Robotics Alley, a Minnesota-based conference and expo for the robotics industry, yesterday announced keynote speakers for the November event. The list includes Rodney Brooks of Rethink Robotics, Michael Toscano of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and Robot Film Festival founder Heather Knight, among others. Robotics Alley was founded in 2011 by ReconRobotics and
Northrop Grumman put out a release today touting its sponsorship of the UAV Challenge – Outback Rescue, a joint effort between the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation and Australia’s national science agency. The goal of the competition is to grow the country’s civil UAV industry and raise awareness of civilian applications. Current Australian law
Health Robotics, whose machines automate the process of preparing IV drugs for hospitals and pharmacies, reported today that it has surpassed 500 worldwide installations under contract. The company set a record in its third quarter with 38 new sales, adding to significantly higher year-to-date sales overall. With 174 contracts thus far, compared to 79 new
Robotics software company 5D Robotics, working in collaboration with intelligent systems designer Charles River Analytics, has been awarded $100,000 by the U.S. government’s Small Business Innovation Research program to create a new autonomous robot. The robot will be designed to interact with human team members by “physically following its teammates and reacting to visual and gestured
Although headline writers like to invoke “The Terminator” whenever a promising new robot comes along, there are many challenges to overcome in robotics before anything remotely like it is possible. For one, artificial intelligence will have to advance to a point where it can regularly churn out memorable Schwarzenegger-worthy catch phrases like “Hasta la vista,
SRI International spin-off Grabit Inc., which has developed a patented electroadhesion technology for robotics, material handling, and industrial automation, has received Series A funding. The investment was led by venture capital firm Formation 8 with additional investments from ABB Technology Ventures and Nike Inc. The amount invested by each firm was not disclosed, but SEC
Massachusetts-based Bluefin Robotics, the company behind a variety of autonomous underwater vehicles for commercial-, scientific- and defense-based applications, reported today that it has acquired software provider SeeByte Ltd. SeeByte makes software specifically for underwater vehicles, sensors and systems, and the two companies have worked together for more than five years developing software for Bluefin’s platforms.
Whenever Boston Dynamics releases a video of one of its new robots, it’s an event. The company’s introduction to its latest creation, WildCat, was no exception — a clip posted yesterday on YouTube has already racked up more than a half-million views. WildCat is seen bounding through a parking lot in the video, and unlike
Arduino, the open-source electronics hardware and software favored by many hobbyist, makers and professional roboticists alike, is getting a new family of “Arduino Certified” boards featuring Intel architecture. The news was announced today by Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich during Maker Faire Rome. The first product is Intel Galileo, a microcontroller
Among the “most surprising consequences of a government shutdown” noted by ABC News yesterday was one that potentially affects the unmanned systems industry — namely, the suspension of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle-to-vehicle communications safety research. The project looks at ways connected vehicles — including cars, trucks, buses and trains — can communicate wirelessly to reduce
