Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

3D-printed robot MARC to be showcased at national engineering event

A 3D-printed robot will be one of the star attractions at an annual event aimed at inspiring the next generation of manufacturers and engineers. MARC (Multi-Actuated Robotic Companion) will interact with visitors to the Get up to Speed with Engineering and Manufacturing event.

March 26, 2014 Read more

Robotic arm probes chemistry of 3-D objects by mass spectrometry

A new robotic system at Georgia Tech's Center for Chemical Evolution could soon let scientists better simulate and analyze the chemical reactions of early Earth on the surface of real rocks to further test the theory that catalytic minerals on a meteorite's surface could have jump-started life's first chemical reactions.

March 26, 2014 Read more

Field oc competitors expands for DARPA Robotics Challenge

Team SCHAFT, the highest-scoring team at the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials in December 2013, has elected to switch to the self-funded Track D of the program. The team was recently acquired by Google Inc.

March 25, 2014 Read more

ROS: software components for industrial robotics

Already firmly established among the research community, ROS is now set to become the industry standard. The open-source 'Robot Operating System' (ROS) offers a host of highly developed software components that can be efficiently employed also for industrial applications.

March 25, 2014 Read more

Modular and versatile: key technologies for robot-assisted cleaning

Commercial cleaning robots are designed to clean offices and dispose of waste paper. As part of the collaborative project 'Plug and Play for Automation Systems' (AutoPnP), scientists at Fraunhofer IPA have developed the necessary software components for such applications.

March 25, 2014 Read more

'RoboClam' replicates a clam's ability to burrow while using little energy

Robot builds on insights into Atlantic razor clam dynamics.

March 24, 2014 Read more

Cognitive and collaborative: CoWeldRob - the welding robot assistant

It can localize components, automatically generate programs, learn from the worker and collaborate with him. For the European research initiative SMErobotics, scientists are developing a cognitive and collaborative welding robot assistant called CoWeldRob.

March 18, 2014 Read more

Human-robot interaction: sensor-controlled assembly

The focus is on effective human-robot interaction at a workstation similar to those on a shop floor, the goal being to enable the worker to easily program the robot and use it intuitively like a tool.

March 18, 2014 Read more

Innovative image processing for service robots

Fraunhofer IPA presents new technologies for 3D environment perception and object recognition.

March 17, 2014 Read more

Soft robotic fish moves like the real thing (w/video)

A new robotic fish can change direction almost as rapidly as a real fish.

March 13, 2014 Read more

If you want to trust a robot, look at how it makes decisions

Robots, and autonomous systems in general, can cause anxiety and uncertainty, particularly as their use in everyday tasks becomes a more immediate possibility. In order to lessen at least some of that anxiety, we should shift our focus from the decisions robots could make on our behalf to how they actually make them in the first place. In some ways, they may be more trustworthy than a human.

March 11, 2014 Read more

University of Nevada, Reno joins with NevadaNano for flying robot sensor project

New US Army contract funds initial phase of development of innovative autonomous aerial system.

March 6, 2014 Read more

Robotic prosthesis turns drummer into a three-armed cyborg (w/video)

Invention gives amputee more control and creativity

March 6, 2014 Read more

NASA tests new robotic refueling technologies (w/video)

NASA has successfully concluded a remotely controlled test of new technologies that would empower future space robots to transfer hazardous oxidizer - a type of propellant - into the tanks of satellites in space today.

March 6, 2014 Read more

Helping robots learn to walk

A two-legged robot can learn to walk on different surfaces thanks to computer code that mimics the natural adaptability of humans.

February 28, 2014 Read more

Robotic technology in the service of fashion

Two companies receiving support from the Business Incubator in Universidad Carlos III in Madrid's Science Park are innovating the field of fashion by using technology based in robotics. Samsamia is launching a mobile application - Dresscovery - that identifies a bag just by taking a photo of it, while beMee is creating a system, called Proximus, that locates people visiting a shopping mall in order to better serve them.

February 27, 2014 Read more

Rise of the compliant machines

MIT spinout Meka Robotics, recently acquired by Google, creates 'sociable' humanoids that could help advance human-robot interaction.

February 20, 2014 Read more

Robotic construction crew needs no foreman (w/video)

Inspired by termites' resilience and collective intelligence, a team of computer scientists and engineers has created an autonomous robotic construction crew. The system needs no supervisor, no eye in the sky, and no communication: just simple robots - any number of robots - that cooperate by modifying their environment.

February 19, 2014 Read more