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Virginia Tech researchers reveal full-sized CHARLI-L humanoid robot (update: video!)
Dr. Dennis Hong was kind enough to give us a glimpse the CHARLI robot on The Engadget Show this weekend -- or its leg, anyway -- but he and his students have just now finally revealed the full-sized bot that's been described as a "robot teenager." As we'd heard, CHARLI is actually a series of robots that initially consists of the 5-foot tall CHARLI-L (or lightweight, pictured above), and the forthcoming CHARLI-H (or heavy), both of which are completely autonomous, with a full range of movements and gestures thanks to a series of pulleys, springs, carbon fiber rods, and actuators (not to mention some slightly more mysterious AI). What's more, while CHARLI-L is currently restricted to walking on flat surfaces, CHARLI-H promises to be able to walk on the uneven ground around the Virginia Tech campus, and eventually even be able to "run, jump, kick, open doors, pick up objects, and do just about anything a real person can do." Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any video of CHARLI-L in action just yet, and it is still somewhat of a work in progress -- the researchers say it will be able to speak soon, and they're also busily working to improve its soccer skills in time for this year's RoboCup. [Thanks, Kyle] Update: Video is now after the break!
Amoeba-inspired ChIMERA robot slithers on video
Virginia Tech's RoMeLa Lab has done more than its fair share to further the development of our future robot overlords. Now, in a recent TED talk, Dr. Dennis Hong brings us up to date on some of the creepier candidates for world domination, including the spider-like STRiDER and the amoeboid ChIMERA (Chemically Induced Motion Everting Robotic Amoeba). The latter achieves locomotion by the movement of its silicone skin, squeezes through spaces half its diameter, and travels up to half a meter per second. The good doctor is tight-lipped on much of the device's specifics, but among options being explored for powering the thing are chemical actuation, electroactive polymers, and air-driven tubes. Check out the team's work in the video after the break. [Thanks, Travis]
Second-generation air-powered robot hand gets more sensitive
Accordions and robots don't seem to have much in common -- although an accordion-playing robot would make for a killer Weird Al song. Nevertheless, the RAPHaEL hand showed that push-box tech can make for some impressively limber fingers. Now the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory has created its successor, the RAPHaEL 2, and it too has already won an award. This time it grabbed top honors at the ASME Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition with its air-powered digits, which now use a closed loop control mechanism and more advanced data acquisition hardware from National Instruments, enabling it to better sense what it's groping and to adjust pressure accordingly. It's also made of a more durable polycarbonate, but a carbon fiber version is said to be in the works, which should look totally awesome.
Laser-equipped Virginia Tech dirt buggy can be driven by the blind
And you thought those self-driving whips in DARPA's Urban Challenge were hot stuff. As the mighty Hokies look to prove their dominance in the field of engineering, a student team from Virginia Tech has assembled what amounts to a vehicle that can actually be driven by blind individuals. In short, the specially equipped dirt buggy is outfitted with an array of laser range finders, an instant voice command interface and a few other related systems that enable drivers to respond to whatever the vehicle "sees." Best of all, the project is far beyond the drawing board, with a blind driver (Wes Majerus) already singing praises about the vehicle and deeming it a "liberating" experience. Regrettably, there's no information on what the team plans to do with the vehicle going forward, but we do know it hopes to pass along the same technology to more street-legal motorcars.[Thanks, Trisha]
Robotic hand controlled by compressed air grasps the concept of delicacy
The Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (AKA the RoMeLa Project) at the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech has designed and built a prototype robotic hand that is controlled and operated by compressed air. Called RAPHaEL (Robotic Air Powered Hand with Elastic Ligaments), the robot can hold heavier, solid objects, as well as light or delicate ones such as a light bulb or an egg. The hand is powered by a compressor air tank at 60 psi and an accordion style tube actuator, with microcontroller commands operating and coordinating the movements of its fingers. It uses no other motors, and the strength of the grasp is controlled by a change in air pressure, making the hand quite dextrous. RAPHaEL -- which is part of a larger RoMeLa robot project named CHARLI -- has already won several awards, including grabbing first prize at the 2008-2009 Compressed Air and Gas Institute Innovation Award Contest. RoMeLa researchers envision CHARLI one day roaming the VT campus making friends with students and visitors. We look forward to that day, but until then, check out RAPHaEL holding some stuff after the break.
