The Lockheed Martin Samarai is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The project had to be abandoned but a new video has just appeared on YouTube. The SAMARAI is a 30 cm single rotating wing which can fly vertically, land, take off again, and go in any direction. It's inspired by the maple seed, whic…
We told you in March about the DNA nanotubes against cancer, developed at McGill University in Montreal. This time the American researchers have developed robotic molecules capable of modifying DNA to repair damaged or flawed tissues, like small robotic spiders. The robot measures 4 nanometers …
As a complement to our article yesterday on iRobot's future strategy in personal assistants, here's a video of the company's CEO, Colin Angle, at TEDMED 2009. It's a "must see" for those who follow the company closely. Concerning medical assistance to the elderly or increasingly dependent, it's e…
The manufacturers of industrial robots have seen a sharp increase in their activity for the first quarter of 2010 in the United States. The number of orders jumped +16% while billing on sales skyrocketed by 30% for the first quarter of the year. The comparison is made with the same quarter last…
Ji-Dong Yim and Chris Shaw, two researchers at Simon Fraser University have developed a telephone robot capable of walking, expressing emotions and even being used as a telepresence robot. Callo, which is 23 cm tall, is mounted on a Nokia cell phone. It has two arms, legs and can even dance. Y…
The Osaka Institute of Technology has created a humanoid robot called JoiTech. The robot which is almost as tall as a man - between 1.30 m and 1.60 m - has been designed with the aim of playing football. It made its first appearance at the Japanese 2010 Robocup. JoiTech has 22 degrees of freed…
Do you remember the acrobat robot? Now here's another more advanced version with BallP which can even withstand heavy loads without falling. BallP, which is 51 cm tall (20 inches) and weighs 7.5 kg (16.5 pounds), balances on a ball with the help of 3 stabilizer wheels, gyroscopes, micro-control…
The video below shows three industrial robots in the process of sorting and placing salami of the Peperami brand (mini pepperoni). The speed of execution enables an increase in productivity of +25% compared to the work being done by a human chain. The FlexPicker by ABB Robotics can pick up thre…
Here's an example of an application of an interface using the Apple iPad to store then retransmit commands to an industrial robot (arm). The technician first writes a "Robot" text on the iPad, then stores it. Then it sends the information to its iPhone which retransmits the command to the robot. …
The NewFund investment fund has just invested 27% of capital in the French company MedTech. MedTech is developing a neurosurgery robot named Rosa. According to the Midi Libre newspaper and the CEO of MedTech, Bertin Nahum, the robot "makes surgical procedures safe and reliable, whilst allowing …
We've already told you before about Lego Mindstorms robots which are able to solve a Rubik's Cube with ridiculous ease in record time, such as CubeStormer. This time, here's MultiCuber, the expert in Rubik's Cubes regardless of the number of faces. MultiCuber starts with a 2x2x2 and ends its exer…
The DFKI and its Robotics Innovation Center in Bremen, Germany, are developing a multitude of robots with numerous possible applications. The video below presents many of the robotics projects underway. The projects are supervised by Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchner. DFKI Robotics develops mobile robot…
Quince is a rescuer robot prototype ready to respond to natural catastrophes (earthquakes, landslides, etc.) or work in buildings which have been damaged following explosions (gas, for example), terrorist or biochemical attacks. This robot can go on practically any terrain thanks to its 4 indepe…
By 2015, Japan wants to send a humanoid robot to the moon. Code name: Maido-Kun. The Japanese group from Osaka, SOHLA (Space Oriented Higashiosaka Leading Association), made the announcement. This association is financed by 6 private companies in the field of space research. The development a…
Mahru is a humanoid robot developed by the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in collaboration with Samsung. The idea behind this prototype is to get it to repeat the movements of a human by mimicry. Somebody moves in a certain way and the robot moves in exactly the same manner. …
Cory Kidd, an inventor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), has developed a coach robot which helps people who need to to lose weight. In fact, the robot tells those who have the willpower what they need to hear. It helps them by telling them their diet, by repeating to them what the…
