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HandTalk glove speaks your hand gestures... we can see where this is headed
Oooh, now we get it. HandTalk converts hand gestures like sign language into spoken words. Well, don't we feel silly. The device was developed by a group of nerds at Carnegie Mellon, and can track finger and hand gestures with a vocabulary of 32 words in its existing v0.1 model. The signals are transmitted from the glove to a phone over Bluetooth, where the words are converted with text to speech software. Not bad for a bunch of off-the-shelf components, but they could've scored double the nerd points by repurposing a Power Glove for this -- gotta think big picture, people. [Via talk2myShirt]
Pittsburgh museum plans "largest national" robotics exhibition
Heads-up Pittsburgh residents and robot lovers across the universe: an all new exhibition is coming to the Steel City next year, and it's got high, high hopes. The $3.4 million display, which is slated to be "permanent," will be housed in the Carnegie Science Center and go by the not-at-all-puzzling title of "roboworld." The installation is expected to house an "array of mechanized devices," and given that it's being billed as the "largest and most comprehensive nationwide on robotics," we'd say it's got a lot to live up to. Of course, we'll be utterly shocked if it even compares to the now-closed Robot Museum in Nagoya, Japan, but we suppose we'll have to see for ourselves when the doors fling open in Spring 2009.
Shape-shifting magnetic bots take a page out of the Dharma playbook
Research is still in the early stages, but the concept renders are straight out of science fiction. Some friendly folks at Carnegie Mellon University are working towards electromagnetic microscopic bots that cling together and can assume virtually any shape. Down the line that means rapid prototyping, the promise of "claytronics," and the mysterious deaths of plane crash victims, but current examples of the tech are anything but slick. The primary uniting element is that the bots being developed have no moving parts, instead using magnetic forces to pull themselves around in relation to each other. Peep the video after the break for some samples.
Carnegie Mellon's "Crusher" military bot getting $14 million upgrade
Carnegie Mellon's so-called "Crusher" unmanned military vehicle already had quite a bit going for it in its previous incarnation, but it now looks to set to expand its robotized arsenal even further, courtesy of a $14.4 million grant from the Army. According to the university's National Robotics Engineering Center, the updated bot will make use of the "latest suspension, vehicle frame, and hybrid-electric drive technologies to improve upon its predecessor's performance" while also promising to, somewhat ominously, "push the envelope for autonomous and semi-autonomous operation." That the NREC says, should allow the bot to begin working alongside troops in five or ten years, with it initially confined to convoy roles before it puts its autonomous skills to use in "tactical" missions.[Via CNET Military Tech]
DIY'er gets busy with automatic projector calibration
While you may not think a 4+ minute clip involving a monotone narrator, flashes of light and lots of sensors could hold your attention (okay, so maybe that came off a bit more riveting than we'd hoped), we'd bet the one posted after the jump could. The video demonstrates a fairly svelte automatic projector calibration system, which relies on very little hardware (and time) to work its magic. Essentially, the low-cost method utilizes rear-mounted optical fibers wired into light sensors, which can channel gray-coded binary patterns through a USB connection. From there, a PC determines precisely how the projection should be outputted for the target surface to be completely filled with an undistorted image. We know, it's tough to wrap your head around, but all the enlightenment you could ever want (on this subject, anyway) is just a mouse click away. [Warning: PDF read link][Via HackADay]
DARPA's Urban Challenge set to roll Saturday with 11 robotic cars
Oh man, can you taste it? That oily titanium tang is the smack of robotic cars set for release Saturday in the DARPA Urban Challenge. The final event pits 11 vehicles in competition for a $2 million first, $1M second, and $500k third place prizes. The 60-mile course at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville CA must be successfully navigated in less than 6-hours while avoiding about 50 carbon-based drivers. Can Stanford repeat their 2005 Grand Challenge victory with "Junior" or will Carnegie Mellon's "Boss" (pictured) bust out a BFG-9000 in swift retribution? Tune in Saturday to find out.
