July 1, 2010
We’ve covered a couple different proposals for DARPA’s Squishbot Chembot program, including a blobbot powered by air and a robotic amoeba powered by chemicals. This latest Chembot prototype is a collaboration between iRobot, MIT, and Harvard, and like its Chembot compatriots, the system of movement it employs is quite simple: by selectively inflating compartments on its exterior, the robot can roll itself forward. Ultimately, this robot would be powered by chemical pressure (instead of compressed air), achieved through thermal expansion or phase transition or “smart fluid” (whatever that is). It goes without saying that I find this whole program extremely cool and innovative, but also a little bit, I dunno, freaky. I think it’s because these Chembots strike some sort of Uncanny Valley chord with me… Not in terms of their resemblance to a human (obviously), but in a more general sense: they appear biological while being artificial. And this pseudo-biological construction and behavior comes across in a not great way, like space alien brain slug laying eggs in your eyeballs biological. I think it’s the way it pulses or something. But maybe that’s just me. I do think that robots like these have a lot of potential, specifically because they are so different. DARPA thinks so too, of course, but it’s fun to think about what kinds of non DARPA-y applications a Chembot might have… Like, I dunno, maybe blobbing around inside my couch looking for loose change, or landing a starring role in a horror movie or something. [ MIT CSAIL DRL ] VIA [ Hizook ]
June 29, 2010
Air-Hair is a “virtual reality haircut simulator” from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, although it looks like that virtual reality is more Lawnmower Man than…whatever good virtual reality is. More »
June 29, 2010
The Kawasaki and Mouri Laboratory at Gifu University in Japan are researching and developing a touch interface which, combined with 3D displays, could offer a new way to simulate the touching of objects. HIRO III is a haptic interface robot which can provide realistic kinesthetic sensations to the user’s hand and fingers, while the 3D display provides the visual experience. Possible applications include medical diagnostics training, but for now, HIRO III is still in the lab. Interestingly, we’ve seen a very similar — albeit more scholastic — take on the same idea very recently. Hit the video below for a fuller look at this one. Continue reading 3D displays and haptic interfaces come together in HIRO III Filed under: Displays, Robots 3D displays and haptic interfaces come together in HIRO III originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | source DigiInfo | Email this | Comments
June 29, 2010
We’ve always wondered whether Microsoft’s multitouch table would actually ever arrive, dreaming of Minority Report hijinx all the while, but after seeing what the company’s Applied Sciences Group is currently cooking up — a touchless telepresence display — we’d rather drop that antiquated pinch-to-zoom stuff in favor of what might be Surface’s next generation. Starting with one of Samsung’s prototype transparent OLED panels, Microsoft dropped a sub-two-inch camera behind the glass, creating a 3D gesture control interface that tracks your every move by literally seeing through the display. Combined with that proprietary wedge-shaped lens we saw earlier this month and some good ol’ Johnny Chung Lee headtracking by the man himself, we’re looking at one hell of a screen. Don’t you dare read another word without seeing the prototype in a trifecta of videos after the break. Continue reading Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video) Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink OLED-Info | source Microsoft Applied Sciences Group | Email this | Comments
June 29, 2010
When I originally heard about PR2 being taught to push a cart, my comment was “meh,” at least in contrast to PR2 fetching beer or playing pool. However, nobody told me that the robot would be picking up trash, putting it on the aforementioned cart, and then pushing the cart over to the sink. We’re about to go full circle here, folks… PR2 fetches beer. PR2 plays pool while you drink beer. PR2 cleans up beer. Repeat. Pushing a cart is also trickier than it seems. The physical act of pushing is not particularly challenging, but the cart makes it significantly more difficult for the robot to navigate. Not only does the cart block the PR2’s forward view, but in effect, it changes the shape of the robot, changing how PR2 has to move, especially in tight spaces. The solution to this involved just applying different motion planning software, which was easy to do, thanks to the open source environment of ROS and the standardized PR2 platform. What I don’t entirely understand is the need for a human in the loop to identify specific containers for cleaning. I guess it might be bad for PR2 to pick up things containing liquid in case it spills, but remember that nifty squeezing experiment from last September that showed how PR2 could tell the difference between open and closed and full and empty containers? Seems like this would be the perfect time to use it. [ Willow Garage ]
June 29, 2010
This year’s RoboCup 2010 KidSize championship match was all German, with the FUmanoids from Berlin against the Darmstadt Dribblers. This is no surprise, since it was the exact same final match in 2009. The Dribblers took home the trophy (not sure if there’s actually a trophy), and before you leave unimpressed, remember that this is a fully autonomous match, with the robots relying entirely on their programming and a webcam on their head to find the ball and then decide what to do with it. More vids, after the jump. Here’s what the game looks like to the robot… This particular robot is Bruno, from the Darmstadt Dribblers, who made one of the most epic goals of the 2009 competition\. And here’s the Darmstadt Dribblers versus Team DARwin (from the US) in the semifinals: [ Darmstadt Dribblers ] [ BotSportTV ] Thanks Stefan!