Latest in Robotics news thread


Robot bartenders mix cocktails at Google I/O


Megan Wollerton

Friday, May 17, 2013 - 5:39pm

Robot bartenders mix cocktails at Google I/O | DVICE
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Makr Shakr is an interactive mixology system that debuted this week at the Google I/O After Hours event in San Francisco. Here's how it works:


1. Order your drink of choice from an app on your phone

2. The ingredients are released by a drink dispenser

3. A robotic arm will finish off the drink with any necessary flourishes, like a lemon slice or a quick shake

4. Your drink is sent down a conveyor belt for easy access

The progress of your order is displayed in real-time while you wait. You can see how many people are in line ahead of you, approximately how long you will have to wait, and when your drink is ready. It also lets you know what drinks are trending that night, and you can provide input on cocktails from your phone if you think you can improve the recipe.

This all sounds awesome, but (unfortunately) the goal isn't to replace human bartenders with robotic ones. Yaniv Turgeman from MIT's SENSEable City Lab led this project to learn more about how something social, like drinking, can be influenced by technology. How might consumption patterns change if you can see what your peers are drinking? Will that influence what you order next?
 
iRobot’s RP-Vita Telepresence Robots Start Work At Seven Hospitals

iRobot?s RP-Vita Telepresence Robots Start Work At Seven Hospitals | Singularity Hub

As smart as they are, doctors can’t compete with the volume of knowledge that a robot can retain. In an effort to join the best of both worlds – human experience with robotic data – a number of companies are developing telemedicine robots that not only allow doctors to reach out to patients miles or continents away, but can offer immediate information and advice that draws from volumes of medical research and case studies. In January the FDA approved the telepresence platform RP-Vita, developed by iRobot and InTouch Health. Now seven hospitals across North America have enlisted the services of RP-Vita, bringing us one step closer to robotics-augmented healthcare.

The company recently announced that seven hospitals in the North America are using RP-Vita: Dignity Health, Sacramento, CA; Hoag Memorial Hospitial Presbyteria, Orange County, CA; Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, CA; Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; St. Mary’s Medical Center, Huntington, WV; Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH; and Instituto de Salud del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, Mexico.
 

This pet drone could be your new best friend


Robin Burks

Monday, May 27, 2013 - 3:56pm

This new pet drone could be man?s new best friend | DVICE
Sorry, dog-lovers. The position of your best friend may soon be compromised. Meet the Pet AR. Drone. Unlike a traditional pet, the robot is capable of doing much more for you. It will be able to follow you around, post to your Facebook, take photos and video of you, and even remind you to get milk when you’re out. And for those of you who prefer cats? Any feline attitude that the drone may posses can be disabled with the click of a button.

Using the technology behind the Parrot AR. Drone remote controlled quadrotor, Sameer Parekh originally envisioned his "pet" drone to act as an extreme sports photographer.For example, if you were to bungee jump off of a cliff, the drone would follow you to record the entire experience for you to view and share with your friends and family later (assuming that you survived the experience). Parekh has created some open source software that works with the drones to track users to make it into something more than a remote controlled toy. "I want to build flying robotic pets," he said. "The robot would follow you everywhere, take pictures of you and your friends, tweet for you, carry your keys and do other stuff for you."
 
Stanford Lab developing new kinds of robot aircraft

(Phys.org) —Researchers at Stanford's Biometrics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory just south of San Francisco, have come up with two new innovations in robotic aircraft design. One is an improvement on jumping robots that mimic the actions of natural flying fish, while the other is a plane that can land on the side of a building.

Read more at: Stanford Lab developing new kinds of robot aircraft (w/ Video)
 
Drones Close In On Farms, The Next Step In Precision Agriculture
Drones Close In On Farms, The Next Step In Precision Agriculture | Singularity Hub

Drones continue their steady approach into the different aspects of our lives. But while controversy rages over drone devastation over foreign soil and prying surveillance over US soil, experts are beginning to point our attention to the real future of unmanned aerial vehicles: farming.

