x-everything-robotic

I’m the guy on the right. I am discontinuing this blog because the format of  The Robot Report now enables long and short articles whereas in the past, long articles went here and short ones there. PS: There are many very worthwhile articles in the archives of Everything-Robotic and they are staying online and available…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Product: mamaRoo robotic rocker Manufacturer: 4moms For: babies 0-6 months, gift for soon-to-be parents, baby shower gift Availability: Amazon Comment: A pioneer in duplicating the human parent motions of rocking, dancing, cradling and driving, the mamaRoo robotic rocker sets the standard for smart baby swings. Competitors…

By Frank Tobe, Editor/Publisher, The Robot Report At a break in a conference in San Diego, I was sitting enjoying my tea, when up walked Rodney Brooks (of Rethink Robotics and Baxter fame) and said (with a mischievious smile): Rodney Brooks “I have a bone to pick with you! Robotic vacuum cleaners didn’t just become…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report “The future of automation lies in direct cooperation between humans and robots. In order for a robot to be able to work safely with humans, a whole new robot generation is required: the machines must be sensitive and compliant.“ — Dr. Albrecht Hoene, KUKA Labs All over the world…

By Frank Tobe, Editor, The Robot Report A The Robot Report reader asked a question that addresses a subject I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about — “are there any big ideas you think the mainstream is still missing [about robotics]?” When PCs became available in the early ’90’s, key software that people wanted was…

By Rachel Greenberg**, AutomationGT  Edited by Frank Tobe, The Robot Report   Three humanoid robots (sitting) and their human counterparts. Photo: Gadgets & Gizmos Show At present, the development and creation of humanoid robots accounts for only a small part of the robotics industry, yet humanoid robots capture the imagination in a particular way and…

by Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report After laughing uncomfortably at the headline from The Moscow Times reporting about the recent Skolkovo Robot Conference, I parsed through the wording and found the intended meaning. But that process: from shock and incongruity, to amusement, through multiple second thoughts and a bit of research, to an…

By Susan and Mike McFarlane, RobotGuide Edited by Frank Tobe, The Robot Report Technopark “Skolkovo”, created in 2010, provides innovative companies participating in the project to support the development of technology assets, contributing to their establishment in the Russian and global markets. “Robotics holds a priority place on the Russian Communications and Media Ministry’s list…

by Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Top Robotics-Related Stories of 2013  (all appearing in The Robot Report) Google sets up Robot Division; acquires 7 start ups plus Boston Dynamics to jump-start operations ROBO ETF tracking Robo-stox index created to let investors invest in the robotics industry WSJ, NYT, CBS 60-Minutes, CNN Money,…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report A sad day at Rethink Robotics. 21 jobs have been cut in Rethink’s first layoff. Although Rethink Robotics is downsizing, their action is not indicative of the robotics industry which is booming and hiring. The Boston Globe reported that Rethink Robotics, maker of the $22,000 Baxter…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report There is serious momentum in robotics these days evidenced by recent news from Apple, Amazon and Google: Apple announced that they were investing $10.5 billion in supply chain robots and automation equipment and recently confirmed their acquisition of PrimeSense for $350 million (PrimeSense is the developer…

Charlie Rose.Photo courtesy of CBS News. By Frank Tobe, Editor/Publisher, The Robot Report On Sunday, Charlie Rose from CBS News 60 Minutes, interviewed Jeff Bezos about what is next for Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer with more than 225 million customers.Volume can reach 300 items a second on special sales days and that volume…

by Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Click on picture or header for further details. Romo App-Controlled Pet for iOS Devices Romo by Romotive, includes face detection, telepresence/remote control and training, at Brookstone, $149.99 WowWee RoboMe Robot Kit for iPhone RoboMe by WowWee has face detection, voice recognition and speech synthesis,  at Amazon,…

Two images remain in my mind from IROS 2013 last week in Tokyo. The respect for Professor Emeritus Mori and his charting of the uncanny valley in relation to robotics, and the need for a Watson-type synthesis of all the robotics-related scientific papers produced every year. Let me explain. Uncanny Valley: Almost all of the presentations at…

Written and photographed by Mike McFarlane, RobotGuideEdited by Frank Tobe, The Robot Report The bleak autumn Moscow day didn’t seem to have dampened the enthusiasm of the crowds of people making the journey to the 2013 Moscow Robotics (and advanced technologies) Expo http://robot-ex.ru/en at the Sokolniki Conference Centre.  Robots, kids, adults, business people, guest speakers, hobbyists, entrepreneurs,…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Remote visitors drive Beam robots to chat (and share a laugh) with exhibitors. Photos courtesy of Suitable Technologies, Inc. RoboBusiness 2013, held last week at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley, was revitalized from previous RoboBusiness events. Throughout the three day event, it was…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Throughout my 35-year career in the computer business, I always read and thought about what disruptive technology was ahead. When I had an IBM mainframe, I was looking at the DEC mini-computers and even the stand-alone word-processors to see if they could do my work without…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report DEMO describes itself as the launchpad for emerging technology and trends. The DEMO Fall 2013 Conference was produced by IDG, the publishing giant of Computerworld, PC World, MacWorld, etc. I went to see the 40 start-ups presenting their new products and apps, searching for anything robotic,…

By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report What happens when you mix big data analytics, a policeman, homeland security, some funding from an insurance company and robotics? You get Knightscope, a Santa Clara, California start-up developing a mobile robot which is a part of a multi-part augmentation strategy created to meet the needs of…

By Frank Tobe, editor/publisher, The Robot Report To be able to choose between proprietary software packages is to be able to choose your master. Freedom means not having a master. Freedom means not using proprietary software.   – Richard Stallman, open systems advocate Certainly robotics has its share of proprietary software and control systems. Each robot…

By Frank Tobe, editor and publisher, The Robot Report UPDATED: October 6, 2013 CBS Evening News focuses on jobs aspect of deploying robots in American factories. Click to see. Small and medium shops and factories (SMEs) are an untapped marketplace for robotics and direly in need of automation to remain competitive in this global economy.…

[This article first appeared on pages 191-198 in “World Robotics Service Robots 2013” published by the IFR (International Federation of Robotics) Statistical Department. Copies of that book and its companion “World Industrial Robotics 2013” both of which can be purchased here. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher.] By Frank Tobe, Editor, The Robot Report…