The Lives That the Future Robotics Technology Will Save

Many see the future robotics technology as one where no humans exist, and all will be operating
by means of a computer, this is in fact a lie and a myth. There is no way that robots would be
able to love, care for, it does not matter which curriculum they are written from, there is no way
that a robot would be able to love a person or an animal the way that humans do. You will
discover your own robotic technologies by using the robotics technology curriculum or even if
you make use of the most recent software as well.

With the high standards of the technology been used in this day and age, we are able to create
prosthetic limbs and also rehabilitate a stroke paralysis person, there has been so many
breakthroughs in the field of robotic technologies and this is something that you should never
second guess, with saying this, you might need the use of this technology to save your life one
day. While it was used during the testing of a stroke paralysis patient, the patient was able to
regain use of his shoulders as well as upper arms; this was made possible by using the future
robotics technology. What is it that would make this a more interesting subject for you, read the
development history of robotics?

There are many people that make use of the prosthetic limbs, and on the other hand, there are
many that hear the words spoken and cringe up. This is thought of as a human deficiency and

these people are so caught up in the stereotype of life that there is no room for them to think for
themselves. For someone that does makes use of mechanical body parts, they soon realize just
how quickly it starts and adjusts to the rest of the body and how easy it would be to make use of
in the first place.
The engineers are making use of the latest software development to use hand in hand with
robotic technology, and this is to give the human race a bit of advancement on life. There are
ways that the youngsters are able to get a head start on this, if they take to a robotic engineering
career, this would teach them more on the future robotics technology and the right step forward
as well. Let us not be ignorant with life, rather embrace it as there is no second chance.

Meeting with robots

At long last, the fascinating world of robots is accessible to the

general public. Just like information technology, which has become a part of everyday life over
the past twenty years, robotics are beginning to play an increasingly important role in our daily
lives. What will our societies of tomorrow be like? What share of the market will robotics
technologies hold in the industry?
Technological development has no meaning unless it serves us, without enslaving us. Man
therefore has everything to gain by contemplating his relationship with new technologies. Asia
and the United States have put a great deal of effort into robotics. Europe is now also entering the
scene. ROBOSPHERE has therefore arrived at the ideal time.

A robot is a mechanical or virtual, artificial agent. A robot is usually an electromechanical

system, which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of
its own. The word robot can refer to both physical robots and virtual software agents, but the
latter are often shortened to bots.

While there is still discussion

about which machines qualify as robots, a typical robot will have several, though not necessarily
all of the following properties: (more)

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Innovation First Brings Robotics to the Classroom

With robotics playing an ever more integral role in STEM education, Innovation First, the
company behind a wide range of robotics initiatives, has launched a new online resource
targeted directly toward K-12 and post-secondary education.

Innovation First provides robotics programs to about 140,000 students around the
world (making up about 12,000 teams), and just last month the company launched
robotevents.com in an effort to provide a resource for those interested in robotics
competitions. The new resource, Vex Robotics Education, hosted on the Vex Robotics
site, is designed as a resource for educators looking to introduce robotics into STEM
curricula. It includes free education and classroom support materials for download and
also introduces custom classroom lab kits based on the Vex Robotics Design System.
The kits include components for building radio-controlled robots. (more)
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Why can?t American consumers handle the future that robotics is

willing to offer?
Someday the robots will rise up and kill us all. Theyll record our lives, obliterate our privacy, set
off nuclear war, and eventually turn on us and eat our brains. If any of this ever did happen, it
would serve us right. We, at least American consumers, dont deserve the future that robots
really have to offer.

Recent evidence abounds. Whats more appalling?a television commercial depicting an

industrial automotive robot committing suicide or the public outcry that followed? We have a
robot psychiatrist (more on her later) and an entire country?South Korea, not the U.S. (for
now)?committed to the ethical treatment of robots.Talk about putting the cart before the
horse.
It isnt all the fault of U.S. consumers. Our robotics expectations buckle under the massive
burden of fantasy robotics. Our conception of consumer robotics is steered, almost entirely, by
science fiction. We confer personalities and cognitive thought on robots before we even see
them. We assume that theyll have human emotions and foibles. (more)
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WowWee Roboreptile Robotic Reptile

Wowwees Roboreptile is an often startling robotic toy that, once you get the hang of its wonky
controls, is actually pretty fun. Like other Wowwee robots, theres a preprogrammed animation
that goes off when it is first powered up. Its impressive: growling, snapping jaws and a whipping
tail. In short, Roboreptile looks like something out of the future and moves like something out of
the past.

The Roboreptile has infrared vision sensors where its eyes would be and stereo hearing
sensors on the sides of its face. Its sounds, though a bit tinny, are menacing. During a tail swipe,
it lets out a sort of Eagle cry, harkening back to the shared avian/reptile ancestry.

Controlling the Monster

Controlling the Roboreptile with the remote is a bit of a strain. First, because the remote uses an
infrared beam and the pick-up sensor is located in its head. You wont be able to control it from
far away, and its difficult to control while walking away from you. (more)
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Whole New Ball Game As A Robot Makes I-Contact

ASIMO, the worlds most advanced humanoid robot, cant drive his own car yet, but he is
helping manufacturers make vehicles safer.
Twenty-one years of technology have allowed the all-seeing, all-hearing and sometimes-dancing
Asimo to evolve from a disembodied set of legs that took up to 20 seconds to pace a single step
into a robot that can slalom through road cones and run at 6 kmh.
The latest version of the Asimo robot is touring Australia and will be in Sydney until December
2.
Its engineering achievements have required scientists for the car maker Honda, the company
behind Asimo, to master the skills that govern locomotion, such as how humans shift their
weight as they walk. This technology has subsequently been adapted to help prevent vehicles

from swerving, according to Hongsiri Suesattabongkot, a Honda engineer and former robotics
student at the University of NSW.
The mechanical midget, which at 1.3 metres tall would barely be able to peer over a steering
wheel, has also been responsible for a technology that warns drivers about impending collisions.
(more)
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Hitec 77003 Robonova I Humanoid Robot Kit

The Robonova I offers educators, students and robotic hobbyists a complete robot package. The
advanced and stable Robonova I can walk, run, do flips, cartwheels, dance moves and once
programmed, is ready to compete in any Robo One Class J competition. This kit version of the
Robonova I allows you to enjoy building your new friend from the ground up. The Robonova I
kit was designed for easy assembly in six to eight hours using only a screwdriver. On the other
hand, if you prefer instant gratification, you can choose the Robonova I in a pre-built, ready-towalk version.

