Thursday, July 29, 2010
Once Again Porn Industry Leads the Way - This Time in Robotics
... UPDATE: 4,000 pre-orders and 20,000 queries as of February 1st, says CNN.
... Watch an interview with Douglas Hines describing Roxxxy, TrueCompanion’s new full-size, full function, $7-9,000 sex robot. She has five personalities and the system enables you to design your own personality profiles and share them online. One would think she could look prettier for that kind of money.
Over 40 countries have military robotics programs today
... Wall Street Journal does in-depth story on Israeli defense robots but it covers other countries efforts as well.
... Story confirms 2010 Robot Predictions from Everything-Robotic blog.
... But all is not rosy. The US Army just announced cancellation of an autonomous ground vehicle (Lockheed Martin’s MULE) and a pilotless helicopter (Northrop Grumman’s FireScout) - both are being replaced by upgrading existing equipment to provide the new functionalities.
Droid Works Changes Name and gets $2.4M NIST Award
... Helen Greiner’s Droid Works start-up has switched it’s name to CyPhy Works.
... Stealth as they try to be, CyPhy Works has received it’s second NIST award - this time for $2.4M - to develop technologies for small, hovering, UAVs to be used for the inspection and monitoring of large-scale civil infrastructure elements such as bridges and dams.
... The previous award was for $100k to enable UAVs to navigate inside houses and buildings.
Heartland Robotics and Manufacturing
... Watch a video of Rodney Brooks entitled Remaking Robotics with Manufacturing.
... Heartland gets 2nd round of financing with a vision to reinvigorate American manufacturing. Jeff Bezos’ venture arm was a major investor.
... “Our robots will help revitalize this important sector of the economy by offering efficiencies and versatility where traditional industrial robotic solutions are cost prohibitive or insufficiently flexible” said Heartland’s Rodney Brooks.
... Obrero robot was developed at MIT and is a humanoid robot focused on sensitive manipulation.
Best Wishes for an Exciting Robotics New Year
... ‘Christmas Fun with Electronic Robots’ was the cover story from 51-year-old partially scanned and Photoshopped issue of now defunct Popular Electronics magazine’s, December, 1958 issue - which sold for 35 cents!
Recently published robotic studies:
... Majority of adults prefer robotic home help to a care facility finds GA Tech survey. “Respondents preferred robots that could perform chores and didn’t much care if the robot wasn’t designed for chat although robots that could issue alerts to the owner or his/her doctor in an emergency found particular favor with the older group of respondents.”
... Early therapy helps autistic kids says Time Magazine. Ten years ago, autism was rarely detected before ages 3 or 4. Now, with screening at 18 and 24 months, early detection is possible. Although there is much anecdotal evidence to the contrary, “little research exists on how to intervene effectively for children so young.”
... Robotic surgery improves outcomes, decreases length of hospital stays, and reduces surgical complications and recovery times are findings of a multi-institutional study appearing in August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. “Robotics is at least equivalent if not superior [to traditional surgical methodologies]...”
... Sensory-motor fusion system produces fastest robotic hands ever seen video from U of Tokyo Ishikawa Komuro Lab.
... Panasonic’s robotic bed transforms into a wheelchair.
... AV’s new spy hummingbird has mastered pitch, roll, yaw and altitude control and is ready for deployment.
... Kawasaki video shows welding robots used in new ways in shipbuilding.
... iRobot and Darpa develop chem-bot that changes shape and can slip through holes.
... Japanese consortium has developed and is field testing a robotic snowplow.
... Many, many stories like these:
... In Indianapolis, robot enters home, its four cameras quickly spied purp and, using onboard voice function, told him to come outside.
... In Florida, jurors watch video taken by robot showing events that led up to a murder.
... BusinessWeek magazine’s Cover Story “The Radical Future of R&D” hits the nail on the head about the future of technology in America: we’ve failed for the last decade and without immediate public-private initiatives we’re on target to be the technology provider for off-shore manufacturers.
... Their story “How Science Can Create Millions of New Jobs” describes how strategic public-private investments can repair the broken U.S. business model and put Americans back to work.
