Category: Research

Cornell researchers 3D print fully functional loudspeaker

In a development that provides a glimpse of 3D printing’s potential, Cornell University researchers have 3D printed a working loudspeaker, according to the university. That’s impressive because instead of creating the shell of a product using 3D printing, they created an integrated system – albeit a simple one. The loudspeaker was designed by mechanical engineering

As Robotics Challenge nears, CMU shares final robot design

The next round of the DARPA Robotics Challenge is just a week away, and we’ve started to see a lot more of the robots that will be competing. NASA finally gave a glimpse of its entry earlier this week, and Carnegie Mellon University just released a variety a photos and videos of its robot, known

NASA builds its Robonaut legs, pulls back curtain on “Valkyrie”

The International Space Station’s robotic crewmember Robonaut 2 is currently legless, which is less of a problem in space than it would be on Earth but still poses certain limitations. NASA engineers evidently weren’t satisfied with that arrangement, however, because they went ahead and built a set of legs that are scheduled to arrive at

Facebook forms new AI Group to study artificial intelligence

Facebook has formed a new artificial intelligence group and hired Yann LeCun, director of the Center for Data Science at New York University, to run it, according to a post on LeCun’s Facebook page that was later shared by Facebook Academics. “Facebook has created a new research laboratory with the ambitious, long-term goal of bringing

MRIGlobal concludes work on robot test mannequin project

MRIGlobal reported yesterday that it has completed work on a robotic mannequin and containment chamber to test protective equipment for the U.S. Department of Defense. When fully implemented, the system will make it possible test the effectiveness of protective military clothing when exposed to dangerous chemicals. The five-year “Individual Protection Ensemble Mannequin System” (IPEMS) project

Navy successfully launches UAV from submerged sub

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory reported today that it launched an all-electric, fuel cell-powered unmanned aerial system from a submerged submarine. The “eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System,” or XFC UAS, was fired from the torpedo tube of the USS Providence using a “Sea Robin” launch vehicle system. The Sea Robin launch system was designed to fit

Four self-funded robots qualify for DARPA Robotics Challenge

The field for this month’s DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials is now set, with four self-funded teams — who built their own hardware and software for the competition — rounding out the line-up. Previously, we learned about the seven teams that survived the Virtual Robotics Challenge and received an ATLAS robot as well as the six

For door-to-door delivery, robots must improve gait

Following Sunday’s announcement on “60 Minutes” that Amazon is considering a fleet of package-delivery drones — which was met with more than a few raised eyebrows — the New York Times revealed today that Google has purchased no less than seven robotics companies this year, causing some to speculate that the search giant could eventually

Polaris provides wheels for DARPA Robotics Challenge

One of the advantages of humanoid robots is that — in theory — they can make use of existing infrastructure and tools that were designed for humans. That premise will be put to the test in a big way at the DARPA Robotics Challenge, where a variety of robots will be asked to perform human-like

Honeybee Robotics systems aim to revive dead satellites

When your car breaks down, you generally don’t chalk it up as a total loss and leave it for dead on the side of the road. However, that’s essentially what happens when a communications satellite fails in orbit 22,000 miles above the Earth, where thousands of such devices now float as space debris. Many of