HULC, or Human Universal Load Carrier, is an exoskeleton designed by Lockheed Martin to assist soldiers carrying heavy loads in the field. According to its manufacturer, HULC allows soldiers to carry up to 200 pounds for extended periods of time while preserving the user’s range of movement – including “deep squats, crawls and upper body lifting.”

As you can see in Lockheed’s promotional video above, HULC isn’t a bulky exoskeleton that provides strength in exchange for mobility. Users appear to be able to move quickly and easily even over rough terrain.

The U.S. Army is apparently intrigued by the concept, and this week announced a $1.1 million contract to actually field a few HULC units among active troops. While $1.1 million is a relative drop in the bucket as far as military spending goes, it may foretell a future in which assistive exoskeletons become common in the military for logistics staff and even soldiers engaged in combat.

New Zealand firm Rex Bionics took a different approach with their “robotic legs,” which are designed to allow the disabled to walk. The company notes the Rex is not intended to be a wheelchair replacement, but is instead a way to augment a chair – for instance, when needing to travel up and down stairs or access items stored at a standing height.

Having been in development for the last seven years. the Rex is expected to go on sale “soon” in its home country and is expected to cost $150,000.

If I were attending the H+ Summit at Harvard this weekend (and oh how I wish I were), I’d be sure to take in Hyena’s lecture on “Global TransHumanism: An Analysis of the Top H+ Nations. Praising Their Achievements and Goals.“

Currently, Furber and his team are testing a version that includes a mere 50 “neurons” that can navigate a simple virtual environment described as “Pac-Man-like.”

Furber has big plans for the computer once it is completed:

That’s good enough for Furber, who wants to start teaching his brain-like computer about the world as soon as possible. His first goal is to teach it how to control a robotic arm, before working towards a design to control a humanoid. A robot controller with even a dash of brain-like properties should be much better at tasks like image recognition, navigation and decision-making, says Furber.

“Robots offer a natural, sensory environment for testing brain-like computers,” says Furber. “You can instantly tell if it is being useful.”

Processors for the project are currently being manufactured in Taiwan, and Furber intends to have a 10,000 chip version of the machine operational before the end of the year.

(Via PopSci)

I’ve never heard of the “Mech Warfare” competition at RoboGames, but it looks like a blast. Small robots stalk the streets of a model cityscape armed with automatic airsoft weapons, which fire plastic BBs. Each mini-mech is equipped with a small camera and a sensor that measures how many times it’s been hit. Operators control their robots remotely, using the camera to hunt down their opponents.

The humanoid robot featured in the above video, complete with its Cylon-like “eye,” is a really impressive piece of hobby robotics. I could absolutely see this competition growing in popularity even among non-geeky types. It’s like taking “Battlebots” to the next level.

(Via BoingBoing)

Togolese student Sam Todo has a passion for science, technology, and most of all, robots. He built his latest bipedal robot, “SAM10,” out of parts from old television sets, which is remarkable.

I imagine opportunities for learning mechanical engineering in Togo are slim, especially considering that half the population lives on less than US $1.25 a day.

Inspired? I am.

TankPitstop bills itself as the “first working refuelling (sic) robot for passenger cars.” Drivers place an RFID chip on their windshield that tells the robot everything they need to know about how to correctly fill up that make and model of vehicle – fuel tank capacity, type of fuel tank cap, how to angle the nozzle while refueling, and so on.

The robot will shut down if it senses movement nearby or if the car moves. There’s also a clearly marked shutdown button that can be manually operated by employees of the station or the driver, if necessary.

Once the car stops in the right position, the robot opens the fuel tank door, unscrews the cap, inserts the nozzle, and fills the tank. Even payment is wireless, so the process is completed without the driver needing to exit the car.

Next, can we get a robot that will deliver us snacks and sodas while the car is refueled?

The New York Times has a neat photoessay on “The Robots Among Us” – how robots are interacting with humans on our turf, such as grocery stores, classrooms, the battlefield and factories. It’s easy to test robots in a lab under controlled conditions, but quite different getting mobile robots into dynamic environments designed for humans. With advances in mobility, power and navigation, we’re reaching a tipping point where robots will soon be far more visible in our everyday lives.

Passover began at sundown yesterday, as Jews around the world came together to celebrate Pesach, gather for a Seder, and tell the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. As seen in the video above, even robots are getting into the spirit with what looks like a very pleasant, surprisingly traditional gathering.

(Via BoingBoing)

The da Vinci Surgical System was revolutionary when it was debuted by Intuitive Digital in 1999. The system consists of several components, including a console that is situated near the operating table. This console allows the surgeon to control the three to four robot arms that replace the traditional surgeon’s tools.

The robotic arms are quite large, and wouldn’t look out of place at an industrial plant. Despite its size, the da Vinci is used to perform minimally invasive, or laparoscopic surgeries, referred to as “keyhole” surgeries due to the small incision they require. The benefits of laparoscopic surgery can be dramatic, leading to far shorter recovery times, less post-operative pain, and reduced bleeding. Many physicians agree that the da Vinci system can be very helpful for performing minimally invasive hysterectomies, gallbladder surgeries, prostectomies and more.

Although this system could lead to, as some have said, a new “standard of care,” some doctors aren’t happy with the da Vinci. It’s not necessarily due to inherent flaws with the system, but rather a lack of competition in the space that has stifled innovation:

“People have been disappointed in how slowly the robot is evolving,” says Jon Einarsson, a gynecological surgeon at Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston. “There hasn’t been a lot of evolution or improvement in the articulation at the tip of the instrument.” Some innovations that Einersson would like to see are haptics–a sense of touch that can be translated from the robotic instruments to the surgeon–and a way to incorporate data from magnetic resonance imaging.

Some surgeons and engineers argue that a much smaller and cheaper device could provide the same visual advantages and flexibility, but that no one has been able to move this forward. “The da Vinci robot looks like it was designed to make automobiles–it’s great big clunky gear,” says Kirby Vosburgh, an engineer with the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT), in Boston, who previously designed medical technology for General Electric.

At least one inventor who has tried to create an alternative design for a robotic surgery system has seen his efforts hit a wall due to existing patent claims by Intuitive.

Despite this setback, the very fact that the market is dominated by one company is as much an opportunity as it is an obstacle. Anyone who could come up with an original design for a system that was smaller, cheaper or easier to use would be able to make a huge splash in the world of robotic surgery, and immediately kick-off a race for innovation, which would benefit the industry, hospitals, and most of all, patients.

(EDIT 3/25/10: Minor grammar edits)

Today the British Ministry of Defense unveiled a new bomb disposal robot called a “Dragon Runner” that breaks new ground in portability – the system is a mere 14 pounds and small enough to fit in a backpack. Despite its small size, however, it sounds remarkably capable:

The sophisticated robot is manoeuvred over tough terrain using an intuitive controller, not unlike to a games console.  It can climb stairs and even open doors.

The dragon has four on board cameras that relay images back to the operator via the hand held controller. Each shot can be viewed on screen separately or all four at once in a grid.

It is fitted with a manipulator arm that can dig around suspicious objects and lift items that weigh up to 10lb. It can also place small charges that work to disrupt suspect devices.

Manufacturer QuinetiQ has built about 100 of the robots to date, which will be used by a “number” of British regiments.

(Via Instapundit)