The American military does a lot of work in the field of bio-mimicry, stealing designs from nature for use in new technology. After all, if you’re going to design a robot, where better to draw inspiration than from billions of years of evolution? The latest result of these efforts is the GhostSwimmer: The Navy’s underwater drone designed to look and swim like a real fish, and a liability to spook the bejeezus out of any beach goer who’s familiar with Jaws.
Category Archives: Robotics
Eight Teams Earn DARPA Funds for 2014 Robotics Finals – Google’s Schaft Team Ahead
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
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