Hasta La Gadget!

So you are pretty smug with your latest DSLR that crams in far more megapixels than you ever imagined, but as usual, the big boys over at the military have a toy that is far superior to what you hold in the palm of your hands. In fact, scientists over at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have every intention of coming up with high powered scopes and cameras for soldiers and Marines to use in the battlefield, where these are touted to be up to 2,000 times more powerful compared to current imaging capabilities. In fact, a recent test showcase the camera’s ability to read signs and license plates up to 270 yards away. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Olympus Unveils Flagship Compact Camera: Stylus SP-820UZ iHS with 40X Optical Zoom, Sony NEX-5R and NEX-6 images leaked,

The US Navy has a bit of a sub problem. While the American fleet has contracted over the past two decades, numerous nations that aren’t exactly our BFFs have expanded, with new, ultra-quiet diesel-electric subs. This proliferation has grown into a national security threat, but DARPA may soon have a solution—robotic submarine trackers. More »

iRobot may be best known for its household automatons, but the company’s expertise goes far beyond circular bots built for sweeping and scrubbing floors. Its Warrior and 110 FirstLook bots are built for the military, and now the Advanced Inflatable Robot (AIR) arm model is joining its armed forces brethren. The AIRarm prototype is essentially a Packbot whose metal arm’s been replaced with an inflatable version able to lift four times its own half-pound weight. That might not seem like much, but considering most rigid robot arms can only lift a fraction of their own weight, it represents a sizable gain in strength-to-weight ratio. Plus, the arm can get stronger by simply dialing up the air pressure. As an inflatable limb, it can also operate delicately around meatbags — just as the air pressure is increased for strength, it can be decreased when in close proximity to people so as not to injure them. For its prototype effort, iRobot’s going to get a $625,000 contract from DARPA to continue the AIRarm’s development, and you can see a bit of what that money will buy in the video after the break.

Continue reading iRobot’s AIRarm prototype bot has an inflatable arm for manipulating objects, was built at DARPA’s behest

Filed under: Robots

iRobot’s AIRarm prototype bot has an inflatable arm for manipulating objects, was built at DARPA’s behest originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wired  |  Military and Aerospace Electronics  | Email this | Comments

Remember those colorful sticky hands that you used to buy for a quarter from grocery store vending machines? Yeah, this is kind of like that — except that it’s a freaking robot. DARPA is currently working to develop low-cost silicone robots that use both air and fluid to control movement, color and temperature. In the following video, you can see one of these soft contraptions as it journeys onto a bed of rocks and then uses colored liquid to blend into its surroundings. Don’t expect this glorious sticky hand to break any land speed records, however; the silicone bot can travel approximately 40 meters per hour, or up to 67 meters per hour without the fluid. (Even the 30 second video, which goes at a snail’s pace, has been sped up five fold.)

The current demonstration implements a tethered solution as the robot’s source of power, pumps, gasses and liquids, but future developments may allow for a self-contained system. Further, rather than improving the robot’s speed, its developers will instead focus on its flexibility as a means for navigating within tight spaces. Be sure to peep the video below, and we think you’ll agree that DARPA’s creation easily puts those sticky hands to shame.

Continue reading DARPA’s low-cost silicone robot cloaks like a chameleon, treks like a snail (video)

Filed under: Robots

DARPA’s low-cost silicone robot cloaks like a chameleon, treks like a snail (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  DARPAtv (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

We have seen our fair share of devices from Sandia National Laboratories in the past, and here we are with their latest device that might just keep you interested and wanting more – a highly affordable robotic hand which is capable of disarming improvised explosive devices, or better known as IEDs. Simply called the Sandia Hand, it boasts unprecedented levels of dexterity and modularity compared to previous robot hands. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Sandia Hand is capable of moving its different fingers individually thanks to a modular structure, where you can also replace the finger(s) with tools for select missions on the battlefield – or perhaps to make less of a mess in the kitchen as it whips up the relevant ingredients, waiting for you to put all of them together. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Robot sewing machines in the US might result in cheaper clothes, Cheetah robot achieves new land speed record,