Robots human-like vision empowers robots to move through cluttered areas
A robotic vision system that mimics key visual functions of the human brain promises to let robots manoeuvre quickly and safely through cluttered environments, and to help guide the visually impaired.
It’s something any toddler can do – cross a cluttered room to find a toy.
It's also one of those seemingly trivial skills that have proved to be extremely hard for computers to master. Analysing shifting and often-ambiguous visual data to detect objects and separate their movement from one’s own has turned out to be an intensely challenging artificial intelligence problem.
Three years ago, researchers at the European-funded research consortium Decisions in Motion decided to look to nature for insights into this challenge.
In a rare collaboration, neuro- and cognitive scientists studied how the visual systems of advanced mammals, primates and people work, while computer scientists and roboticists incorporated their findings into neural networks and mobile robots.
The approach paid off. Decisions in Motion has already built and demonstrated a robot that can zip across a crowded room guided only by what it “sees” through its twin video cameras, and are hard at work on a head-mounted system to help visually impaired people get around.
“Until now, the algorithms that have been used are quite slow and their decisions are not reliable enough to be useful,” says project coordinator Mark Greenlee. “Our approach allowed us to build algorithms that can do this on the fly, that can make all these decisions within a few milliseconds using conventional hardware.”
How do we see movement?
The Decisions in Motion researchers used a wide variety of techniques to learn more about how the brain processes visual information, especially information about movement.
These included recording individual neurons and groups of neurons firing in response to movement signals, functional magnetic resonance imaging to track the moment-by-moment interactions between different brain areas as people performed visual tasks, and neuropsychological studies of people with visual processing problems.
The researchers hoped to learn more about how the visual system scans the environment, detects objects, discerns movement, distinguishes between the independent movement of objects and the organism’s own movements, and plans and controls motion towards a goal.
One of their most interesting discoveries was that the primate brain does not just detect and track a moving object; it actually predicts where the object will go.
“When an object moves through a scene, you get a wave of activity as the brain anticipates its trajectory,” says Greenlee. “It’s like feedback signals flowing from the higher areas in the visual cortex back to neurons in the primary visual cortex to give them a sense of what’s coming.”
Greenlee compares what an individual visual neuron sees to looking at the world through a peephole. Researchers have known for a long time that high-level processing is needed to build a coherent picture out of a myriad of those tiny glimpses. What's new is the importance of strong anticipatory feedback for perceiving and processing motion.
“This proved to be quite critical for the Decisions in Motion project,” Greenlee says. “It solves what is called the ‘aperture problem’, the problem of the neurons in the primary visual cortex looking through those little peepholes.”
Building a better robotic brain
Armed with a better understanding of how the human brain deals with movement, the project’s computer scientists and roboticists went to work. Using off-the-shelf hardware, they built a neural network with three levels mimicking the brain’s primary, mid-level, and higher-level visual subsystems.
They used what they had learned about the flow of information between brain regions to control the flow of information within the robotic “brain”.
“It’s basically a neural network with certain biological characteristics,” says Greenlee. “The connectivity is dictated by the numbers we have from our physiological studies.”
The computerised brain controls the behaviour of a wheeled robotic platform supporting a moveable head and eyes, in real time. It directs the head and eyes where to look, tracks its own movement, identifies objects, determines if they are moving independently, and directs the platform to speed up, slow down and turn left or right.
Greenlee and his colleagues were intrigued when the robot found its way to its first target – a teddy bear – just like a person would, speeding by objects that were at a safe distance, but passing nearby obstacles at a slower pace.
”That was very exciting,” Greenlee says. “We didn’t program it in – it popped out of the algorithm.”
In addition to improved guidance systems for robots, the consortium envisions a lightweight system that could be worn like eyeglasses by visually or cognitively impaired people to boost their mobility. One of the consortium partners, Cambridge Research Systems, is developing a commercial version of this, called VisGuide.
Decisions in Motion received funding from the ICT strand of the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme for research. The project’s work was featured in a video by the New Scientist in February this year.
Robots could help blind with human-like vision
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Human Looking, Acting Robots Waste of Time?
Human Looking Robots
South Korea and Japan in a bid to become leaders in the robotics industry have been focusing on developing robots with human characteristics, which may be a waste of time.
Now part of the reason for doing this is marketing, which is a good move, but the robots themselves are pretty useless, other than the attempted good will part of the equation.
South Korea's first two-legged walking robot, Hubo is one of many achievements that have distinguished the South Korean robotics industry.
His name a condensed form of the term "humanoid robot," Hubo was recently adopted by the U.S. National Science Foundation as a "textbook" model of such technology.
Prof. Oh Jun-ho at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in the central city of Daejeon predicts that Hubo will eventually serve as an "Adam," or prototype for other humanoid robots whose overall appearance is based on that of the human body.
The creator of Hubo notes that a U.S. research team, joined by five universities including the University of Pennsylvania, is currently studying Hubo's interactions with made-for-human tools or environments.
"There was uneasiness among some of the U.S. scientists that the U.S. might fall behind South Korea and Japan in the field of humanoid robotics," he said.
