Chewing Robot Tests False Teeth

Now, the next robot that is inspired from biology:  The Dental Mastication Robot.   According to News-Medical.Net, “Researchers at the University of Bristol's Department of Mechanical Engineering in collaboration with the Department of Oral and Dental Science have developed the Chewing Robot to study dental wear formation on human teeth.”  Besides the novelty of a chewing robot, this bot has a definite benefit.  It will provide a platform for testing dental materials that could save money and improve these products for human use.  The end result may be better false teeth.  Check out the story below at the link provided.

Chewing Robot Photo Credit:  Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Bristol

Dental elements, such as crowns and bridges, are made from well-known metals, polymers and ceramics but their dental wear properties are often poorly understood.  Clinical trials examining the wear of human teeth are expensive and time-consuming …

Chewing robot helps study dental wear formation on teeth – News-Medical.Net
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:50:00 GMT

Weekend RobotNext Newswrap

Several interesting stories about robots crossed my news feed today, and since I could not decide which one to write on – I am starting something new at RobotNext.  This feature will be called the Weekend RobotNext Newswrap.  On Sundays, I will pick several robot stories that I have seen that are interesting, newsworthy, or just plain strange.  Of course, this will be in my opinion only, and I will not indicate which are the strange ones.  I will leave that up to you.

So, here’s what I found for today.  First, a story on making robot costumes out of gift bags.  Just what you need for Halloween, which is only a few months away.  Plan now, it will be here before you know it.  The small humanoid robot interacting with a cat is too cute to pass up and the article is interesting to boot.  A more serious note is struck by the posting on search and rescue robots.  This is a real life-saver for the rescuer and the rescued.  RoboCar is an intriguing little car that is being developed in a Japanese lab to test features of autonomous vehicles.  And finally, check out the Israeli RoboCup team entry.  The three member robot team is looking to help put Israel on the map in robotics.

I hope you will check out all the stories.  Let me know if you like the roundup and which story is your favorite.

Gift Bag Robot Costumes

Make Gift Bag Robot Costumes – Parents of toddlers and preschoolers know that you have to have a LOT of fun activities in your arsenal to keep those little bodies occupied. Here's a project I love …
CraftBlips – Top Other News,… – http://craftblips.com/other/

Make Gift Bag Robot Costumes – Craft
(author unknown)
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:44:06 GMT

Advanced, But Small, Humanoid Robot


Times of Malta

Ġiġ the robot shows off
Times of Malta
Ġiġ is an advanced humanoid robot built by University students in the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)'s special project lab as
and more »

Ġiġ the robot shows off – Times of Malta
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:26:59 GMT

Search and Rescue Robots

Flight and rescue robots demonstrate the advantages of search and
TU Graz (Pressemitteilung)
Modern robotics can help where it is too dangerous for humans to venture. Search and rescue robots (S&R robots) have meanwhile become so sophisticated that
and more »

Flight and rescue robots demonstrate the advantages of search and … – TU Graz (Pressemitteilung)
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:12:23 GMT

RoboCar

If by some unexplained cosmic phenomena (let us say – ZMP) mystically managed to cross an open sourced Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) from Knight Rider with a crash test dummy, then RoboCar will be the product. This cute little intelligent Linux based bugger is designed and made by ZMP – a renowned robotics company […]

RoboCar – Autobots Roll Out!
twinks
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:00:50 GMT

Israeli RoboCup Team

In this tournament, the 25 teams have only three players, the players are all autonomous robots and the ultimate goal is to promote research and development in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. RoboCup and its accompanying …

Israeli robot soccer players put best foot forward – Jerusalem Post
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:40:00 GMT

Robot Imitates Swimming Motion of Living Jellyfish

Nature continues to supply models for robots.  RobotNext found this article on robot jellyfish.  Many robot builders are modeling every type of motion nature provides.  Jellyfish use a unique swimming motion to achieve their flowing, pulsing motion. 

So now to the basic story.  Two Korean researchers have developed a robot that swims like a jellyfish.  Engineers Sung-Weon Yeom and Il-Kwon Oh from Chonnam National University in the Republic of Korea explain in an article at PhysOrg.com that "Jellyfish are one of the most awesome marine animals, doing a spectacular and psychedelic dance in water."  A special type of polymer that imitates muscle movement was used in the design of this jellyfish robot.  The article goes on to state that “advances in electro-active polymers (EAP) enabled them to achieve this biomimetic swimming behavior in a robot.”

 jellyfish

Image Credit: Yeom and Oh. (PhysOrg.com)

(Left) A living jellyfish and (right) a jellyfish robot made of electro-active polymer artificial muscle. Both jellyfish move by contracting the bell to generate a pulsating motion.  — "Jellyfish are one of the most …

Sung-Weon Yeom and Il-Kwon Oh. “A biomimetic jellyfish robot based on ionic polymer metal composite actuators.” Smart Mater. Struct. 18 (2009) 085002 (10pp).

Jellyfish Robot Swims Like its Biological Counterpart – PhysOrg
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Transformer-like Superbot

With the sequel to the Transformers movie in the theaters this summer, I suppose that people would be interested in knowing that a transformer-like robot is already in existence here on Earth.  It is not able to transform into a slick-looking sports car, but it is able to change its shape in a basic, but amazing way.  As you can see in the photo links below, the superbot can assume a snake-like appearance or a more humanoid shape.  NASA has been interested in this robot as the next potential explorer of a planetary surface.  The superbot could land in pieces and then assemble itself into a rover.  Click on the link below to see the entire article on livescience.com.

