robot

If DARPA gets its way, robots will be able to drive, unlock doors, and fix leaking pipes.

The agency today released details of its Robotics Challenge, an initiative to award up to $34 million in grants to improve robots for disaster response operations. Teams will compete for as much as $2 million for a single entry.

The robots themselves don't need to take a human form, but many of the tasks DARPA's challenge addresses favor robots in humanoid form. The challenge lays out a number of jobs the robot needs to address that would be helpful in the … Read more

Next time you're tempted to flip someone off, these robotic rings might help you get the message across.

The prototype rings consist of motorized eyes and a mouth. Developers from Japan's Keio University showed them off at Interaction 2012 last month in Tokyo, along with a whack of other nutty notions like cyborg houseplants.

The idea is to promote wearable robots and expand the natural expressive abilities of hands. … Read more

Using 3D imagery and robotic helicopters, the Navy plans to scan the seas for pirates.

The Office of Naval Research last week detailed a system that uses high-definition cameras and sensors with laser-radar (LADAR) technology, also called LIDAR, to better identify small boats.

The plan is to equip a drone helicopter, called Fire Scout, with the cameras and the LADAR sensor in a system the Navy calls Multi-Mode Sensor Seeker (MMSS).

Once images are collected, software can sift through the data, comparing collected images to images of reference vessels, to help narrow in on potential problems. Without some sort of … Read more

Humanoid-robot soldiers may be getting closer to reality with DARPA's next Grand Challenge, which apparently will involve getting a robot to pull off some pretty impressive handyman skills.

According to robotics Web site Hizook, DARPA's Gill Pratt recently outlined the challenge, which calls for humanoids to be used in industrial disasters and rough terrain.

The ultimate object is to build a robot that can work in a human environment and use human tools. The industrial setting is no surprise in the aftermath of Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis, in which various robots from the U.S. have lent a helping hand (or manipulator). … Read more

You can walk into any toy store and buy a robot these days. No big deal. Back in 1939, a robot was an incredible oddity. That's why crowds flocked to see Elektro, a robot built by Westinghouse Electric for the New York World's Fair.

The talking Elektro described himself as a "smart fellow" with a "fine brain" consisting of 48 electrical relays that worked like a telephone switchboard.

Elektro was a bit of a smarty-pants, making lame jokes, smoking cigarettes, and blowing up balloons. Elektro could walk (slowly), move his mouth, and turn his head. This was pretty advanced stuff for the day. The 7-foot-tall creation took voice commands via a telephone handset.

Elektro lies low Elektro disappeared into obscurity after touring the country and then passing time as a minor attraction at a California amusement park. Elektro's story could have ended there, but the big metal guy is now in line for a revival. Elektro's head turned up in a basement and his body in a barn. … Read more

The boffins at robotics startup TheCorpora have released a video showing how long it takes to assemble their charming little droid Qbo.

The bot recently entertained us with vids in which it recognized itself in a mirror, and then recognized Jane234, the female of the species.

Powered by an open-source Linux platform, Qbo is designed to be a communications robot that's part of our everyday environment. It lacks arms and legs, but makes up for limitations on physical interactivity with its charm. It's also fun to dress up.

As described by the startup, which is led by Francisco Paz, the components in Qbo include five open-source hardware boards designed in-house; EMG-30 motors; SRF10 ultrasonic sensors; an LCD screen; a hard drive; and a PC motherboard. … Read more

The U.S. Navy is making autonomous robots a bigger part of its mission.

The Naval Research Laboratory yesterday announced the opening of the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research, an addition to the lab's campus in Washington, D.C.

The $17.7 million lab was created to allow scientists and engineers to test robotic devices in a range of environments where service members serve. It includes a simulated tropical rain forest in a greenhouse, a room with desert features, and a pool similar to near-shore waters.

The Navy, and the military in general, is one of the biggest drivers … Read more

In the future, you may go to a "Robo Kinkos" store to have your robots printed.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology today announced a five-year research initiative to let people design personalized robots and have them made with three-dimensional printers.

The ambitious project envisions a day where individuals choose from a set of templates to create a robot to solve a specific task, be it playing with a pet or measuring radon levels in a basement. It is funded by a $10 million National Science Foundation grant and includes the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.

"This … Read more

If the word "robot" conjures up for you machines with two eyes and four limbs, it's time to think again.

The robots having a commercial impact today have little to do with C-3PO, Terminator, Rosie the Maid, or other humanoid robots from popular culture. Instead, working robots are surprisingly diverse and, rather than mimic humans' every move, focus on a few very specific tasks.

For a sign of how robotics is shaping up, consider Amazon's $775 million purchase of Kiva Systems last month. Kiva's machines are designed to navigate warehouses to collect products and automate … Read more