Built Tough
The custom gold anodized metal servo brackets serve as a strong and lightweight exoskeleton.
Robonova I also features durable plastic body case components that protect the control board
and battery from damage. (more)
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WowWee Robosapien Version 2 Humanoid Robot

Robosapien Version 2 is the next generation of Robosapien technology and personality from
Wowwee. This new member of the robotic family comes with more advanced dynamic motion,

interactive sensors, new program functions, speech capability, and a personality all his own. Its
clear from the start that he enjoys bowling, dancing, and having conversations.
Movement

RobosapienV2 is able to walk forward in four different styles, or gaits. He normally uses his IR
vision and touch sensors built into his feet and hands to avoid obstacles, but if put into bulldozer
mode, he will walk forward or backward and try to push his way through anything.
Beyond controlling him manually with the included remote controller, RobosapienV2 can
explore his environment independently in free roam mode. You can also direct his movements
by using the remotes targeting featurejust point the beam to a spot on the floor and he will
walk toward it.
RobosapienV2 has been designed with a full range of motion. He can turn his head just like
humans. So, too, can he turn at the hips and can move them forward and back and from side to
side. RobosapienV2 can move each arm independently, and his hands can grab, pick up, and

throw light objects, such as the included bowling balls and pins. He even comes preprogrammed
with a selection of dance moves. (more)
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Visitors look at REEM-B, the new humanoid robot unveiled by Pal Technology Robotics, at its
launch in Reem Island in Abu Dhabi, June 11, 2008. The 1.47-meter tall robot, which is able to
walk dynamically, grasp objects, navigate within buildings, accept voice commands and
recognize faces, is one of the most advanced in the world, manufacturers said. Developed by Pal
Technology Robotics, REEM-B supercedes the older REEM-A robot, which was launched last
year.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan hands a gift to the new humanoid robot REEM-B

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Hyper-redundant Discrete Robotic Articulated Serpentine

The news originally come from www.gizmag.com. Posted at December 13, 2008.

Researchers at the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech have designed a series
of serpentine robots that are able to climb poles and inspect structures too dangerous or
inaccessible for humans. The robots coil themselves around a beam and roll upward using an
oscillating joint motion, gathering important structural data with cameras and sensors.
A 2006 US Bureau of Labor Statistics report listed 809 fatal falls from raised structures and
scaffolding. The RoMeLa team hope that by increasing the use of autonomous robots in
construction, humans can work in safer conditions. The HyDRAS models (Hyper-redundant
Discrete Robotic Articulated Serpentine for climbing) use electric motors , while the CIRCA
(Climbing Inspection Robot with Compressed Air) uses a compressed air muscle. Currently the
robots are tethered to laptops, but future designs will incorporate a microprocessor and power
source, allowing them to operate independently. All robots in the series are roughly three feet
long, though the CIRCA is lighter than the HyDRAS.
Dennis Hong, director of Virginia Tech?s Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory, said ?The use
of compressed air makes this approach feasible by enabling it to be light weight, providing
compliant actuation force for generating the gripping force for traction, and allowing it to use a
simple discrete control scheme to activate the muscles in a predetermined sequence.?
?These are really wicked cool robots,? Hong said. ?Unlike inchworm type gaits often being

developed for serpentine robot locomotion, this novel climbing gait requires the serpentine
robot to wrap around the structure in a helical shape, and twist its whole body to climb or
descend by rolling up or down the structure.?
The HyDRAS-Ascent, HyDRAS-Ascent II, and CIRCA recently earned recognition at the 2008
International Symposium on Educational Excellence.
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Artificial Intelligence in Robot War

The robots are not so much coming; they have arrived. But instead of dominating humanity with
superior logic and strength, they threaten to create an underclass of people who are left without
human contact.
The rise of robots in the home, in the workplace and in warfare needs to be supervised and
controlled by ethical guidelines which limit how they can be used in sensitive scenarios such as
baby-sitting, caring for the elderly, and combat, a leading scientist warns today.
Sales of professional and personal service robots worldwide were estimated to have reached
about 5.5 million this year ? and are expected to more than double to 11.5 million by 2011 ? yet
there is little or no control over how these machines are used. Some help busy professionals
entertain children; other machines feed and bathe the elderly and incapacitated.
Professor Noel Sharkey, an expert on artificial intelligence based at the University of Sheffield,
warns that robots are being introduced to potentially sensitive situations that could lead to
isolation and lack of human contact, because of the tendency to leave robots alone with their
charges for long periods.
We need to look at guidelines for a cut-off so we have a limit to the contact with robots,