Video: Virginia Tech's IMPASS robot has spokes, but no rims
It's been a few years since we saw an early, fledgling render of IMPASS, the Intelligent Mobility Platform with Actuated Spoke System under development at Virginia Tech's Robotics & Mechanisms Lab. Now look at it, all grown up and featured front and center in an episode of our favorite show for geeking out: Engineering TV. The bot, with its rimless wheels, is shown dynamically adjusting the length of each spoke as appropriate to scamper up over obstacles or cross divots unperturbed. Two motors provide movement while three more inside the wheels themselves use treads to shift the spokes in and out based on inputs from laser and IR range finders, ensuring this ride's height is always precisely calculated. We know who to call before the next Engadget lowrider throw down.
Researchers develop world's smallest ultra-wideband antenna
It's hard to say if ultra-wideband (UWB) will catch on (or get squashed by WHDI) in the wireless HD realm, but the applications for UWB outside of your living room are still many. Researchers at Virginia Tech have reportedly "developed an efficient compact ultra-wideband antenna (CUA) for a range of home, automotive, medical, and military applications," and according to inventory Taeyoung Yang, it has "achieved a near optimal performance for size and bandwidth." Better still, the design is said to be "cheap and simple to produce," which makes us hopeful for embedded wireless devices (receivers, STBs, Blu-ray players, etc.) sooner rather than later. We can't say for sure if this stuff is any closer to taking off in the mainstream, but at least we're making progress somewhere.
Self-driving Ford Hybrid SUV to sell for $89,000
For sale:One brand new autonomous Ford Escape Hybrid. Low miles, driven only to the showroom. Prototype version created by Virginia Tech researchers finished in third place at the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge. Utilizes Torc's ByWire XGV drive-by-wire system; to be made available as a research platform in the field of robotic vehicles. Let it drive you off the lot today, $89,000 OBO.[Image courtesy of CNET]
Virginia Tech students create "smart" brake lights for cars
It's only taken about a million years, but someone has finally decided that improvements are possible in automobile braking lights. Students from Virginia Tech have developed a new system that can show not just whether you're stopping, but if you're slowing down, when you're about to stop, and how quickly you're pressing the pedal. The concept uses an array of horizontally arranged LED lights -- when you begin to slow, lights in the center glow orange, after a certain threshold side lights turn to red, and if you're slamming on the brake, they'll all flash red. The team, led by mechanical engineering Professor Mehdi Ahmadian, has plans for the system beyond the lab, though they speculate that it will be easier to add them as additional indicators on commercial vehicles at first. If this pans out, someday soon we may all be tailgating a totally psychedelic light show.
Virginia finds no link between violent games and V-Tech murderer
The final official Virginia state report by the Virginia Tech massacre review panel found no link between video games and the murders committed by Seung Hui Cho. This corroborates the federal government findings in June which found no link. Turns out that the only game cited in the report is Sonic the Hedgehog. In the mental health history section of the report regarding Cho it says, "None of the video games were war games or had violent themes. He liked basketball and had a collection of figurines and remote controlled cars."The video game connection regarding the V-Tech massacre got rolling when Jack Thompson went on FOX News hours after the event and started making stuff up. Only to be outdone and followed with premature reporting by The Washington Post, which was later changed. According to both the state and federal reports, whatever is to blame for Cho's illness, it wasn't video games.[Via GamePolitics]
VTech report doesn't mention video games; PAC cries cover up
A federal government report released earlier this month about the issues surrounding the Virginia Tech shooting made no mention video games whatsoever, a point that Game Politics notes is substantial since contributor Michael Leavitt (pictured) had previously mentioned being aware of a potential video game connection.Members of activist Lyndon LaRouche's political action committee (PAC) have denounced the report as a cover-up, and quotes game news sites as evidence, citing this statement from Games Industry and "Gammer Life" [sic]: "According to GamePolitics, the video game issue was brought up at the V-Tech Review Panel hearings no less than three times by supporters of Lyndon LaRouche PAC."The 26-page report can be downloaded here (PDF file); a state-level review panel continues to study the event and will issue their own report later.
LaRouche PAC implicates games at Va. Tech. review panel
In the weeks after the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech, the search for answers focused mainly on germane issues like gun control and mental health rather than simple media scapegoating. At least one group seems unwilling to let go of the games-made-him-do-it angle, though. Speaking to Governor Tim Kaine's official Virginia Tech Review Panel, Larouche Youth Movement leader Paul Mourino warned of a "potential epidemic eruption of a 'new violence,' driven, in part, by the mass distribution of killing simulators to youth."In addition to the familiar games-create-killers arguments, Mourino's comments included the remarkable implication that the game industry caused a "media blackout" on discussion of Cho's interest in video games by "pour[ing] millions of dollars into a public relations and damage-control campaign." Mourino cites the removal of a Washington Post mention of Cho's Counter-Strike playing as evidence of the conspiracy; this despite the Post author's explanation that the factoid was removed simply to make room for more recent, more relevant information.You may remember Lyndon LaRouche from his support of Sept. 11 conspiracy theories, his implication that the British royal family are drug dealers and his stories of Soviet secret police brainwashing of his supporters. So, all in all, there are worse people to have on the other side of the game violence debate.
