IBM Multi-Purpose Elder Care Robot Assistant (IBM MERA)

Posted on December 15, 2016 by

IBM (NYSE: IBM) Research today announced the creation of the prototype IBM Multi-Purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant (IBM MERA) done in collaboration with Rice University. IBM MERA is a first of a kind Watson-enabled application designed to help assist the elderly and their caregivers. IBM Research also has plans to work with Sole Cooperativa, an independent healthcare provider in Italy, to instrument senior housing with sensors to monitor day-to-day activities of its residents. Accor...

University of Minnesota has developed a prototype that allows people to control a robotic arm using only their brain.

Posted on December 15, 2016 by

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have made a major breakthrough that allows people to control a robotic arm using only their minds. The research has the potential to help millions of people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases. The study is published online today in Scientific Reports, a Nature research journal. View a University of Minnesota video of the research subjects in action. “This is the first time in the world that people can operate a robotic arm t...

Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner is designed exclusively for sweeping and mopping hard surface floors. Using dry and pre-moistened cleaning cloths

Posted on December 10, 2016 by

The Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner from Evolution Robotics is designed exclusively for sweeping and mopping hard surface floors for you. Using dry and pre-moistened cleaning cloths, Mint picks up the dust, dirt and pet hair that constantly accumulate on floors. Mint's compact design gets into tight spaces, under furniture and into other areas that are hard to reach with traditional mops and sweepers. Evolution Robotics 'Mint' is a floor cleaning robot with mopping (wet) and sweeping (dry) modes...

Dobot M1. First Industrial Robotic Arm for Small Business and Home

Posted on December 10, 2016 by

Dobot M1 is a Professional SCARA based robotic arm with interchangeable heads for small business, educators and Innovators. You can program the arm to do various automated function in a manufacturing plant, it can enhance your efficiency in production line with picking and placing feature, visual system and more. Innovators can use it for 3d printing, double color 3d print, 3d print on rail, laser engrave on wood, plastic, paper, leather, soldering, drawing, painting, picking...

NaviPack navigation module for autonomous control of drones, robots, and other devices

Posted on December 6, 2016December 6, 2016 by

NaviPack has announced the release of a LiDAR navigation module for autonomous control of drones, robots, and other devices. The NaviPack system is being introduced via its Indiegogo page. The NaviPack module features a built-in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm chip. By integrating the control chip and LiDAR together, NaviPack becomes a true plug-and-play LiDAR solution that instantly powers drones and robots with 360 degree sensing capabilities, reducing integration tim...

Autonomous delivery robots have started delivering parcel, grocery and food

Posted on November 13, 2016 by

Millions of people will have a chance to encounter autonomous delivery robots on the pavements of the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland as part of the testing program announced today by Starship Technologies and major industry partners. A similar program will be announced for the United States shortly. The largest European food delivery company Just Eat, leading German parcel delivery company Hermes, leading German retailer Metro Group, and innovative London food delivery startup Pronto...

Collaborative Robots

Posted on November 7, 2016 by

A cobot or co-robot (from collaborative robot) is a robot intended to physically interact with humans in a shared workspace.[3] This is in contrast with other robots, designed to operate autonomously or with limited guidance, which is what most industrial robots were up until the decade No area of industrial robotics has attracted more fanfare than human-robot collaboration. You can’t deny the compelling nature of collaborative robots. They have an innate ability to both fascinate and empower...

‘Husqvarna’ automatic robotic lawn mower

Posted on October 29, 2016 by

A great looking lawn can be a lot of hard work. With a robotic lawn mower, the grass gets mowed automatically - around the clock without your supervision. Cuttings are small enough that you won't need to rake the clippings, adding fertilization back to the soil. The Husqvarna Automower® is able to maintain ½ acre lawns in any weather, with rough terrain and slopes up to 35%. When it meets an obstacle it stops and redirects itself. It also knows when it needs to be charged. With the convenient...

Shape-programmable miniscule robots

Posted on October 27, 2016 by

One day, microrobots may be able to swim through the human body like sperm or paramecia to carry out medical functions in specific locations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed functional elastomers, which can be activated by magnetic fields to imitate the swimming gaits of natural flagella, cilia and jellyfish. Using a specially developed computer algorithm, the researchers can now automatically generate the optimal magnetic conditions ...

Bristol robotics lab has created soft robot to assist with emergency rescue

Posted on October 27, 2016 by

Robots have traditionally been made from hard materials such as metal and plastic. They have been driven by motors and other heavy electro-mechanical actuators. These robots are more like machines than biological organisms. Soft robotics on the other hand seeks to make robots that are soft, flexible and compliant, just like biological organisms. The ‘body’ of a soft robot is soft like natural tissue. A soft robot is driven not by heavy motors but by soft artificial muscles. The energy stor...