"The United States has been concentrating mainly on artificial intelligence, while South Korea and Japan have made outstanding progresses in developing robots that move like humans."
There is a niche in the global robotics market for South Korea, as U.S. manufacturers have been relatively slow in developing non-industrial and non-surveillance robots, according to Prof. Oh, who adds that concerns over cost-effectiveness prevented his American counterparts from pursuing the technology more aggressively.
Scientists in the U.S. took a very pragmatic approach to making robots, as the more complex designs required to produce humanoid robots demanded higher costs without the promise of substantial returns, he notes.
"What I am most proud of is that Hubo was made within a very short period of time and with a limited budget," Oh said.
Beginning with test models in 2002 and just 50 million won ($39US,000) from his personal savings, Oh worked for the next three years with a 150 million won fund that was later provided by the government. Hubo came into being in 2004.
Earlier this year, the South Korean government tapped the robotics industry as one of the country's key potential growth sectors and decided to support projects such as Oh's.
Now on the verge of a major expansion, South Korea's robotics industry is aiming to take the lead in the global market just as it became a global powerhouse in the information technology sector.
According to recent industry reports, the global robotics market was valued at $17US.3 billion in 2008 and is expected to increase to $17US.6 billion in 2009 and $21US.4 billion in 2014 for an annual growth rate of 4.0 per cent.
By 2014, domestic and professional service robots are expected to hold a 70 per cent share of the market, surpassing that of industrial robots that held the largest market share in 2008 worth some $11US.5 billion.
The government announced plans in March of this year to inject 1 trillion won into the domestic robotics industry to turn it into one of the top three global robot manufacturers by 2013.
South Korea currently ranks fifth in the world, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Japan leads the sector, followed by the United States, Germany and Italy.
The government anticipates that the increased spending will boost the country's share in the global robotics industry to 13.3 per cent by the target year from 5.7 per cent in 2007.
With its emphasis on service-oriented robots, the government has divided its plan into three segments, in accordance with the level of sophistication and type of function required of particular robots.
The first category involves robots programmed for manufacturing, education and cleaning, while the second is composed of more sophisticated robots designed for entertainment, fire fighting, elderly care, transportation and other complex tasks that require a higher degree of autonomy and capacity.
The third group relates to unmanned vehicles in the air or on water, prosthetic body parts and clothing for amputees or for people who have trouble walking.
Kim Mun-sang, a scientist at the government-funded Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), plans to fully commercialize a companion robot by 2013.
Silbot, its name coined from the phrase "a robot for the silver generation," was designed to be a secretary and helper for the elderly, Kim explained.
"By 2013, we will be able to develop a robot that can serve meals or make beds," Kim said about the robot, which currently moves on three wheels instead of legs.
As the population in advanced countries ages, the demand for personal-care robots will rise, Kim said.
"U.S. and Japanese robot manufactures have already started to target the market for home health care, especially for the elderly."
"We can only imagine how these robots will bring change to our lives," he continued. "We did not know before how computers and the Internet would change our lives."
Kim, who is director of the Center for Intelligent Robotics at KIST, said that South Korea needs to fully utilize its strength as a global leader of information technology in order to survive the competition from front-runners in the industry.
"A network is an indispensable factor for a personal robot. We will be able to create a new robot service, converging robotics with information technologies," Kim said.
A day when every home has a robot will come just as the day that every home has a personal computer did, Kim predicted.
While I don't doubt the need for personal care robots, the idea of having them human-looking and acting isn't relevant, and I don't see the value in that other than possibly lifting.
Robots are going to increase in numbers and value, but those being made in the human mold are just gimmicks for the most part, although some have had some limited use in hospitals for basic services.
Human Looking Robots
South Korea and Japan in a bid to become leaders in the robotics industry have been focusing on developing robots with human characteristics, which may be a waste of time.
Now part of the reason for doing this is marketing, which is a good move, but the robots themselves are pretty useless, other than the attempted good will part of the equation.
South Korea's first two-legged walking robot, Hubo is one of many achievements that have distinguished the South Korean robotics industry.
His name a condensed form of the term "humanoid robot," Hubo was recently adopted by the U.S. National Science Foundation as a "textbook" model of such technology.
Prof. Oh Jun-ho at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in the central city of Daejeon predicts that Hubo will eventually serve as an "Adam," or prototype for other humanoid robots whose overall appearance is based on that of the human body.
The creator of Hubo notes that a U.S. research team, joined by five universities including the University of Pennsylvania, is currently studying Hubo's interactions with made-for-human tools or environments.
"There was uneasiness among some of the U.S. scientists that the U.S. might fall behind South Korea and Japan in the field of humanoid robotics," he said.
"The United States has been concentrating mainly on artificial intelligence, while South Korea and Japan have made outstanding progresses in developing robots that move like humans."
There is a niche in the global robotics market for South Korea, as U.S. manufacturers have been relatively slow in developing non-industrial and non-surveillance robots, according to Prof. Oh, who adds that concerns over cost-effectiveness prevented his American counterparts from pursuing the technology more aggressively.
Scientists in the U.S. took a very pragmatic approach to making robots, as the more complex designs required to produce humanoid robots demanded higher costs without the promise of substantial returns, he notes.
