Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Researchers power microbots made of bubbles with lasers]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/#comments Image

They may not be "robots" as most have come to expect, but these so-called microrobots developed by a team of researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa do have at least one thing in common with many of their mechanical counterparts: lasers. As IEEE Spectrum reports, the bots themselves are actually nothing more than bubbles of air in a saline solution, but they become "microrobots" when the laser is added to the equation, which serves as an engine of sorts and allows the researchers to control both the speed and direction of the bubbles. That, they say, could allow the bots to be used for a variety of tasks, including assembling microstructures and then disappearing without a trace when the bubble is popped. Head on past the break for a video of what they're already capable of.

Continue reading Researchers power microbots made of bubbles with lasers

Researchers power microbots made of bubbles with lasers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>laserlasersmicromicrobotmicrobotsmicrorobotnanoroboticsnanotechnanotechnologyrobotrobotsUniversity of HawaiiUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaUniversityOfHawaiiUniversityOfHawaiiAtManoavideoTue, 22 May 2012 21:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Tiny 'jumping robots' have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/30/tiny-jumping-robots-have-more-in-common-with-firecrackers-than/http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/30/tiny-jumping-robots-have-more-in-common-with-firecrackers-than/http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/30/tiny-jumping-robots-have-more-in-common-with-firecrackers-than/#comments Jumping robot Perhaps calling an immobile plastic bug with explosives strapped to its underside a "jumping robot" is a bit of a stretch, but who are we to argue with the Army Research Laboratory and the University of Maryland. The two groups have collaborated to create a pair of "robots" that measure just a few millimeters in size but can jump several centimeters in the air. One uses a spring like mechanism (which an operator must press down with a pair of tweezers) to propel it, while the other uses a small rocket, which can be triggered either by current applied over wires or a phototransistor (for untethered flight). It all makes for a pretty neat video, which you can find after the break - even if your sister's Furby was more robot than these tiny things.

Continue reading Tiny 'jumping robots' have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5

Tiny 'jumping robots' have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>army research laboratoryArmyResearchLaboratoryexplosionexplosivejumpjumpingmicrobotphototransistorrobotrobotsrocketspringUniversity of MarylandUniversityOfMarylandFri, 30 Sep 2011 01:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot... implanted in an eye]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/11/researchers-experiment-with-drug-delivering-robot-implanted-i/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/11/researchers-experiment-with-drug-delivering-robot-implanted-i/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/11/researchers-experiment-with-drug-delivering-robot-implanted-i/#comments
If the notion of a tiny robot swimming around in your eye leaves you a bit uneasy then, well, you might want to stop right here. For the rest of you, though, you may be interested in some new tests now being conducted by Michael Kummer and his team of researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in Zurich, Switzerland. What you're looking at above is a pig's eye, and the tiny black spec near the top is a microbot that's able to roam around the eye with the aid of an electromagnetic system. While things are still obviously very early, the researchers say the microbots could eventually be used to precisely deliver drugs in humans, and treat issues like macular degeneration. Head on past the break for the video.

Continue reading Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot... implanted in an eye

Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot... implanted in an eye originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>drugdrugsimplantInstitute of Robotics and Intelligent SystemsInstituteOfRoboticsAndIntelligentSystemsIRISmedicalmedicinemicrobotrobottinyvideoFri, 11 Mar 2011 16:10:00 EST<![CDATA[iRobot's military Ember bots are tiny treaded hotspots]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/18/irobots-military-ember-bots-are-tiny-treaded-hotspots/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/18/irobots-military-ember-bots-are-tiny-treaded-hotspots/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/18/irobots-military-ember-bots-are-tiny-treaded-hotspots/#comments Remember the LANDroids initiative, which resulted in iRobot scoring a $2.5 million contract to create tiny, miniaturized bots that could crawl through battlefields and your nightmares? The company is showing off the early fruits of that contract, the Ember microbot, which is so small it slipped entirely under our radar. It's not quite as tiny as DARPA seemed to hope, which depicted a bot little bigger than a pack of cards, but shrinking a Packbot down to paperback size is no small task -- even it is a James Clavell paperback. The bot's primary function is to set up a roving military network on the battlefield, but, with an integrated webcam and extension via USB and SDIO, who knows what kind of functionality they'll provide. The goal is to get these down to $100 or less, and for that price we could see plenty of civilians investing in these just to keep an eye on the activities of household pet insurgents.

[Via Robot Stock News]

Gallery: iRobot Ember microbot

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iRobot's military Ember bots are tiny treaded hotspots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>darpadefenseemberirobotirobot emberirobot ember microbotIrobotEmberIrobotEmberMicrobotlandroidmicrobotusbMon, 18 May 2009 07:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Microbot controls swarm of bacteria, puts all flea circuses to shame]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/17/microbot-controls-swam-of-bacteria-puts-all-flea-circuses-to-sh/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/17/microbot-controls-swam-of-bacteria-puts-all-flea-circuses-to-sh/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/17/microbot-controls-swam-of-bacteria-puts-all-flea-circuses-to-sh/#comments Sylvain Martel, what hast thou sown? The director of the NanoRobotics Laboratory at the École Polytechnique de Montréal this week is presenting his latest microbot at ICRA in Japan, and it's got a pretty crazy trick. The solar panel-equipped device sizes up to about 300 x 300 microns, and using a sensor to detect nearby pH levels, it's been shown as capable of controlling a swarm of 3,000 bacteria using electromagnetic pulses. Sure, Martel suggests there'll be some eventual medical uses for the technology, but we'd be lying if we said the video demonstration didn't give us the willies. See for yourself in the video linked below.

