Hasta La Gadget!

Ready to get hands-on in the danger zone — from afar? That’s precisely what an enterprising team of University of Massachusetts Lowell researchers are working to achieve with a little Redmond-supplied assistance. The Robotics Lab project, dubbed the Dynamically Resizing Ergonomic and Multi-touch (DREAM) Controller, makes use of Microsoft’s Surface and Robotics Developer Studio to deploy and coordinate gesture-controlled search-and-rescue bots for potentially hazardous emergency response situations. Developed by Prof. Holly Yanco and Mark Micire, the tech’s Natural User Interface maps a virtual joystick to a user’s fingertips, delegating movement control to one hand and vision to the other — much like an Xbox controller. The project’s been under development for some time, having already aided rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina, and with future refinements, could sufficiently lower the element of risk for first responders. Head past the break for a video demonstration of this life-saving research.

Continue reading Microsoft Surface-controlled robots to boldly go where rescuers have gone before (video)

Microsoft Surface-controlled robots to boldly go where rescuers have gone before (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember those awesome pin art toys where you could press your hand (or face) into the pins to leaving a lasting impression? Researchers at MIT have taken the idea one (or two) steps further with “GelSight,” a hunk of synthetic rubber that creates a detailed computer visualized image of whatever surface you press it against. It works as such: push the reflective side of the gummy against an object (they chose a chicken feather and a $20 bill) and the camera on the other end will capture a 3-D image of the microscopic surface structure. Originally designed as robot “skin,” researchers realized the tool could be used in applications from criminal forensics (think bullets and fingerprints) to dermatology. The Coke can-sized machine is so sensitive, it can capture surface subtleties as small as one by two micrometer in surface — finally solving the mystery of who stole the cookies from the cookie jar. (Hint: we know it was you Velvet Sledgehammer).

Continue reading Robot skin captures super detailed 3D surface images

Robot skin captures super detailed 3D surface images originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not sure where to start with this one. It’s, in a word, unbelievable. Technologist Cody Oliver was digging through eBay for parts to build a robot car that Elon Musk could drive around Burning Man, when he came across surplus equipment from defense contractors Omnitech Robotics and Ionatron. The components were originally from the military’s Joint Improvised Explosive Device Neutralizers, or JINs — remote-controlled lightning guns designed to disable IEDs. But, the story quickly goes from interesting to terrifying. Oliver soon discovered the weapons were cobbled together largely from off-the-shelf parts, including a Linksys router with the serial numbers scraped off, and lacked even basic security. The now retired JINs were controlled over a standard 802.11 WiFi signal, with the encryption turned off — leaving the multimillion dollar devices vulnerable to insurgents. Ultimately the parts were deemed unfit for even Musk’s RC art car. You can read all of the horrifying details at the source link.

[Thanks, Chris]

[Image credit: Cody Oliver]

Military lightning gun parts sold on eBay, probably built in someone’s garage originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIKEN’s original RIBA healthcare robot was already fairly adept at lifting patients while not completely terrifying them but, as is the case with such things, it’s now been succeeded by a new and improved model. While its outward, bear-like appearance hasn’t changed, the new bot boasts a series of upgrades that now lets it bend over and lift patients up directly off the floor, not just off a bed or wheelchair. It’s also now able to lift patients that weight up to 176 pounds (41 pounds more than before), and it packs an array of new sensors that let it more accurately gauge a person’s weight and carry them more comfortably — not to mention some touchscreen controls on its back for when it needs a bit of direction. Hit the source link below for a video.

[Thanks, robotbling]

Continue reading RIBA-II healthcare robot now stronger, smarter — still a bear

RIBA-II healthcare robot now stronger, smarter — still a bear originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We saw this coming when we met FRIDA, and now it’s apparently happening. According to Xinhuanet, Foxconn’s founder and chairman chose a workers’ party last Friday night to reveal plans for a surge in the company’s robot contingent. There’ll be 300,000 robots in operation by next year and a swarm-like 1,000,000 within three years — versus just 10,000 today. The bots will be required to spray, weld and not kill themselves. We can only imagine how this news went down at the party, but soon stuff like that will hardly matter.

Foxconn wants one million new workers, must be robotic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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