Archive for the ‘Robots’ Category
December 30
Hummingbird robot can fly in a figure of eight more stable than a helicopter.
Japanese researchers have developed a hummingbird robot that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements. The robot, a similar size to a real hummingbird, is equipped with a micro motor and four wings that can flap 30 times per second, said Hiroshi Liu, the researcher at Chiba University east of Tokyo. The robot, which weighs 2.6 grams, can fly in a figure of eight more stable than a helicopter with rotor blades. The hummingbird robot controlled with an infrared sensor and can turn up, down, right or left. Hiroshi Liu plans is to make it hover to stay at one point in mid-air, and equip it with a micro camera by March 2011.
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August 26
Korea to introduce coal-mining robots
Korea to introduce coal-mining robots to reduce the risk of human losses from conventional mining.
The state-run Korea Coal Corp. (KOCOAL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday with three Korean engineering institutions and companies, including the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, for the development of intelligent coal-mining robots in the science complex in Daejeon. The robots will not only drill in mines but will up- and offload coal onto conveyors for transportation, with operators outside to control them remotely using a three-dimensional scanner attached at the back of the robots. The introduction of mining robots will raise productivity by 30 percent.
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October 27
Robot that handles household chores
Hard working Robot analyzes past failures and corrects its behavior patterns!
Toyota Motor Corp. and a research body of the University of Tokyo have jointly developed a prototype for what many busy career people have been dreaming of for a long time: A hardworking robot that handles household chores. The 155-cm, 130-kg humanoid robot excels in the capacity to distinguish and perceive objects such as furniture and cleaning equipment, its developers said. The robot is equipped with two arms, five recognition cameras and laser sensors. It gets around on wheels. The robot also analyzes past failures and corrects its behavior patterns.
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August 22
VIA EPIA Pico-ITX-based entertainment robot
VIA today showcased VIA EPIA Pico-ITX-based entertainment robots at the Taipei International Robot Show, being held on 21-24 August at the World Trade Center in Taipei, Taiwan. At the VIA booth there will be three compact robots provided by PlayRobot, a Taiwan-based robot developer and distributor of educational, scientific and entertainment robots for government, academic and research institutes, as well as robot kits for enthusiasts (www.playrobot.com). One, the popular Johnny 5 robot, has been fitted for the show with the very latest Pico-ITX board, the VIA EPIA P700 featuring the VIA VX800 unified chipset.
August 14
Underwater robot Sentry powered by 1000 lithium-ion batteries completes first seafloor survey mission
The newly-developed underwater robot Sentry capable of diving as deep as 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) into the ocean, has successfully completed its first scientific mission, the U.S. National Science Foundation reported on Wednesday. Sentry is a state-of-the-art, free-swimming underwater robot that can operate independently, without tethers or other connections to a research ship. Working in tandem with sonar instruments on the UW-operated research vessel Thomas G. Thompson and with photo-mapping by WHOI’s TowCam seafloor imaging system, Sentry gathered the most precise maps to date of seafloor features known as Hydrate Ridge and Axial Volcano off the coast of Oregon and Washington. The vehicle has thrusters built into its foils, or wings. Like an airplane, the foils allow the vehicle to gain lift or drag or directional momentum, as needed. The autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, is pre-programmed with guidance for deep-water surveying, but it can also make its own decisions about navigation on the terrain of the seafloor.
