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,...

Press Release from Universiteit Maastricht in The Netherlands:A Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Universiteit Maastricht contains some controversial forecasts about the future of human-robot relationships. The thesis is entitled “Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners” and its author is David Levy, an International Master at chess from London....

The 3000th Argo ocean sensor probe is to be launched from the RV Kaharoa off New Zealand.The Argo program started in 2004 collects temperature, salinity and pressure readings from all of the worlds oceans with the 3000 sensor probes.The robot sensors sink in the water to a depth...

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...

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 Sacramento, California police department is developing a specialized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, as a low cost alternative to helicopter cops.They currently have two helicopters that can stream live video to remote terminals in police cars or command centers.Their UAV's are...

In a demonstration of their growing influence, robots are gaining apolitical foothold to help them shape the policies of the US government.Congressman Mike Doyle, a Democrat from Pennsylvania's 14 district and ZachWamp a Republican from Tennessee's 3rd, announced the formation of a bi-partisan Congressional Caucus for robots.Congressman Doyle explains...

Shadow Robot Company, maker of the 24 Degree-of-freedom dexterous hand, is now making tactile sensors for the hand.According to Shadow's web site, "the sensor uses Quantum Tunnelling Composite (QTC) as the sensing medium."Each sensor has either has either 34 or 22 active tactile...

Communications between troops in an urban area can be a problem due to interference and line of sight blocked by buildings.Can you hear me now?DARPA is looking to robots for a solution to the dropped call problem.They are looking for proposals for mobile robots that act as radio...

Boeing announced that they have successfully completed first flight tests on its unmanned helicopter the A160T Hummingbird.The A160T is the turbine-engine version of the A160 unmanned helicopter under development by Boeing since they purchased Frontier Systems in 2004.The Hummingbird...

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...

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...

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are deploying automated weapon robots along the border of the Gaza Strip to create a buffer kill zone to prevent unauthorized infiltrations.The system, called the "See-Shoot" system, is currently being installed and will be fully operational by the end of 2007. It consists of automated weapons stations connected through...

From Daily Yomiuri:A child-sized android with flexible joints and soft skin developed by the Japan Science and Technology Agency was unveiled Friday at Osaka University, where the agency's research and development team is based.The 1.3-meter-tall, 33 kilogram humanoid robot has optical,...

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Here is a patent application for a robot set-up to create an work of art with M&M candies or an 'arrangement of confectionary pieces.'A user would design a pretty picture out of virtual confections on a touchscreen then the robot would arrange the treats accordingly. Your drawing...

HealthSouth Corporation (NYSE: HLS) and Motorika Ltd. announced today that the companies have signed an agreement to advance the application of robot technology in HealthSouth's inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.Under the terms of the worldwide agreement, Motorika will have the...

Hitachi's Advanced Research Lab has demonstrated a prototype of a portable non-invasive device to measure and record brain activity.The device uses brain photo-topography to read the brain signals. Photo-topography uses near-infrared sensors to measure the change in blood flow in...

Robots not only take on unpleasant tasks but they can enhance and improve on human efforts.Another farmer's helper robot: The Voyager robot fence from Lely.The robot fence is an electrified fence that keeps your cows from running away, like any good fence. But this smart fence also...

Another entry into the race for the perfect Korean home companion robot. This one is from Korean start-up KornTech.Rogun is a 1-meter tall humanoid who can walk and communicate wirelessly with the Internet and cell phones. It is designed to play with kids and entertain them through...

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, is soliciting proposals for research into aircraft that can stay aloft for more than 5 years.The project, code-named VULTURE, is for heavier-than-air station that does not need to land. This is a request for early information but there are some restrictions on the design: "The Government is...

Police in Merseyside,UK are testing an unmanned flying robot to help control the population. The BBC reports that the machine will be used "mainly for tackling anti-social behaviour and public disorder."The unit is a small 2 pound vertical takeoff helicopter with four blades. It...

the Robot Hall of Fame at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh has announced four new inductees into the Robot Hall of Fame.This years inductees include one robot from fiction and 3 real life milestone-setting robot creations.The inductees are:Lt. Cmdr. Datafrom Star Trek: The...

A man in Wiltshire, UK has converted a toy truck into a remote controlled metal detector to help him find lost treasures in the countryside.His invention was inspired by stories of techniques to find old land mines and a bad back that prevents him from sweeping the ground with a...

A robot named Wizard, designed to crawl through air conditioning ducts to clean, look for leaks and apply special coating was honored by the UK's Knowledge Transfer Partnerships as the Best Engineering Excellence for 2007.The honor goes to Breval Technical Services and Bell College...

Odyssey Marine Exploration (OTC:OMR) announced last week that they had recovered over 500,000 coins from a colonial period shipwreck.They are keeping the location of the site, code named "Black Swan" secret until they have completed their salvage operations.The find is worth at least...

Considering the chances for home robots to reach a fundamental breakthrough on the mass market, an observation of the daily habits of people shows that the most time-consuming specifiable tasks in traditional housework are cleaning, washing, ironing and cooking. Most these tasks...

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Home vacuum robot maker iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT)has launched two new pool-cleaner robots for home use.The two robots, Verro 300 and Verro 600, are available now for $800 and $1200.The 300 model uses water jet and vacuum to suck up debris from the pool. The Verro 600 uses brushes along...

From Taiwan's Central News Agency, cna.com.tw. Hopefully we will see some pictures soon.Quote:Taipei, April 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has developed a new security robot, called "SeQ-1," in collaboration with the Shin Kong Security Co., an ITRI spokesman said Wednesday. The SeQ-1 robot will soon join the national...

A new sophisticated robot will be able to guard your home around the clock and keep you informed on what's happening in the house through your handset even when you are far away.The 50-centimeter tall and 12-kilogram machine was developed through partnerships with venture start-up...

Man is one step closer to realizing a cyborg reality. Jesse Sulllivan and Claudia Michelle are the one of the world’s first non-fictional cyborgs. Both of them were equipped with a robotic arm after suffering from accidents resulting in the loss of their natural limbs. The groundbreaking...

When it comes to robotics, Japan never fails to amaze everyone. In a recent exhibition the University of Tokyo showcased a robotic "living room of the future," another example of plans to make robots part of daily life in Japan.Equipped with sensors in the walls and floor in the...

U036584N Wu ZhenyuThis is one of the latest inventions in assistive robotics - My Spoon, a meal assistance robot which helps people with disabilities to eat. This robot is developed to assist patient with spinal cord injury or other diseases which results in the inability to move...

HERTI spy-planeUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been the new development in terms of military surveillance, allowing a pilot-less insertion of an aerial vehicle into enemy territory for purposes of collecting data, or simply maintaining the security of a country’s own air space....

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) refers to any form of surgery that works through small incisions. Here’s the thing about small incisions: it hurts less, results in fewer complications (and hence, less scarring), and most importantly, the usage of unsightly plasters can be avoided....

Wakamaru is a Japanese domestic robot made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, primarily intended to provide companionship to elderly and disabled people. The robot is yellow, 100 cm tall, and weights 30 kilograms. It has two arms and its flat, circular base has a diameter of 45 cm....

As technology improves by leaps and bouinds, the world is seen to move into a new era where robotics is becoming a very huge part of our lives, from education to entertainment and especially security and surveillance. Scores of companies are going into the field of inventing robots...

Asimo is the product of Honda’s challenge for a new type of mobility, to walk with two legs. And the reason behind it? So that the robot can move in all types of terrain. Its designers has believed that with a enhanced mobility, it can serve its purpose of helping humans better....