... Controversial examples about different approaches: “Big Blue’s Global Lab” and “Microsoft Resarch Keeps Dreaming Big”.
... Public-private partnerships set up to tackle strategic American problems are the objective… but it takes legislative action and funding.
Military, Security, Productivity, Science and Fun
... The Boston Globe once again presents a gallery of robots making news.
Good News for Service Robotics
... iRobot gets single largest order from the military (486 PackBots).
... Husqvarna has reached 100,000 in sales of its Automower robotic lawn mowers.
Aneesh Chopra, America’s new CTO
... From a story in Technology Review: “It is my intention as CTO to focus on public-private collaboration to ...invest in a more targeted R&D opportunity that would bring private sector resources, universities and the public sector together for a given problem ...to focus federal policy on leveraging information technology to revamp health care, education and the energy infrastructure. The administration has three key goals for strengthening American’s competitiveness and driving innovation. Improve the environment for private-sector innovation; invest in the building blocks of innovation such as human capital, fundamental research, and infrastructure, and third, harness innovation to address key national priorities: accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy, allowing Americans to lead longer, healthier lives, and making government more open and transparent.”
... Not a single word about robotics.
... The Harvard Business Review says that: After decades of outsourcing factory work to low-wage countries, Americans can no longer make many of the high-value goods that matter in the 21st century… not even Amazon’s Kindle e-reader! ...What to do? Government and private industry must work together to rebuild what can be called the nation’s industrial commons (akin to the grazing land that farmers shared for their herds).
... RoboCluster - a Danish public-private partnership (P-PIP) - helps industry extend development and innovation - not just by helping companies that want to introduce robotics technology, but also by addressing specific robotics problems that, if achieved will address strategic national priorities.
More than 7,000 U.S. UAV’s and more on order
... Predators and Reapers, hand-launched Ravens and Shadows - all are part of the U.S.‘s arsenal at work in Iraq and Afganistan.
... Sec of Defense Gates wants more UAV’s and has said the F-35 will be the last manned fighter aircraft.
... 40+ countries also are developing drones with an Iranian UAV shot down over Iraq a few months ago.
... Military uses of UAV’s multiply but commercial uses thwarted by lack of safe and affordable FAA-type regulation(s).
... State of the situation regarding regulating UAV’s in American airspace—a white paper.
... Assoc. for Unmanned Vehicles has over 6,000 members from 50 countries.
... Bossa Nova Robotics introduces two new robotic toys based on technology from Carnegie Mellon’s Robotic Institute: Prime-8 and Penbo.
... Sega Toys’ latest robotic cat has sensors so that it can react when petted and purrs when certain words are spoken.
... Jetta Company (Hong Kong) has acquired the assets and licenses to continue to manufacture the Pleo dinosaur.
... Japan Robotics Assoc. forecasts the market for personal and lifestyle robots will grow to $15 billion by 2015, 75% of which will be in the robotic toys marketplace.
Idea Contest for Affordable Robots
... As PR for ICAR 2009 which met in Munich in June, participants submitted plans and costs for household and assistant robots. PDFs of submitted ideas can be viewed here.
Four Views about the Future of Robotics
... Juan Enriquez, of Synthetic Genomics fame, tells of how he sees the next big thing: as a new you
... An interesting, in-depth conversation with a senior automation engineer about the future of robotics
... Microsoft’s Tandy Trower predicts the next killer robotics app
... Watch Ray Kurzweil’s TED Talk showing the exponential and steady progression toward the merger (singularity) of nanotechnology, biotechnology and robotics
iRobot debuts pocket-sized robotic scout
... iRobot has introduced their $100 Ember - a rugged pocket-sized scout suitable for every soldier. A little box with camera, mapping and flippers to enable comprehensive viewing. Thrown like a grenade, the Ember can see what the soldier must see to prevent ambush.
... See the Ember in action
“Watson” to test IBM’s AI on Jeopardy!
... The complexity of the challenge is underscored by the subtlety involved in capturing the exact meaning of a spoken sentence. For example, the sentence “I never said she stole my money” can have seven different meanings depending on which word is stressed.