Professor Sharkey said. Some robots designed to look after children now are so safe that
parents can leave their children with them for hours, or even days.
More than a dozen companies based in Japan and South Korea manufacture robot
companions and carers for children. For example, NEC has tested its cute-looking personal
robot PaPeRo on children: the device lives at home with a family, recognises their faces, can
mimic their behaviour and be programmed to tell jokes, all the while exploring the house. Many
robots are designed as toys, but they can also take on childcare roles by monitoring the
movements of a child and communicating with a parent in another room, or even another
building, through wireless computer connection or mobile phone.
Research into service robots has demonstrated a close bonding and attachment by children,
who, in most cases, prefer a robot to a teddy bear, Professor Sharkey said. Short-term
exposure can provide an enjoyable and entertaining experience that creates interest and
curiosity. But because of the physical safety that robot minders provide, children could be left
without human contact for many hours a day or perhaps several days, and the possible
psychological impact of the varying degrees of social isolation on development is unknown.
Less playful robots are being developed to look after elderly people. Secom makes a computer
called My Spoon which helps disabled people to eat food from a table. Sanyo has built an electric
bathtub robot that automatically washes and rinses someone suffering from movement
disability.
At the other end of the age spectrum [to child care], the relative increase in many countries in
the population of the elderly relative to available younger care-givers has spurred the
development of elder-care robots, Professor Sharkey said.
These robots can help the elderly to maintain independence in their own homes, but their
presence could lead to the risk of leaving the elderly in the exclusive care of machines without
sufficient human contact. The elderly need the human contact that is often provided only by
caregivers and people performing day-to-day tasks for them.
In the journal Science, Professor Sharkey calls for ethical guidelines to cover all aspects of
robotic technology, not just in the home and workplace, but also on the battlefield, where lethal
robots such as the missile-armed Predator drones used in Iraq and Afghanistan are already
deployed with lethal effect. The US Future Combat Systems project aims to use robots as force
multipliers, with a single soldier initiating large-scale ground and aerial attacks by a robot
droid army. Robots for care and for war represent just two of many ethically problematic areas
that will soon arise from the rapid increase and spreading diversity of robotics applications,

Professor Sharkey said. Scientists and engineers working in robotics must be mindful of the
potential dangers of their work, and public and international discussion is vital in order to set
policy guidelines for ethical and safe application before the guidelines set themselves.
The call for controls over robots goes back to the 1940s when the science-fiction author Isaac
Asimov drew up his famous three laws of robotics. The first rule stated that robots must not
harm people; the second that they must obey the commands of people provided they does not
conflict with the first law; and the third law was that robots must attempt to avoid harming
themselves provided this was not in conflict with the two other laws.
Asimov wrote a collection of science fiction stories called I, Robot which exploited the issue of
machines and morality. He wanted to counter the long history of fictional accounts of dangerous
automatons ? from the Jewish Golem to Mary Shelleys Frankenstein ? and used his three laws
as a literary device to exploit the ethical issues arising from the human interaction with nonhuman, intelligent beings. But late 20th-century predictions about the rise of machines
endowed with superior artificial intelligence have not been realised, although robot scientists
have given their mechanical protgs quasi-intelligent traits such as simple speech recognition,
emotional expression and face recognition.
Professor Starkey believes that even dumb robots need to be controlled. Im not suggesting like
Asimov to put ethical rules into robots, but to just to have guidelines on how robots are used, he
said. Current robots are not bright enough even to be called stupid. If I even thought they
would be superior in intelligence, I would not have these concerns. They are dumb machines not
much brighter than the average washing machine, and thats the problem.
Isaac Asimov: The three laws of robotics
The science fiction author Isaac Asimov, who died in 1992, coined the phrase robotics to
describe the study of robots. In 1940, Asimov drew up his three laws of robotics, partly as a
literary device to exploit the ethical issues arising from the interaction with intelligent machines.
* First Law: a robot must not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to
be harmed.
* Second Law: a robot must obey the commands of human beings, except where the orders
conflict with the first law.
* Third Law: a robot must protect its own existence so long as this does not conflict with the first
two laws.
Later on, Asimov amended the laws by adding two more. The zeroth law stated that a robot
must not harm humanity, which deals with the ethical problem arising from following the first

law but in the process putting other human beings at risk.

Asimov also added a final law of procreation stating that robots must not make other robots
that do not follow the laws of robotics.
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Amatrol-Robotics

Robotics is the science and technology of robots, their design, manufacture, and application.
Robotics requires a working knowledge of electronics, mechanics, and software. A person
working in the field is a roboticist. The word robotics was first used in print by Isaac Asimov, in
his science fiction short story "Runaround" (1941). Although the appearance and capabilities of
robots vary vastly, all robots share the features of a mechanical, movable structure under some
form of control. The structure of a robot is usually mostly mechanical and can be called a
kinematic chain (its functionality being akin to the skeleton of the human body). The chain is
formed of links (its bones), actuators (its muscles) and joints which can allow one or more
degrees of freedom. Most contemporary robots use open serial chains in which each link
connects the one before to the one after it. These robots are called serial robots and often
resemble the human arm. Some robots, such as the Stewart platform, use closed parallel
kinematic chains. Other structures, such as those that mimic the mechanical structure of

