Robotics

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The Aisoy1 II robot comes with a variety of sensors (touch, light, position, temperature, and camera), microphone and speaker, a 70 mini-LED matrix display (for animated lips) and includes a dialogue system for speech recognition and synthesis, as well as computer vision software for face and object recognition, all running on the Linux operating system.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/aisoy1-ii-robot/24191/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div>   <div class="summary_item " data-article="24183"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/rethink-robotics-baxter-industrial-robot/24183/">Baxter industrial robot aims at bringing automation to smaller manufacturers</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/ben-coxworth/">Ben Coxworth</a></div> <div class="date">September 18, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/rethink-robotics-baxter-industrial-robot/24183/#comments">4 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/rethink-robotics-baxter-industrial-robot/24183/pictures">5 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/rethink-robotics-baxter-industrial-robot/24183/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/baxter.jpg" title="Baxter is a relatively inexpensive new industrial robot, that can reportedly be trained to..." alt="Baxter is a relatively inexpensive new industrial robot, that can reportedly be trained to..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Ordinarily, when we think of places where industrial robots are used, we picture the factory floors of deep-pocketed corporations such as Ford or Honda. That could soon change, however, with today’s announcement of the Baxter robot. Made by Boston-based Rethink Robotics, it costs about half as much as most of the least expensive industrial robots currently on the market. Also, it is reportedly very user-friendly – no robotics experts or custom software are required when teaching it new tasks.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/rethink-robotics-baxter-industrial-robot/24183/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="24098"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/new-ls3-quadruped-robot/24098/">DARPA releases video of new-and-improved LS3 quadruped robots</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/ben-coxworth/">Ben Coxworth</a></div> <div class="date">September 11, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/new-ls3-quadruped-robot/24098/#comments">22 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/new-ls3-quadruped-robot/24098/pictures">3 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/new-ls3-quadruped-robot/24098/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/newls3.jpg" title="The two new LS3 prototypes, showing their stuff in DARPA's video " alt="The two new LS3 prototypes, showing their stuff in DARPA's video "/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Fans of freaky-looking robots will already be familiar with DARPA’s quadruped Legged Squad Support System, or <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/darpa-lc3-robot-quadruped/14256/" target="_blank">LS3</a> (although it’s also known as Big Dog by its builder, Boston Dynamics). Yesterday, two prototypes of an improved version of the LS3 were demonstrated, and DARPA has posted the video to show off what’s new.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/new-ls3-quadruped-robot/24098/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="24087"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/qbotix-tracking-system-solar-array/24087/">QBotix system uses mobile robots to optimize solar panel orientation</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/">Darren Quick</a></div> <div class="date">September 11, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/qbotix-tracking-system-solar-array/24087/#comments">10 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/qbotix-tracking-system-solar-array/24087/pictures">3 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/qbotix-tracking-system-solar-array/24087/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/qbotix-3.jpg" title="The 'Solbot' optimizes the orientation of the solar panel in relation to the sun" alt="The 'Solbot' optimizes the orientation of the solar panel in relation to the sun"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Although solar trackers can significantly increase the energy output of solar cells by keeping them optimally aligned to the sun, installing them on all the panels at an installation can add significant expense and provides multiple points of failure. A new tracking system from QBotix avoids these problems by getting a robot to do the rounds of the solar installation throughout the day and adjust the panels at 40-minute intervals to ensure they are optimally facing the sun.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/qbotix-tracking-system-solar-array/24087/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="24022"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/cheetah-robot-land-speed-record-usain-bolt/24022/">Cheetah robot outpaces Usain Bolt in setting new robotic land speed record</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/">Darren Quick</a></div> <div class="date">September 6, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/cheetah-robot-land-speed-record-usain-bolt/24022/#comments">17 Comments</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/cheetah-robot-land-speed-record-usain-bolt/24022/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/cheetah_record.JPG" title="DARPA's Cheetah robot has set a new robotic land speed record of 28.3 mph (45.5 km/h)" alt="DARPA's Cheetah robot has set a new robotic land speed record of 28.3 mph (45.5 km/h)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Usain Bolt might have taken home the 100 meters gold medal from the recent London 2012 Olympics, but things could have been different had DARPA’s Cheetah robot been allowed in the field. Living up to DARPA's original goal of developing a robot that could <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/cheetah-robot-to-outrun-any-human/18048/" target="_blank">outrun any human</a>, the quadruped robot has set a new robotic land speed record of 28.3 mph (45.5 km/h) for a 20-meter (65.6 ft) split, bettering Bolt’s human speed record by 0.52 mph (0.8 km/h).  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/cheetah-robot-land-speed-record-usain-bolt/24022/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="24002"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/light-muscle/24002/">Light-activated skeletal muscle “blurs the boundary between nature and machines”</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">September 5, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/light-muscle/24002/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/light-muscle.png" title="Muscle cell undergoing light activation (Image: MIT)" alt="Muscle cell undergoing light activation (Image: MIT)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> In Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s 1972 novel <em>Rendezvous with Rama</em>, the explorers of a seemingly deserted alien spaceship passing through our Solar System encounter a strange three-legged creature that turns out to be an organic robot. In the ‘70s, this seemed so incredible that it could only be the product of an alien civilization thousands of years ahead of us. In 2012, scientists at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania are proving otherwise by starting work on organic robots here on Earth. Using genetically engineered muscle tissue that responds to light, they are blurring the line between animal and machine at the cellular level.