20,000 cheer 18th annual FIRST student championship at Georgia Dome in Atlanta
... California team wins 18th annual FIRST Robotics competition
... The average age of the engineer cheering Apollo 11 on the day it landed on the moon was 26. Eight years and two months earlier, on the day JFK challenged us to land a man on the moon, their average age was 18!
2009 Engelberger Robotics Awards
... Robin Felder, U of VA School of Medicine, received the award for Leadership in researching and promoting new applications for robotics automation in healthcare.
... Shigeo Hirose, Tokyo Inst. of Technology, received the award for technology development such as snake-like, walking, wall climbing, crawler and swarm-type robots.
... Intuitive Surgical’s Catherine Mohr on surgical robots and robotic surgical procedures
... P.W. Singer looks at the new robotic weapons of war
... Watch Juan Enriquez on the mindboggling profound changes coming from science labs
... If you aren’t familiar with TED talks, spend a few moments on their site and watch one of the speakers
New Robotic Hospital Delivery System
... Co-developed by NEDO (a Japanese public/private initiative responsible for R&D project planning and formation) and Murata Machinery
... Listen to an NPR “Fresh Air” interview of Peter Singer
... “Blew my f***ing mind…This book is awesome… Singer is the Shecky Greene of robotics guys!” — John Stewart, The Daily Show
... “A superb book” — General James Mattis, USMC, NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation
Sex With Robots? Sooner Than You Might Think!
... Meet Aiko - a robot who not only looks feminine and sexy but also does household tasks and accounts
... Intl. Computer Games Assoc President, A.I. expert, and author of “Love and Sex with Robots,” David Levy, says that in a few years everyone will be having sex with robots
... Top 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Having Sex With A Robot
... Honda provides these robotic legs to assist factory workers who regularly squat and climb
One of these two hands is bionic!
... See Dean Kamen of DEKA Research & Development display an almost-ready-for-production American version of an even better bionic hand and arm
... Here’s a more detailed video.
Whatever He Wants! (What do you give a 700-ton robot?)
... Caterpillar explores driverless heavy-duty and hazardous vehicles
Funding Robotic Research: The Strawberry Example
... Read about Carnegie Mellon’s Strawberry Project at Everything-Robotic which also provides an in-depth review of funding methods for robotic projects in different countries.
... Public-private consortiums have successful track records in the EU, Japan and Korea thereby stimulating more similarly-funded projects.
... Except for NASA and DARPA, American funding is less strategic and more entrepreneurial.
CES 2010 focused mainly on mobile market and 3D
... 120,000 visitors. 44 robotic exhibitors. Mostly component and contract manufacturers. Many we’ve seen before: Paro, Keepon, Roboni-i, Pleo.
... The Everything-Robotic blog reviews business changes during the year and cites America’s lack of investment and attention toward the industry.
... Singularity Hub has a pictorial presentation of Best Robots of 2009.
... MIT produced a comprehensive The Year in Robotics.
... Time Magazine’s #4 Scientific Discovery of 2009 was “Adam,” a machine designed at Aberystwyth U. Adam is the first robotic system to make a scientific discovery with virtually no human intellectual input.
... IDG News Service also produced a 2009 Robot Review video.
... 101,000 visitors. Largest robotics trade show in the world.
... Read a review of iREX 2009 (International Robotics Exposition) held November 25-28, 2009 in Tokyo.
Robo-Stox™ Results Year-to-date (11-21)
... Robotic stocks - particularly service robotic stocks - are advancing faster than jobs and orders… faster even than the NASDAQ and DOW indexes as shown in the Robo-Stox™ chart above.
... Defense-related and industrial robotics companies are buying or converting into service robotics companies. Although America has proposed a “roadmap” for robotic development, Europe, Korea and Japan are already implementing their roadmaps with much success, which appears to be reflected in their stock prices.
... Rainer Bischoff, in his presentation The Future of Service Robotics at iREX2009, described how technology, economics and customer demand are all working together to make this transition happen and to take robots out of their cages and put them safely to work alongside humans in small and medium enterprises of all types (a lucrative new marketplace for robotics).
