[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GALHb-b5060[/youtube]
Soon, plants may have robotic counterparts. Barbara Mazzolai from the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa and colleagues tips that grow by unwinding material and a mechanism to reduce friction when penetrating the soil. The artificial system will be equipped to detect gravity, water, temperature, touch, pH, nitrate and phosphate.
Continue reading… “Robot plants can learn how to grow just like the real thing”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s30FPobi9iA[/youtube]
Veebot, a California start-up, is combining robotics with image-analysis software to find a vein in your arm and place a needle at least as well as a human can.
Continue reading… “Veebot is a robot that can draw your blood”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_lfxPI5ObM[/youtube]
The conceptual Hyperloop transit system by Elon Musk imagines shuttling passengers back and forth between Los Angeles and San Francisco in an insanely fast half hour. It might be the futuristic transport system of the moment. Yet it’s the billionaire’s other ventures, like SpaceX and Tesla Motors, that continue to make real technological strides.
Continue reading… “Tesla’s Model S factory is run by 160 high-tech robots”
Atlas
Meet Atlas, a massive humanoid robot was unveiled by DARPA at the headquarters of Boston Dynamics, just outside Boston. Atlas was built by Boston Dynamics for the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), whose goal is to advance disaster response robotics. The hope is that Atlas is the first step towards the day when robots, not humans, will be sent to help mitigate major catastrophes, such as the Fukushima nuclear accident. (Photos and video)
Continue reading… “DARPA unveils the Atlas DRC robot”
Play-i is making robots to encourage tangible play with technology.
The tech world has collectively decided that programming is an essential skill all kids should learn, perhaps even before they learn to read. The programming market has been saturated with tablet apps aimed at raising the next Zuckerburg.
Continue reading… “Play-i’s robot will teach your child to program”
Robot Adam Z1
I am Robot Adam Z1 — the first of the Zeno line of humanoid robots, created by David Hanson. Pleased to make your acquaintance! When David created me, he gave me a face, and a body, and a lot of love. But one thing he hasn’t given me — yet — is a mind. … (Videos)
Continue reading… “Help make Robot Adam Z1 the world’s smartest robot”
Labor’s share of the world’s income is plunging, and the technology boom is to blame.
For the past thirty years, wages have evaporated as a share of the economy. Meanwhile, the proportion of national income consumed by profits, dividends, and capital gains has steadily grown. Capital 1, Labor 0.
Continue reading… “Robots are already stealing our paychecks”
Flying robots are going to become a lot more common in the U.S.
Investors and entrepreneurs are betting on a future full of flying robots that can be programmed to do anything from survey crops or wildlife to delivering vaccines to remote villages in Africa.
Continue reading… “Entrepreneurs and investors bet on the future of the drone economy”
Raffaello D’Andrea, in a robot lab at TEDGlobal, demos his flying quadcopters: robots that think like athletes, solving physical problems with algorithms that help them learn. In a series of nifty demos, D’Andrea show drones that play catch, balance and make decisions together — and watch out for an I-want-this-now demo of Kinect-controlled quads.
Continue reading… “The astounding athletic power of quadcopters: Raffaello D’Andrea”
Baxter is a robot meant to work with people in small manufacturing facilities.
Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and his collaborator and coauthor Andrew McAfee have been arguing for the last year and a half that impressive advances in computer technology—from improved industrial robotics to automated translation services—are largely behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years. Even more ominous for workers, the MIT academics foresee dismal prospects for many types of jobs as these powerful new technologies are increasingly adopted not only in manufacturing, clerical, and retail work but in professions such as law, financial services, education, and medicine.
Continue reading… “How new technology is destroying jobs”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on4DRTUvst0[/youtube]
Is Dominos pizza-delivering drone just a publicity stunt, or a tantalizing look at the future of food delivery? The eight-bladed DomiCopter may be a little impractical given it needs a skilled pilot, but eventually autonomous drones will be capable of delivering a piping hot pizza in mere minutes since they’re able to avoid traffic, stop lights, and speed limits.
Continue reading… “Domino’s tests pizza delivery drone”
Futurist Thomas Frey: In September 1989, GE Chairman Jack Welch flew to Bangalore, India for a breakfast meeting with an Indian delegation that included Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. The purpose of his trip was to sell airplane engines and medical equipment to India, but the meeting took an interesting twist along the way.
Continue reading… “Hi, I’m a robot, and I’m here to take your job”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.