Last week, the Congressional Robotics Caucus Advisory Committee hosted a briefing in Washington to discuss ways to harness robotic technology for job creation. The overall goal of the event was to make the case that robots are not a threat, according to Mitchell Weiss, COO of Seegrid and one of four robotics industry leaders who
Robotics are clearly a big part of our collective future, and young people are the future of robotics, which is why science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become a priority for so many in the industry. It’s certainly a priority for Yaskawa Motoman, which sees a viable market for robotics platforms aimed at
AeroVironment Inc. reported today that it has received a first-of-its-kind approval from the Federal Aviation Administration that permits operators to fly commercial missions using one of its small unmanned aircraft systems. This marks the first time the FAA has approved a hand-launched unmanned aircraft system for commercial missions. The company received the “Restricted Category” rating
For years, we’ve been promised by books, television, movies (and more recently, actual researchers) that the future holds a slew of domestic robot helpers that will save us from household chores. But if you actually had such a robot, could you trust it? A new 3 1/2-year, £1.2-million project in the United Kingdom aims to
In the latest sign that 3-D printing is getting closer to the mainstream, organizers of the 2014 International CES reported yesterday that the technology will be highlighted in a new “3D Printing TechZone” at next year’s show. The annual Las Vegas-based consumer electronics show will feature 20 such market-specific zones. The public profile of 3-D
iRobot yesterday reported strong financial results for second-quarter 2013, which ended June 29. According to CEO Colin Angle, “[iRobot] had an excellent quarter following our outstanding Q1. Our Home Robot business delivered strong results both domestically and overseas and the outlook continues to be excellent. We announced our second remote presence market initiative, Enterprise Tele-presence, in
A team from MIT recently demonstrated its ability to swap autonomy software into autonomous underwater vehicles on the fly, a skill the group says is needed to advance AUV applications and enable rapid mission configuration changes in the field. The demonstration was conducted by MIT’s Laboratory of Autonomous Marine Sensing Systems to showcase the MOOS-IvP
As robots come out from behind their cages to work with humans on production floors and in warehouses and — eventually — inside our homes, we need to be certain we can prevent broken bones caused by machines that don’t know their own strength. Intelligent software and sensors already make it possible for people to
Robotics and autonomous systems are among three key technologies earmarked by the United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer to receive an £85 million investment for capital equipment. The investment comes as part of the government’s £600 million “eight great technologies” initiative, which was outlined earlier this year. Speaking earlier this week at the Global Intelligent
A DARPA-funded team led by Honeywell International Inc. has developed a novel optical fiber design using a hollow, air-filled cores that researchers say could lead to a new generation of high-power sensors. Hollow-core fiber has previously been available from overseas suppliers, but DARPA says its ongoing Compact Ultra-Stable Gyro for Absolute Reference (COUGAR) program has