humans, various animals and insects, are comparatively rare. However, the development and
use of such structures in robots is an active area of research (e.g. biomechanics). Robots used as
manipulators have an end effector mounted on the last link. This end effector can be anything
from a welding device to a mechanical hand used to manipulate the environment. The
mechanical structure of a robot must be controlled to perform tasks. The control of a robot
involves three distinct phases - perception, processing and action (robotic paradigms). Sensors
give information about the environment or the robot itself (e.g. the position of its joints or its
end effector). Using strategies from the field of control theory, this information is processed to
calculate the appropriate signals to the actuators (motors) which move the mechanical structure.
The control of a robot involves various aspects such as path planning, pattern recognition,
obstacle avoidance, etc. More complex and adaptable control strategies can be referred to as
artificial intelligence. EVER Any task involves the motion of the robot. The study of motion can
be divided into kinematics and dynamics. Direct kinematics refers to the calculation of end
effector position, orientation, velocity and acceleration when the corresponding joint values are
known. Inverse kinematics refers to the opposite case in which required joint values are
calculated for given end effector values, as done in path planning. Some special aspects of
kinematics include handling of redundancy (different possibilities of performing the same
movement), collision avoidance and singularity avoidance. Once all relevant positions, velocities
and accelerations have been calculated using kinematics, methods from the field of dynamics
are used to study the effect of forces upon these movements. Direct dynamics refers to the
calculation of accelerations in the robot once the applied forces are known. Direct dynamics is
used in computer simulations of the robot. Inverse dynamics refers to the calculation of the
actuator forces necessary to create a prescribed end effector acceleration. This information can
be used to improve the control algorithms of a robot. In each area mentioned above, researchers
strive to develop new concepts and strategies, improve existing ones and improve the interaction
between these areas. To do this, criteria for "optimal" performance and ways to optimize design,
structure and control of robots must be developed and implemented.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Meet Zeno: The Emotional Robot By Hanson Robotics

Meet Zeno. He cant walk or talk yet, but his blinking eyes will track people and his face will
captivate you with a range of expressions. Measuring at 17 inches tall and weighing 6 pounds,
Zeno is the culmination of five years of work by Hanson Robotics.
At Hanson Robotics, they believe theres an emerging business in the design and sale of lifelike
robotic companions, or social robots. David Hanson believes that Zeno is much more than an
artificial robot toy, he says Zeno is an interactive learning companion who can engage in
conversation and convey human emotion through a face made of a skin-like material which
Hanson has names frubber.

Talking about his latest creation, Hanson says,

Its a representation of robotics as a character animation medium, one that is intelligent. It sees
you and recognizes your face. It learns your name and can build a relationship with you.
If the whole thing sounds a little Sci-Fi to you then its probably because thats where the
inspiration from Zeno came from. Hanson said he was inspired by the same sort of realism
found in the book Supertoys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss.
David Hanson aims to make his little Zenos available to consumers within the next three years
for $200-$300.
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RoboKriti - Basic Robotics Workshop

RoboKriti - The art of Building Robots is a

workshop especially designed for newbies and robotics enthusiasts of all disciplines from
diploma Institutes to Engineering Colleges of all the branches like Electronics,
Telecommunication, Mechanical, Computer Science, Production, Metallurgy etc.The students
will learn the basics concepts and will gain the practical experience while working on the
RoboKriti kit. They will be introduced to the basic fundamentals of robotics and will learn to
apply them in real life. Hands-on sessions will help them understand the practical aspects

too.The RoboKriti Kit is specially designed and developed by Team Technophilia. Using this kit,
students will make a robotic vehicle which can be controlled via two mediums, viz:

Wired Remote control

Wireless Remote Control (RC Control)

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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Fully-Assembled Robots

I was given one of these last

holiday season to review. At the time, I was pretty impressed that TOMY was able to offer such a
sophisticated mini-humanoid for the price (which was then around $250 street). Now, sadly,
after a year, TOMY has decided to discontinue the product. But that means we can offer them in
the Maker Shed for $106!. That's a very attractive price for a very hackable little robot, making it
the perfect gift for any techno-tinkerer on your list. This 6 1/2"-tall humanoid uses 17
servomotors to somersault, stand on one leg, do push-ups, perform martial arts. It has 180 pre-

programmed movements, responds to verbal commands, and performs up to 240 movements in

sequence, allowing you to design countless routines, such as programming the device to say
"hello," introduce himself, play an air guitar, bow to his audience, and say "good night." Using
the included action chart as a guide, you simply enter the alphanumeric codes into the remote
control and i-SOBOT reacts in earnest with acrobatics, verbal phrases, and greetings, or you can
control his movements manually using the dual joysticks and trigger buttons on the remote. In
voice recognition mode, the robot moves in response to ten verbal prompts, such as "Go
forward" or "Back up," and acknowledges questions like "How are you?" with appropriate
retorts. Ages 10+.Price: $105.95.
Robots-Dreams.com has some links to i-SOBOT hacking-related resources here.

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Wow Wee Rovio Mobile Webcam
Product code : RB-Wow-23

WiFi equipped mobile robot with streaming audio and video

Easily control Rovio remotely 24/7 from anywhere in the world!
Manual control and autonomous waypoint navigation
Advanced users will love the Rovio API
The Wow Wee Rovio Mobile Webcam is a WiFi remote controlled
surveillance robot that can be controlled by any device with a web browser, even web
enabled cell phones. Rovio can also patrol a pre-programmed path and check for
intruders. Rovio provides telepresence, with audio and vido streaming, so you can
check on your home or office from anywhere a web connection exists. When Rovios
batteries become weak, he automatically returns to his docking station to recharge if it is

in his field of view. Using a state of the art TrueTrack localization system, similar to GPS
but for indoors, Rovio will be the most advanced mobile webcam on the market.

Wow Wee Rovio Mobile

Webcam features:

WiFi equipped mobile robot with webcam.

Built-in LED headlight to help with navigation in dimly lit locations.

IR sensors for obstacle avoidance.

Microphone and Speaker for 2-way communication.

Omni-directional wheels.

Charging dock and self-docking function.

Rovio even has an API for advanced users.

TrueTrack System for autonomous waypoint navigation (Store waypoints that can be
navigated to with one click).

System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista, Wireless Access Point (Wireless Router),

CD/DVD drive (Note: For Mac users, Ad hoc setup requires a WiFi Card).