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/light-muscle/24002/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="24013"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/tosy-sketrobo-discorobo/24013/">TOSY set to release dancing and sketching robots</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/ben-coxworth/">Ben Coxworth</a></div> <div class="date">September 5, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/tosy-sketrobo-discorobo/24013/pictures">5 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/tosy-sketrobo-discorobo/24013/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/tosyrobots.jpg" title="A couple of TOSY's DiscoRobos, bustin' a move at IFA" alt="A couple of TOSY's DiscoRobos, bustin' a move at IFA"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> It’s certainly impressive that there are robots capable of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/honda-miimo-robo-mower/23854/" target="_blank">mowing lawns</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/wave-glider-sharks-stanford/23758/" target="_blank">tracking sharks</a>, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/ant-algorithm-transport-robots/21933/" target="_blank">toting goods</a>, but sometimes it’s the robots that do completely useless yet entertaining things that really captivate us. Such is the case with TOSY’s soon-to-be-released DiscoRobo and SketRobo – one of them will dance to the beat of whatever music you have playing, while the other will draw your picture.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/tosy-sketrobo-discorobo/24013/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="23998"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/reef-rebuilding-coralbots/23998/">Underwater robots being developed to save damaged coral reefs</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/ben-coxworth/">Ben Coxworth</a></div> <div class="date">September 4, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/reef-rebuilding-coralbots/23998/#comments">1 Comment</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/reef-rebuilding-coralbots/23998/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/coralbots-1.jpg" title="Scientists are designing autonomous 'coralbots,' that would work together to rebuild damag..." alt="Scientists are designing autonomous 'coralbots,' that would work together to rebuild damag..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Scotland may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of coral reefs, but the deep waters west of the nation are indeed home to reefs not unlike those found in the tropics. Unfortunately, a commercial fishing technique known as bottom trawling regularly damages that coral, putting the reefs at risk. Now, scientists are working on a possible solution to the problem – swarms of small, autonomous coral-fixing robots.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/reef-rebuilding-coralbots/23998/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="23960"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/ar-drone-quadrocopter-thought-control/23960/">Flying drone controlled with mind power</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/adam-williams/">Adam Williams</a></div> <div class="date">September 1, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/ar-drone-quadrocopter-thought-control/23960/#comments">1 Comment</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/ar-drone-quadrocopter-thought-control/23960/pictures">4 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/ar-drone-quadrocopter-thought-control/23960/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/mind_powered_drone.jpg" title="Researchers in China have produced a system to control a quad-rotor drone with the mind" alt="Researchers in China have produced a system to control a quad-rotor drone with the mind"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Researchers based at Zhejiang University in China have produced a system for controlling a quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle with the mind. Dubbed "Flying Buddy 2", the system uses a standard, commercially-available <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/the-first-commercially-available-brain-computer-interface/6971/" target="_blank">Electroencephalogram</a> (EEG) headset, a computer and a Parrot <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/parrot-ar-drone-release-price/16612/" target="_blank">AR Drone</a>. The computer processes the data received from the EEG and converts it into control commands which are beamed to the drone via a Wi-Fi connection.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/ar-drone-quadrocopter-thought-control/23960/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="23898"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/mola-sunfish-swimming-robot/23898/">Solar-powered underwater robot inspired by the sunfish</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/author/ben-coxworth/">Ben Coxworth</a></div> <div class="date">August 28, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/mola-sunfish-swimming-robot/23898/pictures">3 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/mola-sunfish-swimming-robot/23898/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/mola.jpg" title="Scientists have created a solar-powered swimming underwater robot, inspired by the ocean s..." alt="Scientists have created a solar-powered swimming underwater robot, inspired by the ocean s..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Previously, we’ve seen swimming robots inspired by the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/robotic-ray/23452/" target="_blank">cow-nosed ray</a>, the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/researchers-create-robotic-knife-fish/17638/" target="_blank">black ghost knife fish</a>, and the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/robot-jellyfish/21896/" target="_blank">jellyfish</a> – to name just a few. Now, the engineers at AeroVironment have taken it upon themselves to replicate the mola (also known as the ocean sunfish), and the result is an ocean-going robot that gathers its own solar power.  <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/mola-sunfish-swimming-robot/23898/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div id="pagination"> <div class="next_prev"> <span>1</span> <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/robotics/2/">2</a> <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/robotics/3/">3</a> <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/robotics/4/">4</a> <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/robotics/5/">5</a> <a href="/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/robotics/2/" class="next_pagination">Next </a> » </div> </div> <div class="dotsontop">  <div id="search_form_bottom"> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20120920042403/http://www.gizmag.com/search/" id="cse-search-box-bottom"> <span class="title">Looking for something? 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