Mar 27

Qatar building fleet of remote control ‘clouds’ for World Cup 2022

Posted in: cloud, robot, Today's Chili, Transportation
When Qatar, an insanely wealthy Arab emirate roughly the size of Connecticut, won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup, one of the stipulations was that its newly constructed open-air soccer stadiums would be air conditioned. Of course, this is Qatar we’re talkin’ about here, so the solution would have to be as extravagant as its insanely wealthy Arab emirate status implies. That’s why it was no huge shock when The Peninsula reported plans to cool at least some of the nine stadiums by using a fleet of solar powered “clouds,” designed and constructed by a certain Dr. Saud Abdul Ghani and his team. Dr. Ghani, the head of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Qatar University, said that the aircraft (more accurately described as really, really slow drones) will be operated by remote control, made of 100 percent light carbonic materials, and will initially cost half a million dollars each. But, really, what’s a few million dollars when it’s for a good cause?

Qatar building fleet of remote control ‘clouds’ for World Cup 2022 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 03:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NBC  |  sourceThe Peninsula  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 26

iMobot creeps, crawls, cranes its way into our hearts (video)

Posted in: research, robot, robotics, Today's Chili, video

It may not look like much, but this little modular robot’s got the stuff to give Keepon a run for its money — oh yeah, and according to its creators, iMobot’s got big implications for the field of robotics too. Sporting four degrees of freedom, two rotating joints, and a pair of faceplates that act as wheels, the patent-pending device can crawl, drive, and potentially act as an autonomous camera platform. The surprisingly agile hunk of machinery was developed by two UC Davis professors who say their versatile invention could aid in search and rescue, as well as education and research. We think it’s super cool that iMobot could be a hero, but really, we just want to see it bust a move. Check out a video of our new robo love after the break.

Continue reading iMobot creeps, crawls, cranes its way into our hearts (video)

iMobot creeps, crawls, cranes its way into our hearts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  sourceUC Davis (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 25

TEROOS robotic avatar gives your long-distance girlfriend a tiny, googly-eyed face (video)

Posted in: bluetooth, robot, Robots, skype, Today's Chili, video

Do you pine for animatronic eyes and robots that whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Well, geeks with distant girlfriends rejoice, because TEROOS, the shoulder-mounted, remotely-controlled telepresence avatar has arrived. Created by researchers from Keio University in Japan, the little bot has a camera and mic so far away friends can see and hear what you do, while a directional speaker keeps your conversations private. Communication’s courtesy of Skype, while some custom code lets users control the device’s six-axis articulating head. It’s not an independent system, however, as it relies upon a smartphone to relay commands from a PC to the avatar through Bluetooth. Users can also change the bot’s facial expressions thanks to a couple of googly eyes and mechanical eyelids, though it doesn’t have quite the emotional range of other androids from the land of the rising sun. Intrigued? Check the vid after the break.

Continue reading TEROOS robotic avatar gives your long-distance girlfriend a tiny, googly-eyed face (video)

TEROOS robotic avatar gives your long-distance girlfriend a tiny, googly-eyed face (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDigInfo  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 24

Festo’s SmartBird robot takes off with elegance, doesn’t poop on you (video)

Posted in: robot, Today's Chili, video

The geniuses at Festo’s Bionic Learning Network are well known for their fascination with robotic animals, and their latest creation is no exception. Dubbed the SmartBird, this autonomous bionic bird — modelled on herring gulls — graces the sky with its sophisticated two meter-long wings, which utilize a bending torso for lifelike directional control. What’s more, this robot is also capable of taking off and landing on its own, but it can also be controlled and monitored from afar using ZigBee radio. Amazingly, all of this round up to just one pound, meaning the SmartBird can happily float about with moderate flapping. Jump past the break for some agile in-flight action, accompanied by an animation detailing the inner workings.

Continue reading Festo’s SmartBird robot takes off with elegance, doesn’t poop on you (video)

Festo’s SmartBird robot takes off with elegance, doesn’t poop on you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink IEEE Spectrum  |  sourceFesto  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 24

Columbia doctors turn to IBM’s Watson for patient diagnosis, clairvoyance

Posted in: medical, Medicine, robot, Today's Chili, university

Who says Watson’s only good for laying the smack down on former Jeopardy champions? In what can only be described as the natural progression of things, Herbert Chase — professor of clinical medicine in Columbia’s Department of Biomedical Informatics — is working with IBM in order to retrofit the supercomputer to “help doctors diagnose and treat patients.” According to Chase, this level of robot practice has been impossible for the past score or so, and if the experiment works, Watson could serve to provide physicians “immediate, accurate answers to unusual, head-scratching questions that come up in their daily practice and do so based not only on the latest published research, but also the blogosphere.” In other words, Watson could rapidly collect and analyze up-to-date published data from a near limitless amount of online sources, and then use that knowledge to recommend suggestions that a seasoned M.D. may never consider. Furthermore, Chase sees tremendous potential for Watson in the realm of personalized medicine; considering that two patients with the same diagnosis won’t necessarily react to treatments the same way, Watson could come up with alternatives on the fly. There’s no clear indication of when the testing will wrap up, but see how far you get next time you’re in the emergency room by inquiring about Dr. Watson’s availability.