New rules are needed to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the US Airspace System
... There are wonderful UAV products available for use by police, rescue, fire, drug and border patrol (as well as for commercial purposes such as research, exploration, imaging, survey, mapping, spraying, etc.), yet there are no regulations that enable those products to fly.
... If you have the time and energy, here are the key people at FAA to lobby.
... Canadians are having the same problem with Transport Canada.
... Europeans are spending money on collision avoidance systems to remove objections to UAVs—many steps ahead of the American process.
Unmanned War Planes Making News
... 36 armed unmanned AF planes are flying over Afghanistan and Iraq 24 hours each and every day; hundreds of smaller UAV’s are also being flown by the Army, Marines and coalition countries, says Esquire Magazine’s November feature story.
... NPR’s Terry Grossman reports that the CIA has their own secret fleet, flown from facilities in VA, with assassination lists provided outside of military channels (including 50 Afghan drug warlords).
... 500 2-man AF teams (pilot and camera / communications) operate from bases in NV, TX, CA, ND and NY with special take-off and landing crews in Afghanistan and Iraq. No information about what the CIA is doing. But they all report a high incidence of post traumatic stress disorder even though the “pilots” aren’t even in the target areas.
... “This year the Air Force will train more UAV pilots than fighter and bomber pilots combined. Next year, the United States will buy more unmanned aircraft than manned.” (Esquire)
Pleo Returns - Fixes, downloads, sales and new site up and functioning
... Innvo Labs Corp. (Hong Kong and Carson City, NV), is the new host/owner for Pleo dinosaurs. PleoWorld is the new website and there’s even a PleoWorld MySpace page.
... Sales now available through worldwide distributers except in the US where Innvo Labs’ PleoWorld Store will be the sole source until Amazon and other retailers use up their stock of Ugobo Pleos at discounted prices and adhere to Innvo’s new suggested retail prices.
... Improved battery charger available for existing Pleo owners; customer service desk now open for repairs; new personality downloads available; and a developer kit is available for schools, universities and serious hackers.
2008 Results from IFR: $11 billion service robots; $19 billion industrial
... “Because the largest user group of industrial robots - car makers - will not return to high purchase volumes, robot manufacturers are putting effort into the handling and green power segments, with a wide range of new applications.”
Klaus M. Paulus, Managing Director Sales, Automotive & Welding Systems, MOTOMAN robotic GmbH, Germany
... See ABB Robot‘s pancake handling robot. 110 picks per minute, and hygienic to boot!
... “As the end to this global economic crisis approaches, at least three specific aspects of our industry will be the basis of a sustainable re-growth of the business: (1) an even higher ratio performance/price; (2) the development in the “new” markets (BRIC and not only); (3) new apps generated by more widespread competences in robotic technology.”
Arturo Baroncelli, Sales & Marketing, Comau Robotics, Italy
DARPA and DEKA’s Revolutionary Robotic Prosthetics in the News
... 60 Minutes featured DARPA and DEKA’s Revolutionary Prosthetics robotic arm and announced that they are in clinical trials.
Science of learning to reinvent teaching techniques—including robot teachers and tutors
... Two articles in July’s ‘Science’ journal discuss need for reinventing teaching techniques: Foundations for a New Science of Learning by Meltzoff and Dyslexia: A New Synergy Between Education and Cognitive Neuroscience by Gabrieli.
... Japan’s ATR has a new P-PIP to research projects to study robots that work (1) in a classroom environment to help people’s learning, and (2) in a home and shopping mall environment to help elderly people’s daily activity. The P-PIP is actually hiring multi-disciplinary researchers today.
... The Droid Works receives $100k to develop tech to enable UAVs to navigate inside houses and buildings
... Heartland Robotics’ Rodney Brooks presented his roadmap for U.S. manufacturing before the Congressional Robotics Caucus
Robotics in small and medium manufacturing
... The European consortium SME Robot has completed their project to develop, test and provide intuitively trainable, space-saving, safe, 3-day deployable robots for small and medium sized manufacturers (SMEs). Watch their video which encapsulates their efforts.