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Robotics Technology Integration

SSC San Diegos robotics program uses CCAT-supported technologies to enhance

existing unmanned ground vehicle platforms (UGVs)

UGVs are currently used in Iraq during potentially hostile operations

CCAT-supported technologies will be used to provide capabilities with the potential of

saving the lives of American soldiers

When you say the word "robot," most people think of a mechanical man, or even sinister
machines that aspire to destroy the human race and take over the world. History, however, tells
us that the first robot was invented in 1938 as a programmable device used to apply spray paint.
Since then, robots have been increasingly used to take over many of the dangerous or tedious
jobs once done by humans.

From a military perspective, one very dangerous job is that of an American warfighter patrolling
in hostile territory. There are an estimated 5,000 ground robots currently taking on this
function in Iraq and saving many lives in the process. In fact, Congress has recently mandated
that one third of all U.S. ground military vehicles be unmanned by 2015. In meeting this

ambitious goal, current remote-controlled systems will require more functionality with less
operator involvement to effectively perform a wide range of missions under varying conditions.
The Robotics Tech Transfer (TechTXFR) project is managed by Estrellina Pacis of the Space and
Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego (SSC San Diego). The objective of this effort is to
expedite enhanced capabilities for robots that are currently in the field through transfer of
applicable technologies from other government labs, academia, and private industry. The
individual technology readiness levels are evaluated by SSC San Diego and further matured, as
necessary, for testing in relevant operational environments.
The Robotics TechTXFR team sought out assistance in locating relevant technologies through
another Department of Defense-funded program, the Center for Commercialization of Advanced
Technology (CCAT).

In the winter of 2006, CCAT San Diego provided the

Robotics TechTXFR effort with $50,000 for optimizing the navigation and mapping software of
man-portable UGVs. "The CCAT funding of our Robotics TechTXFR program helped pave the
way for improved functionalities, such as enhanced mobility and situational awareness, and
significantly increased autonomy," said Bart Everett, chief engineer for robotics at SSC San
Diego. "This allows the robot to become much more of an asset and far less dependent upon the
operator."

Shortly thereafter, CCAT San Diego began accepting proposals from technologists who had
engineered devices and software products that could potentially provide additional
enhancements to the UGVs. In October 2006, CCAT San Diego provided funding and services to

five organizations to package their technologies for integration and evaluation on test platforms
by SSC San Diego. The grants resulted in varying capabilities, such as visual odometry (visionassisted navigation) and radiological source identification and tracking. CCAT San Bernardino
followed suit in early 2007 by announcing three more awards pursuing application payloads
that provide the robots with leave-behind sensors, trip-wire detection, and explosives detection
capabilities.
"The CCAT program offers the agility, speed and technical expertise needed to get new
technologies into the hands of the Robotics TechXFR program so that UGVs are much more
effective in theatre," said Pacis. "This translates into more mechanical soldiers on the front lines
and fewer American lives lost."
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Anybot
Saturday, 17 February 2007
The Personal Robot species is broad, growing and gets is evolutionairy force from Japanese and
Korean companies. One of these companies is Mostitech, which is located in Korea and has
developed several personal robots over the past few years. Their latest design is Anybot (also
called 'Mir-H' on their website). Anybot is a so-called Ubiquitous Robot, which simply means
that the product combines robotics technology with Internet technology in order to provide the
user online services.

Anybot supports four applications. First the robot brings you Security. The built-in camera is
able to detect intruders and takes pictures that are sent to your cell phone. Secondly, the robot
can be controlled via some network by a cell phone, providing the user a Remote-control
Monitoring application. Entertainment applications is the third class of applications supported
by this robot. Voice recognition, playing mp3 files, games, and real-time information including

news and weather are all present. Finally, the robot supports Home Networking applications so
that a user can control home electronics by giving Anybot commands.

P O S T E D B Y H M O M E R AT 1 1 : 3 3 P M 0 C O M M E N T S

Raytheon Acquired Sarcos' Robotics technology

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has acquired the

robotics technologies and capabilities of Sarcos, a company specializing in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and robotics for the entertainment and medical industries. "We
look forward to being part of the [Raytheon] IDS team," said Dr. Stephen Jacobsen, president of
Sarcos. he added that by joining with Raytheon Sarcos will be better positioned to move our

technology from research and development to execution." Integrated Defense Systems is

Raytheon's leader in Joint Battlespace Integration.

Sarcos was incorporated in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1983 as an R&D company and is active in the
field of robotics since 1992. Sarcos was one of two contractors pursuing DARPA's Exoskeleton
program, a futuristic concept enabling warfighters to "run faster, leap further and carry up to
150 lbs or more".
This capability could enable soldiers operating at high risk conditions to carry significantly
heavier body armor than is presently possible. Sarcos is expected to deliver a prototype
exoskeleton for US Army testing by next year (2008). Following these tests, DARPA plans to
transition the technology to the US Army PEO Soldier for further development.

P O S T E D B Y H M O M E R AT 1 1 : 2 8 P M 0 C O M M E N T S

First woman gets bionic arm

by Donald Melanson, posted Sep 14th 2007 at 11:36AM

As The Washington Post reports,

26-year old Claudia Mitchell has become the fourth person and first woman to get outfitted with
a bionic arm (well, besides Lindsay Wagner), with which she's able to perform functions simply
by thinking about them. The arm was designed by researchers at the Rehabilitation Institute of
Chicago -- who are part of a larger project funded by DARPA -- and works by detecting the
movement's of Mitchell's chest muscle, which has been rewired to the nerves that once served
her left arm. Eventually, researchers say, the arm could even give Mitchell the sense of touch,
with electrodes in the hand sending signals to her chest skin, which her brain would recognize as
a sensation. This being part of a DARPA project though, we're sure they're also working on
things they're not telling us, like crazy swinging grappling hook action.[Thanks, Spluch]
P O S T E D B Y H M O M E R AT 1 1 : 2 2 P M 0 C O M M E N T S

