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Saturday 27 June 2009

In what could be described as a small step for a robot, one giant leap for robot kind, a trio of humanoid machines were introduced Thursday, each with the ability to walk into a human being equally.

Each robot has a surprisingly human-like bipedal walking and appearance. Arms swing in the balance. Push off your ankles. Add eyeballs out.

One of the robots from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is named for its modest stature Pregnancy and side to side wobble of its passage. Denise, a robot created by researchers at the University of Delft in the Netherlands, is almost as tall as the average woman.

Smart as a toddler

The child is an intelligent group. While the others are based on the excellent mechanical design, has a brain with less power Teens that of an ant, but is able to learn a new field, which enables the robot to teach foot in less than 20 minutes, or about 600 steps, "said scientists.
The advances could change the way humanoid robots are built, and opened doors to new types of robotic prostheses - tips for people who have lost them. The robot is also expected to shed light on the biomechanics of the human foot.

"These innovations are a platform on which to build further," said Michael Foster, an engineer from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which oversaw the three projects. "This is the basis of what we see in robot control in the future."

The robots were presented today at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Also discussed at the February 18 issue of the journal Science.

More than a toy

Draws engineers "passive-dynamic" toys dating from 1800, and could walk down with the help of gravity. Little progress has been made to arrive since the robots to walk like people.

To navigate the new machines at the field level using as little energy as half the power of a standard compact fluorescent bulb. The Cornell robot consumes an amount of energy to walk which is comparable to a human walk of equal weight.

Toy influence walking from side to side to get your feet off the ground. Humans and to minimize body roll bending their knees to gather at his feet. The Cornell and Delft robots employ this approach.

"Other robots, no matter how good they are in control, the work you are first, then the proposals based on this principle," the Cornell researcher, Andy Ruina. "The robots we have here are based on the fall, and falling catch you again."

Cornell robot equals human efficiency, since it only uses the energy to pull off, and then gravity causes the foot down, while other robots needlessly use energy to carry out all aspects of their effort.

"The team from Cornell passive mechanism helps greatly reduce the energy needed," said Junku Yuh, NSF expert on intelligent systems. "His work is very innovative."

Still not perfect

The three robots swing your arms in line with the leg for balance. In most ways, however, are not as versatile as other automatons. Honda's Asimo, for example, you can walk back and climb stairs. Asimo, but requires at least 10 times more power to achieve such feats.

"The real solution lies somewhere between the two," said Steven Collins, a researcher at the University of Michigan who worked on the Cornell robot. "A robot could use passive dynamics for level or downhill motion, then the engines for large high-energy needs such as stair climbing, running or jumping."

Collins is applying lessons learned in an effort to develop better prosthetic devices for the feet of humans.

"We can not know how the foot should work until they can understand their role in the foot," he said.

The squat Toddler robot gains foot clearance only lean sideways, a decidedly non-humans. Pregnancy, but is notable for its ability to learn new ground and adapt their approach, as would a person.

"On a good day, walking on almost any surface and adjust its gait," said MIT postdoctoral researcher Russ Tedrake. "We believe it is a principle that's going to scale [up] a lot of new robots to walk."

Friday 5 June 2009

The government of South Korea has pledged to invest 1 trillion won (about $ 750 million U.S. dollars) in the robotics industry in an attempt to accelerate their growth.

The goal is to help the global robotics market will grow to more than $ 30 million in 2013 to help Korean companies take as much as 10 percent of that market, according to Huh Kyung, Director General of Industry in the emerging government of the Ministry Knowledge Economy, which is responsible for the regulation and supervision of high-tech industries in South Korea.

Test Pre 


Robotics is one of the fastest growing successes of Korea's electronics and high tech manufacturing sectors and is one of the drivers of growth in the country over the next five years, Korean officials said during the announcement.

The First Basic Plan of intelligent robots called to Korea to be one of the top three producers of robotics and in 2013 the largest producer in 2018. The total is more than $ 1 billion U.S. for export and $ 3 million for domestic consumption.

The ROK has treated its IT infrastructure and industries as key drivers of economic growth since the mid-1990s, and undertook to promote the industry in service robotics in 2004, according to Dan Kara, president and publisher Robotics Business Review.

At that time, the Korean economic ministry launched a strategy called IT839, whose goal was to build a solid infrastructure for internal IT networks, and promote specific industries, high technology, including robotics service. It invested $ 264 million in five years in 16 projects designed to boost domestic industry of intelligent robotics, said Kara.

The effort, robotics, and Korean manufacturers have been remarkably successful, according to Kara.

