Robotics

  • U.S. Army looking for robots to extract wounded soldiers from battlefield

    Rescuing wounded soldiers under fire is itself a major cause of military death and injury; the U.S. Army asks inventors to come with idea for a Robotic Combat Casualty Extraction device; the robot should not only be strong and dexterous, but should also be capable of planning an approach and escape route without prior knowledge of the local terrain and geography

  • Robot evaluates safety inside structures

    Researchers develop new method to inspect to interior of dangerous structures -- dangerous because of structural damage or because terrorists or criminals are hiding there; a remote-controlled robot that is equipped with an infrared camera and LIDAR (light detection and ranging) technology, which sends out multiple laser points that bounce off objects and provide feedback

  • RoboticsRobot chooses from a menu of walking styles to escape trouble

    When a newly developed robot finds it cannot move freely, it scans through the many walking gaits it has taught itself and selects the best for the terrain; this means it can free itself should it get stuck; the robot has six triple-jointed legs each with several sensors; the sensors feed information to the neural network, which then determines the most appropriate gait for the terrain, and adjusts the robot's eighteen motors accordingly

  • Security professionals -- ISC West and Public Security & Safety Expo March 23-26

  • RoboticsRobots climb up the wall

    Robots which mimic wall-climbing animals can be used for gathering information; they can climb up walls and peek into windows – or clamber around the submerged hulls of cargo ships to check for contraband and bombs

  • Robotic cockroaches to help military, law enforcement

    Cockroaches can run fast, turn on a dime, move easily over rough terrain, and react to perturbations faster than a nerve impulse can travel; running cockroach robots could serve valuable roles in difficult jobs, such as military operations, law enforcement, or space exploration. Related technology might also be applied to improve the function of prosthetic limbs for amputees, or serve other needs

  • Odds and endsJapanese department store offers robots that look like their buyers

    Acting on the insight that some people can never have enough of themselves, a Japanese department store chain now offers robots that look like their buyers; for $225,000, interested individuals can have a robot designed to look like their identical twin

  • Border Security Expo & Conference, Phoenix, Arizona – April 23 & 24, 2010

  • In the trenchesBattlefield walker machines received $3 million for more studies

    DARPA wants a robotic walker – in fact, a robotic pack mule -- to help soldiers in the field by carrying their heavy gear; Boston Dynamics, the company developing the robot, has spoken previously of using the same walker technology in urban environments or indoors, and it has already developed a fairly advanced two-legged machine.

  • Nuclear mattersR. Brooks's robots are called upon to inspect pipes at nuclear power plants

    The growing interest in nuclear power is good news for Brooks, a maker of remotely operated robotic inspection devices for pipes, especially in nuclear power plants; all power plants have intricate systems of pipes and systems whose internal condition is impossible to inspect by human eyes

  • In the trenchesRobotic platform helps soldiers carry heavy gear

    Israel Aerospace Industries unveils robotic platform designed for ground forces; the platform, carrying up to 200kg of gear, follows the lead soldier from a distance; the soldiers control the platform by using simple commands, including "stop," "fetch," and "heel"

  • Shape of things to comeHumanoid robots to help people in hazardous environments

    Current calculations required for robots' handling objects and avoiding collisions are based on movements in the XYZ coordinates, and are sensitive to any minor deformations in the environment, such as a flexible object that would cause the calculations to be invalid; researchers offer a new way to govern robots' movement

  • DARPA updateMitchell Zakin revived the chemistry discipline at DARPA

    Mitch Zakin --who says, "I joined DARPA because it is unfettered by conventional wisdom" -- will leave the agency in 2010; he has been working on developing "the infochemistry project," which combines the powers of chemistry and information technology

  • Shape of things to comeNew ground robots hops over obstacles to help in urban combat

    UGVs encounter one problem UAVs do not: obstacles; different UGVs offer different solutions top overcoming obstacles -- some slither, snake-like, over the obstacles, while other robots carefully climb over the obstacle; the Hopper can leap over 25 feet in the air to clear an obstacle

  • In the trenchesShortage of robots in Iraq led to more than 100 G.I.s dying unnecessarily

    Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch leads the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq; he lost 155 men in combat; "80 percent of those soldiers didn't have to die," he told a recent trade conference; they might have lived had the U.S. sent more capable UGVs to Iraq

  • Home robots may be hackers' next target

    Home surveillance robots could be turned against their users, researchers say; few people have home robots now, but reliance on them grows for stay-at-home elderly and the sick By

  • Robots in the fieldTALON robots for Australian forces

    Qinetiq awarded AUS$23 million to supply 2,800 TALON robots and replacement parts to support Australian defense forces deployed on operations

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