090623-superbot-snake-01

Photo Credit: Shen/USC

Researchers hope that modular robots might one day decide when and where to transform.

090623-superbot-two-02

Photo Credit: Shen/USC

Superbot: The Real Transformer
Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:00:11 GMT

Robot Animals Help Study Nature

Robots are being dressed up like animals in order to blend in with wildlife and help research their real-life counterparts in nature.  There are robotic birds, bees, and lizards.  RobotNext has many articles on robots that are modeled on nature.  This is a slightly different take in that the robots are imitating nature in order to study the animals. 

robot-bird-470-0709 

Credit:  Popular Science, Illustrations by Bradley R. Hughes

Robots That Dress Like Animals for Science
Popular Mechanics, NY
To better understand animal behavior, scientists are dressing up data-gathering robots in animal garb. By fitting in with their wild, unsuspecting friends, robot bees, turkeys and lizards are recording intimate details of habitats that were never

Robots That Dress Like Animals for Science – Popular Mechanics
Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:45:53 GMT

Robots to Care for Elderly

In a recent post here on RobotNext, the market for home robots was mentioned.   Although the robot featured in the article had been developed with the idea of showing that a robot can perform tasks in the kitchen, it demonstrates that robots are being developed that have skills useful in a home.

Robots are already used for vacuuming and washing floors around the house, but it will take a robot that can do those things plus cook, monitor security, interact as a companion, and perform as a nurse to be a true personal robot.  Check out the articles below for more details on this robot from Geckosystems.


carebotgroup

Photo Credit:  alignmap.com

Why is Grandma really interested in a CareBot? She wants to stay in her home, or her family's home, as long as she possibly can. What's that worth? Priceless. Or, an average nursing home is $5,000 per month for an environment that is too often the beginning of a spiral downward in the care receiver's health. That's probably $2-3K more per month for them to be placed where they really don't want to be. Financial payback on a CareBot? Less than a year. Emotional payback for the family to have this new automatic care giver? Nearly instantaneous.

Related articles

Robots to Monitor Elder People
Youngester (noreply@blogger.com)
Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:35:00 GMT

Robotic Ferret to Aid in Searches for Contraband

One more example of a robot design whose idea came form nature.  In this case, a ferret is the basis for the robot.  Ferrets were originally domesticated by humans for hunting.  They could chase the prey into tight spaces.  This is the idea here.  Cargo containers are difficult to search when fully loaded with materials, but there are voids that can be exploited by a device that is small and able to maneuver in close quarters.  Thus, the robot dubbed the ferret.  Check out the story at the photo link or the other links below.

Robot Ferret     Robot Ferret

Image Credit:  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

A new type of robot under development will make it easier to detect drugs, weapons, explosives and illegal immigrants concealed in cargo containers.Dubbed the ‘cargo-screening ferret’ and designed for use at seaports and airports, the device is being worked on at the University of Sheffield with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).The ferret will be the world’s first cargo-screening device able to pinpoint all kinds of illicit substances and the first designed to operate inside standard freight containers.It will be equipped with a suite of sensors that are more comprehensive and more sensitive than any currently employed in conventional cargo scanners.Recent advances in both laser and fiber optic technology now make it possible to detect tiny particles of different substances.

Robotic Ferret Can Detect Hidden Drugs, Weapons
Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:21:37 GMT

Robot Snail Cleans Windows

In keeping with my search for robots based on nature, here is the window-washing robot based on a snail.  This Japanese group has designed the robot to clean windows and other hard to reach vertical surfaces.  It works by suction forces holding it to the glass or wall.  Of course, it does have a safety cable and the compressor for the robotic snail is on the roof.  You can read more about this at the links below.  Click on the photo for a better view and check out the other photos at JDF.

snailbot

Photo Credit:  JDF

This bot does windows and walls, and any other flat surface a human cannot reach easily. The Snail by Yasunori Goto, Ibe Tommokichi and Hirata Ichiro, climbs and sticks to surfaces with the help of air compression suction. 

Snail Window Cleaning Bot | Robot Snob

Refer to the following for more information:

JDF International Design Contest

Snail Window Cleaning Bot | Robot Snob
Sheila Franklin
Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:32:16 GMT

A Robot That Knows What You Are Going to do Next

RobotNext is always looking for that story that shows where the cutting edge of robotics is going next.  This is truly one of those stories.  A robot that can act on a person’s intentions would be capable of intelligent-like behavior in their relationship with a human.  In a sense, this is the ultimate model from nature for robots—a human.

The idea is to model human-human interactions in order to allow a robot to become more capable of developing a personal relationship with its human partner.  For many applications of consumer robotics, it will be necessary for the robot to be more than just a programmed machine.

Check out the article at the link below.

(PhysOrg.com) — European researchers in robotics, psychology and cognitive sciences have developed a robot that can predict the intentions of its human partner. This ability to anticipate (or question) actions could make human-robot interactions …

Predictive powers: a robot that reads your intention? (w/Video) – PhysOrg
Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:57:00 GMT

Robot Sub Reaches Challenger Deep

Robots travel on land and some of them fly in the air.  Other robots are exploring space.  Why not explore the deepest parts of the ocean?  Nereus is the next thing in autonomous submarine vehicles.  Designed to explore 100 percent of the ocean floor, this robot promises to revolutionize undersea exploration.  Read the news story from the BBC at the link below.

A robotic submersible called Nereus has reached the deepest-known part of the ocean.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Robot sub reaches deepest ocean
(author unknown)
Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:23:31 GMT

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