Gripping and holding of objects are key tasks for robotic manipulators. The development of universal grippers able to pick up unfamiliar objects of widely varying shape and surface properties remains, however, challenging. Most current designs are based on the multifingered hand, but this approach introduces hardware and software complexities. These include large numbers of controllable […]
Google’ Self-Driving Cars Have Racked Up 140,000 Driverless Miles on California Roads
The only accident was when one Google car was rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light. The cars used LIDAR, a video camera, four standard automotive radar sensors and a position estimating sensor along with Google AI software. The Google project was the brainchild of Sebastian Thrun, director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, a…
2010 Robotic Gifts for the Whole Family
For all ages: Parrot’s AR.Drone iPhone-controlled quadcopter. For Mom: a robotic vacuum from Neato or iRobot. For Dad: the adaptive cruise control option for his new car. For Grandparents and their grandkids: Pleo, the baby dinosaur. For little kids: Zhu Zhu pets. For pre-teen boys: RoboRaptor. For pre-teen girls: Bossa Nova’s Penbo robot and her…
Robonaut 2 Off To Space February 3rd But GM’s Robonaut 2 Is Moving To The Factory Floor
Best video thus far about GM’s intended uses for Robonaut 2 as NASA’s Robonaut 2 flies off to join the Space Station as a lab assistant.
Autism, Robotics and Apple’s iPad
An unintended consequence of the versatility, ease of use, size and colorfulness of Apple’s new iPad is its emerging use of with autistic children to help them communicate. One software app in particular is providing very innovative assistance: Proloque2go. The San Francisco SFWeekly did an very informative story on the subject. Kaspar, a portable, small…
Do robots take away jobs or just change the mix of workers?
Interesting article and comments on subject. Join the conversation.
Clean Room, Clean Robot
The consumer electronics market is expected to generate over $165 billion in revenue within the U.S. in 2010, thanks to cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, DVRs, and MP3 players. The sensitive components such devices contain require precise handling during manufacturing. The consumer electronic supply chain with its clean room requirements is growing and clean room […]
Prototyping and Simulation
Maybe my insight is not new. But I thought it was interesting nonetheless. I have been working on a project in the solar energy arena. My company is developing a two axis tracking system that will improve the energy harvest of flat roof and residential solar installations. Its going really well. A real mechatronic challenge. The magic is in […]
DARPA to Develop Multi-purpose Hand
UPDATE: Read IEEE interview with DARPA's Dr. Robert Mandelbaum where, when asked whether there would be a trickle down effect into civilian applications, he said: “It won't just trickle down – it will be a flood! The commercial applications will be all over the place.” DARPA has chosen lead vendors for a research project to…
Mechatronics Meets Miniaturization
Here’s what happened in a multi-year collaboration among engineers and scientists at New Scale Technologies, austriamicrosystems and TDK-EPC to simultaneously develop the motor, mechanics, electronics and control systems for the M3 piezoelectric micro motor. Piezoelectric micro motors satisfy the need for linear motion in miniature products. These millimeter-scale motors are less than half the size […]
Images from Taipei Int’l Robot Show
Images courtesy of our friends at PlasticPals. The International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) was held at the same time.
A Giant Cobra Made of Robot Men Slithers Around Eating Cars
New Indian movie “Endhiran (The Robot)” has a giant cobra made of robot men plus many dance scenes. Enjoy the trailer. Last year’s fashion robot HRP-4C did a song and dance routine at the Digital Content Expo 2010. Watch the video.
Solar Power is Alive in LA
The Solar Power International 2010 just finished at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This is probably the largest get together of people in the solar industry in the United States. The top vendors from all over the world were present. Among the many interesting developments, many new product technologies, many new solutions focused on cost […]
Iron Man Suit Becoming A Reality
Raytheon’s second-generation exoskeleton (XOS 2), essentially a wearable robotics suit, was unveiled for the first time recently during an event at the company’s Salt Lake City research facility. XOS 2 is lighter, stronger and faster than its predecessor, yet it uses 50 percent less power, and its new design makes it more resistant to the […]
Electric Motors for Electric Cars
The field of electric motors is always subject to change. Its always in a state of flux (pun intended). We keep trying to make up rules about how motor families relate based on their technology, but right about the time you think you know what’s going on, something new changes the rules. And sometimes the […]
Berkeley Bionics Uses Military Technology to Let Wheelchair Users Walk
Slimming down their military HULC exoskeleton (which they have licensed to Lockheed Martin), Berkeley Bionics has introduced eLEGS, a gesture-based human-machine interface which senses and determines intentions and then acts to orchestrate every aspect of a single stride. Clinical trials will commence early next year at select rehabilitation clinics in the United States.
Control System Architecture
The recent trend from control systems vendors is the use of the term “architecture”. This trend has become so pervasive that one major vendor changed the titles of it’s sales reps to “System Architects”. That shift says a lot about the importance of control system architecture. Architecture is used when talking about the the design […]
Stephen Colbert’s Droid Rage
On a recent Colbert Report, he shows a snake robot, Wall.e, an archer and the new skin from UC Berkeley: “Scientists teach robots how to lie, kill and feel shame about their naked bodies.” During a brief visual review of various other robots, he called a dancing ASIMO: “Awkward white-man dancing.” Very funny.
The Robot Report’s database now has over 2,500 robotics links in the following directories:
Industrial robot manufacturers Service robots for gov & corp use Service robots for personal use Ancillary businesses Start-up companies Educational & research facilitiesA global map of robot makers including start-ups is here.
Accuride Expands Heavy-Duty Slide Options
Accuride presents models 7950 and 7957, two new slides designed to expand the company’s heavyduty slide line-up and provide an intermediate load rating choice between the 3600 and 9300 products. The 7900 slides offer full extension, a load rating up to 350 pounds, and accommodate drawers up to 42″ wide. For added versatility, the slides […]
EPSON Expands RS-Series High Performance SCARA Plus Robot Lineup
EPSON Robots has added to their Power of Choice initiative by introducing the NEW RS4 to the RS-Series High Performance SCARA Plus robot lineup. The new work space design of the RS4 robot provides a pallet size of 778mm x 778mm. A pallet size this large would normally requre a SCARA arm which is more […]
EmTech@MIT – 35 Young Innovators Give Their Elevator Pitch
David Kobia, of start-up Ushahidi, won Humanitarian of the Year for his work creating web programs that collect and visualize information for communities around the world faced with natural disasters or social upheaval. David was one of 35 under-35 innovators giving their “elevator pitch” to attendees of EmTech@MIT 2010 and displaying a wide range of…