Real transformer robot: two legs good, eight legs better

Real transformer robot: two legs good,

eight legs better
July 26th, 2008

Robotics fans who are also entomologists should get a kick out of the latest high-tech machine
from Japan a shiny multi-legged robot that can walk like an insect.
Although the Halluc II from the Future Robotics Technology Center (Furo) at Chiba Institute of
Technology and Leading Edge Design in Tokyo has eight limbs, one of its three modes of
locomotion is based on the way some insects walk. The other two see it move on wheels like a car
and in a way similar to a quadrupedal mammal, albeit with twice the complement of limbs.
The point of developing a robot that can get around in such differing ways is to create machines
that can traverse any kind of surface. Halluc II cant handle stairs when trundling around on its
wheels, but break out the crawling insect legs or stepping mammalian feet and it can scurry or
stomp with the best of them.
If all that sounds a little esoteric, we advise you to check out the excellent videos over at
Japanese site Robot Watch, particularly the insect mode here and the transition between insect
and mammal here.
Future applications for such technology could also see, for example, cars that can park in tight
spaces by sprouting legs and simply stepping sideways into the gap. We cant wait.
P O S T E D B Y H M O M E R AT 1 1 : 2 0 P M 0 C O M M E N T S

5th EURON/EUnited Robotics Technology Transfer Award

5th EURON/EUnited Robotics

Technology Transfer Award

The EURON/EUnited Robotics Technology Transfer Award is jointly presented each year in
recognition of outstanding achievements in EUropean robot technology.

This year the jury - a team of six robotics experts coming from academia and industry - received
seven applications of high quality. Three finalists were invited to present their technology
transfer products during the EURON II Annual Meeting on 28 March 2008 in Prague.
The three winners are:
1. Price: ROBOTECH (Italy) for I-Droid 01, small edutainment robot (which can be seen in the
picture attached)
2. Price: Bluebotics (Switzerland) for ANT (Autonomous Navigatin Technology)
3. Price: DELFOi (Sweden) for Cost Efficient Drilling

Robotic Fly Takes Off

There are already many flying robots that exist but this robotic fly is the first
at such a small scale.
Enthused by a true fly, Prof. Wood and his team from Harvard University
developed a 60 milligram robot with a three-centimeter wingspan that is
able to achieve the flight performance of a real fly.
This robot-fly can be used for intelligence applications and for military. And
for this reason, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is
supporting this project. And also, this robot-fly can be use in detecting for
chemical and radiological substances that are hazardous to the environment.
Even though the making of this micro robotic flying insect is such a great
achievement, there are still many difficulties needed to be resolve before
producing a fully autonomous robot-fly.
This robotic-fly can only move up and down. So, the developers are making
way for this to move in any direction. They plan to apply a flight controller to
the robot for it to move in different directions. And also a sensor and a
power source is to be added to create a fully functioning type of robot-fly.

Celebrating Robotic Technology and Roving Bats

Editorial direction by Brian Huse, Director, Marketing & PR, Robotic Industries Association
The Oil & Gas Expo and Conference celebrates technology with 1,200 exhibits and 39,000
visitors in Rio de Janeiro this fall. On display will be a robotic vessel called Roving Bat, a
submersible hybrid of sorts for underwater inspection, security and telepresence.

According to the corporate

forces behind Roving Bat (namely ECA and CSIP), this robotic tool is a time-saving, cost
efficient and life saving system that inspects the hulls of ships, FPSOs, underwater structures and
hydraulic dams. It is also used for security applications, to search and dispose of limpet mines
and other explosive, suspect devices attached on ships hulls, harbor walls or piers.
How quickly robots have become at home on land, at sea and in space. But their success is not
accidental. Brilliant minds conceived and built robotic systems to exacting standards.
Demanding customers and conditions forced robotic systems to be tough, durable and reliable.
Precision is of course built-in with robots. Ask any automaker. Or surgeon. Or pilot. Better yet,
see for yourself by mixing with these brilliant people at industry events. Cant make it to Rio for
the Roving Bat? Chicago has Automate 2011 formerly the International Robots & Vision Show
from March 21-24. Youll see the best there, too.
Now, back to our story about the Roving Bat.
The Roving Bat features six built-in thrusters, two longitudinal and four vertical, making it very
powerful and capable of withstanding the strongest of currents for stable and reliable inspection.
The ROV reaches its target in free-flying mode and sticks to any vertical or inclined surface. It
can then move along this surface in crawling mode for close inspection achieving coverage of up
to 20 meters per minute.
Since launching the Roving Bat last year and exhibiting it at a number of exhibitions worldwide,
the ROV has caught the attention of the defense and civil security community. Managing
Director of CSIP, Simon Gilligan said: The first company to purchase the Roving Bat was
Brazilian oil and gas giant, Petrobras, to discover whether there may be corrosion or lesions on
the hull of Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessels. The Roving Bat has since been

upgraded and the new high performance vehicle has recently been released. We are receiving a
great number of enquiries from interested parties.
Rio Oil and Gas is a great opportunity to introduce the Roving Bat to an even wider audience
and with CSIPs experts available to talk through the benefits of the Roving Bat, I am sure it will
gain great interest at the exhibition.