Drones are expected to benefit farms both big and small – small farms can save money and resources through greater precision, big farms can map and characterize crop health and yield, for example, of large areas more easily. Such land monitoring was once performed on foot, with farmers seeing for themselves which areas need more water or fertilizer. With the advent of precision agriculture, remote sensing has already become vital to many large farm operations. Satellites and aircraft take pictures in infrared to determine water distribution and movement, as well as weed coverage. Thermal infrared sensors that measure heat can determine crop health from afar. Tractor booms are also being fitted with the multi-spectral cameras so that they can take measurements simultaneous with doing their jobs.

Drones can be used for good in many ways. Hell, I wouldn't say the fact that using them instead of special forces is bad either.
 
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Video: DARPA tire-changing robot, almost as good as a mechanic

Adario Strange

Wednesday, April 3, 2013 - 12:17pm


Video: DARPA tire-changing robot, almost as good as a mechanic | DVICE

Sometimes it seems like a lot of the robots we find in development are dedicated to carrying out exceedingly specific, and often impractical tasks that offer little in the way of addressing some of our most basic needs. But a new video demonstration from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) offers hope that one day the vital task of emergency roadside assistance may come via an automaton.

In a new video posted this week, DARPA shows off its Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) actually changing a tire. The demonstration is designed to illustrate how humans can work in tandem with robots using only "task-level instructions" rather than requiring the human operator to deliver specific, step-by-step guidance to the robotic system.

OK -- as a Nascar fan -- you're gonna have to put this claptrap up against a Sprint Cup Pit Crew and see who wins... I got 4 tires in 11 seconds (and a full tank of gas). What you got?
 
WABIAN robot from Japan steps closer to human walk

9 hours ago by Nancy Owano weblog
(Phys.org) —Researchers designing adult bipedal robots have faced a challenge in limitations in a robot's walking pattern. They seek ways to improve on designs to have robots move more naturally. Improving the walking function has been the goal of researchers at the Humanoid Robotics Institute at Waseda University in Japan. Last month, led by Professor Atsuo Takanishi, the team presented the results of their efforts at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Germany. What they achieved more closely replicates normal human foot movements than before. The Institute's researchers turned to their humanoid robot, WABIAN-2R (WAseda BIpedal humANoid - No. 2 Refined), which already had a flexible pelvis, and stretched knees. WABIAN-2R's feet also had the distinction of a curving arch and flexible toes, landing heel-first and lifting off at its toes, noted the IEEE Spectrum report. The robot is under 5 feet tall (148 cm), and weighs 64 kg (141 pounds), with 41 degrees of freedom.

Read more at: WABIAN robot from Japan steps closer to human walk


Explosive growth predicted for automotive electronics

May 31, 2013 by Ronald D. White

The global market for advanced automotive electronics - everything from driver assistance programs to new kinds of visual displays - will jump to $240 billion by 2020, up more than 50 percent from 2010, according to a recent report from IHS Inc.'s IMS Research.

The leap "reflects the field's rising importance to the car industry at large, especially as original equipment manufacturers ratify in-vehicle electronics to be an essential selling feature for an automobile," said Ben Scott, automotive analyst for IHS.

Some of the drivers, no pun intended, are government safety mandates for things like improved electronic stability control and tire pressure monitoring systems.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-05-explosive-growth-automotive-electronics.html#jCp
 
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Perfect skin: More touchy-feely robots

May 31, 2013

Robots could become a lot more 'sensitive' thanks to new artificial skins and sensor technologies developed by European scientists. Leading to better robotic platforms that could one day be used in industry, hospitals and even at home.

The new capabilities, and a production system for building touch-sensitivity into different robots, will improve the way robots work in unconstrained settings, as well as their ability to communicate and cooperate with each other and with humans.


Read more at: Perfect skin: More touchy-feely robots
 
'DomiCopter' Drone From Domino's Delivers Pizza By Air (VIDEO)


The Huffington Post | By Rachel Tepper Posted: 06/04/2013 11:21 am EDT | Updated: 06/04/2013 1:01 pm EDT
'DomiCopter' Drone From Domino's Delivers Pizza By Air (VIDEO)

We're crossing our fingers that Domino's new "DomiCopter" -- a drone that delivers pizzas -- is real. In a recent test video, the contraption traveled about four miles in 10 minutes on a two-pizza delivery in the U.K.

