VomitComet
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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.
Red Baron screensaver for those with strong stomachs
If you're the sort who rides roller coasters for fun, who takes cruises through the North Atlantic in wintertime and laughs at the green pallor of your fellow passengers -- maybe the Red Baron screensaver is for you. Join the OpenGL party as the Baron sails through a simulated sky and over the (presumably French, definitely pixelated) countryside. The Baron himself looks more like a Fisher-Price person or a Weeble than a WW I flying ace, but who's complaining? (Actually, if they had an Easter egg to put Snoopy in the cockpit, that would be awesome.)The screensaver is a promotional item for the upcoming Red Baron movie from Warner Bros., which opens in Germany soon. With any luck the audiences will be over their dizzy spells by then.Update: Developer Chris Kent is over his bandwidth limit, so you can get the saver via our alternate download here.[via Macenstein]
Robot surgeons compete with humans aboard the vomit comet
We were always of the opinion that robot surgery was edgy enough as it is, but you know how those science peoples always have to kick things up a notch. SRI International and the University of Cincinnati hitched a ride on NASA's DC-9 "vomit comet" to pit human surgeons against semi-autonomous robots in suturing and incision tasks on simulated tissue -- while experiencing periods of zero gravity and 1.8g acceleration. Surprisingly, the robots kept pace just fine until SRI's fancy compensation software was switched off, which we're guessing is exactly the point SRI was trying to prove. Right now SRI is building a robotic operating room for the battlefield called Trauma Pod, which is mostly autonomous, and they're also working on a fully autonomous system for NASA that could treat an astronaut on Mars, where the 20 minute delay would make telesurgery not an option. Field testing for the trauma pod should begin in 2009.[Via Slashdot]
