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Disarm a bomb with your hand, a robot arm and Leap-motion controller
Neutralizing explosives, it turns out, is a delicate and complicated procedure -- but a company called Mirror Training hopes to make it simpler. "Our company has built an interface that literally uses your own hand and arm to move a robotic arm," announced CEO Liz Alessi. "I like to call it 'wear your robot.'" The interface uses a Leap Motion controller to detect an arm and hand movements, allowing a bomb squad robot to directly mirror its operator's actions. In tests, Alessi says, it has allowed operators to disarm mock-bombs twice as fast as traditional control methods.
Ouya user interface getting facelift this month
Ouya will receive an update sometime in the next few weeks that will improve the system's user interface, Engadget reported. Upon installing the update, the Android-based micro-console's UI will more prominently feature cover art for games in sections like the "Discover" page. Additionally, double-tapping on games will pull up a new menu that offers game recommendations and allows users to purchase and "like" games. The update will also add support for external USB storage and the ability to add games to your Ouya queue via the console's web store. This month's system update will automatically add BombSquad and Amazing Frog: The Hopping Dead to players' download queues as well, though they'll need to purchase either game to play them to completion.
SRI unveils Taurus, DaVinci's bomb-defusing little brother
This is SRI International's Taurus. Brought to you by the minds behind the DaVinci robo-surgeon, the diminutive (14 x 5-inch) bad boy is used to detect and defuse IEDs. Piggy-backing on existing devices such as Talon or PackBot, the device delivers hi-def 3D images and haptic feedback (via gloves) to a bomb disposal tech operating from a safe distance. According to IEEE Spectrum, it works so well that users forget they're working remotely. Right now it's a prototype, but with any luck the system could be in the field as early as this summer.
8-inch robot wreaks havoc on Denver commuters, Cylon war narrowly averted
The Capricans in Denver, Colorado should can consider themselves blessed by the Gods. An 8-inch tall Centurion was spotted near Coors Field park, prompting one citizen to notify the police. You probably know what happened next: adjacent 20th street was closed causing rush hour traffic to pile up, and two hours later, after being unable to determine at the time if it was safe, the bomb squad remotely detonated the little Centurion. Move along, nothing to see here. It's not like they walk among us in human form or anything. Yet. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
When good toys go bad IV: explicit CD player triggered during mass
While we've seen quite a few toys pulling stunts that they should definitely be ashamed of, the latest edition ups the ante by doing its dirty deed in a Roman Catholic cathedral. Following the "if it blinks, obliterate it" mentality so well exemplified at various Boston transit arteries, a team of Santa Fe bomb squad experts were called onto the scene after three CD players were triggered to start blasting "sexually explicit language in the middle of an Ash Wednesday Mass" at the Roman Catholic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Reportedly, the players were "duct-taped to the bottoms of the pews," apparently causing the innocent church dwellers to assume the worse -- you know, like C4 explosives camouflaged as a mid-range driver. Nevertheless, the bomb squad removed the devices, took them outside, and probably had a thrilling experience whilst detonating two of the players as a safety measure. Once the crew realized the only explosive tendencies were captured in the inappropriate lyrics, they salvaged the third unit to comb for fingerprints and hopefully arrest the perpetrator(s). Now, which cop is going to cave in and post the fireworks on YouTube?[Via BoingBoing]
Swedish bomb squad blows around on Segways
Brace yourself, but life ain't all fun and games for members of the bomb squad. We know, you're shocked, but in addition to having one of the most dangerous jobs around (like, did you see Blown Away?), these poor sods have to do it cruising around in a 30 kilo (66 pound) suit. Enter the Segway: apparently four have been ordered for use by bomb techs in Malmö, Göteborg, Stockholm and Arlanda Airport so Swedish bomb squaddies can finally show up in style, and need no longer hoof it all the way to the package site. Sounds good to us, but help a Segway out! Looks like they're only gonna get a po-po paint job, but where's the custom-fit bomb armor for the loyal personal transporter, we ask?[Thanks to Johan for the help translating]
Chicago invests in bomb-defusing robots that can't climb up two steps
Possibly fearing an invasion by the South Korean gun-toting sentry army, the city of Chicago has just purchased a trio of $135,000 bomb-diffusing robots (paid for by your Department of Homeland Security!), dubbed Frank in honor of the local flesh-and-blood bomb squad commander. Frank (the bot, not the man) is equipped with four pan-tilt-zoom cameras, x-ray vision, night vision, chemical sensors, two sets of treads, a mic, speaker, and our favorite part, a high-powered water cannon. Although all of those things sound like the perfect recipe for a rave, Frank will unfortunately be assigned boring tasks like taking down booby-trapped meth labs or standing on call at Chicago O'Hare Airport. However, before it gets assigned to such tasks, the CPD probably will want to work out some of the kinks in its design -- according to the Chicago Sun-Times, Frank took a half-dozen attempts to climb a two-step riser at Navy Pier during a demo on Thursday. Let's just hope those clever would-be bombers don't barricade themselves atop the Sears Tower after sabotaging the elevators, because then Chicagoans would really be screwed.Read - Chicago Sun-TimesRead - CBSRead - Medill News Service