Motion-directed robots on a micro scale. – Microswimmers capped with carbon on one side can be propelled and steered by light

Posted on October 4, 2016 by

Phototactic behaviour directs some bacteria towards light and others into darkness: This enables them to utilize solar energy as efficiently as possible for their metabolism, or, otherwise, protects them from excessive light intensity. A team of researchers headed by Clemens Bechinger from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the University of Stuttgart, as well as colleagues from the University of Düsseldorf have now found a surprisingly simple way to direct synthetic microswimm...

NASA’s Technology Transfer To Help IOT

Posted on September 22, 2016 by

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center offers a suite of novel technologies for digital control of electronic machinery. Originally developed for the autonomous assembly of modular space structures, the base innovations in the suite can improve gap sensors and absolute position sensors. They sense position and proximity and can also wirelessly communicate information to drive switching and stepper motor operations. The technologies can benefit a broad range of industrial robotics applications, a...

‘WINBOT’ – window cleaning Robot

Posted on August 29, 2016 by

Ecovacs robotics is changing the home robotics category by moving from floors to windows with WINBOT W830 - the window cleaning Robot. Thanks to its smart suction fan, W830 cleans more surfaces including vertical glass, framed or frameless glass, frosted, filmed or colored glass, horizontal surfaces and more.W830 is smart and simple to use with one touch operation and automatic "n" or "Z" cleaning paths. It also has sensors to stop WINBOT W830 from moving across window frames, intelligently iden...

Harvard University – The first autonomous, entirely soft robot

Posted on August 27, 2016 by

A team of Harvard University researchers with expertise in 3D printing, mechanical engineering, and microfluidics has demonstrated the first autonomous, untethered, entirely soft robot. This small, 3D-printed robot — nicknamed the octobot — could pave the way for a new generation of completely soft, autonomous machines. In this video, see the octobot in action. It is the first entirely soft, autonomous robot, made by a combination of embedded 3D printing, modeling, and soft lithography. Credit:...

HorseFly UAV Delivery Concept By Workhorse Group

Posted on August 18, 2016 by

HorseFly is an eight-rotor “octocopter,” designed to be used in tandem with WorkhorseGroup's EPA-approved electric work trucks. AMP Holding Inc. announced that its AMP Trucks subsidiary has successfully designed and flown a prototype of its new HorseFly™ battery-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Steve Burns, AMP CEO said, “HorseFly is the logical extension of our mission to help companies better manage their logistics operations. Whether a company wants to deliver its packages by truc...

Robot dog by Google’s Boston Dynamics that can do home chores

Posted on June 25, 2016 by

SpotMini is a new smaller version of the Spot robot, weighing 55 lbs dripping wet (65 lbs if you include its arm.) SpotMini is all-electric (no hydraulics) and runs for about 90 minutes on a charge, depending on what it is doing. SpotMini is one of the quietest robots we have ever built. It has a variety of sensors, including depth cameras, a solid state gyro (IMU) and proprioception sensors in the limbs. These sensors help with navigation and mobile manipulation. SpotMini performs some tasks au...

Elon Musk’s Vision To Build Domestic Robots.

Posted on June 25, 2016 by

OpenAI — the artificial-intelligence research non-profit, San Francisco-based company co-chaired by Tesla Motors CEO Musk and Y Combinator President Sam Altman — wants to build a robot for your home. Building a robot, OpenAI's leadership explains in a blog entry on Monday, is a good way to test and refine a machine's ability to learn how to perform common tasks. By "build," the company means taking a current off-the-shelf robot and customising it to do housework. The idea behind the non-pr...

Japanese caretaker robot

Posted on June 17, 2016 by

Japan's Riken Brain Science Institute and rubber manufacturer Sumitomo Riko have built an experimental robot bear nurse that is able to lift patients and gently transfer them between beds and wheelchairs. Ageing populations are an increasing concern and in Japan, hospital staff and carers in nursing homes are required to lift patients about 40 times a day, which is strenuous and can cause lower-backpain. To aid carers, the Riken-SRK Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research...

MIT ‘Holosuite’ Project – An Exploration into Interactive Holographic Telepresence

Posted on June 15, 2016 by

Holosuite is an optimized, multi-threaded implementation of end-to-end 3D telepresence operating on two remote PCs via internet. It can render visual output to holographic displays, as well as advanced 3D displays with motion parallax reprojection. There is a temptation to label Holosuite as “3D Skype” or “3D Videoconferencing”, but this fails to distinguish what is important about Holosuite, as it neglects the collaborative and interactive aspects of Holosuite. The Holosuite software proj...

Japanese firm developing robot farmers

Posted on May 28, 2016 by

Kubota, Japan's largest maker of agricultural machinery, has already developed its first prototype autonomous tractor for use in rice paddies. Equipped with a global positioning system, the vehicle cultivates fields and fertilises after checking soil conditions. Iseki & Co and Yanmar are also developing autonomous tractors and harvesters with Hitachi developing systems for farm machinery. Kubota is also developing and marketing a suit-like device to help farmers harvest and carry fruit an...