Carnegie Mellon shows off "Scarab" lunar rover
It looks like the moon could soon become a relatively crowded place if even half of all these robots and rovers we keep hearing about actually get off the ground, the latest of which comes to us from Carnegie Mellon University. Dubbed the "Scarab," this four-wheeled bot is equipped with a Canadian-made drill capable of obtaining meter-long geological core samples, which its creators hope could turn up evidence of hydrogen, water or other recoverable resources. While it's appearance would suggest otherwise, the Scarab apparently won't be tearing up the lunar surface if and when it gets there, with it boasting a top speed of just four inches per second. On the upside, it will apparently be able to maneuver over rocky surfaces, and it can anchor itself to the ground to stay in place while drilling. While that would be enough for most folks to call it a day, it seems that project leader William "Red" Whittaker won't be resting on his lunar laurels, as he's also announced that he'll be assembling a team to compete for the Google Lunar X-Prize, which promises $20 million to anyone that can land a privately funded robot on the moon by 2012.[Via The Raw Feed]
2007 Robot Hall of Fame Inductees: now 75% more real
The Robot Hall of Fame has always struck as a little odd, what with their inclusion of fictional bots, but it looks like the class of 2007 might the one that turns the tide. For the first time in the four-year history of the Hall, the jury of 25 roboticists selected more real bots than fictional -- LEGO Mindstorms (pictured), the NAVLAB 5, the Raibert Hopper, and Mr. Data made the cut this year, making the final score three real to one, uh, television. While you know how we love Mindstorms, and we're glad to see Data finally make it, the two lesser-known inductees also seem pretty trick to us: NAVLAB 5, a robotic Oldsmobile Silhouette, was honored for driving itself from Pittsburgh to San Diego way back in 1995, while the Raibert Hopper one-legged hopper made it for containing the basic tech DNA that underlies all those two- and four- (and more) legged bots we've got running around these days. Congrats to the honorees, and here's hoping the real bots keep it up.[Via SuicideBots]
HeartLander caterpillar robot crawls on heart, administers treatment
We get a little more creeped out each week or so, as a new form of minimally overtly invasive robotic creature somehow comes to life and sets its sights on perusing our innards. The newest species hails from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was designed to "crawl across the surface of the heart to deliver treatment." The eerily-dubbed "robotic caterpillar" measures just a few centimeters in length and can scoot about at a blistering 18-centimeters per minute via "push and pull" control wires that reside outside of the body. The lead doctor on the project suggests that the critter could "allow procedures to be carried out without having to stop the heart, reducing the risk of illness linked to heart bypass surgeries," and moreover, insinuated that patients would spend less time recovering in the hospital after he / she was all sewn up. Apparently, the HeartLander could be available for human practice "within three to four years," but according to a director at the British Heart Foundation, "a lot more research is needed to determine whether something delivered to the outside surface of the heart can modify activity on the inside."[Via BBC]
Gigapan robot snaps panoramic views, assembles results
We're absolutely certain there's a vast array of naturally gifted photographers out there that don't need a robot to do a man's job, but for those of us who can't hold our elbows perfectly still and snap a dozen or so photographs in a panoramic pattern without ruining the entire shot, Gigapan's got you covered. The robotic shooting platform was developed by Carnegie Mellon University and the NASA Ames Intelligent Robot Group, and can manhandle almost any digital camera in order to capture a wide-angle view of any particular scene without the breaks we humans often inject. The robot will click away depending on a timer and the number of snapshots that users program in, resulting in a very high resolution, widescreen image of a crime scene, vacation overlook, or your entire basement wall of Transformers posters. Moreover, the team has developed accompanying software to "piece together" the resulting images, leaving a nearly flawless reproduction of a panoramic view with an immensely increased level of detail. Expected to cost "around $200 or less," the Gigapan could be in civilian hands as early as next month, after which we'll have to start an entirely new photo contest devoted to cramming as many miles as possible into a single, uber-wide shot, but for now, be sure to click on through for a small taste of what this monkey can do.[Via Primidi]
ATRS to make entering / exiting vehicles easier for handicapped individuals
While there's certainly smart enough wheelchairs to get you around town without mauling a lamppost or taking out a crowd of bystanders, a Pennsylvania-based team has developed a system to get wheelchair-bound individuals in and out of their cars a lot easier. Engineers at Lehigh and Carnegie Mellon have partnered with robotic startup Freedom Sciences LLC and Freedom Lift Corporation to unveil the Automatic Transport and Retrieval System, which will supposedly "enable wheelchair users to drive while sitting in standard automobile seats that meet federal safety regulations." Currently, motorists are forced to use cumbersome, bolt-in attachments that typically require heavy modifications to the car in order to operate; the ATRS system, however, uses remote controls, wireless technologies, and "lasers" to assist drivers into a standard seat, roll their wheelchair "autonomously" to the loading dock, and close up the rear door, all while parked in the driver's seat. Sensational as it may sound, the system doesn't come cheap (nor with a wheelchair), and will cost handicapped individuals (or insurance companies) between "$15,000 and $20,000" when it goes on sale next spring.
