SPACE EXPLORATION
Robotic Surgeon To Team Up With Doctors, Astronauts On NASA Mission
November 16, 2008 11:34 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
This week Raven, the mobile surgical robot developed by the University of Washington, leaves for the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. The UW will participate in NASA's mission to submerge a surgeon and robotic gear in a simulated spaceship. For 12 days the surgical robotic system will be put through its paces in an underwater capsule that mimics conditions in a space shuttle. Surgeons back in Seattle will guide its movements.
Robotic Surgeon To Team Up With Doctors, Astronauts On NASA Mission
November 16, 2008 11:34 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
This week Raven, the mobile surgical robot developed by the University of Washington, leaves for the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. The UW will participate in NASA's mission to submerge a surgeon and robotic gear in a simulated spaceship. For 12 days the surgical robotic system will be put through its paces in an underwater capsule that mimics conditions in a space shuttle. Surgeons back in Seattle will guide its movements.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
MIT Wheelchair/Bed Aims to Boost Independence
November 16, 2008 01:10 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
MIT researchers have developed a wheelchair with unique responsiveness to human muscle pressure, so tasks that previously required the help of another person-in most cases, a nursing home or hospital aide-can now be accomplished unassisted.
The wheelchair, combined with a horseshoe-shaped bed, forms a system known as RHOMBUS (Reconfigurable Holonomic Omnidirectional Mobile Bed with Unified Seating). The powered wheelchair can be docked in the horseshoe portion of the system and reconfigured to a flat, stationary position forming a twin-size bed. The wheelchair's speed and direction are controlled by operating a joystick or by giving commands to the onboard computer.
MIT Wheelchair/Bed Aims to Boost Independence
November 16, 2008 01:10 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
MIT researchers have developed a wheelchair with unique responsiveness to human muscle pressure, so tasks that previously required the help of another person-in most cases, a nursing home or hospital aide-can now be accomplished unassisted.
The wheelchair, combined with a horseshoe-shaped bed, forms a system known as RHOMBUS (Reconfigurable Holonomic Omnidirectional Mobile Bed with Unified Seating). The powered wheelchair can be docked in the horseshoe portion of the system and reconfigured to a flat, stationary position forming a twin-size bed. The wheelchair's speed and direction are controlled by operating a joystick or by giving commands to the onboard computer.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
Honda walking aid is like a bicycle seat with motorized legs
November 15, 2008 06:54 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Honda has been researching artificial mobility for a long time. In 2000, the company introduced the Asimo humanoid robot. Last Spring Honda showed an experimental model of a walking assist device which could help the elderly and other people with weakened leg muscles. Designed for people who are still capable of walking on their own, it's worn with a belt around the hips and thighs and helps to move the wearer's legs.
Honda walking aid is like a bicycle seat with motorized legs
November 15, 2008 06:54 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Honda has been researching artificial mobility for a long time. In 2000, the company introduced the Asimo humanoid robot. Last Spring Honda showed an experimental model of a walking assist device which could help the elderly and other people with weakened leg muscles. Designed for people who are still capable of walking on their own, it's worn with a belt around the hips and thighs and helps to move the wearer's legs.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
Prototype artificial heart unveiled, expected to cost $192k
November 02, 2008 04:20 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
For all the bad news in medicine today -- studies that cell phones might cause cancer, or that widely used flame retardants could have dire effects -- there's also a lot of good news. Recent studies have moved us closer to curing paralysis with nerve bypasses wired directly into the brain. And there have been a broad variety of new treatments for cancer devised; many involving nanoparticles.
Now the world's first autonomous artificial heart can be added to that list.
Prototype artificial heart unveiled, expected to cost $192k
November 02, 2008 04:20 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
For all the bad news in medicine today -- studies that cell phones might cause cancer, or that widely used flame retardants could have dire effects -- there's also a lot of good news. Recent studies have moved us closer to curing paralysis with nerve bypasses wired directly into the brain. And there have been a broad variety of new treatments for cancer devised; many involving nanoparticles.
Now the world's first autonomous artificial heart can be added to that list.