Read - Announcement
Read - Video

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Microbot controls swarm of bacteria, puts all flea circuses to shame originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 May 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bacteriabacteria swarmBacteriaSwarmmicromicro botmicro botsMicroBotMicroBotsnanonanoroboticsnanotechnologyrobotrobotsswarmsylvain martelSylvainMartelSun, 17 May 2009 16:42:00 EST<![CDATA[Researchers develop laser-guided microhoverbot, Engadget coins new word]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/11/researchers-develop-laser-guided-microhoverbot-engadget-coins-n/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/11/researchers-develop-laser-guided-microhoverbot-engadget-coins-n/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/11/researchers-develop-laser-guided-microhoverbot-engadget-coins-n/#comments
We could have sworn that one of our commenters had already invented this, but maybe not. Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario -- led by Professor Mir Behrad Khamesee -- has developed a microbot weighing in at about three-hundredths of an ounce that hovers and moves about on a three dimensional parabolic magnetic field. Altering the flow of the electromagnetic current distorts the field and propels the robot. Additionally, the device has pincers that open when heated by a laser, closing once they're allowed to cool. The device is monitored by laser sensors and by camera, and since the it floats free of any sort of wiring (and power is supplied from outside the robot) it is ideal for working in clean rooms or hazardous environments. Not too shabby, eh? At the very least, we got to use the word "microhoverbot."

[Via CNet]

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Researchers develop laser-guided microhoverbot, Engadget coins new word originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microbotMir Behrad KhameseeMirBehradKhameseeresearchrobotroboticsrobotsuniversity of waterlooUniversityOfWaterlooSat, 11 Apr 2009 20:38:00 EST<![CDATA[Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/korean-carrier-ktf-launches-mobile-phone-controlled-vacuum-clean/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/korean-carrier-ktf-launches-mobile-phone-controlled-vacuum-clean/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/korean-carrier-ktf-launches-mobile-phone-controlled-vacuum-clean/#comments South Korean telecom firm KTF has just announced a cleaning robot which can be controlled by a 3G cellphone. The robot -- called the CW100 -- was built in collaboration with Microbot, and is a "smart" vacuum (much like a Roomba). The CW100 uses an onboard video camera to send live images of what it's "seeing" to the mobile phone, and the user can then remotely control it using the keypad. The bot will be sold for KRW 500,000 (about $370) in conjunction with a data plan that runs KRW 5,000 (about $3.70) per month. Sounds pretty affordable and awesome to us -- as long as it doesn't run over the family cat. Check out another photo after the break.

[Via Unwired View]

Continue reading Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner

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Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessoriescleaningcw100ktfmicrobotmobilemobile phonesMobilePhonesrobotrobotssouth koreaSouthKoreavacuumvacuum cleanerVacuumCleanervacuumsWed, 08 Apr 2009 17:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/korean-carrier-ktf-launches-mobile-phone-controlled-vacuum-clean/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/korean-carrier-ktf-launches-mobile-phone-controlled-vacuum-clean/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/korean-carrier-ktf-launches-mobile-phone-controlled-vacuum-clean/#comments South Korean telecom firm KTF has just announced a cleaning robot which can be controlled by a 3G cellphone. The robot -- called the CW100 -- was built in collaboration with Microbot, and is a "smart" vacuum (much like a Roomba). The CW100 uses an onboard video camera to send live images of what it's "seeing" to the mobile phone, and the user can then remotely control it using the keypad. The bot will be sold for KRW 500,000 (about $370) in conjunction with a data plan that runs KRW 5,000 (about $3.70) per month. Sounds pretty affordable and awesome to us -- as long as it doesn't run over the family cat. Check out another photo after the break.

[Via Unwired View]

Continue reading Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner

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Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cleaningcw100ktfmicrobotmobile phonesMobilePhonesrobotrobotssouth koreaSouthKoreavacuumvacuum cleanerVacuumCleanervacuumsWed, 08 Apr 2009 17:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Scientists develop piezoelectric motor for medical microbots]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/20/scientists-develop-piezoelectric-motor-for-medical-microbots/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/20/scientists-develop-piezoelectric-motor-for-medical-microbots/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/20/scientists-develop-piezoelectric-motor-for-medical-microbots/#comments Researchers at Monash University in Australia have developed a piezoelectric motor that's 0.25 mm wide, which they claim is 70% smaller than the smallest design out there. The Proteus motor, named after Fantastic Voyage's microscopic vessel, uses an E. coli-like flagellum to swim through the bloodstream. The goal is to one day have it power microbots that'll enter the body by injection to take photos, deliver medicine and eventually do surgery. According to lead scientist James Friend, escape would come from it returning to the point of entry or, should something break down, via a micro-catheter -- no tear ducts necessary this time.

[Via Yahoo! Health]

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Scientists develop piezoelectric motor for medical microbots originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fantastic voyageFantasticVoyagemedicinemicrobotnanophysicsnanotechnologyproteusTue, 20 Jan 2009 19:23:00 EST<![CDATA[Heart muscle tissue powers new body roaming robots]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/04/heart-muscle-tissue-powers-new-body-roaming-robots/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/04/heart-muscle-tissue-powers-new-body-roaming-robots/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/04/heart-muscle-tissue-powers-new-body-roaming-robots/#commentsWhile we've seen a microbot that crawls across hearts, a new creature has been developed by gurus at Chonnam National University in South Korea that actually gets its energy from the heart. Reportedly, the team created the robot by "growing heart muscle tissue from a rat onto tiny robotic skeletons made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)," and the result is an E-shaped creature that can move its own legs through the "relaxing and contracting of heart muscle cells." Currently, the bot has been clocked scurrying along at a stagering 100 micrometers-per-second, and while it isn't apt to win any races, it could be loosed within the body to "clear blocked tubes or arteries" in the future. Check the video of this wild guy in action right here.

[Via Primidi]

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Heart muscle tissue powers new body roaming robots originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 03:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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