"I'm not surprised the [Korean] government considers that robotics as an economic engine," according Barbara Coffey, an analyst at financial services firm Kaufman Brothers. "The market for South Korea has been a big winner in mobile phones and other electronics. It has been a leader in digital and broadcast applications for small devices, so it probably is in a good position for the robot and, if concerning the manufacture and research [capability]. “

One reason for an open market in Korea is the relative slowness with which U.S. manufacturers robots have been developed for non-traditional, non-industrial manufacturing, he said.

Globally, the bulk of the expenditure on products of robotics is in the form of industrial robots welding a car door or a microchip sewing and making site inspections of welding in computer motherboards, according to Daniela Rus , professor of computer science and engineering at MIT Ad associate director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Speaking last week at the RoboBusiness conference in Boston, predicted that the Russian market of service robots alone will grow from about $ 600 million in 2002 to more than $ 52 billion in 2025, mainly driven by the need to increasingly elderly population in the U.S. and the countries of Asia, including Korea and Japan.

Japan is by far the most aggressive adopter of technology and robotics manufacturer has said Russia, despite Korea is also one of the leaders. In comparison, both the production and adoption of robots in the U.S. is "sad," said Russia.
Despite its advantages in the manufacture of electronics and robotics in particular, however, Korea will not have the market all to itself in the next five years, according to both Rus and Lindsay Voss, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan San Antonio, Tex.

U.S. spending on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) systems and other military robotics beyond other market sectors, said Voss.

"Over the next few years, although, as noted in Iraq and Afghanistan, there will be much less of a need to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles," says Voss. "Unless we engage in a conflict with another person, there will be some very large - General Atomics, AAI, Northrup Grumman - making a big push to sell unmanned aerial vehicles for civilian applications. That will probably change the market much."

Civilian applications include things like topography, agriculture, such as spraying, monitoring the progress of a crop, and keep an eye on the extensive real estate holdings - some of which require major changes in the military UAV versions, said Voss.

"There are companies out to buy a plot of farmland, and have a need a cheap way to see what happens with crops or dust, or whatever. UAV make a tremendous amount of respect for," says Voss.

Korea's plan focuses more on the services sector, breaking his point of view of robotics market in three major sectors, according to the level of sophistication and type of function that the robots are designed. The first is the manufacturing, education and cleanliness.

The second is for more sophisticated robots designed for entertainment, fire, elderly care, transportation and other complex tasks that require a high degree of autonomy and capacity.
The third relates to unmanned air vehicles or water, the human body and clothing similar robotic prostheses for amputees or to help with trouble walking.

The Government will increase spending on research and development in robotics by 10 percent next year to boost total spending on R & D more than $ 10 billion U.S., according to South Asia Arirang News.

Also introduces competitions for students and professional designers, and promote the theme park robotics. The government expects that investment to create over 14,000 jobs.

Thursday 28 May 2009

Ever suspect that someone is poking to your stuff when you're not at home? Or who are not caring for children that you have to do is know-babysitter-what? Spot or just pretends he can not stand on her hind legs, and when you talk about? So you may want to invest in one of the spybots new on the market. (That, or get your head checked.)

Paranoid for casual, spotter Spy Robot Vehicle that will do - it's a small remote-controlled vehicle is mounted with a microphone and transmitter that will be their juicy secrets pipes through walls and around the corner up to 90 feet. Glaring white tank, it may not be smooth, but will get the job done.
For someone who really should be in the know, Rovio is a way to go: it's a webcam-on-wheel which roves about and where you send your video in real time via Wi-Fi. Equipped with a GPS the same as Northstar navigation system that comes with many new car, you can electronically escort thread its way through a special patrol that has been programmed to do so. This includes designating various "way points" (cash box, a secret journal blind, kitty litter box) that will automatically back with one mouse click.



Or if you get a sudden premonition that something fishy is up, just hop on the Internet and control Rovio remotely. Night Rovio is not a problem for both, as the built-in LEDs will light to shine throughout the dark.

Rovio then use your home Internet connection to connect to your mobile phone, computer or even a video game controller, and send video and audio streaming, or theft of your family jewels latest puppy accidents. Or even better, video is not at all.
Fear and the assumption that the robot will replace human life are alive and good even between technocracies. Or there may be a fear of technocrats and only get to take advantage of the greater.

One is a laboratory assistant robot that can replace a graduate student, if you can ever learn to survive on food that junk food and alcohol while you are paid far too few able to either. The other is a robot 'infant' that is designed to imitate human movement and human learning process. Second, it promises a great potential to make the robot more accessories from manufacturers, but only if the creepiness is reduced by several large orders.

