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Gizmag talks about the Monsieur robotic bartender with CEO Barry GivensWant to serve cocktails at your next party, but don’t know beans about mixology? The Monsieur company of Atlanta, Georgia thinks it has the answer with the home version of its Monsieur machine. It’s a robotic bartender tailored to your individual lifestyle that the company sees as a way of enhancing social drinking without having to constantly refer to a book or acting as bartender all night at a party. We caught up with co-founder and CEO of Monsieur, Barry Givens, to discuss the machine-made cocktail.
Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, after all. We have the technology. The term "bionic man" was the stuff of science fiction in the 1970s, when a popular TV show called "The Six Million Dollar Man" chronicled the adventures of Steve Austin, a former astronaut whose body was rebuilt using artificial parts after he nearly died.
Now, a team of engineers have assembled a robot using artificial organs, limbs and other body parts that comes tantalizingly close to a true "bionic man." For real, this time.
The artificial "man" is the subject of a Smithsonian Channel documentary that airs Sunday, Oct. 20. Called "The Incredible Bionic Man," it chronicles engineers' attempt to assemble a functioning body using artificial parts that range from a working kidney and circulation system to cochlear and retina implants.
Bionic limbs will one day sense the grass under prosthetic feet | Cutting Edge - CNET NewsWith the first thought-controlled bionic leg pioneered in Chicago, the next steps for smart prosthetics are refining them for widespread use and tackling a huge hurdle: sensory feedback.
It sounds like something straight out of science fiction: artificial limbs that not only move, flex, and feel like their flesh counterparts, but also respond directly to one's thoughts and even translate sensory feedback -- the feeling of grass beneath one's feet or the sensation of a limb floating in space -- straight back to the brain.
Thanks to an aggressive push in funding from the US military in an effort to the improve the lives of injured veterans, those advancements are no longer such farfetched dreams. While the idea of "Blade Runner"-level prosthetics is still a far-off fantasy, impressively capable, thought-controlled bionic limbs are now a modern-day reality thanks to pioneering research between the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), DARPA, and a growing sector of companies developing the next generation of artificial limbs.
Australian textbook delivery, care of drones | Cutting Edge - CNET NewsA textbook rental start-up will deliver its packages to Sydney customers by drone starting next spring. From ordering to delivery, the entire process could take as little as two minutes.
If you just ordered a book from textbook rental start-up Zookal, look skyward.
Zookal has partnered with aerial-technology startup Flirtey (a joint venture between Zookal and Vimbra) to start delivering its packages to customers via unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as of next year. The technology they're using, the companies say, was previously only available to the military and to universities.
As of March 2014, customers within 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) of Sydney's central business district will be able to arrange free delivery by air from one of six hexacopters. They will have to order delivery to an outdoor area, and the drone will find the customer based on GPS coordinates sent from an Android app (an iOS app will be built after the program is launched). The UAV will hover over the location and lower the textbooks on a retractable cable, allowing the customer to detach the parcel and the drone to be on its way. The entire process could take as little as two or three minutes.
If the customer isn't there, the textbooks won't be lowered; the customer will have to hit a button on the app to lower the parcel. The drone will wait a short time for the command before flying away, and delivery will have to be rescheduled.
Zookal CEO and Flirtey co-founder Ahmed Haider said the system will save a lot of money on deliveries.
Columbia University students design low cost humanoid "Rosie the Robot"A team of students at Columbia University, led by Jason Ravel, has taken inspiration from a number of sources, including the Turtlebot by Willow Garage, Boxie the Robot from MIT, and Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons, to design a human-sized general purpose robot called Talos. Built for just US$800, this low cost robot has arms, a face, and can answer voice commands.
At the base of the Talos robot is an iRobot Create robot platform, which provides locomotion and an ability to sense walls and stairs. Above that is a standard laptop, while the body of the robot is a cardboard tube with a box on top that forms the robot’s head and face. Connected to its tubular body are two mechanical arms with hands from OWI Robots for picking up objects and shaking hands, while its face features lights in the eyes that change color in response to various commands. Sitting atop its head is a Microsoft Kinect 3D sensor for detecting 3D objects, walls, and doors.
This first version of Talos was designed to carry out several simple functions. The original concept was to use the robot for telepresence operations, like guarding the lab at night. The robot can retrieve an object and bring it to a person; it can respond to several simple voice commands, like “follow me” or “shake hands”; it can be controlled by a remote application on a tablet computer; and it can dance, as an entertainment function.
Do you like visiting with that cute barista at the local coffee shop? Well, she/he may be on their way to being replaced by a machine ... maybe. This July, Texas-based company Briggo announced the installation of its first "intelligent" Coffee Haus on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The machine grinds and brews espressos, mochas and other specialty coffees on the spot, to the exact specifications of the customer.
