Join See a real bionic hand in action!
We have reported on bionic limbs before, such as the i-LIMB. I suppose that what fascinates me most about bionics is how we have jumped from science fiction to science fact in such a short time.
A recent video from BBC News shows an amputee named Patrick from Austria and his artificial hand. I can’t import the video on the site, but you can see that Patrick is able to do some pretty complex movements like pouring a bottle or tying his shoelaces by clicking this link here.
What makes it really amazing is that the hand is a neuroprosthetic, which means that it can tap into the unused nerves used to movement of the hand for even greater control.
Continue reading » See a real bionic hand in action!
Exoskeleton lets UC Berkeley graduate walk for his graduation
Now that June is here, there are a lot of people who are “walking” for their graduation. However, if you are paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, you can’t literally “walk the walk”, so to speak.
A wheelchair-bound UC Berkeley student named Austin Whitney wanted to walk for his graduation so badly, he had an exoskeleton made for it.
The exoskeleton was developed by UC Berkeley before Whitney arrived at the school. He worked with the team for years, giving them feedback from his point-of-view. He found that the “feet” of the exoskeleton had to be more flat, the hand controls should have locks, and the height should be adjustable. Check out the video after the jump to see the results.
Continue reading » Exoskeleton lets UC Berkeley graduate walk for his graduation
Willow Garage’s PR2 robot being trained as a cashier
I worked a for few years at Wal-Mart, and it’s very weird to shop there when you have worked there yourself. With only one exception, I can tell that the cashier doesn’t want to be there any more than I wanted to.
I think we all know that jobs that can be done by machines are usually done by machines, and I believe that cashiering is a job just waiting to be filled by a robot.
The robot is here with the PR2 personal robot from Willow Garage. The robot is an open source job, and a group of researchers at Stanford’s AI Lab has made it into a checker and bag boy. You can watch a video of it after the jump so you can see it for yourself.
Continue reading » Willow Garage’s PR2 robot being trained as a cashier
Luna Robot from RoboDynamics
I believe it was the preview of the movie Bicentennial Man that promised that every home would have a robot by the year 2005. Well, we aren’t there yet, but RoboDynamics is promising a robot in every house by 2021.
The Luna robot is supposed to be a robot mobile platform. I believe that means we are looking at an “App Store”, but instead of a special program for an iDevice, this would be a program for a robot. I’m sort of looking forward to the days where you can download an app for walking the dog.
You can watch the video after the jump to see more of it, but you don’t really see much except a robot modeling to the main theme song from Chariots of Fire. However, you do get a close look up its ports, located conveniently in the backside.
Continue reading » Luna Robot from RoboDynamics
Robot is inspired by the caterpillar
I have said before that if you are going to build a robot, then you should imitate something of nature. I have seen robots inspired from snakes and birds, but this is the first one that I have seen that have looked to the caterpillar.
Actually, it is a certain type of caterpillar. Have you ever seen that type of bug that curls into a ball when it is touched? This is what you can see here in the video after the jump, and in slow motion, it is quite impressive.
A team from an organization known as Tufts has got some funding from DARPA to create the GoQBot, a soft-bodied silicone robot that is four inches long with actuators made of shape-memory alloy coils. It already has a push-off time of less than 250 milliseconds.
Continue reading » Robot is inspired by the caterpillar
DON-8r robot raises money for charities
Who would have thought that a simple robot could actually be used for raising money for charities? Then again, that is not so strange. After all, we have seen skeptical looks dropping on normal folks who go from table to table in public places, wearing a badge that endorses where they came from, which organization they are representing in order to collect money from the public. Many of us have felt cheated in the past after giving our money away, only to read of a particular money-collecting scam in the papers a few days later. With the DON-8r, this coin powered robot might be more appealing to have us part with our money.
After all, charities do need to reinvent themselves in order to look for new methods of raising funds while making sure their profile is enhanced, which is why the Dundee Science Centre has apparently hit the proverbial jackpot, thanks to this an innovative idea which will not only attract attention but hopefully in the process, cash as well.
Continue reading » DON-8r robot raises money for charities
Lawn Mowing with your iPhone 101
In case you missed it, Husqvarna has been in the robot lawn mowing business for quite a while now, we have been reporting on them for a few years already. Ahhh the pleasures of sitting in air conditioned comfort while the mower tackles your lawn all by itself.
It appears that the newest update to this idyllic scene, is that now you can be sitting in an air conditioned movie theater or lying on your favorite beach, because Husqvarna’s new iPhone app lets you mow the lawn without even being at home. Any Automower® robotic lawnmower equipped with a GPS Communication Unit (available separately) can be remotely started and stopped, as well as tracked on your iPhone screen. The app also has installation movies, a buying guide and FAQs, in case you’re considering a $5000.00+ lawnmower purchase. Continue reading » Lawn Mowing with your iPhone 101
Check out this the HECTOR spider robot
This spidery looking robot is designed by the University of Bielefeld’s Department of Biological Cybernetics, and it is the HECTOR, which is a weird quasi-acronym meaning the HExapod Cognitive auTonmously Operating Robot.
This mechanical arachnid is about a meter long, and weighs in at 12 kilograms, with 13 percent of it being the exoskeleton. I’m not certain what percentage of a real spider’s weight is its exoskeleton, but it does have joints on its legs that allow for 20 degrees, just like a real spider.
Continue reading » Check out this the HECTOR spider robot
