Weekly Newswrap

August 10, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

At the end of another week, I found several stories deserving of a mention in this Newswrap.  There is no unifying theme to the listing for the last few days, but, of course, it was impossible to go a week without at least one snakebot article.  And, it is creepy and incredible all in one.  This robotic snake is being developed for heart surgery by researchers at the University of Pittsburg.  You can check out the video at You Tube of the snakebot being readied for heart surgery on a pig.  The rest of the articles deal with the usual array of subjects for robotics these days.  There is the one from today on RFID robots that brings up the Terminators analogy (again), and the latest robotic invention from Japan—a robot sunflower.  Make sure and check out the farming robots from the Netherlands for a great non-military application of robots.  Of course, there is the warning about killer bots within 40 years in the post from findingDulcinea.com

Rise of the RFID Robots

Sure, Hollywood's Terminators are more powerful (albeit malicious), but the Georgia robots are real. And what makes them so interesting—even fascinating—is …
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Rise of the RFID Robots
RFID Journal
Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:03:12 GMT

Farming Robots Have a Field Day in Netherlands

But a swarm of small robots could quite possibly replace these agricultural giants in farming of the future. Wageningen University Agricultural Professor …
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Farming Robots Have a Field Day in Netherlands
NTDTV
Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:44:17 GMT

Cardiorobotics, Developer of Snake Robot Technology, Aims to Alter …

The future of heart surgery is in something called a snake robot, at least according to the people at Newport, RI-based Cardiorobotics. We decided to check it.
Xconomy – http://www.xconomy.com/

Cardiorobotics, Developer of Snake Robot Technology, Aims to Alter …
Eric Hal Schwartz
Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:04:29 GMT

Sunflower robot doesn’t need sun

In this article by Tim Hornyak, he explores how it is that Japan loves its baroque, impractical machines, with Honda's zillion-dollar humanoid robot ASIMO being the acme example. …
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Sunflower robot doesn't need sun
CNET News
Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:03:21 GMT

US Predicts Killer Robots 40 Years Away, Raises Ethics Debate

Science fiction legend Isaac Asimov predicted a world in which many robot-like machines would be an integral part of human life. …
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US Predicts Killer Robots 40 Years Away, Raises Ethics Debate
findingDulcinea
Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:04:59 GMT

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Robots Cook Ramen, Stage Knife Fight

August 7, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

In light of yesterday’s post, this is a good follow-on to the robot playing the knife game.  Here, the robots have a simulated knife fight after they make ramen.  You have to see the video at the CNET link below.

Robots cook ramen, fight with knives, threaten mankind (video)
CNET News
Nagoya, Japan's ramen robot army isn't satisfied just making delicious noodles. Some have recently acquired knife fighting skills (I am …
Robot Chefs Run Restaurant in JapanFOXNews
Ramen-making robots cut cooks out of the food equationDVICE
Japanese Ramen Robots Create Bowls of Slurpy NoodlesWired Blogs
CrunchGear –Geek.com
all 8 news articles »

Robots cook ramen, fight with knives, threaten mankind (video) – CNET News
Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:33:41 GMT

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National Instruments Demonstrates Robots at NI Week

August 6, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Yesterday, I visited the expo for NI Week.  National Instruments showed several applications of its products in various robots.  The one I found most interesting was the Delta Robot powered by NI Softmotion.  This robot plays the knife game or five finger fillet as it is sometimes called.  Only it plays without a knife on a glove inside a clear lexan box.  (Don’t try this at home!)  And you can watch a You Tube video of someone doing this for real.  But again, if you value your fingers, do not try this at home or anywhere else for that matter!  The robot version I saw is much safer since the “hand” is a glove only.  In the video link below, you can see the Delta Robot in action.  I did have the chance to watch this in person, but I did not have a video camera with me.  Luckily, someone has posted the video on You Tube.  You can watch it here.  Now, what is creepy, in a real-life follows fiction kind of way, is how this reminded me of the scene from James Cameron's Aliens.  In the movie, the android plays the knife game with only a tiny little cut as a result.  So, here we are with the real version of this-sans android. The purpose of the robot, of course, is deeper than playing a game.  It is a demonstration of the state of motion control in robotic systems and has many real-world applications in industry.