Reuters this week carries a story about a robot built by a team of researchers from two universities based in the UK who can do experiments on yeast.

The robot - named Adam - is a step above the normal laboratory-automation gear because it is not only to perform the steps of the experiment, but also can monitor the results and use them to decide to do the next experiment.

The robot, a project of computer Biology research group at the University of Aberystwyth, appears to face serious the previous generation of laboratory automation.

He brings special instructions about how to experiment using a specific and abductive logic programming hypotheses to generate the appropriate data and choose in a variety of other experiments will support or disprove the hypothesis.

It follows the protocol of the experiment, collect data, reach conclusions and ends with a useful and evidence of a specific chemical process. Valuable, especially when the school time-limited research or graduate assistant does not need to be tens or hundreds of experiments.

This is a big step in the physical world outside of the software model and physical process extrapolates conclusions from incomplete (or virtual) results. This is not a substitute for even experienced graduate students, however. It's a machine that automates some of the work must be hard work from a number of not-too-interesting laboratory experiment.

It's not a scientist, however. No anomalies identify and implement innovative solutions to describe them, he does not identify areas that need to investigated. Not decide when a conclusion is justified, and he explained in a way that his colleagues can understand and repeat.

To their credit Ross King, who led the project, and colleagues do not claim the scientists. Media outlets that picked up the story is done, however. Reuter’s scientists Adam call robots that can think for them.

New Scientist says the robot scientists make Discoveries without human assistance. Times online claims it solves the genetic problem.

American Scientific, thankfully, only states that AI Lab-Bots in reams Retrieve Data, that fact does not stretch too far. (We do not know what to think about the Sydney Morning Herald, claims that the "four heads sci-bot Adam yeast resistance to take the road", which does not exceed the facts, but only because that does not make sense.

What is the most press outlets to share the assumption that the robot will replace human beings after they can complete some part of the human task at this time has its own handle.

Assumption that not only leads to misunderstandings about what this robot, but also to poor investment decisions and the failure of the business is too close to the replacement theory, according to William Townsend, President and CEO Barrett Technologies, Inc. Barrett main product is highly manipulable, haptic-sensitive WAM robot hand, which has been adapted for the operation of both the industry and application.

"Dalam'90s some effort to replace Surgeons with the robot," said Townsend, during a conversation completely unrelated to either Adam or laboratory automation. "They think you can take the outside and a robot in place, but it does not work on several levels. Robot does not have a sixth sense, so if something happens that is not planned, or that is not normal, it's stuck. Surgeons usually pretty good at knowing what to be done. "

Robots, such as other types of automation or machine operator, is designed to perform tasks humans can not or unwilling to do so, or repetitive so that part of the equipment that can do the same thing over and over, without variation, usually very fast, creating jobs go faster.

Ability that has made countless functions in the specific field of manufacturing and other far secure more efficient and high quality. They have replaced the working man to do work that means nothing, but has not been replaced with the knowledge, intuition, or the authenticity of the man involved in the laboratory or industry. And they will not go away until the AI pattern recognition to the point that you can use non-linear logic to connect the information that seems irrelevant, or with a solution that does not exactly follow the pattern of previous solutions.

That will eventually happen. And we do not serve one, least of all the people; by using the "replace-robot-human" meme describes the ability for the latest and most out of the robot laboratory or design studio.

And how about robot baby? It learn to walk by watching people running and learn to speak by listening to people talk.

If it is not good that will make a major contribution to programming a robot, and it's better than a useful robot mode robot model or teacher, whether they can replicate the potential audience for the way they see or learn or behavior that the primary responsibility of the two models and teachers.

But it's creepy enough to scare a real baby, like a dog, a very good judge of what can be trusted and what is not allowed, no matter how much you pretend to be fashion models or teachers or scientists.
MotoMan has announced new software products RobotPro Web Edition, which provides a comprehensive system for preventive maintenance troubleshooting and repair of robots that use MotoMan Company NX-series controllers. The software has a version for each model of robot and arranged in a way that is designed to make it easy for engineers to see and use the interactive to solve the problem. Provide a maintenance schedule that can be printed, and including the installation steps, photos, pictures and schematics to help with motor replacements, lubrication, Servo pack replacement and other repairs and maintenance operations.

Software requires high speed internet connection and web browser. It is available by annual subscription, but available for free evaluation period. Each version of software that is specifically designed to model a robot, but the modules to support additional models are available at a fraction of the cost of initial subscription. Price is not available.