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Virtual protective barriers could increase safety around industrial robots

By Damir Beciri
9 July 2011

fraunhofer-iff-safetyAutomated helpers in industry today are usually enclosed by protective barriers. Industrial safety regulations permit contact between people and robots only under certain conditions, since the risk of injury to humans is too great. In order to allow safer collaboration, researchers at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaf are developing a projection and camera-based system able to prevent potential collisions… »

Bionics| Robotics»

Worm biomimicry inspires more flexible slithering robots

By Damir Beciri
One Comment8 July 2011

leeds-worm-botA researcher from the University of Leeds has drawn inspiration from nature to build a robotic worm that can wiggle its way around obstacles. Dubbed worm-bot, the robot is modeled after the Caenorhabditis elegans nematode – a minuscule  free-living worm that uses a very simple nervous system of just over 300 neurons to control the… »

Robotics| Tech»

A different approach on sensitive skin for robots development

By Rob Aid
One Comment5 July 2011

tum-robot-skinResearchers at Technical University of Munich (TUM) are developing an artificial skin for robots to help them navigate in their environments. It will provide important tactile information to the robot and thus supplement its perception formed by camera eyes, infrared scanners and gripping hands. They have built a single robotic arm equipped with sensors to… »

Gadgets| Robotics»

LG Hom-Bot – a smart vacuum cleaning robot

By Damir Beciri
One Comment26 June 2011

lg-hom-bot-smart-vacuum-cleaning-robotIn one of our mini-series we started a while ago, we wrote about robotic vacuum cleaners that could take the throne from the ruler of that niche. In this article we’re going to write about LG RoboKing’s successor named Hom-Bot Smart Vacuum Cleaning Robot. The robot is developed for the European market, and it’s much better… »

Robotics»

High-precision robots modularized and available in kit form

By Damir Beciri
17 June 2011

epfl-legolas5-robotA doctoral student from EPFL’s Laboratory of Robotics Systems has developed a concept for modular industrial robots, based on the technology of parallel robots, whose precision is expressed in nanometers. Its developer named it Legolas, due to association to the precise elf of the same name from The Lord of the Rings, and due to… »

Bionics| Robotics»

Researchers use birds for models of future UAVs

By Rob Aid
One Comment31 May 2011

ucsd-perching-uavBirds routinely land on small surfaces, using wing morphing and flapping techniques. The UC San Diego engineers, led by mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Tom Bewley and graduate student Kim Wright, analyzed slow motion videos of birds landing to generate a working hypotheses for how biomimicry of wing morphing and flapping can be used for… »

Robotics»

Donut algorithm allows robots to learn from our mistakes

By Damir Beciri
26 May 2011

epfl-donut-algorithmInstead being treated as useless mistakes, failed demonstrations can provide great insights into better learning, claim scientists from EPFL’s Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA). Their unusual point of view has led to the development of novel algorithms which enable machines to learn more rapidly and outperform humans by starting from failed or inaccurate demonstrations…. »

Robotics»

Autonomous robots collaborate to explore and map buildings

By Damir Beciri
16 May 2011

gatech-robot-team-1Advanced autonomous robots are being developed by a team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The program vision is for collaborative teams of tiny robots that could roll, hop, crawl or fly just about anywhere, carrying sensors that detect and send back… »