Engineer
Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:01:53 GMT

The kegerator evolves into a beer robot

But we were scooped on a beer robot. The Asahi robot was part of a promotion for the Japanese brewer in 2006. The R2-D2-shaped bot would pour a tall cold …
See all stories on this topic

The kegerator evolves into a beer robot
Pitch Weekly
Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:45:51 GMT

RoboBath: NASA Studies The Cleanest Robot in the World – Popular Mechanics

RoboBath: NASA Studies The Cleanest Robot in the World
Popular Mechanics
Two other robots are tethered to the machine to let it access terrain as steep as 85 degrees. + Bot Specs: The rover is the size of a toy wagon, …

RoboBath: NASA Studies The Cleanest Robot in the World – Popular Mechanics
Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:57:37 GMT

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Robot Crawls the Seafloor to Explore Life

September 9, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

From New Scientist comes this story about a deep sea rover, called Benthic Rover, that is exploring the ocean’s depths.  Hard to believe that we know less about the ocean floor than is known about the surface of Mars.  This automobile-sized robot, developed by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), is attempting to change that by traveling across the abyssal seafloor. In order to achieve this feat, engineers had to overcome several challenges.  Obviously, the biggest barrier to this type of exploration is the extreme pressure at depth.  To protect the sensitive electronics systems, custom titanium spheres were built to contain them.  In order to keep from sinking in the muddy seafloor, special flotation devices allow the rover to crawl across the marine sediment.  To prevent the tank-like threads on the robot from stirring up clouds of fine particles, a pair of off-the-shelf broom heads keep the threads clean. 

You can read all about this robot at the link below and at the New Scientist and at the MBARI website.

Benthic rover during test dive

Image: © 2007 MBARI

The Benthic Rover makes its way across the deep seafloor during a trial run in 2007. The "brains" of the vehicle are protected by a spherical titanium pressure housing. The orange and yellow objects are made of incompressible foam, whose buoyancy makes the Rover light enough underwater so that it won't sink into the soft deep-sea mud. 

Source: Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Like the robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which wheeled tirelessly across the dusty surface of Mars, a new robot spent most of July traveling across the muddy ocean bottom, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the California coast. This robot, the Benthic Rover, has been providing scientists with an entirely new view of life on the deep seafloor. It will also give scientists a way to document the effects of climate change on the deep sea.

New Robot Travels Across The Seafloor To Monitor The Impact Of Climate Change On Deep-sea Ecosystems
Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:00:00 GMT

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