We’ve seen all kinds of crazy jumping robots, from humanoids to grasshoppers to soft and flexible spheres. But when you start making small robots, like _seriously _small robots (on the millimeter scale), you have to find new ways to get them to jump, and the Army Research Laboratory has teamed up with the University of Maryland to develop a co... continue reading
DARPA has just approved for public release a video of this awesome project: a fully controllable robot arm that can be inflated and deflated like a balloon. The AIRarm is lightweight, inexpensive, and stows compactly. It’s inflated and deflated with an on-board pump, and uses actuators and strings to move its joints without embedded motors. W... continue reading
It’s time once again for the awesome, fun-filled and now famous Annual Kolkata Workshop organised by Technology Robotix Society. Like every time, this year’s workshop, is shaping up to be quite the show. Painstakingly made presentations are used to give the crowd a full introduction to the fundamentals of autonomous robotics and image processing... continue reading
Networks of autonomous robots will someday transform warfare,but significant hurdles remain. Two small planes fly low over a village,methodically scanning the streets below. Within minutes, they spot their target near the edge of town. With no way to navigate through the streets, they radio for help. Soon after, a metallic blue SUV begins mov... continue reading
Silicon Valley is known for its software, semiconductor, and Internet companies. Can it become a high-tech nexus for robotics too? “Yes,” says Rich Mahoney, director of robotics at SRI International, in Menlo Park, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley. And to make sure that people know it, he and his colleagues at SRI, along with local robo... continue reading
We recently came across a really awesome project using the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT and the Raspberry Pi: The PiBot Raspberry Pi NXT Robot. Flypig.co.uk has released pictures, some code, and a quick explanation of how they combined the Raspberry Pi and the NXT. The Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized computer sold for about $25. It’s an amazing ... continue reading
Hector is a robot designed to assist elderly people who suffer from mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Developed as part of the CompanionAble project by researchers at the Smart Homes foundation in the Netherlands. Herjan van den Heuvel of Smart Homes writes: "The developed care robot acts as a coach and companion, and supports the user by means... continue reading
Back in January, Adept’s Erin Rapacki told that it’s time to start 3D scanning the world. But it’s not an easy thing to actually go and, you know, do. There are approximately 975 bajillion different objects out there in the world that robots need to know how to interact with, and the only way we’re going to learn about them all (short of Goog... continue reading
Physical remote controls might be nice when it comes to precision, but they’ve got nothing on mind-control when it comes to awesome. Using an EEG headset, a computer, and some serious thought-power, researchers have developed a quadrotor you can steer with your brain. Developed at Zhejiang University, the Flying Buddy 2 is controlled with a ser... continue reading
The Kharagpur Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Group, conveniently called KRAIG, is the technical wing of Technology Robotix Society, and is a slightly larger group of students who learn robotics throughout the year and work on projects. Having cleared the test that is held soon after the start of the academic session and some introductory... continue reading