This year’s FIRST Tech Challenge for students in grades 7 to 12 grade will see participation among 60,000 students on 6,000 teams in 25 countries. Founded in 1989, FIRST builds student interest in science, technology, engineering and math through a series of robotics competitions for K-12 students. “The true value of FIRST Tech Challenge is…
NASA funds next phase of robotic satellite assembly project
The National Air & Space Administration awarded the next phase of funding to Space Systems Loral, a spacecraft systems provider, modifying their contract to continue work on the Dragonfly on-orbit satellite assembly program. The partnership between NASA and SSL intends to create a semiautonomous robotic system to assemble satellites in space. The software to run…
California lawmaker pushes robot tax
A California lawmaker wants to use a tax to reduce the possible consequences of robots sucking up jobs as automation becomes more widespread. San Francisco city supervisor Jane Kim launched a campaign in August called Jobs of the Future Fund to study how a statewide tax, essentially an income tax, on robots that displace employees…
Japan company testing robots to counter childcare shortage
Japan is in the throes of a childcare crisis as more mothers go to work, childcare staff are overworked and facility waitlists skyrocket. One child- and elderly-care company is testing out robots as a way to fill the gaps. Global Bridge Holdings, which runs 27 childcare centers in Tokyo, is working with Gunma University to…
IBM and MIT partner on AI research lab
IBM and the Mass. Institute of Technology plan to expand their ongoing partnership to create the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab to perform research on artificial intelligence. IBM is making a 10-year, $240 million investment to establish the Cambridge, Mass. center. The lab will harness the work of 100 scientists, professors and students to develop AI…
WATCH: Robot airbags help protect human workers
As companies and factories introduce more robots and robotics systems into their manufacturing processes and the interaction between robots and humans increases, so does the risk of injury to human workers. Although foam covers or lower working speeds could protect robots’ human counterparts, these measures also make the robots more inefficient. Researchers at Germany’s Institute…
Researchers find way to automate measuring brain cell signals
Engineers at the Mass. Institute of Technology are working to automate the process of recording electrical signals from a brain neuron, which could help researchers more precisely study individual brain cells that affect learning and functioning and cause cognitive diseases. “Knowing how neurons communicate is fundamental to basic and clinical neuroscience,” Ed Boyden, senior author…
ABB to expand Michigan-based factory
Swiss company ABB plans to expand its industrial robot factory in Auburn Hills, Mich., CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer told Reuters this week. He did not comment on new jobs or investments associated with the expansion. The facility, which was first announced in 2015, produced its first robot in March and currently employs about 1,000 people. ABB…
New technology helps robots see in 3D
A group of researchers recently presented new technology that would help robots, namely those used in a home, to better perceive and process 3D objects. The robot perception algorithm, which was unveiled in July at the 2017 Robotics: Science and Systems Conference in Cambridge, Mass., allows the robot to guess what an object is, how…
OMNIlife science tissue balancing tool receives FDA clearance
The FDA gave 501(k) clearance for a robotic tissue balancing device from OMNIlife science, which works with its OMNIBotics robotic-assisted knee replacement technology to provide a more custom procedure. The tool monitors the soft tissue envelope during an operation and provides feedback to the surgeon in real time. Using it in coordination with the OMNIBotics…
Cambridge Medical Robotics unveils first look at Versius ‘bot
Cambridge Medical Robotics released the first photos today of its surgical robot, Versius, designed to make minimal access surgery more widely available and easier to perform. “We’ve designed Versius with surgeons in mind. By equipping them with a remarkable tool, fit for their demanding job, we can change the way surgery is delivered,” CEO Martin…