RoboticArm
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NASA asteroid mission could explain how life began (and how ours might end)
There's a slight chance that the Earth could get hit by an asteroid in about 170 years, but don't you worry -- NASA's all over it. This week, the agency announced a new mouthful of a mission known as Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, for short. The $800 million initiative, part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, will send a spacecraft to link up with 1999 RQ36 -- a nearby asteroid that's likely rich in carbon and other organic molecules that could explain how life forms originated. After about four years of space travel, the craft should get close enough to map the asteroid's surface, before using its robotic arm to extract at least two ounces of material and return it to Earth by 2023. Scientists will also pay close attention to something known as the Yarkovsky effect, which determines how an asteroid's path changes as it absorbs and emits energy from the sun. OSIRIS-REx will attempt to measure this affect for the first time, perhaps allowing NASA to predict the trajectories of potentially hazardous asteroids -- including the RQ36. The 1,900-foot wide rock is expected to approach Earth by the year 2182 and, according to recent estimates, there's a one in a thousand chance that it could actually strike our planet. Now if you excuse us, we have to go prepare a bunker for our great-great-grandchildren. Head past the break for a video and full press release.
Robot arm learns to use hammer, mocks pathetic human's attempt to fight back (video)
This guy had a pretty natural reaction upon discovering that the DLR Hand Arm System has learned to use a hammer: he took a bat to the thing. Rather than curbing the inevitable robotic uprising, however, the whole thing just demonstrates exactly how durable the mechanical appendage is, as it resumes normal functionality after the swift blow. The arm contains 52 motors and super strong synthetic tendons, and is the work of the German Aerospace Center, the electronic sadists who also recently took a hammer to one of their robot hands. Videos of the mayhem after the jump -- we're sure they'll be Skynet's Exhibit A. [Thanks, Joseph]
Ball-throwing robot seal has a talent for basketball, embarrassing humans (video)
You pick up your first tan leather roundball at the age of 9, you practice religiously for a decade before you can even feel worthy of calling yourself a basketball player, and then you find a video online of a robotic seal that can shoot better than you after just a few weeks in the lab. Yep, some Taiwanese know-it-alls have put together a robo-seal that converts 99 percent of shots (admittedly with a toy ball launched at a toy hoop) within a three-meter range. It's basically just an articulating arm with stereo vision for some good old depth perception, but it's sophisticated enough to maintain its killer accuracy even if the target is moved from its spot. That's more lethal that Shaq or Karl Malone's elbows ever were. Video's after the break, skip to the 1:05 mark if you don't care about the details of how it's done.
Brain-controlled robot arm kicks off new FDA program to speed up approval of medical devices
As we've seen, the FDA approval process for medical devices and other gadgets can be a long one, but it looks like things could soon be speeding up considerably. The agency has just announced a new "Innovation Pathway" program that promises to allow for priority reviews of "truly pioneering technologies," which could potentially cut the approval process time in half. Somewhat ironically, however, that program itself will first need some further review before it's broadly deployed, but the FDA has already kicked things off on a limited basis with its first submission: a brain-controlled robotic arm from DARPA. It's not clear which arm that is, but it sounds a lot like the now-famous "Luke" arm developed by Dean Kamen's Deka organization, which just so happens to be funded by DARPA. Head on past the break for the official press release, and a video of the FDA's webcast announcing the program. Update: A tipster has pointed out that the robotic arm in question, and seen briefly in the video after the break, is actually the Modular Prosthetic Limb developed by Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (now pictured above), not Deka's Luke arm.
Audi robot arms take over London, write messages with LEDs day and night (video)
Here's yet another fine preview of the inevitable robot apocalypse -- car-assembling arms in the city center overlooking us feeble humans. For now, though, these machines are merely part of an Kram/Weisshaar art installation dubbed Outrace. Throughout the week-long London Design Festival, you can go to Outrace.org to submit a short text message that you wish to be displayed in Trafalgar Square, and with a bit of luck, the monitoring staff will pick up your greeting. What happens next is that the eight LED-equipped robot arms (KUKA KR 180; loaned by Audi) will start scribing your message in the air, which is then captured by the 36 long-exposure cameras surrounding the stage (even during the day, courtesy of welding glass filter), and it'll end up on the LED board as pictured. Stuck outside London? Fret not, as you can see the beasts in action via the website's live video stream, or you can watch bullet-time videos of each text submission on Outrace's YouTube channel -- you can see our message in both clips after the break. Enjoy! Update: Turns out the robots picked up our second message as well, and better yet, it was displayed during the day! Check out the new video after the break.%Gallery-102595%
Lego arm moves slowly, rocks mightily (video)
If you've made a Lego skull you're ultimately going to need some appendages to go with it, and Polish Lego-mistrz Paul (who goes by the handle Sariel) is the man behind this fully-articulated right arm. It uses a combination of electric motors and pneumatic valves that enable it to move... slowly. In a video embedded below that's overflowing with Marilyn Manson angst (turn down those speakers, office-bound readers) you can see it shambling from side to side and rotating at the wrist as the pneumatic fingers are actuated. The range of movement is impressive, but this thing looks about as easy to operate as a dockside crane and seems slightly less precise. Still, it's an impressive feat of plastic engineering; that it was whipped up over a weekend makes it even more so.