CSIP will also exhibit the latest generation of the 5 Function Electric
Underwater Manipulator Arm, ARM 5 E, featuring new software for 2010. The electric fivefunction arm performs to the same level as a hydraulic arm, but offers a number of advantages,
which include the removal of a pump and valve pack, reducing the weight of the arm. Another
main benefit is the improved safety of an electronic arm as it removes the possibility of hydraulic
fluid leaking out. The electric motors are brushless and will operate in oil, all the actuator and
junction box voids are therefore oil-filled and pressure compensated to 0.4 Bar above ambient,
with 7500 meter rated seals.
A keynote of the design is its modularity, allowing new applications to be added easily. Rated for
use at depths down to 3,000 meters, the new electric arm has a radius of 1.044m reach and a slew
of 120 and is constructed of HE30 hard anodized aluminum, 316 stainless steel and nickel
aluminum bronze.
ARM 7 H, a seven-function hydraulic manipulator arm will also be exhibited and has recently
been re-designed to enable additional lift power and controllability. Withstanding depths of 7,500
meters, a much deeper rating then any other standard manipulator, and with its flexibility die to
the precise pincer device and rotation, the re-engineered ARM 7 H offers its user the precision
needed to undertake a number of tasks.
Both the ARM 5 E and ARM 7 H will be in working order at the exhibition, allowing visitors to
see the arms ability and precision.
With the ability to design and manufacture machines that are specific to the needs of its clients,
CSIPs experts will be available to discuss bespoke requirements, visit ECA and CSIP at Rio Oil
and Gas Expo and Conference

Robotic Surgery: When Technology Meets

Surgical Precision
Ahmed Ahdy Haggag BSc. In Biomedical Engineering - Cairo University, Egypt Intuitive
Surgical Certified Clinical Specialist & Field Service Engineer
Citation: A.A. Haggag: Robotic Surgery: When Technology Meets Surgical Precision. The
Internet Journal of Health. 2006 Volume 5 Number 1

Abstract
The objective of the following report is to represent a full & clear image of the latest technology
in the field of surgery (Robotic Surgery) in a brief and easy way showing the advantages
accompanied with this new type of surgery & the value it adds for both the patient & the
surgeon.

Background
Open Surgery
The surgery first started with Open Surgery which implied making a large incision in the
patient's body to allow the full exposure of the surgical site and to give enough space for the
surgeon to introduce his hands to do surgery.

Disadvantage

Large incision resulted in more pain for the patient

Patient needed to stay for long time in the hospital post operatively for wound healing.

The big scar resulted from the surgery was annoying for patients specially females.

Minimal Invasive Surgery

In the early 80's the Minimal Invasive Surgery was introduced. This type of Surgery was meant
to avoid all the complications resulted from Open Surgery as it depended on small incisions for
introducing the surgical Instruments to the field of Surgery. The Vision was acquired through a
scope that displayed the image of the surgical site on a monitor display for the surgeon.

Disadvantage

The Surgical instruments were Rod-like having no wrist movement at the tip which
required from the surgeon to move his arms in large scale movements outside the patients
body for the instrument tip (internally) to get to the desired location.
The movement of the instruments/scope were awkward (counter-intuitive) meaning that
if the surgeon wants to move the instrument/scope to the left, he has to move to the right
from outside.

The scope displays only a 2D image on the display which has no depth perception. The
surgeon needed to over/under shoot the target anatomy to be able to allocate it properly.

The Surgeon gets tired because he is hanging his arms all the case time in an awkward
position (Hand Tremors) & twisting his neck to be able to follow up the surgical site
displayed on the monitor.

A lot of miscommunication resulted from MIS due to opposite directions and fatigue.

Robotic Surgery: da Vinci Surgical System

History

The Robotic Industry started with what so called Industrial Robots which depended
mainly on a pre-installed program that carries a pre-defined tasks to be performed
automatically i.e. Car assembling robots, Production lines machines..,etc. The main
advantage was that the robots were much faster and accurate than human beings to
perform such tasks but still, a disadvantage of having no human control on the machine
the machine was fully independent limited the use of these robots to tasks that needed
only speed and mass production.
A while after, a new kind of robots was invented Tele-manipulated Robots. These
robots were invented to carry tasks that were considered dangerous for human beings to
perform i.e. Oil mines drilling, moon surface exploring, deep see/volcano studies... etc.
These robots were sent to such missions being controlled by humans from a control base.
They depended on Computer Assisted Technology for translating the human command
to a robotic action.

The da Vinci Surgical System

In the mid nineties and specifically in 1995, a new revolutionary type of Surgery appeared which
relied on utilizing the latest technology in the field of Computer Assisted Surgery to control and
manipulate electromechanical devices. This new type of Surgery was given the name Robotic
Surgery
Robotic Surgery is performed in a similar way to Laparoscopic Surgery in the fact that it uses
tiny incisions to introduce special types of instruments with the highest degrees of precision. The
surgeon sitting comfortably on an operating console is able to view a very clear 3 Dimensional
view of the surgical while controlling the arms of the robot which hold these special instruments
together with the camera and scope. This ergonomic position for the surgeon has proved to
relieve his stress and allowed him to focus more on providing a better quality of surgery.

Advantages of using Robotic Surgery

Robotic Surgery is with no doubt the Surgery of the 21st Century and it is regarded as the
latest innovation in the field of Surgery.
Based on the latest medical studies, Robotics has added the following improvements to Surgery:

A significant decrease in the blood loss & other potential complications which is usually
encountered in surgery.
Reducing the operative time which relieved the patient of all the risks accompanying
prolonged stay under anesthesia.
A relatively reduced post-operative hospitalization stay.

Ability of the patient to resume his normal life in a period of only 24 to 48 hours after
undergoing Robotic Surgery.

Much better surgical efficacy which decreased the probability of surgical complications.

Much lower risks of infection and healthier surgical outcomes.

Ability to perform complicated surgeries with ease and with better results.

More confidence & comfort to the surgeon in his surgical practice.

Addition of more surgical operations that were not considered doable with older surgical
techniques.

