We recently wrote about the promise of the new Xbox Kinect sensor for robotics applications as well as the trend of using existing technologies to enhance the abilities of a new generation of robots. Researchers from the University of Washington have combined those two ideas with a new gesture-recognition system that uses the wireless signals
Research described in the latest issue of the journal Alcohol highlights the little-known field of “ethorobotics,” or the study of the interaction between biologically inspired robots and live animals. The interaction in this case was between groups of live zebrafish and a biomimetic robot fish designed to mimic certain zebrafish traits. In previous research, the zebrafish showed
Texas Instruments announced yesterday that it has become the first semiconductor company to install the AutoStore inventory management system. The company installed AutoStore in its Singapore product distribution center, which began ramping up this week and will be in full production by September. Texas Instruments says the installation represents the first such system in Asia. It was
Zurich-based ABB, which develops power and automation solutions, presented an impressive display of flash-charging technology at a conference last week, demonstrating its ability to power an electric bus in 15 seconds. ABB reported at the 60th congress of the International Association of Public Transport in Geneva that it is working together with the city’s public
Boomerang Systems, which builds automated parking garages, today announced a manufacturing and licensing agreement with John Bean Technologies Corporation, a global technology solutions provider. Boomerang says the arrangement will allow the company to reduce its cost structure and improve its ability to deliver a superior product in significant volumes and expedited fashion. “This is a
Yesterday, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a preliminary statement of policy concerning automated vehicles. The statement says NHTSA is encouraged by the technologies being developed and wants to work with stakeholders to “chart a steady course forward.” Proponents of automated vehicle technology should be encouraged as well, given the overall tone of
Several news organizations, including TechCrunch and VentureBeat, reported today that Double Robotics is now shipping its unique “wheels for your iPad” telepresence robot. Double, as the system is called, has managed to stand out in the somewhat crowded telepresence field because of its attractive design and relatively inexpensive price tag ($1,999 if you order today)
The biggest name in robot-assisted surgery is Intuitive Surgical, whose da Vinci Surgical System has been installed in more than 2,000 hospitals since its introduction in 1999. However, with sales of medical robots topping a billion dollars annually (Intuitive itself reported revenue of $611 million in its most recent quarter) and expected to grow, they are
ArcBotics, an educational robotics company based in Cambridge, Mass., recently earned the latest Kickstarter victory for open-source robotics. After being featured as one of Kickstarter’s Top 3 projects in a weekly email earlier this month, the company successfully funded Sparki, an Arduino-based robot designed as an introduction to programming and electronics for kids ages 11 and up.
Most media coverage of drones to date has been related to their military applications, both because of the inherent controversy and because the military is far and away the biggest user of the technology. That’s not going to change anytime soon. President Obama gave a counterterrorism speech yesterday addressing drone policy that will be dissected
