NCSU creates stretchable conductors from silver nanowires, lets gadgets go the extra inch

NCSU creates stretchable conudctors from silver nanowires, lets gadgets go the extra inchAs often as we’ve seen flexible electronics, there haven’t been many examples that could stretch — a definite problem for wearables as well as any gadget that could afford to take a pull or squeeze. North Carolina State University’s Yong Zhu and Feng Xu may have covered this gap through a form of silver nanowire conductor that keeps the energy flowing, even if the wire is stretched as much as 50 percent beyond its original length. By coating the nanowires with a polymer that traps the silver when solid, the researchers create an elastic material that can crumple and let the nanowire take the strain without interruption. Although the stretchy conductor’s nature as a research project could put any practical use years into the future, Zhu notes that it can take loads of abuse, making it a perfect fit for rugged mobile devices. It should also allow for robots with a gentler touch and a more natural look… although we’ll admit we’re skittish about the creepy androids likely to follow.

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NCSU creates stretchable conductors from silver nanowires, lets gadgets go the extra inch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Navy deploys SeaFox submarines to Persian Gulf for universal mine control

US Navy deploys SeaFox submarines to Persian Gulf for universal mine control

Tasked with mine detection and eradication in the Persian Gulf, the US Navy has sent a fleet of unmanned submarines to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open in Iran. Dubbed the SeaFox, each vehicle houses an underwater TV camera, sonar and a dose of explosives. Tipping the scales at less than 100 pounds, the subs are about four feet in length and are controlled via fiber optic cable that sends the live feed back to the captain of each ship. SeaFoxes can dive to depths of 300 meters and boasts a top speed of six knots. The units are thrust into action from helicopters, small rubber boats and off the rear of minesweepers and are capable of disposing of the aforementioned weapons of both the floating and drifting sort. There is one small catch: the $100,000 submarine destroys itself in the process, making each successful trek a suicide mission of sorts.

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US Navy deploys SeaFox submarines to Persian Gulf for universal mine control originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Register, Business Insider  |  sourceLA Times  | Email this | Comments

Marine Drone can help clean up the ocean [concept]

Marine DroneWhile it’s never too late to stop the pollution of earth, what do we do about the rubbish that’s already been dumped on our planet? We’ve already got a number of robots doing the job on land and in space but what about the ocean? Well, this Marine Drone concept created by Elie Ahovi and his team might be the answer, an underwater-based drone that goes around the ocean collecting rubbish .

It makes use of a special maw-like butterfly net that picks up plastic bottles and other objects that don’t belong in the ocean. It runs silently on water-proof batteries (that I assume are rechargeable). To ensure that the Marine Drone doesn’t catch wildlife along with the trash, it emits an irritating signal that causes them to flee from it. Once it has collected a full load, it returns to the surface where a crew can use a crane to pick up the rubbish for proper disposal.

No word on when we’ll be seeing such robots, but it sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Find out more.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Concept: Tree Planting Robot Keeps Our Earth Green, OSP Robot Contains Oil Spill,

Lockheed Martin Stalker drone stays airborne 48 hours using laser power, all-seeing eye gets literal (video)

Lockheed Martin Stalker drone stays airborne 48plus hours through laser power, allseeing eye gets a bit more literal video

Aerial drone designers have been pushing hard to get devices that can stay airborne for days. After all, what’s the point of having an observer that routinely lets its guard down? Lockheed Martin must have this question forever etched in its collective mind, as it just completed tests of a modified Stalker drone that was continually charged by laser power beamed from a ground-based source. The LaserMotive-built test was admittedly conducted in a wind tunnel, not a wind-swept battlefield, but it kept the drone aloft for more than 48 hours and was so efficient that it might even have gone indefinitely, if it weren’t for staff intentionally bringing the trial to a halt. The true test is coming next, when Lockheed Martin and LaserMotive fly the drone on laser power outdoors. Should the Stalker sail the friendly skies for long enough, it could help usher in an era of UAVs that can spot intruders at all hours — a little too close to the aircraft’s name for comfort, perhaps, but potentially vital for Special Operations troops that might not have to put themselves in danger. You can check the underpinnings of both the laser power system and the Stalker in videos after the break.

Continue reading Lockheed Martin Stalker drone stays airborne 48 hours using laser power, all-seeing eye gets literal (video)

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Lockheed Martin Stalker drone stays airborne 48 hours using laser power, all-seeing eye gets literal (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SUAS News, The Verge  |  sourceLockheed Martin  | Email this | Comments

We Need To Stop Developing These Creepy Pole Climbing Robot Snakes Immediately [Video]

Watching this robotic snake almost effortlessly slither its way up a pole and onto this researcher’s arm leads to one obvious conclusion—this research must be stopped. Like immediately. More »

SAM robot could fix falling glass issues in Toronto

According to entrepreneur Filip Sobotka, there is a solution to Toronto’s falling glass problems, potentially coming in the form factor of a robot that is known as SAM. This particular device was developed by Filip’s family, which might eventually see the speeding up of building inspections while delivering additional information to determine a building’s health simultaneously. This could not have come at a more timely moment considering how Toronto has been a hotspot for a rising number of accidents that involved glass from highrise buildings crashing down onto the streets below.