Based on Computer Assisted Technology, the da Vinci Surgical System was first developed by
NASA to be used in Gulf War for performing surgeries for the American soldiers wounded in the
battle field who needed surgery without the need of sending the surgeon himself to the zone of
danger. From this idea aroused the thinking of Tele-Surgery.
The Tele-Surgery was examined in a live case between New York and Paris and found to be very
expensive due to the need of very fast communication lines between the sender and receiver &
was also accompanied by a factor of delay mainly due to the fact of the communications
technology being not up to that level for the time being.
Accordingly, The Robotic Surgery was directed only for direct surgeries being done at the same
location the robot is installed in, however, Tele-Surgery is still under Research & Development
studies.

Intuitive Surgical Inc.

Intuitive Surgical Inc. is an American Surgical Robots manufacturing company based in
Sunnyvale, California and was founded by a Surgeon & an Engineer (Fred Moll & Rob Young)
who invented the first Surgical Robot (Monaliza) in 1995 which passes through a series of
developments & updating until it reached the version nowadays named The da Vinci Surgical
System.
The Robotic Surgery aimed to eliminate all the disadvantages resulted from both Open &
Minimal Invasive Surgeries & at the same time combine all the benefits of the two types of
surgery for both the surgeon and the patient.
The Robotic Surgery can be named as an Open Surgery technique on a Minimal Invasive
Platform How?

EndoWrist Instruments/scope are introduced through small incisions as in MIS. (Benefit

for the Patient) Accordingly, The patient's post-operative stay was reduced as in MIS.
The Endowrist instruments/scope is held by Robotic Arms all the time. This reflected on
decreasing the number of staff in the OR as the surgeon himself is the one who is
controlling all the Robotics Arms and their correspondences.
The movement of the Endowrist Instruments/scope is controlled by the surgeon sitting
comfortably on a console then, are scaled & translated by the robot to minimal
movements inside the patients body. (Benefit for the surgeon).

The movement of the EndoWrist Instruments/scope is an intuitive movement (when the

surgeon moves his arm to any direction, the robot moves the instrument tip to the same
direction). No miss-communication.

The robotic arms have filters to eliminate hand tremors. (Benefit for the surgeon).

The robot doesn't get tired & is available at all times.

The EndoWrist Instruments introduced a new wrist movement to the former Endoscopic
Instruments which massively increased the surgical capabilities of the surgeon. (benefit
for the surgeon)

The Robot provided the surgeon with a true 3D vision of the surgical site having depth
perception just as the normal vision with a much better magnification & image quality.

The robot allowed surgeons to do more complicated cases that were difficult and
sometimes rather impossible to be done under Endoscopic Surgery.

The da Vinci System components

The da Vinci system consists of four main parts:

1. Surgeon's Console
This is the place where the surgeon sits comfortably and via hand manipulators controls the
EndoWrist Instruments movements at the surgical site. The console is provided by a Stereo
Viewer that translates the image of the surgical site acquired by the Endoscope and displays it in
front of the surgeon's eyes (surgical immersion). It is also considered the control unit for the rest
of the parts.

2. The Surgical Cart

This part is considered the actual robot that is based beside the patient bed. It has 3 arms
mounted on, 2 Instruments arms & 1 Camera arm for holding the EndoWrist Instruments &
scope. It receives the commands from the surgeon at the console and mimics them into minor
instrument/scope tip movements inside the patient's body.

3. The Vision Tower (InSite Vision System)

This tower looks like any regular MIS vision tower except for having extra equipment used
mainly for handling the 2-channeled image acquired by the robotic scope. (See Vision System
parts).

4. The EndoWrist Instruments (8mm &

5mm)
These are special instruments used in combination with the da Vinci Surgical System. They
have got extra degrees of freedom than normal Endoscopic instruments (Wrist Movement) which
massively increased the surgeon's hand capabilities. The EndoWrist instruments come in a big
range to cover all possible cases in all surgical disciplines.

Vision System Parts

The Vision System consists of the following parts:

1. Dual Channel Endoscope

The robotic scope is a dual channel scope (having separate channel for each eye lens). It gets a
right & left images of the surgical site that are transmitted through a series of lenses in each
scope channel embedded in the scope shaft to the Camera Head. The scopes come in 2 angles at
the tip (0 & 30 Degree).

2. The Camera Head

The Camera Head consists actually of 2 camera head embedded in one box, one for each scope
channel. Its function is to transfer the photons of the image acquired by the scope into an analog
signal then, sending it to the Camera Control Units (CCU). It also performs mechanical focus on
the image.

3. The Camera Control Units (CCU)

The Vision Tower has 2 CCUs for both left and right images. The CCUs gives multiple video
signal outputs for the image i.e. S-Video, Composite & RGB. They also apply gain factor and
control brightness, White & black balances and electronic shutter speed.

4. The Synchronizers
The CCUs send the 2 images to two synchronizers that transforms the image into the digital
format and adjust edge definition & image sharpness.

5. The Console Back Plane (VSD Board)

The images are then sent to the back plane of the console where they are sent to a Video Signal
Distribution board (VSD). The VSD board is responsible of applying text overlay on the image
and sending it to the two Barco monitors in the console Stereo Viewer & to the Assistant monitor
mounted on the Vision Tower.

6. Illumination
The Tower is accompanied by a Xenon Illumination System that is responsible of emitting light
through fiber optic light guide cables to illuminate the surgical site and to heat the scope's tip to
prevent anti-fogging.

Future of Robotic Surgery

As mentioned before, the Tele-Robotic surgery is still under Research & Development. Of
course, it will be considered a breakthrough in surgery when launched but, up till now, there is
no date known for its release.
It is also expected that the future will carry out smaller size robots which would be easier in
function & cheaper in price.