The Coffee Haus is an improved version of an automated coffee-making kiosk that Briggo installed on the campus in 2011. The new machine uses "sustainable high-altitude Latin American direct trade coffee, fresh milk and gourmet syrups," plus it keeps users apprised of the status of their order, and it allows them to take a peek at its robotic workings as it prepares that order.
(Phys.org) —The winners of the annual Electrolux Design Lab competition have been announced, and first place has gone to a young designer from Colombia, Adrian Perez Zapata. His design is of a ball shaped unit that houses sensing technology along with 908 independent tiny flying miniature flying robots—upon command from the host unit, they fly off and clean up dust and dirt in someone's house. They can also deposit air freshening chemicals. Second place went to Brazilian designer Luiza Silva—she came up with a 3D food printer. Jeabyun Yeon, from Korea, came in third for a concept he calls a Breathing Wall.
The annual Electrolux Design Lab competition is held by the famous household appliance maker for the purpose of stimulating, and prodding to action, design students from around the world. The first prize winner this year gets 5,000 Euros and a chance to work with professionals in the field at Electrolux's main design center for six months.
Toyota details its Automated Highway Driving Assist systemThe race to the car that drives itself continues to heat up. Automakers around the world are eager to tease their latest autonomous capabilities. Most recently, we've seen a self-parking system from Volvo and a glimpse at Nissan's plans. Last week, Toyota became the latest automaker to show its hand, providing a look at its Automated Highway Driving Assist, a feature that should be available within the next two or three years.
Toyota's Automated Highway Driving Assistant is a two-part system that takes over acceleration, deceleration and lane maintenance on highways. The AHDA system represents a more capable, next generation version of features that are available today. It is the latest marketable technology to come from Toyota's advanced active safety research vehicle.
Robot makers index fund launches on Nasdaq | Cutting Edge - CNET NewsRobo-Stox is a newly launched index that tracks robotics and automation companies, making it easier to invest in the industry.
One hundred years ago, the smart money went into automobiles. Thirty years ago, it was personal computers. Is now the right time to invest in robots?
Some people think so, and Tuesday they launched the Robo-Stox Global Robotics and Automation Index, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
It's billed as the world's first benchmark index tracking robotics and automation companies, with 77 stocks from companies around the world included in the fund.
Trading under the ticker ROBO, the fund was launched by Exchange Traded Concepts, an ETF platform with a license from Dallas-based Robo-Stox LLC, which developed the underlying index.
Robots have become almost commonplace in technology news, but that masks the sad truth that all the really cool robots are still incredibly expensive — often into six figures for the ones capable of manipulating objects with human-like arms. A company called Unbound Robotics is endeavoring to bring the cost of advanced robotics down so more businesses and research institutions can afford to have these devices scuttling around the halls. The company’s first effort is the UBR-1, a semi-autonomous robot sporting a single arm with seven degrees of freedom and a heart of consumer electronics.
Throwable iRobot 110 recon bot gets sensors, manipulator | Cutting Edge - CNET NewsThe FirstLook rover is augmented with tools like a thermal camera and sensors to detect radiation or chemical and biological agents.
Robots have become an indispensable part of the modern military arsenal, especially machines that can provide detailed reconnaissance of hazardous areas.
iRobot's 110 FirstLook is essentially a Webcam on treads that's light and sturdy enough to be tossed around, even through windows.
Now it can be equipped with tools such as a manipulator arm and sensors that can detect radiation and other threats.
The remote-controlled robot weighs about 5 pounds, and the optional arm can lift up to 3 pounds with its gripper and extend 12 inches, allowing it to interact with its environment.
Panasonic's ongoing effort to automate Japanese hospitals continued this month with the launch of the HOSPI-R, an autonomous delivery robot that is now on sale. In its press release, Panasonic contends that robots like this one are needed to maintain and improve the quality of nursing services due to Japan's rapidly aging society. The latest in the company's line of HOSPI robots is designed to transport samples and drugs so that lab technicians and nurses won't have to.
Panasonic has been working on this particular problem for the past few years. In early 2010, nurses and pharmacists complained that their work was being constantly interrupted whenever drugs had to be delivered. Beginning with just two robots to help out during the night shift, soon the robots were working 24/7. Finally, after more than two years of experimental use at the Matsushita Memorial Hospital, the robots are ready to go pro.
The main benefit of the HOSPI-R is its autonomous navigation capabilities. Whereas many automation systems rely on obtrusive rail systems or other delineated routes, the HOSPI-R navigates using just its onboard sensors. When compared with conventional rail systems, Panasonic's system implementation costs reduce to between 25 and 50 percent (and maintenance costs are reduced to 20 percent).
A map of the building is programmed in advance, which it uses to plan its route. If the route changes because an extension is built onto existing facilities, the system is flexible enough to handle it, and the robot can even take the elevators automatically. If, along the way, it encounters obstacles during its trip, such as a person in a wheelchair, the robot automatically adjusts its route using its sensors.