Double Robotics Telepresence Robot for iPad Tablet

Posted on May 25, 2016 by

Ever wish you could send a robot to work for you? Double Robotics has created Double, a telepresence robot that lets you go to work, school, and almost anywhere you want without leaving home. Double Robotics Telepresence Robot for iPad Tablet. Having your own Double in the office means you can be free to roam around anywhere without having to schedule a meeting. Place an iPad tablet in this mobile robotic base and control it via a remote iOS device or computer (Chrome browser preferred) from ...

MIT – Ingestible origami robot

Posted on May 21, 2016 by

Robot unfolds from ingestible capsule, removes button battery stuck to wall of simulated stomach In experiments involving a simulation of the human esophagus and stomach, researchers at MIT, the University of Sheffield, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have demonstrated a tiny origami robot that can unfold itself from a swallowed capsule and, steered by external magnetic fields, crawl across the stomach wall to remove a swallowed button battery or patch a wound. The new work, which the ...

Artificially Intelligent Robot Lawyer “Ross” Has Been Hired By Its First Official Law Firm

Posted on May 18, 2016 by

Built on top of Watson, IBM's cognitive computer, ROSS is a digital legal expert that helps you power through your legal research. ROSS is an artificially intelligent attorney to help you power through legal research. ROSS improves upon existing alternatives by actually understanding your questions in natural sentences like - "Can a bankrupt company still conduct business?" Law firm Baker & Hostetler has announced that they are employing IBM’s AI Ross to handle their bankruptcy practic...

Singapore – Telepresence Robot

Posted on May 3, 2016 by

EDGAR is a tele-presence robot optimised to project the gestures of its human user. By standing in front of a specialised webcam, a user can control EDGAR remotely from anywhere in the world. The user’s face and expressions will be displayed on the robot’s face in real time, while the robot mimics the person’s upper body movements. EDGAR can also deliver speeches by autonomously acting out a script. With an integrated webcam, he automatically tracks the people he meets to engage them in conve...

Cool iOS projects for kids

Posted on April 16, 2016April 16, 2016 by

iOS projects for kids : Bluetooth Controlled Snowflake Sweater: LED matrix snowflake sweater with Bluetooth control. The animation and color can be controlled using the Adafruit Bluefruit LE Connect app for iOS or Android. (https://learn.adafruit.com/neopixel-matrix-snowflake-sweater?view=all) 3D Printed Halo Energy toy: an app-enabled sword built using an Adafruit Feather BLE 32u4 micro-controller. Lets you change the animation or color of the LEDs. (https://learn.adafruit.com/hal...

Panasonic unveils KAR robot arm that handles all your dirty dishes

Posted on March 5, 2016 by

Ok, so it may not be quite as ambitious as some all-purpose cleaning robots, but this so-called KAR robot arm developed by a group of researchers from Panasonic and the University of Tokyo does appear to at least do the sole task it was designed for relatively well. While it can't exactly "wash" the dishes, per se, it can apparently pick up even delicate dishes without damaging them, dip them in the water, load them into a dishwasher, and even turn on said dishwasher. The researchers apparently ...

Robots getting more and more like us – riding bike

Posted on January 23, 2016 by

Robot creator Masahiko Yamaguchi has demonstrated a robot which can balance, steer and correct itself while riding a fixed-gear bike. "A feature of this robot is, it pedals the bike with its own feet, and keeps its balance just by using the handlebars. I think this is probably a world first." This robot system consists of a commercially available two-legged robot and a bicycle made by Yamaguchi. To detect how much the robot is tilting, the TAG201 gyro from Tamagawa Seiki is used. Based on ...

Personal Robot (PR) with an open platform

Posted on January 2, 2016January 2, 2016 by 41629066

Over at the University of Pennsylvania, robotics researchers have taught the Willow Garage PR2 to pick up dog leavings, so you don’t have to. But now researchers at George Washington University are taking that pet-care robotics research one step further – they’re teaching PR2 robots to walk dogs and play fetch with them. As robotics applications shift from repetitive factory labor to everyday environments, robots must possess more perception and action capabilities that enable them to comm...

Pepper Robot

Posted on December 26, 2015 by

The latest creation from Aldebaran, Pepper is the first humanoid robot designed to live with humans. Pepper is a social robot able to converse with you, recognize and react to your emotions, move and live autonomously. Engaging and friendly, Pepper is much more than a robot, he’s a companion able to communicate with you through the most intuitive interface we know, voice, touch and emotions. Created for SoftBank Mobile, one of the largest mobile phone operators in Japan- Pepper is already gre...

Dutch startup plans first 3D printed steel bridge to span Amsterdam canal.

Posted on December 26, 2015 by

A Dutch startup has unveiled plans to use robotic printers to weld the structure drop-by-drop in the first large-scale test of the technology. The company has unveiled plans to build the world’s first 3D-printed bridge across an Amsterdam canal, a technique that could become standard on future construction sites. Using robotic printers “that can ‘draw’ steel structures in 3D, we will print a (pedestrian) bridge over water in the centre of Amsterdam,” engineering startup company MX3D said in a st...