http://www.danshope.com/news/ Upcoming robotic technologies, medical robotics, and military technologies en-us Copyright 2005-2009 Daniel Shope Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:02:39 EDT contact@danshope.com (Daniel Shope) contact@danshope.com (Daniel Shope) The tactile sensitivity of human skin is hard to re-create, especially over large, flexible surfaces. But two California research groups have made pressure-sensing devices that significantly advance the state of the art.]]> Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:02:39 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/198/Electric-Skin-that-Rivals-the-Real-Thing http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=198 Japan’s National Institute of Advances Industrial Science and Technology designed the RAPUDA, a wheelchair-arm robot that goes back to the basics of joystick-controlled assistance. Specifically designed for people with upper-limb disabilities, one at least has to be able to move a regular wheelchair joystick to operate the arm.]]> Sun, 12 Sep 2010 12:01:44 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/197/RAPUDA-robot-arm-for-wheelchairs http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=197 Many robots come with specific functions that generally can not be altered too much, but then that makes their functionality rather limited. These new Colony Scout swarm robots, however, are highly adaptable, as they can be given different jobs and be equipped with different tools. ]]> Sun, 12 Sep 2010 11:51:54 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/195/Colony-Scout-Affordable-robots-for-collaborative-systems-research http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=195 NASA, U.S. Navy and university researchers have successfully demonstrated the first robotic underwater vehicle to be powered entirely by natural, renewable, ocean thermal energy.Scalable for use on most robotic oceanographic vehicles, this technology breakthrough could usher in a new generation AUVs.]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:57:10 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/192/NASA-s-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=192 The perching UAV foam glider flies quietly into a city, maneuvering among the buildings. Upon identifying landing sites, each flier turns toward a wall, executes an intentional stall and, as it begins to fall, attaches itself using feet equipped with miniature spines that engage small asperities on the surface.]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:15:11 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/191/Perching-UAV-Sticks-To-Walls http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=191 Three Japanese universities (Waseda, Kogakuin and Showa) and robot maker Tmsuk have developed Hanako, a robotic dental patient who can behave like a human patient (to some extent). The robot, who is supposed to be female, can converse with doctors while they operate.]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:08:15 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/190/Robot-Dental-Patient-Can-Take-My-Place-Anytime http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=190 One of the coolest things about snake inspired robots is how they’re in the process of transcending their biological models, as these videos from CMU’s biorobotics lab shows. The unified snake is the latest from the Carnegie Mellon research team, and demonstrates amazing biomimicry.]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:03:14 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/189/CMU-Unified-Snake-Robot http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=189 Featured at London's Kinetica art fair last week, the Aikon 2 project boasts an "inexpensive" robot arm and software that can look at a human face and make a pretty reasonable sketch of it. Video after the jump.]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:55:32 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/188/Aikon-2-Robot-Sketches-the-Human-Face http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=188 The researchers from Advanced Robotic Systems Laboratories (or ARSL), who are now showing off their new Proto-2 robot, which boasts 38 degrees of freedom and an expressive face. Using a new dynamic toe-joint, the robot has a natural walking gait.]]> Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:26:05 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/187/Proto-2-Humanoid-Robot http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=187 The OmniTread serpentine robot is designed to traverse extremely difficult terrain, such as the rubble of a collapsed building. Designed to drive over sand and rocks, it can pass through small holes and climb over tall obstacles. Video after the jump.]]> Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:38:56 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/186/Omnitread-Search-a-Rescue-Snake-Bot http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=186 Meet DASH - a cheap, lightweight, six-legged robotic cockroach that can survive a four-story drop, crawl over objects twice its height and run for an hour on special watch-size batteries. Video after the jump]]> Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:28:14 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/185/DASH-Resilient-Hexapedal-Robot http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=185 Anyone who's ever used a Roomba robot cleaner before will know that it bumps into furniture regularly, even mounting curtains if your back is turned. This new Neato uses a Room Positioning System with its lasers, mapping the floorspace in 360-degrees so it doesn't get into trouble against your prized chaise lounge.]]> Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:49:00 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/184/Neato-Robotic-Vacuum-Cleaner-Challenges-the-Roomba http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=184 Researchers in South Africa are working on a new kind of artificial larynx that won't have the raspy voice of existing devices. The system tracks contact between the tongue and palate to determine which word is being mouthed, and uses a speech synthesizer to generate sounds.]]> Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:50:01 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/183/A-Tongue-Tracking-Artificial-Larynx http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=183 Michigan State University researchers are spawning robot fish to monitor the quality of lake water and the effect of harmful algae. An electric charge in the 9-inch MSU prototype causes its polymer fins to bend so the robotic perch can maneuver.]]> Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:40:42 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/182/Another-fish-swims-into-the-robot-pool http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=182 European scientists have successfully built a brain-controlled bionic hand that could be used to kill or maim hundreds of humans in the coming robot versus humans' civil war. Or, far more admirably, allow amputees to feel hand sensations and manipulate their limb--via the brain--as if it were still there. Video after the jump.]]> Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:35:03 EST http://www.danshope.com/news/post/181/Man-controls-cybernetic-hand-with-thoughts http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=181