Robotic Blogs

"Researchers at the University of Delaware are providing safe mobility to children with special needs who are unable to fully explore the world on their own through the development of kid-sized robots that infants can drive using joysticks."

"Infants with Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other disorders can have mobility limitations that disconnect them from the ongoing exploration that their peers enjoy."

“If these infants were adults, therapists would have options of assistive technology such as power wheelchairs,” James C. (Cole) Galloway, associate professor of physical therapy says.

"The tiny robot is ringed with sensors that can determine the obstacle-free roaming space, and will either allow infants to bump obstacles or will take control from the infant and drive around the obstacle itself. The next prototype, UD2, will build on the current technology to provide additional control to a parent, teacher or other supervising adult."

Obviously the next step would be to make a giant car-crushing biped with a little baby seat inside. Don't worry - the giant baby-driven monster will never be allowed to escape into a busy downtown to rip corners off sky scrapers and toss city buses through plate glass windows.


Babies learn to ride robots at UD

Roomba maker iRobot has introduced a new household robot, the Looj, made for cleaning rain gutters.

You just drop the small Looj into you gutter and it "augers" it way through and ejects the crappy buildup out and away. Just in time for the fall season.

The price range from US $100 to $170 depending on the options you get. Available now from the iRobot web store. I would guess that it will be available in suburban Home Depots soon. And also available to clear the rain gutters in your third world countries.


I like the belt holster. I can help you to climb the ladder sure, but also wearing it around the yard would make you the coolest guy in the 'hood.

iRobot Corporation: About Looj

The folks at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute have come up with another unique robot creation.

The Scarab is a 4-wheel robot is designed for prospecting on the Moon. The design has been optimized for drilling into rock in cold and dark environments.

The drill in the center of the robot body can drill out a core sample up to meter deep. The body is shaped so the relatively small drilling robot - only 250 kgs ( 550 lbs) - can get enough weight on the bit to drill.

The Scarab can run in the dark bottoms of moon craters with its nuclear power source. The advanced sterling radioisotope generator (ASRG) converts the emissions from a radioactive isotope to electricity. According to the article the generator can provide 100 watts of power for 10 years.

The robot has a laser navigation system so it can see the local terrain in the dark and find its way around.

So far NASA does not have have any specific plans for sending the Scarab to the moon but the robot is being used to test technologies for the task.

There is no mention if CMU is thinking of fielding a team for the $30 million Google Lunar robot X-prize.


The Tartan Online : 'Scarab' the robot

Kuka Robotics has announced the largest factory robot ever.

The KR 1000 'Titan' is a 6-axis worker with a 1000kg (2200 pound) capacity and 3200 mm (10+ feet) reach.
The Titan is designed for heavy-duty work in automotive, building materials industries and foundries. The super-strength robot can be used in some applications that have needed lifts with overhead cranes.
The big guy has 9 motors and Kuka says it can "deliver the power of a mid-sized car."
Two of the axis use two motors each to power a single gear.

The robot will be availble before then end of the year and can be shipped in a standard container.

KUKA introduces KR 1000, world’s strongest robot

“titan”: the world’s strongest robot

The Australian company Termicam is testing a remote controlled robot that can crawl through nooks and crannies to track down sneaky termites munching on your house.

The Termibot uses video and thermal imaging to find the pests. Once found the robot probes the termite nest to break it open and expose the bugs. It then squirts poison directly into the nest to kill the buggers.

The prototype is connected to the human operator with an umbilical wire but future versions will be wireless.

The robot offers many advantages over traditional methods of termite control. First, the robot can go into small paces where an exterminator cannot fit. This eliminates the need to poke holes in the walls searching for the bugs. Secondly, the thermal imaging capabilities of the robot extends the human vision to be able to 'see through walls' to where the insects build their nests. Finally, the robot can deliver the insecticide directly to the nest instead of having to poison an entire house for a small infestation. This saves chemicals and reduces the stress to the environment.


Remote-controlled robot uses thermal imaging to detect and eradicate termites - gizmag Article