/ Category: Robotics
3D Printed Spider RobotPosted on January 9, 2012 in Robotics by dulce303
3D printing, drone, Dulce, robot, spider
Spiders are very agile, and some can even jump. They owe this capability to their hydraulically operated limbs. Researchers have now designed a mobile robot modeled on the same principle that moves spider legs. Created using a 3-D printing process, this lightweight can explore terrain that is beyond human reach.
Enviably agile and purposeful, the mobile robot makes its way through grounds rendered off-limits to humans as the result of a chemical accident. Depressions, ruts and other obstacles are no match for this eight-legged high-tech journeyman. Its mission: with a camera and measurement equipment on board, it will provide emergency responders with an image of the situation on the ground, along with any data about poisonous substances. Not an easy task; after all, it must be prevented from tipping over. But this risk seems a minor one as it confidently and reliably picks its way through the area… Read More.
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TELESAR V is a telexistence robot system, being researched by a group at Keio University led by Professor Tachi. Telexistence is a concept first advocated by Professor Tachi in the 1980s. The aim of this technology is to free people from time and space constraints, by using remotely operated robots to interact with the remote environment… Read More.
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Every kid daydreams about their toys coming to life and playing with them. Until now, it’s been just a daydream – but thanks to technology, a cool new gadget can turn soft toys into animated friends capable of a few simple movements. Your toys won’t get up and walk around, but they can at least wave hello.
The secret is a little clip-on ring called Pinoky. The small device clamps onto an arm, leg, ear or whatever and makes that extremity wiggle around without the need for wires or other annoying bits.
Users can program the Pinoky to perform certain actions or act in sync with other Pinoky units. The snake wriggling in the video above is a priceless example of how the little clips work.
The Pinoky works on a pretty simple mechanism: a microcontroller, a servo, a photoreflector, an RF microchip and magnetic clasps, along with a battery, all combine to bring stuffed animals to life. Admittedly, stuffed animals coming to life is a slightly creepy prospect…but it’s adorable when you see it in action.
First Synthetic CellPosted on June 2, 2010 in Robotics by dulce303
We have entered new era in biology, scientists for the first time have created a synthetic cell, completely controlled by man-made genetic instructions from a computer model, researchers at the private J. Craig Venter Institute announced this month. “We call it the first synthetic cell,” said genomics pioneer Craig Venter, who oversaw the project. “These are very much real cells.”
Created at a cost of $40 million, this experimental one-cell organism, which can reproduce, opens the way to the manipulation of life on a previously unattainable scale, several researchers and ethics experts said. Scientists have been altering DNA piecemeal for a generation, producing a menagerie of genetically engineered plants and animals. But the ability to craft an entire organism offers a new power over life, they said.
Leap Forward in RoboticsPosted on May 28, 2010 in Robotics by dulce303
NASA will launch the first human-like robot to space later this year to become a permanent resident of the International Space Station. Robonaut 2, or R2, was developed jointly by NASA and General Motors under a cooperative agreement to develop a robotic assistant that can work alongside humans, whether they are astronauts in space or workers at GM manufacturing plants on Earth.
The 300-pound R2 consists of a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. R2 will launch on space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-133 mission planned for September. Once aboard the station, engineers will monitor how the robot operates in weightlessness. R2 will be confined to operations in the station’s Destiny laboratory. However, future enhancements and modifications may allow it to move more freely around the station’s interior or outside the complex.
Leonardo RobotPosted on March 20, 2010 in Robotics by dulce303
Leonardo is a robot developed by Professor Cynthia Breazeal of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab in conjunction with Stan Winston Studio and DARPA. Leonardo is an adorable AI robot that learns from facial cues and voice inflections. He’s also interactive, though he’s not mobile yet, he can gesture with his arms and fingers, and he has very expressive facial features. Leonardo is the brainchild of Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, an amazingly smart, talented and beautiful roboticist. Leo is a labor of love for Cynthia, and it shows in the child like quality of this lovable companion robot’s personality and behavior. This furry andriod represents the future of child teddy bears just like “Teddy” did in the movie AI, which was produced by Stan Winston Studio for Steven Spielberg in 2001.
Deep GreenPosted on March 5, 2010 in Robotics by dulce303
The RCVLab at Queen’s University demonstrates Deep Green, a pool playing robot, and ARPool, an augmented reality system for teaching the science of pool. Deep Green Robotic Shooter and AR tracking are exciting examples of applied robotics and AR teaching tools. The shooters game play precision and complete table access makes Deep Green a must have in hip pool halls, and the AR guidance video projection is great way for players to perfect their skills.