Shop 'til you drop with Budgee robotic basket | Cutting Edge - CNET NewsNo one likes to haul shopping purchases, but would you pay $1,400 for a robot cart that follows you around?
I'd usually rather watch paint dry than go shopping, but a bit of robotic technology makes the whole prospect far more appealing.
Budgee is a shopping robot that automatically follows you around. No more cart-jockeying, basket-lugging, or even using your recyclable bag.
Just dump your stuff into Budgee and it'll keep following you. It may run over a few things in the process, but as long as you don't have to work, who cares?
Shown off recently at RoboBusiness 2013 in Santa Clara, Calif., Budgee was developed by New Jersey-based startup Five Elements Robotics, which plans to launch it on Kickstarter.
Sometimes, we just don't find the time we need to clean our homes. That's where cleaning robots can be a real life saver, as they do the cleaning for you. A new one from Moneual, called the Rydis H67, combines a vacuum for carpets and mop for tile and wood floors into one electronic workhorse.
Generally, most floor cleaning robots come in one of two flavors – vacuum cleaner or mop. This is fine for people with only one type of floor throughout their home, but not all houses are designed this way, and with the somewhat lofty price tags of these devices, most people are not going to run out and buy two. At US$400, the H67 looks to be a decent option, as it saves users from having to purchase double the cleaning robots.
The mop portion of the H67 is added by the user when hard floor cleaning is necessary, and the device actually detects that the microfiber mop has been attached and avoids carpeted surfaces until it's removed. This means users can leave it alone without worrying about it getting their nice carpets all wet. The package includes two washable mops, so users can keep the robot working while one mop is being cleaned.
Roll-cage equipped drones shrug off impacts to keep flying | DVICEOne of the jobs robots are being groomed for is disaster relief. When we're in need, robots will be capable of reaching us anywhere on the globe, in mere hours. In ways humans can't, they'll be able to locate us amongst rubble, deliver food and medicine, and get us back on our feet.
Small, agile drones will be among some of the first robots on the scene. But navigating debris fields and crumbling buildings in search of survivors presents a number of challenges. The average drone can't take an impact from falling debris or bounce it's way through tight passages. That's why the folks at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL have worked up designs for drones that can take a hit and keep on flying.
There was a time when pulling into a service station would coincide with an attendant in a pressed uniform and a peaked cap running up to your car to ask if you’d like to fill ‘er up. That scene may be relegated to Mad Men, but a robotic replacement has arrived. At this month’s 2013 PEI Convention at the NACS Show in Atlanta, the Husky Corporation’s booth played host to a robotic fuel attendant called the Fuelmatics Automatic Refueling System (ARS) that the company is developing in collaboration with Stockholm-based Fuelmatics Systems AB.
The Fuelmatics ARS isn't much to look at. At first glance, it seems to be a fuel pump on a track that somebody forgot to install hoses on. That’s because it’s designed so the customer doesn't have to do anything. The robotic ARS handles all of the fueling operation and the customer doesn't even have to open the window.
The customer drives up to the ARS and either uses a payment card or a smartphone app to purchase fuel. The Fuelmatics robot then looks for the refueling flap and opens it using a suction arm. It then inserts a hose into the refueling line and either fills the tank or dispenses the amount requested. With the app, opening the window isn't necessary and the receipt is sent by email or text. According to Fuelmatics, the whole operation takes 30 percent less time than conventional pumping.
DJI Innovations unveiled its GPS-enabled Phantom quadcopter less than a year ago, and since then it has become perhaps the go-to aerial platform for the GoPro HERO actioncam. In April, the company provided us with a sneak peek at the next model in the line, the Phantom 2 Vision. While there weren't many details available at the time, that's changed as of today, with the Vision's official commercial release. Among its new features are improved battery life, a video-stabilizing platform and most significant of all, an included HD video camera that allows for first-person-view via a mobile device.
Back in June the world got its first glimpse of the iStruct, a robot ape developed at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the University of Bremen. We predicted that in addition to the stability afforded by walking on all fours, the robot ape could feasibly stand up to free its hands for other kinds of work. Now the team has published a video that shows how their robot accomplishes this maneuver with the help of its flexible spine and sensitive feet.
The B variant has already help the Navy capture drug smugglers and carry out recon missions in Afghanistan and Somalia. The new MQ-8C is bigger and will pack a bigger payload.
The US Navy wants its Fire Scout drones to grow up in a hurry.
Late last week, the Navy and Northrop Grumman sent word that the latest version of the unmanned rotorcraft, the MQ-8C Fire Scout, made its first flights on Halloween day. They weren't long affairs -- the first lasted 7 minutes, the second one, 9 minutes -- but the key is that the latest Fire Scout airframe got off the ground.