Sobotka mentioned to CBC News, “The amount of highrises that are going up in this city and the issues that keep coming up … it keeps going so we think this is very important, before someone gets injured. When a person’s up there they can make errors, they can miss something, they only have one shot unless they go up again to view it.”

The SAM robot is said to be able to scan the whole building’s exterior in a far lesser time and for a fraction of the cost compared to human engineers relying on a swing stage or bosun’s chair to go through a handful of selected spots. I like it – not only is it more efficient, but it helps save lives as well.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Table tennis robots might be a worthy opponent some day, Simple robot smart enough to sniff out underwater mines,

Browser-controlled robot lets you skip stones remotely, mentally escape the concrete jungle

Browser-controlled robot lets you skip stones remotely, mentally escape the concrete jungle

Can’t unwind without the aid of open spaces? Skippy the robot might be able to help you out. The aptly named bot lets you remotely skip stones across an Idaho pond using a simple web interface. After waiting for your turn in a virtual queue, the machine lets you adjust its aim, tweak the amount of force behind the pitch and dispatch a rock. Best of all, your stone jumping exploits are automatically recorded, letting you show off your skipping prowess. Devised as a way to raise awareness for Idaho’s Sun Valley resort area during the summer months, the mechanical projectile chucker seems to be arduino-powered, and operates only during daytime hours. Check out the source to start pelting pebbles, or venture past the break for two short videos of the contraption in action.

Continue reading Browser-controlled robot lets you skip stones remotely, mentally escape the concrete jungle

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Browser-controlled robot lets you skip stones remotely, mentally escape the concrete jungle originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touch-Sensitive Robot Butt: Ghost in the Shiri

We’ve seen androids that have crossed the uncanny valley in terms of their face. But what about their other parts? Well, thanks to 24-year old Nobuhiro Takahashi, you can scratch realistic butts off of that list. Takahashi has invented Shiri, a mechanical butt that responds to touch.

shiri touch sensitive robot buttocks by Nobuhiro Takahashi

Shiri – Japanese for buttocks, and my prime proof in my theory that Apple Japan was facepalming when they heard the iPhone personal assistant’s name – has three main parts: a silicon skin, a pair of actuators and a microphone. The actuators serve as Shiri’s muscles while the microphone senses how the skin is touched. Stroke it and it will clench its cheeks; spank it and it will quiver. Yes this is very creepy, thanks for asking.

Takahashi says he invented Shiri because he’s aware that humans don’t just communicate verbally; we also have physical reactions or expressions. Takahashi also said that Shiri is a great starting point because our butts have large muscles and thus make more visible movements. I hope for his own sake that his friends and family believed him. Seriously though, I assume the rest of the world is now behind Japan in robotics, amirite?

[via Daily Mail]


Humanoid robot hopes to solve the uncanny valley phenomenon with its lifelike facial expressions

In a move to solve what scientists call the uncanny valley principle, a team of researchers at the University of Pisa developed a good-looking robot that can almost-perfectly mimic human expressions. In case you are wondering what the uncanny valley principle is, it’s actually a term for a phenomenon in the field of robotics that describes why we tend to feel uncomfortable each time a robot looks similar, but not quite realistic enough, to humans. A humanoid robot named FACE hopes to solve the uncanny valley by using a facial animation engine that allows realistic expressions.

The humanoid robot’s appearance is actually based on a real person who happens to be one of the researcher’s wives. To imitate the complex expression of facial muscles, the team installed 32 motors around the robot’s skull and upper torso. But that’s not all. Facial expressions are formed by using a combination of motor movements based on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) – a system that codes facial expressions in terms of anatomic muscle movements. The robot’s facial animation engine, called Hybrid Engine for Facial Expressions Synthesis (HEFES), is used to control FACE’s expressions.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: SAM robot could fix falling glass issues in Toronto, Skippy the Robot skips stones for you,

Q2 and Q4 Xbee controllers have the gimbals to handle your most unwieldy robotics projects

Q2 and Q4 Xbee controllers have the gimbals to handle your most unwieldy robotics projects

Yes, we’ve seen an XBee radio interface with RC robots before, but Quantum Robotics’ open-source Xbee handheld controllers have enough gimbals, push buttons and toggle switches to leave us starry-eyed. The Q2 and Q4, both open for funding on Kickstarter, use a XBee wireless transceiver to transfer data and a Parallex Propeller to act as the main processor, and both models put most controllers to shame with a ton of options. While the Q4 uses four PlayStation-style joysticks, the Q2 sports two RC gimbals, and both can be modified to add extra functionality based on the project at hand. Clearly, the more complicated the robot, the more fun these controllers are — take a look at the Q4 interacting with a hexapod and a robotic arm in the video below.

Continue reading Q2 and Q4 Xbee controllers have the gimbals to handle your most unwieldy robotics projects

Q2 and Q4 Xbee controllers have the gimbals to handle your most unwieldy robotics projects originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hack A Day  |  sourceXbee Handheld Controller Kickstarter page  | Email this | Comments