Robot Simulates Human Leg Movement, Is Really a Prototype AT-ST
The official story at popsci.com
"Used (at the moment) to test chemical warfare clothing for the US Army, the Petman is able to move at 3.2 mph, recreating the natural heel-toe stride that we employ in our walking motion.
In addition to walking, the Petman can crawl and perform various calisthenics, perspiring all the while from its artificial sweat glands. Boston Dynamics has few other details, except that it took 13 months to design and 17 months to build."
They don't have me fooled though. This is definitely an early AT-ST.
ASIMO Humanoid Robot
ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative MObility) is a bipedal humanoid robot from Honda . This robot has been evolving since its inception in 1986. Current version of ASIMO is 1.2 meter tall and weighs 43 Kg. This size enables ASIMO to actually perform tasks within the realm of a human living environment. It also walks in a smooth fashion which closely resembles that of a human being.
Advanced Walking Technology Predicted Movement Control (for predicting the next move and shifting the center of gravity accordingly) is combined with existing walking control know-how to create i-WALK (intelligent real-time flexible walking) technology, permitting smooth changes of direction. The latest updates on the ASIMO robot are available at Honda .
To get the full story visit here at vbuniverse.com
Panasonic serves up latest prototype robots, dish washing servant included
Keeping those dreams alive by scrubbing dishes at your least favorite eatery? Best put those aspirations on the front burner, as Panasonic's got a mighty fine robot swooping in to take your place -- and for a whole lot less cash, to boot. At Panny's robotics laboratory in Osaka, the company recently showcased its latest gaggle of prototype robots designed to help humans take it easy more often. Among the usual suspects were a porter robot designed to help with heavy lifting, while the star of the show was undoubtedly the dish washing bot that wasn't afraid to get its metallic digits wet and soapy. As expected, an array of integrated sensors kept it from grabbing a wine glass too tightly, and its four fingers enabled it to do almost everything a human washer could.
Full story here at silobreaker.com
Robovie, the Shopper Robot
The Japanese developed a robot for assisting the elderly do their grocery shopping. It's name is Robovie.
PopSci:
"The process begins at home, with the user entering their shopping list into a specialized mobile device. When the shopper arrives at the store, the robot senses the device and greets the user. Then the robot follows the shopper around the store, carrying the load, reminding the shopper of the items on the list, and recommending additional products to pick up.
At present, the system remains in the testing phase, with robot helpers assisting elderly shoppers at Apita-Seikadai supermarket in Kyoto, Japan, through March of next year."
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Japan's latest supermodel--a robot
She doesn't have the grace of a Cindy Crawford or Elle MacPherson (yet), but a few struts on the catwalk may help HRP-4C loosen up and hit her stride. The walking, talking girlbot will be getting practice soon, as she's set to make her catwalk debut at a Tokyo fashion show next week.
Scientists from Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology reportedly designed the 5-foot (ish), dark-haired creation to look like an average Japanese woman between the ages of 19 and 29. Unlike the average Japanese woman, however, HRP-4C has 30 motors in her body that allow her to walk and move its arms (somewhat loudly and awkwardly) and 8 facial motors for blinking, smiling, and expressing emotions akin to anger and surprise.
According to the Associated Press, the robotic framework for the HRP-4C, sans face and other coverings, will sell for about $200,000, and the technology behind it will eventually be made public so people can come up their own moves for the bot.
The government-backed AIST says she's mostly being developed for the entertainment industry--for use in amusement parks, for example, or as an exercise teacher--and is not yet ready to help with daily chores. So unfortunately for those eager to hire HRP-4C as a home or office assistant, for now at least, her main job is to look pretty--or odd, depending on your perspective.
FULL STORY!! cnet.com
Mind Controlled Bugs
In January, a group of researchers from the University of California told an audience that they created a remote control cyborg beetle by attaching a computer chip to it's brain. The paper explaining how they did it has been published in the journal Frontiers In Neuroscience, and they have released a video of the cyber-bug in action.
U.S. Army Robotics Rodeo
In this rodeo, instead of horses and bulls we have robotic war machines. It gives soldier and civilian contractors a chance to inspect a lineup of robots that could find their way onto the battlefield.
"If we're not fielding, we're failing; it's all about saving soldiers' lives," said Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, Fort Hood commander and co-host of the event. "It's not about technology demonstrations, not about how much money you can garner from the U.S. government, it's all about saving soldiers' lives."
Several robots at the show could carry and deploy (Such as John Deere's R-Gator) the smaller, more specialized ones.
Full Story, Yes? go to popsci.com
Lego Robot that Plays Sudoku
Swedish hacker Hans Anderson used Lego Mindstorms to create a Lego robot that can solve Sudoku puzzles. It scans the puzzle, and after doing the math fills in the appropriate blanks with the correct numbers, and quite legibly as well.
A while ago, he also created a Lego Mindstorms Rubik's Cube solver. No less impressive than the Sudoku solver, it scans each side for the colors,then turns and twists it to solve. It's average turns is around 60.
His web site for these is named after his Rubik's Cube solver, Tilted Twister. Full Story HERE at smart-machines.blogspot.com
Lying Robots
As a test in Switzerland, 1,000 robots were divided into 10 groups. These robots were instructed to hunt for 'good' resources, and avoid 'poisonous' ones. When one found a 'good' resource, it would turn on its light to signify to the other robots where the resource was.The robots were scored based on how long they stayed around the good and bad resources. The top ones were randomly mutated together to produce different, superior robots. After several generations, these robots became exceptionally good at finding resources.
Sounds good, right? Well, as part of the testing, the 'good' resources were becoming more and more scant, sometimes even the original finder would be pushed away by groups of others rushing there after seeing its light. After so many generations, these robots began to stop turning their lights on when they found a resource, keeping the entire thing for themselves. In contrast, others learned to search for the liars by avoiding light. Full Story here at popsci.com
PI Show Off Latest 6-Axis Robotics Positioning System at MD+M West show
Nanopositioning specialist PI exhibits its latest 6-axis robotics positioning system at the MD&M West show, the world's largest medical design & manufacturing event. The miniature hexapod system provides more than 10 lbs of force and motion in all six degrees of freedom. It can be used for manufacturing and placing of parts requiring very high precision, for microscopy applications or laser and optical alignment.
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