Scientists unveil bio-inkjet printer for stem cells, creating bone-type cells
A bioengineering team from Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh School of Medicine have presented a way to employ techniques based on inkjet printers to help stem cells become bone tissue cells. The team uses a set of inkjet-style streams to shoot little bits of proteins (like droplets of printer ink) on top of nurturing proteins (think of them as the paper) in a certain pattern. Then the team drops stems cells on top of the whole concoction, which depending on what bio-ink was used, can turn into bone-type cells or potentially even other cell types. While human trials are still a ways off, let's just hope that bio-ink cartridges aren't nearly as much of a scam as regular inkjet cartridges are when they reach that point. [Via NewScientist]
Carnegie Mellon's Ballbot could teach Segway a thing or two
Those humanoid robots are all well and good if you've got 30 minutes to watch ASIMO manage a 360 degree turn, but some researchers at Carnegie Mellon have been spending some time trying to figure out a bot that could actually be useful in the here and now. Their result is the Ballbot, a 95 pound unit that balances on a single metal sphere, and is tall enough to look a person in the eye. The robot can manage a smooth floor easily, and is designed for navigating human environments. When it isn't moving, the Ballbot has retractable "kickstands" to hold it up. The next step for the Ballbot is a head and pair of arms to help the robot balance and turn, and the eventual goal is a robot that is a useful helper to the elderly, disabled, or those in an office environment. We're just looking forward to shouting "Ballbot, beer me!"[Via CNET]
Multi-bot programming language accepting beta testers
If you have what it takes to spend countless hours tinkering with small robots, coding in a brand new language, and filing a stream of bug reports, then the National Robotics Engineering Center wants you to beta test its new multi-plaform bot programming software. Tasked by the educational outreach department at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Academy with developing a commercial application capable of controlling the most popular kits on the market, the team came up with a language called RobotC, which can be used to write scripts for both the NXT and RCX varieties of Lego Mindstorms bots as well as that Vex Robotics kit we featured in our Holiday Gift Guide. As part of the beta testing program, you'll get a free copy of the software to play with in exchange for your promise to participate in the Bug Tracking system -- which probably isn't much of a burden for those hardcore enthusiasts who spend all day living, breathing, and blogging this stuff anyway.
The miraculous CMU Water Runner
Although it probably won't win a following of apostles for the feat, Carnegie Mellon University bot Water Runner's ability to, well, walk on water, is at least worthy of a small write-up in a gadget blog, we think. The lightweight plastic and carbon fiber robot, which is the newest member of a supposed zoo of animal-inspired devices from CMU's NanoRobotics Lab, owes its gravity-defying skills to research done by Harvard University biologists on the basilisk, or Jesus, lizard. Like its scaly counterpart, Water Runner uses a rapid slapping motion of the "feet" that provides enough propulsion for the bot to avoid sinking or tipping over. Although it's currently just in the proof-of-concept, prototype stage (like, it still needs to be plugged into the wall, making it less than ideal for outdoor applications), future versions of the project will sport batteries (of course), sensors for monitoring water quality, cameras for peeping stuff, and even bacteria for breaking down pollutants (think: Exxon Valdez). These applications are all well and good, but as usual, all we really wanna know is: could it take down RoboSnake in a land-and-sea grudge match?[Via Robot Gossip]
