Hasta La Gadget!

We obviously love our gadgets around here. But, as worked up as we get for things with octa-core processors and 4K displays, what really excites us about technology is its ability to improve people’s lives. And while having an endless repository of information at your fingertips 24/7 certainly qualifies, we’re more interested in the people working to solve real problems. In the basement of the Egan Research Center at Northeastern University, a group of students are toiling away under the watchful eye and guidance of professor Constantinos Mavroidis to build a rather unique device called the Virtually-Interfaced Robotic Ankle and Balance Trainer — or vi-RABT. For the better part of a year the team has been working on what started life as a Capstone project. The concept began when Dr. Maureen Holden, from the school’s physical therapy department, came to the laboratory with a problem: how can we improve the speed and quality of recovery for stroke patients who have lost strength in their ankles and struggle to stay balanced?

Filed under: Misc, Robots

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Rugged phone cases are bountiful. But, while they may offer some additional thermal protection, they’re not built for true extremes. For that, you’d need either piles of insulation (too bulky) or some way to control the temperature inside the case. ThermoShield, one of over a dozen student-run companies vying for attention at Northeastern University’s Husky Startup Challenge, went the latter route by slipping a Peltier element inside a slim plastic shell. The current prototype was built on a 3D printer and clearly created for an iPhone, but plans for the initial model should be simple enough to port to any handset. A standard watch battery powers the small plate and by controlling the voltage across it you generate either small amounts of heat or produce a slight cooling effect. A simple switch or slider would be used to manually control the flow of electrons. Trekking through the arctic tundra? Simply crank up the heat to keep your phone from freezing to death. Meandering through the Sahara? Take advantage of the Peltier’s thermoelectric cooling properties to keep the Gorilla Glass from melting.

According to one of the creators, Hannah Bialic, it wouldn’t be terribly difficult to add automatic temperature control. Though, development costs could significantly drive up the price of the ThermoShield. The hardware could all be baked directly into the case itself or an app could be created that would automate everything. Obviously, though, relying on software would limit the case to working with a single device (and let’s be realistic, it won’t be your beloved Nexus 4). There’s no telling when or if you’ll actually be able to pick up one of these variable temperature shells, but you can add your name to the mailing list at the more coverage link.

Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile

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We had the chance to check out a couple of student projects at Northeastern University’s fantastically-named Action Lab during a trip to Boston this week. On our quick tour through the facilities, we were shown a haptic controller being used to simulate the act of carrying a cup full of coffee, in order to monitor how people adapt movements to deal with the fluid dynamics of a hypothetical hot beverage inside the equally theoretical cup. The team had all sorts of strange and fascinating controls bandied about the facilities for the purpose of monitoring reactions to movement, but the one that really caught our eye was the ball-racket system. The controller uses a hacked up ping pong paddle connected to an encoder that feeds its real world vertical position into a computer, so test subjects can participate in what looks like rudimentary Atari game of paddle ball. Also on the bottom is a breaking mechanism that applies force to the paddle when the “ball” makes contact, so it feels like the real thing. There’s a video of the system in action after the break, and more information about the studies can be found in the source link below.

Continue reading Northeastern University’s haptic ball-racket system is one pricey game of paddle ball

Northeastern University’s haptic ball-racket system is one pricey game of paddle ball originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a fairly menacing sight, an aluminum robot sporting big tank treads — that is, until you watch one of its creators do a handstand on top of the thing in a pair of cargo shorts. And really, while the ‘bot wouldn’t look too out of place with a small machine gun strapped to its front, its intentions are peaceful, seeking to extend the WiFi connections to hazardous places lacking in network infrastructure. We first heard about the project last week, when the team of computer and electrical engineers at Northeastern University that created it first revealed their work to the media. A visit this weekend to our favorite Somerville, Massachusetts-based hackerspace provided the opportunity to check out the beast in-person and discuss the project with a couple of its creators.

After the limited machining resources at Northeastern failed to meet their needs, the students found a home at Artisan’s Asylum, where they learned the skills necessary to put together this ambitious project, utilizing classes and the metal shop provided by the space. The result is an impressive sight, a robot capable of climbing stairs and supporting the weight of two adult humans — the latter of which they happily demonstrated for us in a yet-to-be-occupied new wing at Artisan’s. The former, on the other hand, we were unable to see, sadly, as the internals were mostly gutted at the moment on the ever-evolving project. Team member Dan Landers, was more than happy to discuss the project, standing next to a pile of water jet-cut steel pieces that will form the first leg of giant hexapod Stompy, a project on which Landers is also a participant.

Continue reading WiFi-Extending Robot is built like a tank — we talk to the people behind the project (video)

Filed under: Robots, Wireless

WiFi-Extending Robot is built like a tank — we talk to the people behind the project (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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