Domino's hired creative agency T + Biscuits to develop and test out the contraption. Founder Tom Hatton told NBC that so far, the DomiCopter has been a success. "If anything it went quicker than a pizza boy," he said, pointing out that the DomiCopter doesn't need to stop at red lights. "We were amazed at how easy it was going to be."
 
Boeing's new robots outperform human workers

Boeing's new robots outperform human workers
Aerospace company Boeing has been showing off its new robot painters.

These machines glide along tracks on either side of a 777 wing. Manually, it takes a team of humans 4.5 hours to do the first coat. The robots do it in 24 minutes with perfect quality. By midsummer, all 777 wings will be painted this way. Worldwide, the population of robots employed in service and industrial roles is growing exponentially and forecast to reach over 100 million by 2020.
 
Segway-like robot helps fight fires with 3D, thermal imaging

Engineers at UC San Diego are testing small, mobile robotic vehicles that create virtual reality maps with temperature data that first responders can use in real time.
In 2012, 83 firefighters died in the line of duty in the U.S. alone, and another 37 fatalities have been reported thus far in 2013. But, with better scouting tools, these numbers could be lowered.

Thank goodness for robots.

A new one out of the University of California, San Diego, may soon help first responders survey a fiery scene with its ability to enter a burning building and immediately transmit data on the state and location of the fire, the building's structural integrity, and the presence of any volatile gases -- all while on the lookout for survivors.

Segway-like robot helps fight fires with 3D, thermal imaging | Cutting Edge - CNET News
 
British Army takes remote-control of Terrier, the digging-est dog of war

British Army takes remote-control of Terrier, the digging-est dog of war
The British Army has taken ownership of its first Terrier combat engineer vehicle, which maker BAE Systems claims is the most advanced of its type. The armored vehicle has been described as a Swiss Army Knife for the battlefield, capable of clearing routes or creating cover. Perhaps most significantly, the Terrier is drive-by-wire, and can be controlled remotely with a device very much like a console game pad.

The British Army is taking ownership of 60 Terriers, the last of which is due for delivery in January. Here's a BAE Systems video of Terrier in action.
 
Drone waiter offers table service to U.K. diners

Adario Strange

Monday, June 10, 2013 - 11:43am


We've seen food delivery drones, and even wedding proposals via drone, but one restaurant in the U.K. aims to inject a bit of this robo-fueled futurism into your dining experience.

London-based Yo Sushi has started using an iPad-controlled quadicopter to deliver meals to customers at its restaurant. The drone waiter, called the iTray, also features two high-definition cameras that allow the cooking staff to see the reactions of the diners once the meal arrives.

There's just one problem with this seemingly very cool idea: there's not one video showing a customer or waitress taking the food off the drone's serving platter. Why? Well, my guess would be that those pesky rotor blades that keep the device flying probably make it a bit difficult to pick up the plate without hitting them and quickly turning a cool concept into a spilled meal and bruised fingers.
Drone waiter offers table service to U.K. diners | DVICE
 
Namiki Lab air hockey robot can play with strategy (w/ Video)

8 hours ago by Nancy Owano weblog
(Phys.org) —Robots playing air hockey can play strategically as a result of work by researchers in Japan at Chiba University's Namiki Lab. The system they constructed consists of an air-hockey table, a Barrett four-axis robotic arm, two high-speed cameras, and an external PC. This is not the first air hockey playing robot. Back in 2008, for one, there was the Nuvation Air Hockey robot that grabbed admirers. This was an industrial robot equipped with an optical sensor programmed to follow and react to a moving object. The differentiator with the Namiki Lab robot is that this one is able to strategize playing against its human opponent. Professor Akio Namiki and his group have designed a robot that can shift its strategy based on the opponent's playing style. The robot isn't just playing but is making its plays specifically against the opponent in any one game.
Read more at: Namiki Lab air hockey robot can play with strategy (w/ Video)
 
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A robot that runs like a cat (w/ Video)

17 minutes ago
Thanks to its legs, whose design faithfully reproduces feline morphology, EPFL's 4-legged 'cheetah-cub robot' has the same advantages as its model: It is small, light and fast.

