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 [...]
Posts under ‘Robotics’
DARPA researching cameras that have “visual intelligence”
This week DARPA announced its “Mind’s Eye Program,” an effort to research visual intelligence in machines. More specifically, it will serve to not only enable cameras to recognize objects (an ability some machines are already capable of) but determine interactions between objects it sees, and then use this information to provide a “complete narrative of [...]
Making humanoid robots safe for human interaction
Humanoid robots will one day be widely deployed in environments such as homes, businesses and cities, which are all built to accommodate adult humans of a certain size and weight. As robots become more common in our lives, it only makes sense that they will take on a humanoid appearance that will enable them to [...]
U.S. Military calls for robot medics
According to a posting on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer page, the Pentagon is looking for a new robot capable of extracting wounded soldiers from the battlefield with “minimal intervention” from traditional medics. The posting emphasizes the need for an autonomous system in order to “reduce or eliminate [...]
South Korea to put robot teachers in the classroom
Well, teaching assistants, anyway. But it’s a start! If after 2 years the system yields positive results it could be rolled out in elementary schools as well. The system’s curriculum can be modified to suit the classroom, such as reciting original stories. Parents can connect to the robot in their child’s classroom to exchange messages [...]
Israel unveils world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle
Yesterday the Israeli Air Force (IAF) took the wraps off a new unmanned aerial vehicle the size of a Boeing 737, which is capable of staying in the air for up to 20 hours. The “super drone,” known as “Eitan” (Hebrew for “strong”) is also able to take off and land automatically. While most news [...]
New prosthetic hand accurate enough to play “Jenga”
This recently unveiled bionic hand, manufactured by the UK-based BeBionic, shows a remarkable degree of accuracy – even enabling users to pull out precariously balanced blocks in a game of “Jenga.” The company shows a range of different grip types and capabilities in the above video. According to Engadget, the hand can also be sheathed [...]
Marine Corps successfully tests unmanned, nearly autonomous helicopter
When fighting in rough, difficult-to-traverse terrain (such as that found across much of Afghanistan), the military relies on helicopters to quickly deliver weapons and ammunition to soldiers on the battlefield. Unfortunately, manned helicopters are expensive and make attractive targets for enemy fire. Enter the K-MAX Unmanned Multi-Mission Helicopter, a drone that passed a test devised [...]
GeekDad asks: “When do the machines take over?”
Curtis Silver, better known as Wired’s “GeekDad,” looks at our current level of technological progress, where we’re set to go in the near future, and can’t help but ask when humanity is going to face Judgment Day (well, almost). While that computer was built for a particular function and with the best intentions in mind, [...]
New powered exoskeleton helps paraplegics walk
ABC’s Good Morning America has been running some interesting medical technology stories this week, but this one in particular caught my eye. An Israeli company demonstrated a powered exoskeleton called ReWalk that can be used to help wheelchair-bound individuals walk upright, even up stairs: ReWalk is a lightweight device comprised of an upper body harness, [...]