Robot arms do battle... Medieval Times-style
Sure, it's not uncommon to see one robot arm take a break from productivity to engage in some shenanigans potentially fraught with peril, but two robot arms slacking off and wielding weapons? Well, that's cause for some sort of celebration. As you can see in the video after the break, however, whomever was responsible for this madness didn't completely let the arms loose on each other, which we can only hope means they're saving the arms for the inevitable Wiimote-controlled version.[Via Boing Boing Gadgets]
New robotic arm promises to mind Newton's third law
Don't you hate it how simply moving a robotic arm in a microgravity environment can produce enough negative reaction forces to alter a spacecraft's orientation? Well, a group of researchers from Cornell University have now devised a new type of robot arm that they say could make that pesky problem a thing of the past. To do that, they've employed a device known as a control-moment gyroscope (or CMG) instead of a motor to control the arm's joints, which not only reduces the amount energy required to move the arm, but lets it move faster as well. As you can see above, they've already tested the arm on board NASA's famous Vomit Comet, but there's no indication just yet as to when or if the arm will actually see action in space.
Robo arm Diggs without complaining, smells better than your brother
Look, this top ten celebrity child-rearing tips list of ours is gonna make it to the top, we just know it, and we're tired of hitting up family members to get stories out of the single digits. Luckily there's a better way. The robotic Digg arm -- which appears to be slightly or entirely fake -- refreshes a page, detects Digg badges on the screen, and then moves the cursor over them to "manually" Digg the stories. Apparently the bot can Digg 1500 stories a day, but we're gonna need some more evidence than this joke vid (embedded after the break) to be convinced of this bot's actual, welcomed existence.[Via Make]
Robotic Copycat Arm promises to taunt you with ease
While mind-control interfaces are all well and good, sometimes a simpler solution makes a bit more sense, and that's where this so-called Copycat Arm comes in. Developed by a group of researchers at the University of Tsukub, it makes use of a high-speed camera to monitor a person's movements, which are apparently instantly (and creepily) mimicked by the robot arm.Eventually, the researchers say the same system could be used as a computer interface, which they say could eliminate the need for a mouse and keyboard. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a video of the arm in action, but those heading to SIGGRAPH 2008 will apparently be able to check it out first hand.
Wiimote used to control robotic arm, effectively this time
Sure, it's been done before, but that doesn't make the idea of a robotic arm controlled by a Wiimote any less exciting, especially when the arm is actually responsive. That feat is aided considerably by the fact that this latest setup was developed by an engineer from National Instruments, who made use of some of the company's LabVIEW hardware and a specially-designed Bluetooth adapter to control the arm at the flick of a wrist (or using the Wiimote's buttons). Check it out in action in the video after the break -- don't worry, no one gets hurt.
The Wooden Menace: DIY robotic arm on the cheap
Oh yeah, we've seen our fair share of robotic arms, but it's not everyday that a craftsman posts an eight-page tutorial on how to construct one of your own for less than $60. The Wooden Menace was designed to show that an inexpensive robotic arm could indeed be constructed using household junk and a few store-bought parts, and while its utility is relatively limited, there's a certain level of cool to having such a device guarding your paperwork at the office. Aside from a cloned PS1 controller and a few hunks of wood, you'll only need a voltage regulator, microcontroller, five servos, a 20MHz oscillator and a few other parts to make it all come together. No need in giving you the run down here -- there's eight pages chock full of details (videos included) awaiting you in the read link below.[Via MAKE]
"Justin" humanoid robot gets shown off, no one harmed
It may just be for demonstration purposes for now, but this humanoid robot dubbed "Justin" certainly looks like he means business, and we can all be thankful that's he's confined to a table or there's no telling how things might have gone down. Apparently, Justin's biggest claim to fame is his pair of DLR-III Light-Weight arms which, in addition to making other robot arms look positively retro, are dexterous enough to pick up a trash can and dump it or twist a lid off a jar. No word as to when Justin might be let loose from the lab, but you can get a better look at what he's capable of in the video at the site linked below.
