This video is of the launching of one of the newest scientific research robots.
Although the Wave Glider has been around for a while, the newest version is being used to track electronically tagged marine animals. It is especially renowned for its launch during Shark Week, and it is now tracking Great White sharks as well.
The Wave Glider is an autonomously functioning robot, powered with solar panels and swimming in the water fluently and tracking the depths of the ocean below it. In fact, the Wave Glider’s data can be viewed on an iOS app called the Shark Net, giving data, biographies, and history of a variety of tagged sharks.
Awesome video about awesome people who use awesome technology to make the world a better place; this video is a must see for people of all ages and interest groups.
The exoskeleton design featured in the video is one that has been used on adults before. There is nothing novel about the design of the assistive arms. The advantages of using 3D printing technology to manufacture the skeleton is seen in the lightweight, cheap parts. Delaware Hospital can afford to create multiple copies of these robust parts for less money than a comparable system out of metal. For a child who is prone to breaking, or in Emma’s case, outgrowing the parts, it is more practical and effective to use plastics.
Nemours work is based on funding from donations, and it is possible to support them by using the following link. This was one of the most touching videos I’ve ever seen, and serves as an inspiration for me to become an engineer so I can hopefully help people in the future. http://www.nemours.org/waystogive.html
When you look into a mirror, can you recognize that you are looking at your own reflection? Hopefully you can; humans are among a select few animals (including primates, elephants, and dolphins) that are able to distinguish that they are looking at their own reflection. With such few organisms being able to accomplish this seemingly simple task, it is indeed quite an undertaking by Yale scientists who are trying to create a robot that is able to be aware of itself by noticing that it looking at its own reflection. Meet Nico, an old robot who is learning new tricks thanks to advancements in software that are being developed to allow him to process the visual cues he sees in the mirror.
The “mirror test was originally developed in 1970 and has become the classic test of self-awareness
More usually performed on animals, the creature is given time to get used to the mirror” and are then marked with a dye. “The animal’s reaction to their reflection is used as a gauge of their self-awareness, based on whether they inspect the mark on their own body, or react as if it does not appear on themselves.”
Humans dont even develop this tricky skill until they are 18 months of age. Nico will hopefully become the first robot to recognize himself based on looks alone.
Although mosaics are one of the oldest art forms, Robotics is adding a new twist that will change everything.
Artaic is a robot that essentially builds mosaics when it is given a picture. It is composed of a software portion and a hardware portion. When an image is fed into the software, it breaks it up into uniform squares, into a mosaic. This design is refined by a designer and then the data is given to the hardware arm. The arm selects 1-inch tiles and turns them into a mosaic picture. The resulting mosaics are both cleaner and cheaper than their conventional counterparts.
In general, robot arms are usually bulky and heavy, which sometimes makes them impractical in usage. However, this new robotic arm made by iRobot will change it all.
This new robotic arm, called AIRarm, is fully inflatable, and only weighs about half of a pound. However, it is able to carry five whole pounds, and has articulating appendages at the end of the arm to grasp things. Also, because of its lack of material, the AIRarm is relatively cheap compared to other robotic arms. The AIRarm can be controlled by adjusting the air pressure and changing the rigidity, and can be moved by using a series of actuators and strings that manipulate the robot.
The AIRarm was built with a grant from DARPA as a lightweight alternative to robotic arms that currently exist for military purposes, for example, defusing bombs. After all, the AIRarm is lighter, simpler, and cheaper than other robotic arms that are out there.
Designed by a professor at the Chukyo University in Japan, the Babyloid is a robot that imitates a baby’s behavior. Its aim is to help the elderly feel less lonely and stop depression.
Although it looks like a fluffy plush blob, it is actually quite capable. It can produce more than 100 different sounds, as the professor who made it recorded his youngest daughters sounds and incorporated it into the robot’s design. It may seem ludicrous, but scientific studies show that it greatly alleviates symptoms of depression. (And by the way, the reason why it doesn’t look like a real baby is because “the basic design — with a simplified, smiling face — was chosen ‘to avoid the creepiness a realistic baby face can have.’”)
Made last year by Panasonic, the HOSPI-Rimo makes virtual visits and chatting for the elderly so much simpler.
The HOSPI-Rimo is able to autonomously move around very easily, navigating to different floors and avoiding collisions with people in the hallway. IT also allows bedridden patients and the elderly who don’t often have to chance to talk with their family and friends to virtually visit without having to know how to use the technology.
Hair-washing Robot
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get your hair washed by a robot? Well wait no longer!
Panasonic’s newest version of its hair-washing robot is here! Designed for the elderly or less able (but also featured in some hair salons in Japan for general use), the robot sprays water and applies shampoo and conditioner while using 24 robotic fingers to massage your scalp. It is said that it can give an even better hair experience than humans!
Other
Most of these other older robots are pretty cool too, and their videos explain them well. Enjoy!
A DARPA-funded robot made at the Sandia National Laboratories, the Sandia Hand may eliminate the need for human hands forever!
Well, that’s an overstatement. However, the Sandia Hand is quite useful in the fact that it is quite similar to a normal hand. Although it is comparatively inexpensive, it’s appendages move surprisingly similar to a human hand, and it even has a gel layer on the hand that mimics the grip of a human hand. But it can also do what a human hand cannot do. It can repair itself if any of the fingers fall off; the rest of the hand searches around until it finds the finger and reattaches it. It can also go places where humans might not. The Sandia Hand is designed to defuse bombs that might put human personnel in dangerous situations, but because it’s a robot, it can defuse a bomb safely and thus preserve any evidence that shows the culprit.
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