... US needs public/private initiatives to catch up is crux of recent presentation to US Congressional Robotics Caucus
... Heartland Robotics presented manufacturing criteria and research needs before Caucus - very similar to European SME project already completed
... Minimal response from Congress or the press thus far
Gates’ New DoD Budget Cuts Big-Ticket Weaponry But Adds Billions For Robots
... ”$2 billion added for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, including enough new Predators and Reapers to increase to 50 daily orbits from 34” says NY Times reporter Christopher Drew
... Big Dog Boston Dynamics gets two new contracts (one for a 25’ hopping 4-wheel robot)
... SeaBotix gets contract for additional 27 unmanned underwater vehicles
Notes from Research Labs Around the World:
... CB2 learns to walk and is developing social skills
... Adam makes autonomous discovery
... Swedes to build house on the moon
... Asimo learns from human brain
... Einstein being groomed to teach in San Diego high school
... And Saya starts teaching students at a primary school in Tokyo
... ApriAttenda one of many home nurses to be ready in next five years
... Energid standardizing grasping motions for worldwide ease of use
... And many, many more
Eye-Catching Photos of Robots Making News
... Click image to enlarge; click headline to see the full-sized pictures from The Boston Globe
America Needs a Bold Innovation Strategy
... Fortune Magazine’s CTO shortlist
... Obama’s new Chief of Technology needs to be robot-friendly
... Accelerating robotic development not only needs a CTO but also an innovation action plan
... America ranks #8 in global innovation; government focus can help move us up
... Thousands of geeky, brilliant engineering wonks at MIT, Stanford and campuses around the country are pouring their hearts into cool new ideas
2009 Will Be “Very Rough Year” - except for defense-related research and devices
... Robot orders fall dramatically
... Drones and ground devices proliferate along with associated research and development - even border vigilantes are getting in on the act
... “One unit took out 2,400 insurgents” with a few soldiers and lots of drones thereby skewering claims that the “surge” was the successful tactic
... Will the Obama team cut or expand DARPA’s robotics research?
I Stand Before You Today Humbled By the Tasks Before Us
... Eliot Spitzer says: “Robots, Not Roads”
... F.I.R.S.T. program probably only robotic beneficiary of new presidency
... Industrial robotics tumble even more thus far in January
... Service robotic stocks only slightly down
... Chief technology officer remains unchosen
A Winning Plan: Acquire, Diversify, Switch to Service Robotics
... That’s what KUKA has done. First by acquisition of IC Industrial Consulting.
... It’s paid off with an order from Airbus for 41 mobile robotic platforms.
BBC SPECIAL: WHERE’S MY ROBOT?
... Interview with Neurosciences Inst. Pres. Gerald Edelman about (robotic) cognition and their new Darwin 7 robot
... Back and forth with Domo and MIT’s Gabriel Gomez
... Reacting to Leonardo and MIT’s Cynthia Braezeal
... Possibilities in Stanford’s STAIR project
Bailout Approved: Automakers get $17.4B in loans
... Toyota slashes earnings forecast to reflect $34 billion in reduced sales
.... Industrial robot providers and associated business stocks tanking and 9-month orders are down
Service Robots to Lead Industry Growth
... Industrial robotics companies’ shares plummet following automotive industry
... Eg: Many industrial robotic companies are laying off, scrambling for cash, and restructuring, eg: Adept Technology
... In 2011 more than 18 million robots will populate the world - up from 6.5 million in 2007
... Eg: iRobot is selling their service robots from mall kiosks and their PackBots to the Army
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Two low-cost robots for kidults:
... $99 world’s smallest humanoid robot from Hammacher Schlemmer by Takara Tomy’s iSobot
... Robot responds to verbal commands and perform remote-controlled or pre-programmed movements in sequence.
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2008 Engelberger Robotics Awards
... I was in Seoul for the presentation but Joe wasn’t. Maybe next year in Barcelona.
EMAIL: info@therobotreport.com
DARPA to Develop Multi-purpose Hand
... DARPA has chosen lead vendors for a research project to develop a multiple-purpose hand, actually two hands working together. Project completion is mid-2014. Imagine a robot opening the zipper of a duffle and riffling through to find a specific object. Or picking up oddly shaped objects with both arms for search and rescue.
- Barrett Technology will develop and provide the hardware portion of the project.