Brain2Robot project creates EEG-controlled robot arm
Thought-controlled appendages are far from new, but an international team of researchers have apparently created an apparatus that aims to make the lives of paralyzed individuals a tad easier. The Brain2Robot project utilizes electroencephalograph (EEG) signals in order to give patients the ability to control a robotic arm, which could eventually be used to do everything from hold periodicals to lift a cup of coffee. Reportedly, the arm could be ready for commercial use within just a few years, but there's no mention of an expected price range. Granted, we'd be a bit more excited about all of this if the technology were somehow made mobile, but it's hard to kvetch about a helping hand, regardless.[Via Primidi]
Robot arm issues subtle plea for help in promotional video
Apparently looking to show off the dexterity of its "Airic's_arm," automation firm Festo recently put together a slick promotional video that appears to show the robot arm writing "HELLO" on a touchscreen monitor. It seems that the arm may have had ideas of its own, however, as the writing appears to spell out "HELP" as much as it does "HELLO." Exactly what sort of distress the arm had to endure to cause it to issue this potentially non-existent plea, we're not sure. but we'd recommend that the folks at Festo not turn their back on the thing unless they want some robot arms of their own. Hit up the read link below for the complete video. [Thanks, Chad]
Festo's fluidic muscles make us all look weak
Yeah, we've seen some pretty fancy robotic arm work already this year, but Festo is out to show 'em all up with its fluidic muscle-packin' Airic's_arm. This robotic prosthesis sports a "bone structure" which mimics that found on a real live human, and can be moved via the 30 "muscles" built within. Essentially, Festo's approach to movement relies on "an elastomer tube reinforced by aramid fibers, which contract quickly and exert a pulling force when they're filled with a blast of compressed air or liquid." Of course, you'll notice it doesn't offer quite the same range as less bionic alternatives, but this thing's pretty accurate, indeed. Check it out for yourself, the video's right down there.[Via DesignNews]Read - Festo's Airic's_armRead - Video of Airic's_arm in action
DARPA-funded bionic arm gets second prototype
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, no strangers to reaching for seemingly unattainable goals in medical science, have set their sights on what some consider to be the ultimate pursuit of modern prosthetics: a bionic arm that moves, looks and feels like its human counterpart. And they want to do it by 2009. An earlier prototype of the arm, the Proto 1, was shown in April of this year, and now the team of scientists is scrambling to ready the arm's second iteration, the Proto 2, in time to show it off this week at the 25th Darpa Systems and Technology Symposium (where it will likely be joined by Dean Kamen's Darpa funded bionic arm). Researchers hope that the prothesis, which is currently controlled by skin-surface-attached myoelectric sensors, can be made more intuitive by adding injectable sensors, which send increased amounts of signals (and have improved clarity) allowing for greater control of the arm. In time, the team hopes to move to nerve-attached electrodes, or electrode arrays implanted on the brain, which will eventually allow for full user dexterity.[Via Wired]
Sensei robotic arm pulling off heart operations in the UK
Although the Sensei robot at St. Mary's Hospital in London may just be "one of four in the world," it certainly joins a packed crowd of mechanical colleagues that have been doing this whole "operation" bit for quite some time. As with most similar alternatives, this one operates (quite literally, actually) by responding to a human surgeon's input given via joystick, and the arm is then able to maneuver into more delicate and hard-to-reach locales in order to execute catheter ablation procedures. In the future, however, the Atari-lovin' doctor could be left out of the process entirely, as an automated edition could eventually be programmed to find its own way to the target without any human intervention. Med school graduates losing residency positions to metallic counterparts -- what is the world coming to?
Dean Kamen's robotic prosthetic arm gets detailed on video
While you'd heard the whispers of a robotic prosthetic arm being crafted by Dean Kamen and his engineering colleagues, very little details have since surfaced on the project. Thankfully, a video was captured during a recent conference in Honolulu, Hawaii where Dean was addressing the FIRST Robotics competition. During the speech, however, he segued (ahem) into a brief glimpse at what's been going on behind the scenes with the device. Shown as "Gen X - Separate Exo Control," the robotic arm was seen demonstrated by team members grasping a water bottle from a friend, picking up an ink pen and turning the wrist over in order to write, and even scratching his nose. Kamen explained that haptic response was paramount, and the "fully completed" prototype sports 14 degrees of freedom (and actuators) and weighs less than nine pounds. Click on through for the captured demonstration.[Via BoingBoing]
ASTRO satellite to autonomously move objects to NextSat
Don't say we didn't warn you, as just days after ASTRO and NextSat successfully completed an autonomous fuel transfer whilst orbiting, the thoughtful duo is already looking forward to the next big challenge. As Scenario 0 operation trials continue, the ASTRO satellite will utilize its "ten-foot-long robotic arm to move objects to NextSat," the first of which will purportedly be a "spare battery transfer" that will be "snatched from ASTRO and plugged into NextSat." Reportedly, this very battery will be the focal point of a number of future handoffs, and a "secondary sensor processing computer" will eventually be offloaded to NextSat as well if the arm cooperates. Of course, these relatively minor exchanges don't mark the end of the work week for these two, as a number of future scenarios look to provide increasingly difficult challenges for "mating" the two machines. Hey, we've already got robotic rights in the works, so we're looking that way for guidance about handling these newfangled (and slightly awkward) mechanical relationships, cool? [Via Slashdot]
