Robo-readers are computers programmed to scan student essays and spit out a grade.
High school students in the U.S. are terrible writers, and one education reform group thinks it has an answer: robots.
Continue reading… “Robo-readers: new helpers for teachers in the U.S.”
Tacocopter
Could Tacocopter be the next great startup out of Silicon Valley? The Internet is certainly going wild for it. Tacocopter boasts a business plan that combines four of the most prominent touchstones of modern America: tacos, helicopters, robots and laziness.
Continue reading… “Could Tacocopter be the future of unmanned food delivery?”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gb5poTdUMg[/youtube]
TekRMD is trying to help people in wheelchairs better navigate their world. This video shows how the Tek Robotic Mobilization Device has changed one man’s life.
Continue reading… “Tek Robotic Mobilization Device – futuristic wheelchair replacement”
Robots now rule the warehouse.
Amazon just bought Kiva Systems for $775 million. The company makes robots that automate warehouse fulfillment.
The beauty of our system,” Raffaello D’Andrea says as he paces across the warehouse, ”is that you don’t have to walk over to the shelves to get things–the shelves come to you.” With that, he motions toward some 200 blue plastic racks sitting at the center of the building. A mechanical whir fills the room. And then the robots appear…
(incredible video after jump…)
Continue reading… “The amazing Kiva robots that Amazon just bought for $775 million”
Lego
We’ve seen some pretty awesome Lego creations in the past, including a Volkswagen van, Angry Birds, and even the heart of the Large Hadron Collider. But what about Lego inventions that actually work? Here are some of our favorite, fully functional Lego creations. (pics and videos)
Continue reading… “5 cool Lego inventions that really work”
Robo-Glove
The Human Grasp Assist was designed through a collaboration between GM and NASA – and also known as Robo-Glove or K-Glove – the device is based on grasping technology initially developed for the hands of the space-going Robonaut 2. Essentially a power-assisted work glove, Robo-Glove is designed to minimize repetitive stress injuries in both astronauts and autoworkers. (Video)
Continue reading… “Robo-Glove a power-assisted glove designed by GM and NASA”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ULlgpT1UQ&hd=1[/youtube]
Cheetah, a four-legged robot, lived up to its name on Monday, setting a new land speed record for legged robots by running at 18 mph on a treadmill at a laboratory in Massachusetts, its developer said.
Continue reading… “‘Cheetah’ robot sets new speed record”
A piece of smart fur can tell the difference between pets, scratches or even the breath of a human owner.
If pets can have positive effects on their owners’ emotions would a robot pet be able to do the same? At the University of British Columbia a robo-bunny has been developed that can mediate its users’ emotions, calming them down or cheering them up by leading them through deep-breathing exercises, for example. The robo-bunny also has a pulse and can stiffen or relax its ears.
Continue reading… “‘Smart Fur’ allows robo-pets to gauge owners’ emotions”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sUeGC-8dyk&hd=1[/youtube]
Flying robot quadrotors perform the James Bond Theme by playing various instruments including the keyboard, drums and maracas, a cymbal, and the debut of an adapted guitar built from a couch frame. The quadrotors play this “couch guitar” by flying over guitar strings stretched across a couch frame; plucking the strings with a stiff wire attached to the base of the quadrotor. A special microphone attached to the frame records the notes made by the “couch guitar”.
Continue reading… “Flying robot quadrotors perform James Bond Theme”
The Harvard Monolithic Bee (or “Mobee”) pops up within an assembly scaffold,
which performs more than 20 origami assembly folds.
A new technique inspired by elegant pop-up books and origami will soon allow clones of robotic insects to be mass-produced by the sheet.
Devised by engineers at Harvard, the ingenious layering and folding process enables the rapid fabrication of not just microrobots, but a broad range of electromechanical devices…
Continue reading… “New “pop-up” technique spawns robotic insects”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQIMGV5vtd4&hd=1[/youtube]
Researchers at GRASP Lab at the University of Pennsylvania have been working with nano quadrotors since at least 2010, managing to get them to fly aggressively, build a tower structure and now — fly in perfect formation.
Continue reading… “Swarm of nano quadrotors fly in formation: Video”
TP-LINK’S Dancebot
TP-Link had an incredibly articulated dancing robot as a means of getting people to visit their booth at the Consumer Electronics Show so they could promote their TL-WR700N mini wireless pocket router. (video)
Continue reading… “Incredible TP-Link dancing robot”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.