- RE Squared will provide integration services for the Barrett hardware with additional sensors and a mobile platform.
- DARPA has yet to choose teams that will be given the integrated Barrett hardware and be tasked to develop software and improvements to achieve DARPA’s goals.
RoSS - latest Virtual Reality Training Simulator for da Vinci Robotic Surgical System
... Supplementing training provided by Intuitive Surgical for their da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the U of Buffalo have developed a fully functional virtual reality training simulator named RoSS.
... Rumor has it that many da Vinci systems are “stalled” or underutilized because of insufficient training to maximize efficiencies of both surgeon and machine, hence the need for additional simulation training.
Killer drones are coming back to bite us in the ass
... P.W. Singer, author of last year’s robotic hit “Wired for War,” writing in Newsweek, describes a fearful turn of events if inexpensive drones are turned against us.
... “Two thirds of worldwide investment in unmanned planes in 2010 will be spent by countries OTHER than the United States.”
... Singer’s fears are already happening in Taiwan where thieves use RC copters with cameras to spy on residences prior to burglarizing.
February, 2010 Robo-STOX™ results
... Service robotics companies continued to do well in February even though the markets were flat.
Artemis joins Adam as scientific robot
... Syngenta has launched an agriculture chemical formulation robot. The robot can make almost any liquid agrochemical formulation in small amounts, and perform a basic series of tests to see if those formulations are of interest for further research.
... Named Artemis after the Greek Goddess of the hunt, Artemis is also an acronym for Automated Robot to Evaluate Millions of Interesting Solutions.
... Adam is a robot scientist designed at Aberystwyth U and is the first robotic system to make a scientific discovery with virtually no human intellectual input. Adam was Time Magazines #4 Scientific Discovery of 2009.
Predictions for Robotic Businesses in 2010 and this decade
... Sector by sector review in Everything-Robotic blog.
... Mature non-defense service applications doing well in 2010 and are generating longer term growth. Two examples:
(1) Kiva Systems doubled customers, distribution centers and corporate growth during 2009.
(2) Many companies are finding good response to new launches and existing quality products, e.g.: OC Robotics snake arm line of products for confined space, aerospace, security and nuclear needs.
... Governmental and military purchases for R&D and robotic products are steady even though defense spending has to come down sometime in the near future, e.g.: DARPA awarded Boston Dynamics a contract to develop LS3 - a “mule” that will carry 400 lbs and go 20 miles without refueling.
... Xconomy says the first large technological wave of the 21st century will be robotics. “Robots are migrating from structured environments (assembly lines) to unstructured (homes, offices, battlefields). The potentials are limitless.”
Robo-Stox™ Results Through 12/31/2009
... Most countries robotics stocks didn’t fare as well as the NASDAQ Index with the exceptions of Canada, India, Israel and Taiwan (and a very few individual stocks). Although 2009 was a significant up year, robotic stocks have yet to recover their highs of 2007.
... Service robotic stocks didn’t do much better than industrial stocks except in Europe.
... As a sign of recovery, robotics-related job offers are up (inferred from LinkedIn and the Robotics-Worldwide mailing list).
... The seriousness of the stock drop (and corresponding loss of equity, orders and jobs) is clearly seen in these two Robo-Stox™ charts.
... Read an in-depth review by the Everything-Robotic blog.
... National Geographic’s January, 2010 story ‘Merging Man and Machine’, by Josh Fischman and photography by Mark Thiessen, is a must-read.
... Thorough and graphic descriptions of new bionic vision, lifelike limbs, bionic skin and cochlear implants as only National Geographic can do it.
... Online interactive bionic body.
Touch Bionics Launches Partial Hand Prosthetic
... The partial-hand amputee population is estimated at around 40,000 in the U.S. and 1.2 million worldwide.
... Touch Bionics new ProDigits - powered bionic finger(s) - enables partial-hand patients to have a dexterous powered solution to support their return to function and independence.
... Myoelectric sensors or a pressure sensitive switch provide the necessary pressure to activate the finger(s).
... Webcast interview (12/02/09) tells of progress and problems with stalled sites, FDA trials and legal challenges.
