On December 21, at a racetrack complex near Miami, eight robots took their first steps into the future, one that scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency envisioned for them as the world watched the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster unfold in 2011. Continue reading
Category Archives: Robotics
Google Acquires Boston Dynamics
Google confirmed on Friday that it had completed the acquisition of Boston Dynamics, an engineering company that has designed mobile research robots for the Pentagon. The company, based in Waltham, Mass., has gained an international reputation for machines that walk with an uncanny sense of balance and even — cheetahlike — run faster than the fastest humans. Continue reading
Transformer Unmanned System Flies, Dives and Rolls
Conceived by the Intelligent Systems, Robotics and Cybernetics unit at Sandia National Laboratories, the “Multi-Modal Vehicle Concept” would travel land, sea, and air by transforming itself to accommodate different terrains. Continue reading
DARPA Unveils Atlas – A 6-Foot-Tall Humanoid Robot
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Meet Atlas, a new, 6-foot, 2-inch-tall humanoid robot designed for a contest being held by the US Defense Department. The 290-pounds machine is being called “one of the most advanced humanoid robots ever built,” in no small part due to its 28 different hydraulic joints and freakishly good balance. Continue reading
Researchers Use Kinect to AutoPilot Roaches
North Carolina State University researchers are using video game technology to remotely control cockroaches on autopilot, with a computer steering the cockroach through a controlled environment. Continue reading
DARPA’s Virtual Robotics Challenge
From June 17-21, 2013, teams in DARPA’s Virtual Robotics Challenge tested software designs to control a simulated ATLAS robot in a three-dimensional, virtual environment through a series of tasks modeled on what activities might be required in a real disaster response situation. Continue reading
Robo Raven Reproduces Bird Aerobatics
This video demonstrates a new robotic bird, “Robo Raven,” whose wings flap completely independently of each other, and also can be programmed to perform any desired motion, enabling the bird to perform aerobatic manoeuvres. Continue reading
Robotics for Risky Environments – Extreme Robotics
The International Advanced Robotics Programme (IARP) RISE-ER’2013, the 7th international workshop on robotics for risky environments, will take place within the framework of the 6th St.-Petersburg International Innovation Forum in Saint-Petersburg, Russian Fed. on 1-3 October 2013. Continue reading