SPACE EXPLORATION
Robots to Build Martian Colonies
November 01, 2008 04:29 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
When was the last time you stepped on an ant? Last week? Yesterday? Every chance you get? Yes, we do tend to take things much smaller than ourselves for granted, but a new generation of ant-sized robotics may revolutionize the future of outer-space colonization, if they don't wipe us out on Judgement Day first.
Marc Szymanski, a robotics researcher at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany, is part of a team of European researchers and scientists that is working on developing miniature autonomous robots that can work together to accomplish different tasks in many of the same ways that colonies of termites, ants or bees can work together to gather food, build nests, etc.
Robots to Build Martian Colonies
November 01, 2008 04:29 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
When was the last time you stepped on an ant? Last week? Yesterday? Every chance you get? Yes, we do tend to take things much smaller than ourselves for granted, but a new generation of ant-sized robotics may revolutionize the future of outer-space colonization, if they don't wipe us out on Judgement Day first.
Marc Szymanski, a robotics researcher at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany, is part of a team of European researchers and scientists that is working on developing miniature autonomous robots that can work together to accomplish different tasks in many of the same ways that colonies of termites, ants or bees can work together to gather food, build nests, etc.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
Dean Kamen's 'Luke Arm' Prosthesis Readies for Clinical Trials
October 29, 2008 10:12 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Dean Kamen's “Luke arm”—a prosthesis named for the remarkably lifelike prosthetic worn by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars—came to the end of its two-year funding last month. Its fate now rests in the hands of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which funded the project. If DARPA gives the project the green light—and some greenbacks—the state-of-the-art bionic arm will go into clinical trials. If all goes well, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives its approval, returning veterans could be wearing the new artificial limb by next year.
Dean Kamen's 'Luke Arm' Prosthesis Readies for Clinical Trials
October 29, 2008 10:12 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Dean Kamen's “Luke arm”—a prosthesis named for the remarkably lifelike prosthetic worn by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars—came to the end of its two-year funding last month. Its fate now rests in the hands of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which funded the project. If DARPA gives the project the green light—and some greenbacks—the state-of-the-art bionic arm will go into clinical trials. If all goes well, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives its approval, returning veterans could be wearing the new artificial limb by next year.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
A picture is worth a thousand passwords
October 27, 2008 01:46 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Data security is a hard enough problem to solve on even a heavily regulated corporate network, but it becomes even more difficult when users are out in the wild with PDAs, cell phones and other portable communications devices. A recent PhD project at the University of Twente in the Netherlands has described a user-friendly solution to cryptography for ad-hoc network transfers, such as sending files over infrared or Bluetooth between two PDAs, and it's as easy as taking a picture.
A picture is worth a thousand passwords
October 27, 2008 01:46 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Data security is a hard enough problem to solve on even a heavily regulated corporate network, but it becomes even more difficult when users are out in the wild with PDAs, cell phones and other portable communications devices. A recent PhD project at the University of Twente in the Netherlands has described a user-friendly solution to cryptography for ad-hoc network transfers, such as sending files over infrared or Bluetooth between two PDAs, and it's as easy as taking a picture.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
Single Incision Robotic Kidney Removal
October 23, 2008 05:10 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
For the first time in Michigan, a diseased kidney has been surgically removed at Henry Ford Hospital using highly sophisticated 3D robotics through a single incision.
“We made several improvements in the technique that could allow us to perform this type of procedure routinely,” says Craig Rogers, M.D., Henry Ford’s director of robotic renal surgery. He performed the delicate operation last week using the da Vinci Surgical System, which has already been used in thousands of successful surgeries for complete and partial removal of diseased prostates.
Single Incision Robotic Kidney Removal
October 23, 2008 05:10 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
For the first time in Michigan, a diseased kidney has been surgically removed at Henry Ford Hospital using highly sophisticated 3D robotics through a single incision.