Columbia doctors turn to IBM’s Watson for patient diagnosis, clairvoyance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Physorg  |  sourceColumbia  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 24

iRobot debuts ‘throwable’ 110 FirstLook robot

Posted in: military, robot, Today's Chili, video, wargadget
Sure, just about any iRobot bot is technically “throwable,” but the company’s new iRobot 110 FirstLook robot is guaranteed to survive that throw and keep rolling, and even stand up to 15-foot drops onto concrete. As you may be able to tell from appearances, this one’s also primarily a military bot, and iRobot says it’s ideal for “hasty situational awareness,” as well as for investigating tunnels and other confined spaces (it measures just nine inches by twelve inches and weighs only five pounds). What’s more, it also promises to continue operating for more than six hours at a time, and it can be controlled using a nifty wrist-mounted touchscreen controller. Head on past the break for a video.

Continue reading iRobot debuts ‘throwable’ 110 FirstLook robot

iRobot debuts ‘throwable’ 110 FirstLook robot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiRobot  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 23

Voice-controlled Japanese robot assists with eating, makes veggies more fun (video)

Posted in: Japan, japanese, robot, robotics, Robots, Today's Chili, video
Isao Wakabayashi, a student at Chukyo University in Japan, seems to have made the arduous chore of eating easier. Using a customized version of a Robix robot kit, Wakabayashi coded a program that makes the feeder recognize individual food items and feed them to you. The meal-assistant features two arms, dexterous enough to handle utensils, and can be controlled using your voice. In theory, this system would be ideal for the elderly, folks that currently have trouble eating by themselves, or you know — for those that may or may not be too lazy to bring food to their face.

Voice-controlled Japanese robot assists with eating, makes veggies more fun (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Dvice, IEEE Spectrum  |  sourceYouTube (mspetitegeek)  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 22

Monirobo measures radiation following nuclear crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant

Posted in: Japan, japanese, robot, Today's Chili

According to a report by a Japanese news agency, a radiation monitoring robot, aptly named Monirobo, is the first non-human responder to go on-site following the partial meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The machine, which was developed by Japan’s Nuclear Safety Technology Centre to operate at lethal radiation levels, reportedly began work Friday, enlisting a 3D camera, radiation detector, and heat and humidity sensors to monitor the extent of the damage. A second Monirobo, used to collect samples and detect flammable gases, is expected to join its red counterpart soon — both robots are operated by remote control from distances up to one kilometer away. They join the US Air Force’s Global Hawk drone in unmanned surveillance of the crisis.

Monirobo measures radiation following nuclear crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Boing Boing, NewScientist  |  sourcegetnews.jp  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 22

DARPA M3 program to make cheaper, more mobile robots for the US war machine

Posted in: research, robot, RobotApocalypse, robotics, Robots, Today's Chili

DARPA, that governmental black magic factory that gave us the flying Humvee and Hummingbird spybot, has unveiled its new Maximum Mobility and Manipulation Program (M3) program that plans to put us on the fast track to our robotic future. M3 aims to improve robotic research through four specialized development programs — design tools, fabrication, control, and prototype demonstration — that divvy up the work between commercial labs and universities. The program will not replace existing bionic projects, but some, like the Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program, will be folded into the new scheme. DARPA anticipates that the plan will result in cheaper bots superior to those we have today, but not superior to man… we hope.

DARPA M3 program to make cheaper, more mobile robots for the US war machine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Information Week  |  sourceDARPA  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 22

Aldebaran to create all-terrain disaster relief robots, make a hero of Nao?

Posted in: Japan, robot, robotics, Robots, Today's Chili

We’ve seen Nao bust a move and play a little footy, and now its creator is making plans to take its bots off-roading in the name of disaster relief. Aldebaran robotics recently announced its intention to invest in and develop a range of robots that can traverse rocky roads to help in hazardous situations, citing the tsunami in Japan as a catalyst for the move. The company’s yet to state how it will make this happen, but says it’s already made contributions to Cap Robotique, the “French cluster dedicated to the development and innovation in the field of service robotics.” If you ask us, we’re all for Nao gettin’ a little dirt under its nails, as long as it can still serve Fosse. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Aldebaran to create all-terrain disaster relief robots, make a hero of Nao?

Aldebaran to create all-terrain disaster relief robots, make a hero of Nao? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAldebaran  | Email this | Comments

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