Even though it doesn't have a head, you can still tell what kind of animal it is: the robot is definitely modeled upon a cat. Developed by EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory (Biorob), the "cheetah-cub robot," a small-size quadruped prototype robot, is described in an article appearing today in the International Journal of Robotics Research. The purpose of the platform is to encourage research in biomechanics; its particularity is the design of its legs, which make it very fast and stable. Robots developed from this concept could eventually be used in search and rescue missions or for exploration.
Read more at: A robot that runs like a cat (w/ Video)
 
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Ford using robots to stress test new vehicles


Craig Lloyd, Jun 17th 2013 Discuss [0]
Ford using robots to stress test new vehicles - SlashGear

Vehicles being driven by robots is nothing new. We’ve seen that in Google’s self-driving cars, as well as prototypes from Lexus and Audi. However, Ford is putting the technology to a different use. They’re using autonomous robots to operate new vehicles for the sole purpose of stress testing them on Ford’s race course.

One of the purposes behind using robots to test new vehicles is most notably to prevent humans from having to do it. Testing out vehicles can be pretty stressful on the body, especially if you’re going over bumps at high speeds and taking all sorts of sharp turns. Robots, thankfully, aren’t as fragile as humans are, and they’re able to drive around the track for ages if they could.

Ford teamed up with Autonomous Solutions, Inc to implement robotics inside vehicles that are able to drive cars themselves without any human interaction. The system uses GPS that’s accurate up to one inch, which is fairly impressive. This allows up to eight robot-controlled cars allowed on the track at once.
 
Stanford's Artificial Neural Network Is The Biggest Ever

It's 6.5 times bigger than the network Google premiered last year, which has learned to recognize YouTube cats.
Last summer, in conjunction with Stanford researchers, Google[x], the R&D arm where ideas like Project Glass are born, built the world's largest artificial neural network designed to simulate a human brain. Now Andrew Ng, who directs Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Lab and was involved with Google's previous neural endeavor, has taken the project a step further. He and his team have created another neural network, more than six times the size of Google's record-setting achievement.

Artificial neural networks can model mathematically the way biological brains work, allowing the machine to learn to think in the same ways that humans do--making them capable of recognizing things like speech, objects and even cats like we do.

The model Google developed in 2012 was made up of 1.7 billion parameters, the digital version of neural connections. It successfully taught itself to recognize cats in YouTube videos. (Because, what else is the human brain good for?)

Stanford's Artificial Neural Network Is The Biggest Ever | Popular Science
 
ROSPHERE: A spherical robot for exploration missions

11 hours ago

Researchers at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, have developed a robot prototype by using an unconventional motion mode to conduct missions on wild environments.
The Robotics and Cybernetics Research Group from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid has special interest in developing robots able to live in environments where the motion can be a difficulty due to uneven ground. They studied, designed and built a land mobile vehicle that has an unconventional motion.

Read more at: ROSPHERE: A spherical robot for exploration missions
 
UC Davis investigates using helicopter drones for crop dusting

Researchers at University of California, Davis, in cooperation with the Yamaha Motor Corporation, are testing UAV crop dusting on the Oakville Experimental Vineyard at the UC Oakville Station using a Yamaha RMax remote-controlled helicopter. The purpose is to study the adaptation of Japanese UAV crop dusting techniques for US agriculture, but not all the hurdles they face are technological.

UC Davis investigates using helicopter drones for crop dusting
 
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Now, robotic birds can take to the skies

Travis Andrews
Now, robotic birds can take to the skies | DVICE
Sunday, June 23, 2013 - 6:40pm

Sure, we’ve created robotic birds. But we’ve never created robotic birds that can actually flap their wings independently of each other.

Apparently, what sounds so incredibly simple has actually been out of reach, until now. The problem, obviously, isn’t the simple mechanics of having the wings flap independently of each other. It’s having the thing fly while they’re flapping independently of each other. The design process is a sloth-like crawl, because every time a bird doesn’t work, it crashes to the ground. And is generally destroyed in the process.
 

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