“We made several improvements in the technique that could allow us to perform this type of procedure routinely,” says Craig Rogers, M.D., Henry Ford’s director of robotic renal surgery. He performed the delicate operation last week using the da Vinci Surgical System, which has already been used in thousands of successful surgeries for complete and partial removal of diseased prostates.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
The Cutting Edge of Haptic Research
October 23, 2008 04:36 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Using tools such as graphical system design, reserachers are developing new, safer ways of interacting with machines that also permit more efficient operation. Have you ever played a car racing video game that shakes when you go off-road? If so, you have interacted with a haptic interface. The word haptic comes from the Greek haptikos, which means to touch, grasp, or perceive.
With haptic robotics, a user can feel a remote or virtual environment. A haptic interface provides sensory feedback — typically in the form of pressure or physical resistance — so users feel as if they are physically interacting with something, even though they are not. For example, a haptic interface may be used to provide a feeling of resistance in the rudder controls of a flight simulator. The feedback would help the pilot know when to apply more or less force to the instruments.
The Cutting Edge of Haptic Research
October 23, 2008 04:36 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Using tools such as graphical system design, reserachers are developing new, safer ways of interacting with machines that also permit more efficient operation. Have you ever played a car racing video game that shakes when you go off-road? If so, you have interacted with a haptic interface. The word haptic comes from the Greek haptikos, which means to touch, grasp, or perceive.
With haptic robotics, a user can feel a remote or virtual environment. A haptic interface provides sensory feedback — typically in the form of pressure or physical resistance — so users feel as if they are physically interacting with something, even though they are not. For example, a haptic interface may be used to provide a feeling of resistance in the rudder controls of a flight simulator. The feedback would help the pilot know when to apply more or less force to the instruments.
ENTERTAINMENT TECH
Robot Mimics a Canine Helper
October 23, 2008 07:57 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Service dogs that open doors, switch on lights, and perform other useful tasks offer a much needed lifeline to people with disabilities. Now researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing robots that mimic the relationship between humans and their canine helpers.
Robotics researchers have long sought to create robots that can help out around the home. But while robots are good at carrying out preprogrammed tasks and following a clear trajectory, navigating a complex home environment and interacting with real people remains a formidable challenge.
Robot Mimics a Canine Helper
October 23, 2008 07:57 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Service dogs that open doors, switch on lights, and perform other useful tasks offer a much needed lifeline to people with disabilities. Now researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing robots that mimic the relationship between humans and their canine helpers.
Robotics researchers have long sought to create robots that can help out around the home. But while robots are good at carrying out preprogrammed tasks and following a clear trajectory, navigating a complex home environment and interacting with real people remains a formidable challenge.
MILITARY TECH
Georgia Tech Wins the 4th Mission of the International Aerial Robotics Competition
October 23, 2008 12:08 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
At the 18th annual International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC), Georgia Tech came away as the winner, with prize money of $27,000. The event, which was held on July 28th - Aug. 1st, 2008, marked the conclusion of the 4th Mission of the IARC, with a new mission being released for the 2009 competition. The competition, which as been existance since 1991 (the creator of the competition, Robert Michelson, coined the term ‘Aerial Robotics’), and has long been known as a grueling, and nearly impossible, robotics competition.
Georgia Tech Wins the 4th Mission of the International Aerial Robotics Competition
October 23, 2008 12:08 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
At the 18th annual International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC), Georgia Tech came away as the winner, with prize money of $27,000. The event, which was held on July 28th - Aug. 1st, 2008, marked the conclusion of the 4th Mission of the IARC, with a new mission being released for the 2009 competition. The competition, which as been existance since 1991 (the creator of the competition, Robert Michelson, coined the term ‘Aerial Robotics’), and has long been known as a grueling, and nearly impossible, robotics competition.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Robots to teach math, science to children
October 22, 2008 11:16 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Math and science will look more like fun and games at some Pittsburgh area schools where those subjects will soon be taught using robots.
A partnership between Carnegie Mellon University and LEGO Education has put robots in about a dozen grade schools in Pittsburgh and 50 schools throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. "The goal here is using the motivational effects of robots to excite more children to pursue careers in science and technology," said Robin Shoop, director of the Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon.
