Robotics Blog

MIT’s Firefly Robots Create Floating 3D Display From Colored Micro Helicopters

Dan — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:52:19 +0000

MIT's Firefly Floating Helicopter

What an awesome display of swarm robotics. These self-organizing micro-bots organize themselves and emit the correct colors to form a free-floating image in the sky.
With a few hundred thousand of these you can create a fully immersive visual environment. Imagine watching a 3D 1080P movie with a few million of these surrounding you!

3D Images From Firefly Free Floating Helicopter Display

The Flyfire canvas can transform itself from one shape to another or morph a two-dimensional photographic image into an articulated shape. The pixels are physically engaged in transitioning images from one state to another, which allows the Flyfire canvas to demonstrate a spatially animated viewing experience. Flyfire serves as an initial step to explore and imagine the possibilities of this free-form display: a swarm of pixels in a space.

Destroyed “Self Healing” Chair Puts Itself Back Together – Video

Dan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:00:59 +0000

I stumbled across an old but awesome video of a self healing chair which falls apart then reassembles itself. This chair explodes then puts itself back together again!

“CyberKite”, Kite Flying Robot Maneuvers Its Giant Kite

Dan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:48:09 +0000

Watch this cool robotic device, control this giant flying kite. Quite an impressive machine!

Kite Flying Robot

It is made by FESTO, a German company with specialty in automation.

Robot Duo Learn to Play Flute and Saxophone Music

Dan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:31:13 +0000

Japanese researchers have taught two robots how to play musical instruments. One plays flute, the other saxophone. The robots reproduce, play sounds they hear. Related posts:

Awesome Homemade Automatic Crossbow!

Dan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:45:27 +0000

This is a homemade automatic crossbow. Quite the custom built piece of machinery.

Slightly off topic, but awesome!

http://www.awhite.fsbusiness.co.uk/x_bows.html

Insect Spy Cyborg Robots are Controlled Remotely, Nuclear Powered

Dan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:43:38 +0000

These cyborg insects can be remotely controlled via a radio transmitter attached to the bug’s back. The insect is powered by Nickel-63, a radioactive isotope which is able to supply power for a small amount of electronics for up about 100 years. Too bad that bug won’t live that long!

Cyborg Insect Spy Robot

These… insects…or are they robots?… cyborgs, can fly around and could possibly transmit whatever sensor information it obtains back to the remote controller.

Maybe this technology could be applied to other typed of insect robots, like this water strider.

The primary objective of the Insect Cyborg Sentinels Project is to develop cybernetic insects for the purposes of living surveillance and reconnaissance micro-air vehicles, MAVs. By eliminating the energy needed for flight and focusing energy efforts on controller and sensor packages, a cybernetic MAV, or CMAV, can be harnessed for the purpose of long endurance stealth missions.

RoboBuilder Robots do a Christmas Dance – Video

Dan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:18:01 +0000

Creepy Singing Android Heads

Dan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:26:28 +0000

These animatronic heads move their mouth with the sounds which appear to be produced by a speaker behind them. Watch the eyes, they go looking off in separate directions! Cool, but I think I’ll hold off on dropping the $75,000 the artist who made these wants to sell them for.

These three animatronic heads are part of an art piece being sold at Art Basel Miami Beach 2009 for $75,000. The heads are connected to servos behind the mold of the artist’s face that are controlled by a computer. The movements and sound are on a 15 minute loop and both sing together and uncomfortably look around the room individually.

RP-7 Robot Allows Doctors to be Remotely Present

Dan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:59:43 +0000

InTouch's RP-7i Remote Doctor Robot Platform

Doctors can remotely interact with patients through a person-size, mobile robotic platform made by InTouch Technologies, Inc. InTouch’s robots, the RP-7 and RP-7i allow doctors to communicate via video and audio from anywhere in the world.

The platform can even link directly to medical devices, allowing the doctor to remotely view real time patient data.

Both the RP-7 and RP-7i are the first and only FDA-cleared Remote Presence devices, which allow direct connection to Class II medical devices. Devices such as electronic stethoscopes, otoscopes and ultrasound can be connected to the Expansion Bay of the Robot, to transmit medical data to the remote physician.

The RP-7i also includes enhanced audio capabilities, which allow the user to focus in on a specific conversation, similar to using a person’s own two ears.

http://www.intouchhealth.com/products_rp7robot.html

Robot Surgery Is Safe, But No Better Than Regular Surgery for Children, Says Report.

Dan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:30:40 +0000

According to a study published in Pediatrics, using robots for surgery is safe, but provides no better outcomes for child patients.

Robotic surgery systems, such as the da Vinci allow surgeons to more easily do less invasive surgeries, as well as reduce human error like shaking hands. A major hurdle for the da Vinci to overcome is the several million dollar price tag which accompanies it. News that child patient outcomes from robot assisted surgery may not be greater than outcomes from conventional surgery could mean less hospitals will choose to purchase such expensive equipment.

da Vinci Robot Performs Mock Surgery Image:Flickr/karmalaundry

Robotic surgery systems are commonly praised for reducing hospital stays for patients undergoing hysterectomies and prostate procedures. It is unlikely these procedures were the ones used in the medical studies, since such surgeries are generally only needed with older patients.

To illustrate the power and accuracy of robotic surgery systems, take a look at this video of a Japanese surgeon folding origami which is smaller than a penny.

[http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=9097053]