Robot // Current

COM BAT?

The bat robot's body would be about six inches long. It would weigh about a quarter of a pound and use about 1 W of power.

mashdata
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Momo, navigation in a jumper.

Momo is a haptic navigation device that can help you find your way without the need for sounds, screens or flashing lights. And... more

purplefox
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World's Largest Truck Goes Robotic

The largest truck in the world is about to become the largest robotic vehicle in the world. Computer scientists from Carnegie Mellon University have teamed up with engineers from Caterpillar to automate the 700-ton trucks, which are made to haul loads up to 240 tons from mines.

That's nearly two million pounds of metal, fuel and stone powered by a 3,550-horsepower, 24-valve engine moving at up to 42 miles per hour, with software and a robot at the wheel.

"Autonomous vehicle technology is pretty much in its infancy," said Tony Stentz, a professor at CMU involved in the project. Stentz expects that over the next five to 10 years, the technology will expand to areas beyond mining, eventually finding its way into consumer cars and trucks.

Catepillar's soon-to-be-automated hauling trucks will be the largest but not the first. Caterpillar's rival, Japan-based Komatsu, already runs automated trucks at the Gaby mine in Chile. Rio Tinto, a British/Australian mining company, recently announced plans to fully automate its Pilbara iron ore mines in Australia, including its Komatsu trucks, by this November.

The Caterpillar trucks will be equipped with numerous high-tech gadgets and software to keep them on the road. GPS receivers would continuously monitor the location and direction of the trucks.

Laser range finders would sweep the road in front of the trucks to identify large objects. Video equipment would then determine if the object is a hazard, such as a rock, or not. All of the information would then be run through a computer program that would tell the robotic driver to avoid the obstacle or not and by how much.

The software to run the trucks will be adapted from CMU's part in the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge, a competition that required unmanned vehicles equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence systems to navigate through an urban environment filled with obstacles. The software will require some changes to adapt to mines, Stentz said, but he wouldn't elaborate on the details.

Fully automated mining trucks promise to reduce maintenance costs while increasing productivity. While being careful not to say what Caterpillar's performance expectations will be, Stentz offered a "very rough calculation" that by running at peak capacity 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the trucks could be up to 100 percent more productive.
Mines are also dangerous, and removing humans from dangerous jobs will help save lives, said Mark Campbell, another DARPA Urban Challenge participant from Cornell University.

"I personally think this is a good idea," said Campbell. "The safety of miners will be greatly improved because of the lighting issues, fog, dust and other conditions that make driving around a mine difficult."

While mines have tough conditions, they are much easier to navigate compared to the urban areas both Cornell and CMU faced in the Urban Challenge.

Fully automated consumer vehicles aren't likely to arrive any time soon. Bits and pieces of the technology, like self-parking cars and backup warning systems, already exist. More devices will be added as costs come down, the sensors become better refined, and drivers come to rely on them more.

But drivers are still needed, at least for now, says Campbell: "The sensors would give the driver more information, so the human operators are still in charge or at least in control."
The largest truck in the world is about to become the largest robotic vehicle in the world. Computer scientists from Carnegie... more

ashcatash
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14 days ago

Robot per colpire gli umani

Il dipartimento della difesa americano vuole costruire dei robot che servano per colpire gli esseri umani. Ci sono anche altri... more

sonounprecario
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16 days ago

Emotional Robot Has Empathy

The European Feelix Growing project creates robots that can recognize human emotions. The project implements software that gives... more

Bigdog_mike
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2 responses

24 days ago

NASA slowly shuts down Mars robot as long night approaches

October 29, 2008 (Computerworld) After about five months of collecting information on whether Mars can sustain life, NASA... more

huffamoose2k
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0 responses

25 days ago

lost in space robots: danger, will robinson! on [technabob]

Now you too can own a fully functional, life-sized replica of the original Lost in Space Robot B9 from the famous 1960’s... more

dankitti
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2 responses

25 days ago

Un robot per risolvere il cubo di Rubik

Pete Redmond ha concepito nientepopodimenoché un robot capace di risolvere il celebre rompicapo. RuBot II - questo il nome... more

Arale
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28 days ago

New robot lets surgeons operate on a heart while it still beats

Heart surgery usually requires the heart to be completely drained of blood and stopped from beating while the surgeon is working,... more

purplefox
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1 month ago

DJ Uppercut: The attack of ninja

Pretty, pretty impressive.

joshuaheller
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1 response

1 month ago

LOVE OVERKILL - 3D sci-fi short film - English version

A short science ficion movie. 3D animations original music score and words by Luca Oleastri (me). The movie tell the story of an... more

innovari
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1 month ago

LOVE OVERKILL - cortometraggio 3D - Versione Italiana

LOVE OVERKILL è un cortometraggio di fantascienza. Le animazioni 3D, la colonna sonora originale e il testo sono di Luca... more

innovari
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1 month ago

Campaign Update 10/01/08

Barack Obama and John McCain excrete some ads, 7-11 predicts the election with magic coffee cups, and Congress looks for a bailout... more

berlich
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24 responses

1 month ago

Wired Magazine ... The 50 Best Robots Ever

They're exploring the deep sea and distant planets. They're saving lives in the operating room and on the battlefield.... more

vincius
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2 months ago

Robot Has Biological Brain!

Scientists have created a robot controlled by a biological brain made of rat neurons, which controls the robot's movements. ... more

unk_derek
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5 responses

2 months ago

Robeo and Juliet

First I'd like to give props to the website 3dhifi.com for the awesome graphic work in the pictures above.

Relationships have always been a diffculty of mankind. Most people in the world spend 18-20 years of their life trying to become independent of their parents only to attach themselves to someone else. And compromise becomes the pillar in which the entire relationship depends it's stability on. Now it's becoming increasingly harder in the digital age. In a new millennium thats all about the individuals goals we see higher divorce rates, new explorations into open relationships, and life partners (People who are always together but who never get married) becoming a better option for most.

And to make things even more complicated, we add a new frontier of technology into the mix. Online relationships is the reason behind a large part of split ups now-a-days. The porn industry is setting it's sites on interactive adult entertainment. Studies have shown that people spend more time on their computers and cell phones and in their MMO's and social networks then in the real world physically interacting other people. And what happens if your partner isn't around? Just use your vibrators or pocket pussy to sooth those lonely nights......and days.....and sometimes afternoons away.

Instant gratification without hassel has become the digital American dream, the new American motto. So when it comes to relationships, which is all about work and compromise and patience, do we have the time and/or tolerance anymore for it?

In Japan the number one reason for their decline in population is simply that they feel that they are too busy, too caught up in the fast paced technological renaissance. So how long will it be until a person is permanently replaced by a machine? Think of it, a mate that is exactly who you were looking for, after all, you selected their programming. Men, you want a wife who cooks and cleans and serves your every whim? Try the Philips Life Mate 2052 model. Ladies, you want a more emtional understanding man who takes care of all your needs in bed? Apple Computers robotic division has just the robo-man for you!

And with science and medicine leading to a world of technology integrated right into our bodies bringing about the rise of the Transhumanists, is a mechanical mate really going to be all that strange? Or would relations with robots unlock a pandoras box the likes we had never expected?First I'd like to give props to the website 3dhifi.com for the awesome graphic work in the pictures above. Relationships... more