‘HER name is MARIE, and her impressive set of skills comes in handy in a nursing home. MARIE can walk around under her own power. She can distinguish among similar-looking objects, such as different bottles of medicine, and has a delicate enough touch to work with frail patients. MARIE can interpret a range of facial […]
‘In guard mode, the toy will strike out at those who come too close, while in play mode it wiggles its tail when touched. It’s this kind of detail and creativity that has made the robot a top seller this year
At some point in the past 10 years or so — opinions differ as to […]
‘Robots may not be able to do everything humans can, but the latest version of Sony’s humanoid robot has something most people would find useful: a third eye.
The Japanese consumer electronics company’s roller-skating robot, Qrio, has now been enlightened with an extra camera eye on its forehead that allows it to see several people at […]
Snake-arm robots capable of coating complex aerospace structures
OCRobotics has recently completed a contract with Comau Pico Inc. investigating the use of snake-arm robots for aerospace coating applications.
Currently, standard industrial robots are used to coat the inner surfaces of a structure. The structures are oriented many times to compensate for the axis limitations of the […]
‘Honda has revealed its latest Asimo humanoid robot. The latest generation is a faster and more capable robot than its predecessor, Honda says.
According to its press release, Honda has “been pursuing research and development of a truly useful humanoid robot that possesses both intelligence and physical capabilities at a high level”.’
Read more at Honda debuts […]
‘Two weeks after rover Opportunity’s robotic arm failed to extend, engineers traced the problem to a stalled motor and fixed it.
The mishap happened Nov. 25 when Opportunity tried to unstow its arm to examine a layered outcrop in the Martian plains.
But the arm, which carries four tools to chip at rocks and soil, failed to […]
‘iRobot’s Scooba Floor Washing Robot, the follow-up to the hugely successful Roomba home vacuum, neatly avoids the sophomore slump—not by a great distance, but by enough for you to consider it your new home floor-mopping companion.
From the outside, the Scooba looks like Roomba’s big, blue brother. It’s still round, but the Scooba is heavier (it […]
‘Japan’s celebrity robot, Asimo, shifted from curiosity value to practical use on Tuesday with the world’s first walking humanoid set to make its office debut next year as a receptionist.
The latest Asimo prototype unveiled in Tokyo can guide guests to a meeting room, serve coffee on a tray and push a cart with a load […]
‘Robotic patrol boats could safeguard the seas from piracy and fight ocean-going people traffickers, reports Tracey Logan in the BBC World Service’s Discovery programme.
Passengers aboard the Seabourn Spirit, a luxury liner sailing off the coast of Somalia, came face to face last month with the growing problem of piracy, especially planned assaults and ocean hijackings […]
‘Purdue University scientists now have a $1 million robot system at its Math Sciences Building with the capacity to store up to 1 petabyte of data.
The system — named Robbie the Robot for the robot in the 1950s science fiction TV series Forbidden Planet — is a cutting-edge, automated storage and retrieval system.
The system’s capability […]
‘Fuji Heavy Industries plans to use a robot to help clear mines in Croatia. The company, best known as the maker of Subaru cars, will begin testing the robot in Croatia at the end of January 2006, the Daily Yomiuri reported this week.
The semi-autonomous 1.5 ton robot uses a metal detector and soil-penetrating radar to […]
Time.com’s gadget of the week this week is theiRobot Scooba Floor-Washing Robot:
‘Although iRobot’s Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner, was a hip innovation, it had its share of problems. It was better at capturing the imaginations of robot lovers than it was at capturing the grit and grime that collect in carpet. It occasionally choked on […]
‘Robotic, simulated patients are allowing students in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine to practise clinical skills before they reach human patients.
Greg Peachey, left, assistant dean, Continuing Health Education Program, and Norm Buckley, chair of the Department of Anesthesia, demonstrate how medical students can practice their skills on a computerized mannequin in the anesthesia […]
‘It looks like an armored car but moves about freely without a driver, nimbly dodging obstacles in its path. At 3.1 m long and 1.5 m high — about an adult’s neck height — it weighs 1.2 tons. It is equipped with a 5.56 mm gun, but no matter how many shots hostile troops may […]