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Robots are becoming an important part of the United States military.  Here is an article that explores some of the issues surrounding the use of robots in the armed forces. Wired for war – robot soldiers more fact than fiction Brisbane Times, Australia – Deborah Snow THE world is on the brink of a "robotics…

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Programs such as FIRST and BEST have provided elementary, middle, and high school students with opportunities in robotics.  Close to 40,000 high school students participate in FIRST Robotics, but there is a lack of college level programs to absorb all these students.  Although this article is specific to Massachusetts, I suspect the story is the…

Read More “Robotics Booming in High Schools: Universities and Colleges Lag Behind” »

No, this is not the sequel to a recent action film from Hollywood.  It is a proposal for a new type of robot that can be used on constructions sites for tall buildings.  The snakebot is one of the latest proposals for robots to assist humans in work that is too dangerous or difficult for…

Read More “Snakebots in a Building!” »

                   NEw cRIO Controller                      VS.                Old FRC Controller            As in an earlier blog entry, I gave you a preview of the two control systems of FRC. One is the C…

Read More “FIRST Day – CompactRIO vs Old FRC Controller” »

Good Afternoon everyone, Happy New Year! I would like you to meet Jules. Jules is a fascinating character who has a lot of potential. Thanks to Hanson Robotics and Frubber™,  "the elastic polymer that makes realistic facial movement and speech possible while being stronger, more elastic and using only a fraction of the power required…

Read More “Meet Jules” »

Hey, for all of you involved with FIRST robotics, this entry came across from Chief Delphi last week. In keeping with our efforts to have Tuesdays be our day for FIRST, we thought this might be helpful. For anyone interested in the software for this version of LabVIEW, you can follow the link to the…

Read More “FIRST Report: Labview 8.5.1 Now available for download” »

Continuing the exploration of Mars, the Mars Science Laboratory is currently scheduled for launch to the Red Planet in the fall of 2009.  The Mars Science Laboratory should arrive at its destination in 2010 and will be the introduction to the next phase of Martian exploration. The rover’s mission is to assess the past and…

Read More “NASA Sending New Robot Lab To Mars Next Year – AHN” »

WIRED’s NextFest has been up and running since September 27, and will wrap-up on the 12th of October. WIRED NextFest: "[WIRED NextFest] is the premier showcase of the global innovations transforming our world." Windycitizen has posted their own best of NextFest by listing the "14 Must-See Exhibits". Such exhibits range from HumanCar, more like RowBoatCar,…

Read More “14 Must-See Exhibits at WIRED NextFest in Chicago – The Windy Citizen” »

Nature has become the model for robots.  Of course, this makes great sense because who is better at innovation than life.  Robotics will depend on innovative approaches to develop the machines that will help us at work and at home.  Check it out. There is no doubt that many scientists are looking to nature for…

Read More “Robot snakes slither forward – CNET News” »