Optimism: a conversation with Henrik Christensen
... Henrik is Director of Robotics and Intelligent Machines at GA Tech.
... He is a significant player in promoting the Roadmap for US Robotics having done the same tasks in the EU.
... We discussed the pitfalls of robotic surgeries, new Japanese, Korean and EU products pending FDA approval and the need for training simulators.
... There’s a term for part of the problem: stalled site which usually happens when the primary proponent moves on and nobody replaces him/her.
... We also talked about Rodney Brooks’ Heartland Robotics and their push toward “as yet un-automated manufacturing” sectors.
... We discussed the lack of economic metrics in the area of assistive robotics for autistic children, stroke victims and eldercare.
... And Henrik wants to tie research grants to real strategic needs such as DARPA and ARPA-E are doing.
... Details here.
Some North American Robotics Manufacturers Are Rebounding
... Orders from life sciences customers are up 14% through September and orders from food and consumer goods customers are up 12% says Robotics Industry Association Statistics Committee.
... Steep declines in auto and auto OEMs, and most other non-auto robotics customers also reflected in same report.
Nissan’s collision-free driving system imitates schools of fish
... Displayed this week at CEATEC Japan 2009 by Nissan Motor’s, the new EPORO robot cars provided an example of how near-term future cars will become collision-free by imitating schools of fish by moving in unison while communicating to avoid collision. EPORO works to (1) change direction without colliding; (2) travel side-by-side while keeping safe distances; and (3) gain closer proximity to cars that are at a distance.
$444 million flowing to non-defense robotic applications and research
... National Science Foundation fiscal year awards for (FY) 2009 are $9.5 billion, which includes $3.0 billion provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
... Included were 663 awards totaling $443,449,185 for robotic-related research and applications development.
Willow Garage’s Door Opening Robot Asks for Help
... It was just 3 months ago that the NY Times featured Willow Garage’s door-opening and power socket-finding robot. Now that very same robot is asking for help to identify objects along its way… an important step in enabling robotic autonomy.
... In a similar but separate development the EU-funded JAST project brings together a team to enable a robot that can predict the intentions of its human partner.
Boston Dynamic’s military robot hops over walls
New Precision Urban Hopper can jump over a 25’ fence. Watch the video.
Canadian Robotic Stocks are Transitioning
... Allen Vanguard, a penny stock that produces defense and security devices included remotely controlled robotic devices, is refinancing and going private.
... Victhom Human Bionics, another penny stock, completed it’s 10 for 1 stock consolidation and partnership/financing with Otto Bock Healthcare GmbH.
... DALSA, a provider of digital image processing to robotics companies, is buying back shares due to the low market value of their stock.
For Internet Retailers, the Fulfillment Center is the Store
... Zappos.com, Diapers.com and Quiet Logistics are all expanding their Kiva systems to deal with increased demand for fulfillment services and Walgreens is nearly doubling the size of its Kiva operation
... Largest robotics trade show in the world bringing together new technology and products related to robots and the robotics industry
... Please contact me if you are planning to go (I am)
P-PIP’s Play Important Role in International Robotics But Not in the U.S.
... Europe (EUROP), Japan (JARA) and Korea (21C Frontier) use P-PIPs for public/private investment partnerships to foster focused robotic growth
... Korea is particularly serious and is investing $1 billion to be #1 in the worldwide robotics industry by 2018
... Other than DARPA and NASA, the US has no comparable P-PIPs
MAKO Surgical Goes Haptic (by licensing Immersion Corp. technology)
... Worldwide license for haptic patents for use in orthopedic robotic products
President Obama Promises 3% of GDP for scientific development
... Pres. Obama presented a vision of a new era in research financing comparable to the Sputnik-period space race, in which intensified scientific inquiry and development are a top national priority
... Only one reference to robotics: “I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it’s science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent—to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”
... New DARPA for energy formed and funded - ARPA-E - and scientist (Steven Chu) in charge of Dept. of Energy
Research firms start covering robotics industry
... RoboDevelopment and RoboBusiness Conference event host EH Publishing starts new $225/issue (10 issues per year) online magazine ‘Robotics Business Review’
... Researcn and Markets begins with ‘Robotics in Healthcare 2008-2012’ for $1,000
... and the heftiest and most comprehensive - at $4,000 - IFR’s ‘World Robotics’
... You’re reading The Robot Report for free - and we provide over 900 links to industry resources in addition to news that tracks the business of robotics
March ROBO-STOX™: NASDAQ and robotic stocks recovering - click to enlarge
... Progress in medical robotics and for defense and surveillance—watch an 18 minute TED presentation by P.W. Singer showing fascinating military footage
... Most others are struggling—even Ugobo (Pleo) is “restructuring”
... Public/private initiatives in Japan and Korea are paying off in humanoid and assistive robots
... Anything associated with the auto industry continues to sink - worldwide
Remote Presence Robotic Devices Gain Traction
... InTouch Health getting lots of press for their remote presence robots
A Serious Review of Robots in and for the Future
... Presentations by noted roboticists.