There many other great robots at this expo.  I hope to write about some of the other robots in a future posting.  Meanwhile, make sure and look at the video on You Tube.  And check out the link to the article below, it is a general overview of NI's purpose for this year's conference.

Credit:  AEGMexico

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 6, 2009, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ — NIWeek — Executives from National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) discussed how NI products are helping address global challenges during the 15th annual NIWeek graphical system design …

National Instruments Focuses on Addressing Global Challenges With … – TMCnet
Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:02:00 GMT

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High-Tech Robot To Aid Nature Conservancy

August 3, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

KPBS has this story about an advanced remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) that will be used by the Nature Conservancy to explore the ocean near the California coast.  The purpose of using this undersea robot is to reach areas of the marine environment that is not accessible to human divers because of the depth.  Mainly, this is an area of canyons and reefs in the Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas.  The 500 pound machine essentially flies over the ocean floor taking high resolution video and photographs of deep marine life.  One other thing, the Nature Conservancy is having an online naming contest for the robot.  The contest ends on August 31,2009.  If you submit a name, post it here in a comment.  Let us know what you submitted as a choice for this robot’s name.  RobotNext has no part in the contest except as an interested party in seeing if any readers participate in naming this bot.

High-Tech ROV

Photo by Nancy Crowley / The Nature Conservancy

High-Tech Robot Explores Waters Off California
KPBS
An environmental group is using an underwater robot for ocean research off the California coast. The high-tech tool will explore areas beyond …

High-Tech Robot Explores Waters Off California – KPBS
Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:12:30 GMT

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Weekly Newswrap

August 2, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

This week there are stories about robot flies and one story about a robot that could attract flies if it is not careful.  For the last three days there have been these stories about flies or more specifically robotic flies.  So, this week’s newswrap just had to feature roboflies.   Two of the posts that are linked to below actually cover the same research into blowflies and how they process visual information in their tiny brains.  If scientists can figure out how the flies rapidly compute the image data with the limited neurological connections they possess, then there is a possibility of applying this to the robotic version.  The last story hopefully does not involve flies, but it is possible that if the packages are not well protected, then someone’s office might be a haven for flies.  In the post at botropolis.com, the Urban Mole, as it is dubbed, could delivered mail, books, or groceries (okay,that’s just gross.  I have to say no to food through the sewers unless it is outbound to the treatment plant!).  

You can read about these stories at the links below.  Keep that flyswatter handy!   

Flies' extremely quick eyesight may inspire ultimate vision for robots (New Kerala)

Washington, August 1 : Inspired by how the blow fly's extremely quick eyesight helps to keep it from losing orientation as it makes 'lightning-fast' movements to and fro, scientists in Germany have created an unusual research environment.

Flies' extremely quick eyesight may inspire ultimate vision for robots (New Kerala)
Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:29:58 GMT

Micro flying robots can fly more effectively than flies (PhysOrg)

There is a long held belief among engineers and biologists that micro flying robots that fly like airplanes and helicopters consume much more energy than micro robots that fly like flies. A new study now shows that a fly wing that spins like a helicopter blade generates the same amount of lift as a flapping fly wing while consuming only half the energy to move the wing. This finding can inspire …

Micro flying robots can fly more effectively than flies (PhysOrg)
Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:15:43 GMT

Blowflies Get Virtual Reality in Flight Simulator (Wired News)

By sticking flies in a virtual-reality flight simulator, scientists are tracking how the insects manage to process visual images more than four times faster than humans. The researchers hope their results will improve visual-processing systems for flying robots.

Blowflies Get Virtual Reality in Flight Simulator (Wired News)
Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:49:19 GMT

Robot Delivers Packages Through Sewers | botropolis.com

Robot Delivers Packages Through Sewers As cities get more crowded, it will be more difficult for UPS and the Postal service to get around in their trucks full of packages. So what do you do? You make like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle …
Botropolis – http://botropolis.com/

Robot Delivers Packages Through Sewers | botropolis.com
Conner Flynn
Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:04:01 GMT

