“SupraPeds: Humanoid Contact-Supported Locomotion for 3D Unstructured Environments,” by Oussama Khatib and Shu-Yun Chung from Stanford University, was presented at ICRA 2014 in Hong Kong.
“Robots Using Environment Objects as Tools: The ‘MacGyver’ Paradigm for Mobile Manipulation,” by Mike Stilman, Can Erdogan, Saul Reynolds-Haertle, Munzir Zafar, Peng Hou, and Gregory Tracy from Georgia Tech, presented at ICRA 2014 in Hong Kong.
IEEE Spectrum editor Phillip Ross shows off his new favorite office toy, Tengu. Tengu’s not cheap (he’ll set you back $50) but he does have 8 different faces to mock you with when you speak.
The next great robot… won’t look like a robot at all, according the Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway. Robots will be anywhere and everywhere, but look nothing like C-3PO.
How do the students on each Cambridge campus feel about Harvard’s new engineering school?
Sci-fi author Vernor Vinge talks about the run-up to a technological singularity and what we can do to engineer the best outcome for humans. The interview is part of IEEE Spectrum’s Singularity Special Report: http://spectrum.ieee.org/singularity In the report, Vinge also updates his ideas in an article called “Signs of the Singularity”: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jun08/6306
Mitsubishi hopes their new LaserVue TVs will give LCD and Plasma screens a run for their money. The screens use three lasers to scan the screen at 1080p. The main sacrifice is depth-the TV’s are about ten inches thick. IEEE Spectrum http://spectrum.ieee.org caught up with Mitsubishi at NYC’s Digital Experience in July.
Highlights from the Army Science Conference in Orlando, Florida, December 1-4. Vecna Technologies demonstrates the BEAR–Battlefield Extraction and Assist Robot.
Highlights from the 26th annual Army Science Conference in Orlando, Florida. Here, a demonstration of Live 3D teleconferencing developed at the Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California.
Hasbro’s US $180 animatronic dog only listens to some voice commands. For more on the review, visit http://spectrum.ieee.org/nov08/6916/5
Balloon robots from the University of Tokyo at SIGGRAPH Asia art gallery.
Mattel’s Mindflex was one of the more innovative toys we saw at CES.
A little bit of everything from National Instruments Week: robots that solve a Rubik’s Cube, play the knife/hand game, and musical instruments; a blended phone that catches on fire; and an automated system to sort your beer bottles.
National Instruments and Intel demo uses a quad-core processor to run both Frets on Fire and the robot who plays it.
A small autonomous agile robot with an on-board neurologically-based control system. Developed by engineering professor Roger Quinn and his team at Case Western Reserve University. Video presented at IEEE IROS 2009.
DASH (Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod) is a resilient high-speed 16-gram hexapedal robot. Developed by P. Birkmeyer & R.S. Fearing, Biomimetic Millisystems Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. Video presented at IEEE IROS 2009.
iRobot’s soft, shape-shifting robot blob can roll around and change shape. Video from IEEE IROS 2009.
Skiing robot navigates autonomously using video camera and other sensors. Developed by Bojan Nemec at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Slovenia. Video presented at IEEE/RSJ IROS 2009.
AWE (animated work environment) is a robotic wall that can change the spatial characteristics of the work environment, adapting to such activities as collaboration, presentations, and gaming. Developed at Clemson University.
Skiing robot navigates autonomously using video camera and other sensors. Developed by Bojan Nemec at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Slovenia. Video presented at IEEE/RSJ IROS 2009.