Gaming in the face of tragedy
Within 24 hours of the horrific Virginia Tech tragedy, prominent personalities began popping up on TV with their opinions on why it happened and what facet of society and entertainment we should blame. Many in the gaming industry braced for fierce public backlash. But it never really happened.GameDaily BIZ's media watchdog Kyle Orland (who is also a prolific contributor to Joystiq) chronicles the media's behavior in how they did or did not try to connect video games to the recent campus tragedy and provides a historical perspective and where the industry goes from here. It's a fascinating read that succeeds in summarizing the last few weeks of mainstream coverage.See Also: What I know about violent games
No video games found in VT shooter's dorm
Video games were one of the first things blamed for the recent shootings at Virginia Tech. Dr. Phil and a certain Floridiot lawyer were two of the loudest voices, while an article in the online version of the Washing Post briefly mentioned Cho was a Counter-Strike player in high school. Not a big deal in our eyes, but to the general public if Cho even looked at a video game, it's case-closed.After police searched Cho's dorm room, however, it seems he didn't own any video games at all. No murder simulators or gun training programs, not even a copy of Tetris. If video games didn't teach him these skills, where did they come from?! Oh noes!We've posted our feelings about violent video games. Hopefully this lack of evidence will silence the anti-gaming pundits for a while.
Virginia Tech football helmets monitor hits wirelessly
While the Virginia Tech Hokies tend to rely more on dazzling special teams teams play than sheer defensive prowess, the players take a lickin' regardless. In a presumed extension of Beamer Ball, the sparkly helmets donned by the football squad will sport internal accelerometers and wireless transmitters that beam (ahem) information about the seriousness of each blow to a Sybase database in order to tell if and when a certain player has had enough. The primary objective is to prevent any long-term injuries and detect concussions before individuals can even realize they're hurt, and an interesting byproduct of the system has shown what types of thwacks are typically sustained at different positions. The HITS (head impact telemetry system) technology could reportedly be used in places like the battlefield as well, or moreover, rigorous rounds of Wii Boxing -- but we're sure WVU's Punchstat system is already on top of that.[Photo courtesy of VT]
Virginia Tech researcher crafting amoeba-inspired robotic helpers
Although we've seen failed attempts at turning amoebas into helpers, Virginia Tech's Dennis Hong is hoping that his creations will see a bit more success. Using funding from the prestigious CAREER grant, the researcher is designing a Whole Skin Locomotion (WSL) mechanism "for robots to work on much the same principle as the pseudopod, or cytoplasmic foot, of the amoeba." The device's primary goal seems to hover around the world of search-and-rescue, as the diminutive crawler can maneuver in and around tight spaces without regard for its own health, and of course, a nearly-microscopic bot just can't be developed without hinting at one day ending up somewhere inside your body. Notably, it appears that Mr. Hong isn't satisfied with just building a prototype, as he's already got plans for implementing the technology into projects such as IMPASS (Intelligent Mobility Platform with Active Spoke System, DARwin (Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence), and STriDER (Self-Excited Tripedal Dynamic Experimental Robot).[Via MedGadget]
DARwIn will be America's first humanoid RoboCup competitor
In a fitting tribute to the pioneering scientist after whom it was named, Virginia Tech's Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence (DARwIn) has finally "evolved" enough (it's now on the fourth iteration, DARwIn IIb) to compete in the traditional Japanese sport of robot soccer. The VT team -- composed of striker DARwIn IIa and goalie DARwIn I -- will reportedly be the first US competitors in the humanoid division of the popular RoboCup tournament, whose 2007 finals are actually being held right here on American soil in Atlanta. DIIa, the more sophisticated of the Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory's (RoMeLa's) two bots, is built around a LabVIEW-powered 1.4GHz Pentium M with 1GB of RAM, 256KB of flash memory, 23 total actuators, a pair of FireWire cameras, and a gyroscope -- clearly the delicate head-mounted cam was designed before the head-butting ugliness of World Cup 2006. Keep reading to check out a vid of big D in action -- as well as tumbling over -- and then hit up the Read link for more pics, specs, and action-packed soccerbot clips.