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Firefighting Robot Team

July 29, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Here is the mechanical fantastic four of fire fighting showcased in a story by BBC.  They even have names that would be fitting of any superhero.  You have Talon, Bison, Black Max, and Brokk.  Each robot is a specialist, but they work as a team to handle special fire situations involving gas cylinders.  Talon is a small, maneuverable tracked robot like the bomb disposal machines in Iraq. It can climb stairs, and is outfitted with video and thermal imaging cameras.  Next is Bison, a slightly bigger and more dexterous robot that uses grippers and cutting tools to access vehicles or storage areas.  Then, there is Black Max to take care of the traditional fire-fighting task. It is four-wheeled, remote-controlled vehicle that sits low to the ground and carries a fire hose.  Brokk is the final team member.  It is a modified piece of industrial digging equipment that is remotely controlled and fitted with a giant claw to remove dangerous objects.  Read the story of these mechanical fire fighters at the links below.


Credit:  Channel 4 News

Robotic firefighting team debuts
BBC News
The robots range from a nimble, stair-climbing reconnaissance unit to a diesel-powered robot with a large claw. The two-year project is funded by Network …
Firefighting robot team unveiledUberGizmo
Robots join the London Fire BrigadeNewsLite
Rise of the Machines?Channel 4 News
all 10 news articles »

Robotic firefighting team debuts – BBC News
Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:02:00 GMT

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Weekly Newswrap: Leftover Stuff

July 26, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

This week’s Newwrap is best described as leftovers.  These stories are like the food remaining after a big dinner:  I didn't want to throw them out because they could still make a good meal.  

Again, the subjects range all over the place.  A robot in a wedding dress walks down the runway at a fashion show in Japan is today’s entry.  There are also underwater robots, surgical robots, and robots to help humans.  Finally, from the beginning of the week, there are the robots that may advertise on the Moon.  Quite an eclectic group of stories to look at for this week.  I hope you enjoy them.

Robot Hits Runway at Osaka Fashion Show

Tokyo, Jul 26 (PTI) Japanese scientists have made a robot in an elaborate wedding dress walk down the runway at an Osaka fashion show, a development seen as …
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Robot hits runway at Osaka fashion show
Press Trust of India – New Delhi,India
Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:16:19 GMT

Robby the Robot goes underwater (St. Tammany News)

Robotics, especially underwater robotics is still a new profession. Used by oil and gas companies to repair underwater pipelines and drilling platforms, underwater robots have replaced human divers in dangerous depths that can crush a human diver.

Robby the Robot goes underwater (St. Tammany News)
Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:27:29 GMT

High-tech robot allows doctors to treat soldiers remotely

Dr. Kevin Chung appears on the screen of the robot that helps him treat soldiers from afar. A revolutionary robot mounted with a high-tech camera is helping …
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High-tech robot allows doctors to treat soldiers remotely
CNN International – USA
Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:44:26 GMT

Archie robot wants to helps humans despite creepy appearance – DVICE

Archie robot wants to helps humans despite creepy appearance
DVICE
Though it may look crude on its surface, the fact is that the Archie robot is the result of a lot of hard work by researchers at the Vienna University of …

Archie robot wants to helps humans despite creepy appearance – DVICE
Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:28:28 GMT

Robots to Advertise on the Moon

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, July 20 /PRNewswire/ — It's one giant leap for robot-kind. New Shadow Shaping technology creates images on the Moon that can be …
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Robots to Advertise on the Moon
PR Newswire (press release) – New York,NY,USA
Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:19:26 GMT

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Skiing Robot Developed to Study Techniques for the Snow

July 22, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

More often than not, robots can be found doing any activity that humans are involved in. The purpose may be research based for now, but eventually robots may have a more direct involvement with humans. Can you see a robot ski instructor on the slopes?

In a recent issue of Sports Engineering, a team of researchers has published a study of a robot experimantal system.  This group, working out of Kanazawa University in Japan, has taken the first steps toward developing a method to investigate the motions in leg joints that occur during ski turns. It is hoped that this data will ultimately serve as a model to help skiers improve their own movements. Several blogs have posted on this skiing robot.  On botjunkie.com there are links to some You Tube videos to give you an idea of what some skiing robots look like.  Although there are no videos of this particular bot as yet, these movies are informative.

