Scarab, a robot developed by Carnegie Mellon University with support from NASA, is about to be tested at Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano to prove its fitness for the extreme conditions of space.
The robot was developed by the Lunar Rover Initiative, a group of scientists from the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute. The test mission, intended to mimic a lunar rover mission, will have Scarab climb, drill, extract, and analyze samples, CMU announced Tuesday.
CMU's Scarab robot will set out to prove itself on Mauna Kea in Hawaii this November.
(Credit: Carnegie Mellon University)The dormant volcano and Hawaii's highest mountain, Mauna Kea is best known for its elite observatory of astronomical telescopes. But on this mission, scientists will be looking within instead of out at the universe.
The 400-kilogram (880-pound) robot has a suspension system that allows it to climb or drive on steep inclines of sand and rock. Scarab's November 1-13 mission will take place about two-thirds of the way up to Mauna Kea's peak at an elevation of 9,000 feet. The robot will take samples from the dormant volcano.
One of Scarab's innovative tools specifically being tested during the November mission is a drill from Norcat (Northern Centre for Advanced Technology) and a chemical analysis device from NASA.
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(Credit:
Carnegie Mellon University)
There may come a day when telling someone to "talk to the hand" will be socially acceptable.
Designers Bhargav Bhat, Hemant Sikaria, and Priya Narasimhan are working on a prototype called "HandTalk," which essentially is a phone for the hearing impaired. This wearable glove device detects the motions and gestures used in sign language, translates them into audio, then plays it all back on a cell phone or mobile device.
Recently showcased at the Meeting Of The Minds expo at Carnegie Mellon University Center, the mobile software app can reportedly detect 32 words to date--a mere drop in the ocean, but it's a start. One the team members hopes to expand by integrating pressure sensors and accelerometers to augment the flexor strips on the glove's digits. Hopefully, this will turn out to be more than vaporware, unlike a certain glove camera we've seen.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Carnegie Mellon University)
Carnegie Mellon University will upgrade its 6.5-ton robot mobile, the "Crusher," by adding advanced suspension and hybrid-electric innards as part of a $14.4 million Army grant meant to push the envelope for unmanned ground vehicles.
The project, a result of more than two decades of robotics research by the university's National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), will demonstrate how advanced vehicle and navigation technology can solve transportation challenges like those encountered by supply convoys in Iraq, according to the university (PDF).
Onboard sensors and a program called PerceptOR allow the vehicle to perceive and autonomously navigate in complex, off-road environments by fusing geometric and color sensors, GPS, odometry, and other data. It can also integrate a UAV, or "Flying Eye," that floats ahead of ground vehicles "to detect holes and other hazards."
"We're delighted that NREC will play a key role in showing how advanced autonomous vehicles work in Future Combat Systems settings," NREC Director John Bares said in the press release. He predicts the Crusher will be used in convoy roles at first, then tactical ones. "In 5 to 10 years, we should see robots working alongside our troops to protect them and help with tasks in the field."
This UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) builds on its DARPA-funded predecessor, the Spinner (PDF). Both capitalize on the absence of human crews, which means larger payloads of up to 8,000 pounds. It's powered by electric motors embedded in each of the vehicle's wheels that get their juice from a hybrid-turbo diesel generator charged by lithium-ion battery. Top speed is said to be 26 miles per hour.
The aluminum and titanium hull rides on state-of-the-art suspension and is protected by a steel skid plate, all of which allows it to move smoothly over large ditches, man-made barriers, piles of boulders, stumps, and other vehicles.
The National Institute of Health has given a group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh a $426,000 grant to study the effectiveness of a watch for measuring stress.
The eWatch is a giant wristwatch that is both a sensor device and a computer.
It measures sounds, motion, ambient light and location of the environment, as well as the skin temperature, health status and activity level of the wearer.
The device was developed by Daniel Siewiorek, director of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute in Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science, and Asim Smailagic, research professor in Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering.
The study itself, led by University of Pittsburgh professor of psychology Thomas Kamarck, will use the eWatch to determine specifically what factors constitute stress for an individual and "quantify how stressors affect one's daily life, as well as to pinpoint when these effects begin and when they end."
Previous studies have shown that people who report that they have more stressful lifestyles also have higher rates of illness such as heart disease. But it's been hard to pinpoint detailed information on how stressful experiences affect individuals on a moment-to-moment basis long-term, according to Carnegie Mellon's statement on the project.
To that end, study participants will wear the eWatch for five days and answer up to 3 minutes worth of questions asked by the eWatch every 45 minutes.
The questions will be things like 'Working hard?' and 'Happy?' with a 'yes' or 'no' response possible.
We just couldn't pass up showing you this how-to video from Carnegie Mellon University's Robot 250 program.
As part of the lead-up to Pittsburgh's 250-year anniversary--a city with strong roots in robotics--the Heinz Foundation, Intel and the Grable Foundation are sponsoring a series of events from Carnegie Mellon to educate citizens on robotics and their city's robotic heritage.
In addition to opening up robot-building to students for education, average citizens and artists have been invited to participate in various events that will run through 2009.
The robotic cucumber hand comes from an event hosted by a CMU computer scientist, Maya, a design consultancy and technology research lab, and the Mattress Factory, a Pittsburgh contemporary art museum, as part of the Community Open Studios component of Robot 250.
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