Robots to teach math, science to children
October 22, 2008 11:16 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Math and science will look more like fun and games at some Pittsburgh area schools where those subjects will soon be taught using robots.
A partnership between Carnegie Mellon University and LEGO Education has put robots in about a dozen grade schools in Pittsburgh and 50 schools throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. "The goal here is using the motivational effects of robots to excite more children to pursue careers in science and technology," said Robin Shoop, director of the Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
Medical robot mimics obscure conditions
October 22, 2008 10:51 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
A “sick” robot developed by researchers at Gifu University’s Graduate School of Medicine is providing hands-on educational assistance to future medical practitioners. When students touch its head and abdomen in places it feels pain, the robot says, “That hurts.”
With 24 sensors embedded in its head and body under a layer of soft, warm (near body temperature) silicone skin, the robot can detect the hand pressure applied by the examiner. And depending on which of the 8 pre-programmed medical conditions — which range from acute gastroenteritis to appendicitis — it is suffering from, the robot provides a vocal response to the examiner’s questions and manual pressure.
Medical robot mimics obscure conditions
October 22, 2008 10:51 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
A “sick” robot developed by researchers at Gifu University’s Graduate School of Medicine is providing hands-on educational assistance to future medical practitioners. When students touch its head and abdomen in places it feels pain, the robot says, “That hurts.”
With 24 sensors embedded in its head and body under a layer of soft, warm (near body temperature) silicone skin, the robot can detect the hand pressure applied by the examiner. And depending on which of the 8 pre-programmed medical conditions — which range from acute gastroenteritis to appendicitis — it is suffering from, the robot provides a vocal response to the examiner’s questions and manual pressure.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
Micro Robots, From Cell Manipulation To Micro Assembly
October 22, 2008 10:28 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
From cell manipulation to micro assembly, micro robots devised by an international team of researchers offer a glimpse of the future.
The MICRON project team, led by the Institute for Process Control and Robotics (IPR), Karlsruhe, Germany, brought together eight international partners. Funded under the European Commission's FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) initiative of the IST programme, MICRON set out to build a total of five to ten micro robots, just cubic centimetres in size.
Micro Robots, From Cell Manipulation To Micro Assembly
October 22, 2008 10:28 PM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
From cell manipulation to micro assembly, micro robots devised by an international team of researchers offer a glimpse of the future.
The MICRON project team, led by the Institute for Process Control and Robotics (IPR), Karlsruhe, Germany, brought together eight international partners. Funded under the European Commission's FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) initiative of the IST programme, MICRON set out to build a total of five to ten micro robots, just cubic centimetres in size.
ENTERTAINMENT TECH
VEXplorer Robot Brings Robotics to the Younger Set
October 22, 2008 08:28 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Marie Planchard, director of worldwide education markets for SolidWorks and a former teacher, discussed the new education program offered by SolidWorks in a recent podcast. In the current program any time a customer purchases a VEXplorer Robot, a free copy of SolidWorks will be included with the educational toy. The VEXplorer itself was also designed with SolidWorks.
The VEXplorer Robot is a fairly complex model kit featuring over 300 parts. Planchard said assembling the robot should take an early teenager about an hour and a half to assemble. The process requires technical feats as complex as wiring a camera component and connecting a gripping tool to the main body of the robot. Planchard emphasized that the toy was designed to help students understand how robots really work.
VEXplorer Robot Brings Robotics to the Younger Set
October 22, 2008 08:28 AM EST - submitted by Daniel Shope
Marie Planchard, director of worldwide education markets for SolidWorks and a former teacher, discussed the new education program offered by SolidWorks in a recent podcast. In the current program any time a customer purchases a VEXplorer Robot, a free copy of SolidWorks will be included with the educational toy. The VEXplorer itself was also designed with SolidWorks.
The VEXplorer Robot is a fairly complex model kit featuring over 300 parts. Planchard said assembling the robot should take an early teenager about an hour and a half to assemble. The process requires technical feats as complex as wiring a camera component and connecting a gripping tool to the main body of the robot. Planchard emphasized that the toy was designed to help students understand how robots really work.
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