More often than not, robots can be found doing any activity that humans are involved in.  The purpose may be research based for now, but eventually robots may have a more direct involvement with humans.  Can you see a robot ski instructor on the slopes?  The robot could demonstrate perfect and repeatable motions to teach someone how to have great skiing technique.  No problems with patience either.  A robot would, perhaps, be the best teacher in cases like this.  Of course, robots must learn how to relate to humans.  That is another research area altogether.  Check out the stories below for more information on the skiing robot.

skirobot

Photo Credit: T. Yoneyama, et al. via PhysOrg.com

Skiing is a very hectic sport, don't believe me, then go and ask the robot who's just started.

A rookie Robot that can ski and provide experimental results
Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:11:29 GMT

T. Yoneyama, H. Kagawa, M. Unemoto, T. Iizuka, N.W. Scott. “A ski robot system for qualitative modeling of the carved turn.” Sports Engineering (2009) 11:131-141.

Ski Robot Could Decipher the Art of Skiing

Mon, 20 Jul 2009

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Weekly Newswrap

July 19, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

For this week, there are four stories for the Newswrap.  Today brings an article on space robots that have largely supplanted humans in extraterrestrial exploration.  The excerpt below refers to the robotic candidate for repairing the Hubble Telescope.  Next, the robot grappling hook that could allow machines to swing tree to tree or at least jump a tall obstacle in its way.  The other posts refer to a talking robotic car and artificial intelligence.   Memristors are an electronic innovation that could revolutionize robotics.  Read more on these articles at the links below.

Robots With the Right Stuff

The leading candidate was Dextre, a robot currently working on the international space station. In a head-to-head analysis of abilities, a special committee …
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Robots With the Right Stuff
Washington Post – United States
Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:36:58 GMT

Blog – Robot to Get Spiderman Skills (Technology Review)

A new grappling hook could let robots swing from tree to tree.

Blog – Robot to Get Spiderman Skills (Technology Review)
Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:11:13 GMT

Coming soon: Talking cars that will avoid crashes! – Economic Times

NEW YORK: Talking cars aren't science fiction anymore – thanks to scientists who have developed a set of algorithms that will allow robotic cars of the future to communicate with each other to help avoid collisions. An international team, led by …

Coming soon: Talking cars that will avoid crashes! – Economic Times
Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:50:00 GMT

From Slime to AI: The Story of Memristance

A NewScientist article summarizes the memristor revolution so far and predicts great things for AI as a result. To summarize their summary. Leon Chua mathematically predicted the existence of a fourth basic circuit component in addition to the resistor, capacitor, and inductor. He named this mythical component a memristor. It was similar to a resistor but "remembered" current. Memristors appeared not to exist, so Chua moved on to other research. 30 years later, HP Researchers stumbled onto a real memristor while trying to make low-power switches (Missing Memristor Found PDF format). The race was on. Memristance could revolutionize electronics. But here the story takes a detour in the world of intelligence. Physicist Max Di Ventra was studying P. polycephalum, a slime mould that puzzled researchers because it acted intelligently and learned without the benefit of neurons. He realized the slime mould acted as a memristor, confirming a suspicion Chua had that memristance could explain how organisms learn. It turns out memristors behave like neural synapses. Researchers are now working on hybrid transistor-memristor chips that will be able to reproduce some of the brain's processes. For more, try the HP Memristor FAQ.

From Slime to AI: The Story of Memristance
Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:31:05 GMT

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Robobats Could Be The Next Generation Of Remote Control Flyers

July 7, 2009 by · Leave a Comment

Nature strikes again with the next model for robots. These small robot flyers imitate bats which are nature’s small flyers.  The potential uses for these little bots are surveillance and search and rescue.  Using the potential for maneuverability and performance that a bat-like robot could provide, these bots have a potential for both military and civilian applications.  Check out the story below for the complete details.

Image Credit:  Science Daily

ScienceDaily (July 7, 2009) — Tiny flying machines can be used for everything from indoor surveillance to exploring collapsed buildings, but simply making smaller versions of planes and helicopters doesn't work very well. Instead, researchers at North Carolina State University are mimicking nature's small flyers – and developing robotic bats that offer increased maneuverability and performance.

Adapted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

Robo-bats With Metal Muscles May Be Next Generation Of Remote Control Flyers
WWW.OLOSCIENCE.COM (f.intilla@bluewin.ch)
Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:21:00 GMT

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