... Download the slides supporting their presentations.
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The impact of accelerating robotic development
... Watch Ray Kurzweil’s presentation about the impact of accelerating technological progress at the Army’s Science Conference
... Listen to a fascinating two-part podcast about roboethics
... Read a Navy-funded report about the need for ethics in robotics
... Hear P.W. Singer’s NPR interview about his “Wired for War” book and his resulting concerns
... See how one scientist is attempting to embed ethics into robot architecture
... whilst the Pentagon explores further autonomous robot killers
Medical Robotics Companies Continue To Acquire New Technologies
... Hansen Medical acquires rights to Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics new technology to enhance Hansen’s Sensei Robotic system
... Intuitive Surgical acquires new-tech license from Power Medical Interventions to add to da Vinci arsenal
... Accuray’s Radiosurgical CyberKnife sees increased interest
Robo-STOX™ January Results Parallel NASDAQ
... Click to enlarge Robo-Stox™ chart details
... NASDAQ was down -41% 2007 to 2008 and an additional -6% through January, 2009
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Renewals help during these tough times
... Raven UAV by AeroVironment wins $41.7 million renewal/upgrade contract
... iRobot gets $7.8 million
Air Force UAV Hand-me-downs go to NASA and NOAA
... 65,000 feet, 31-hour unmanned flights, 40,000 sq mi of imagery
... Northrop Grumman built the $132 million UAVs for DARPA and the Air Force
... NASA and NOAA will use them for environment research in “Global Hawk Pacific 2009” program
Glowing Reviews from Las Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show
... Praise for Anybots’ QA Humanoid Robot
... Husqvarna’s Solar Powered Lawnmover
... iRobot starts YouTube Channel for robot videos
Robotic Stocks Start Year with tiny surge
... 2008 results were dismal!
... Only five stocks ended the year up - one was up 66%!
... All the rest were down. From -92% to -10%. Worldwide.
AeroVironment Gets Cramer’s and Italian DOD’s Recommendations
... Other UAV providers also recommended
... Almost all industrial robotic providers are tanking
... Meanwhile robotic surgical successes are keeping Intuitive Surgical, MAKO and researchers busy
Robotic Companies Hit Hard By Recession
... iRobot cuts 10% of workforce
... Toyota delays new US Prius plant
... Fujitsu sees slow 2009 as demand weakens
Everyone’s Talking Assistive Robotics
... Dr. Mataric of USC’s Center for Robotics keynote discussed socially assistive robots
... Dr. Thrun of Stanford’s AI Lab keynote described implications of cars driving themselves
... MobileRobots’ session on putting applications on an autonomous, standardized mobile platform
For those of you who have ever taught a musical instrument to a child
. . . New music teaching robot being developed
Popular Products - Rovio by Wowee
This $299 three-wheeled robot, which went on sale in October, is equipped with a webcam, microphone and speakers that allow you to patrol your home via a web browser no matter where you are in the world. Rovio is the first surveillance bot to hit stores but iRobot is working on a similar product called ConnectR.
Popular Products - Verro by iRobot
This $399-$999 robotic pool boy, systematically trolls the floor and walls of your pool, sucking up dirt and leaves and scrubbing surfaces. The bot can clean a pool from floor to water-line within 90 minutes.