"What I am most proud of is that Hubo was made within a very short period of time and with a limited budget," Oh said.
Beginning with test models in 2002 and just 50 million won ($39US,000) from his personal savings, Oh worked for the next three years with a 150 million won fund that was later provided by the government. Hubo came into being in 2004.
Earlier this year, the South Korean government tapped the robotics industry as one of the country's key potential growth sectors and decided to support projects such as Oh's.
Now on the verge of a major expansion, South Korea's robotics industry is aiming to take the lead in the global market just as it became a global powerhouse in the information technology sector.
According to recent industry reports, the global robotics market was valued at $17US.3 billion in 2008 and is expected to increase to $17US.6 billion in 2009 and $21US.4 billion in 2014 for an annual growth rate of 4.0 per cent.
By 2014, domestic and professional service robots are expected to hold a 70 per cent share of the market, surpassing that of industrial robots that held the largest market share in 2008 worth some $11US.5 billion.
The government announced plans in March of this year to inject 1 trillion won into the domestic robotics industry to turn it into one of the top three global robot manufacturers by 2013.
South Korea currently ranks fifth in the world, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Japan leads the sector, followed by the United States, Germany and Italy.
The government anticipates that the increased spending will boost the country's share in the global robotics industry to 13.3 per cent by the target year from 5.7 per cent in 2007.
With its emphasis on service-oriented robots, the government has divided its plan into three segments, in accordance with the level of sophistication and type of function required of particular robots.
The first category involves robots programmed for manufacturing, education and cleaning, while the second is composed of more sophisticated robots designed for entertainment, fire fighting, elderly care, transportation and other complex tasks that require a higher degree of autonomy and capacity.
The third group relates to unmanned vehicles in the air or on water, prosthetic body parts and clothing for amputees or for people who have trouble walking.
Kim Mun-sang, a scientist at the government-funded Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), plans to fully commercialize a companion robot by 2013.
Silbot, its name coined from the phrase "a robot for the silver generation," was designed to be a secretary and helper for the elderly, Kim explained.
"By 2013, we will be able to develop a robot that can serve meals or make beds," Kim said about the robot, which currently moves on three wheels instead of legs.
As the population in advanced countries ages, the demand for personal-care robots will rise, Kim said.
"U.S. and Japanese robot manufactures have already started to target the market for home health care, especially for the elderly."
"We can only imagine how these robots will bring change to our lives," he continued. "We did not know before how computers and the Internet would change our lives."
Kim, who is director of the Center for Intelligent Robotics at KIST, said that South Korea needs to fully utilize its strength as a global leader of information technology in order to survive the competition from front-runners in the industry.
"A network is an indispensable factor for a personal robot. We will be able to create a new robot service, converging robotics with information technologies," Kim said.
A day when every home has a robot will come just as the day that every home has a personal computer did, Kim predicted.
While I don't doubt the need for personal care robots, the idea of having them human-looking and acting isn't relevant, and I don't see the value in that other than possibly lifting.
Robots are going to increase in numbers and value, but those being made in the human mold are just gimmicks for the most part, although some have had some limited use in hospitals for basic services.
Human Looking Robots
Medical Robot | Robot Treats Battle Injuries
Medical Robot
A new robot that is able to find small pieces of shrapnel in flesh and guides a needle to the exact location could aid in treating battle injuries, according to researchers in North Carolina.
"It can be very difficult using conventional means to detect small pieces of shrapnel, especially in the field," Duke University researcher Stephen Smith said. "The military has an extensive program of exploring the use of surgical robots in the field, and this advance could play a role."
Other uses for the robot could be for medical procedures, such as removing radioactive "seeds" used to treat cancers and extracting foreign, metallic objects from the eye, Smith said.
Using ultrasound technology and 3-D moving images, the Duke robot, without human assistance, located tiny pieces of metal in water baths, then directed a needle on the end of a robotic arm to the exact location, Smith said.
"The movement caused by the electromagnet on the shrapnel was not visible to the human eye," researcher A.J. Rogers said. "However, on the 3-D color Doppler system, the moving shrapnel stood out plainly as bright red."
Medical Robot
A new robot that is able to find small pieces of shrapnel in flesh and guides a needle to the exact location could aid in treating battle injuries, according to researchers in North Carolina.
"It can be very difficult using conventional means to detect small pieces of shrapnel, especially in the field," Duke University researcher Stephen Smith said. "The military has an extensive program of exploring the use of surgical robots in the field, and this advance could play a role."
Other uses for the robot could be for medical procedures, such as removing radioactive "seeds" used to treat cancers and extracting foreign, metallic objects from the eye, Smith said.
Using ultrasound technology and 3-D moving images, the Duke robot, without human assistance, located tiny pieces of metal in water baths, then directed a needle on the end of a robotic arm to the exact location, Smith said.
"The movement caused by the electromagnet on the shrapnel was not visible to the human eye," researcher A.J. Rogers said. "However, on the 3-D color Doppler system, the moving shrapnel stood out plainly as bright red."
Medical Robot
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Space Robots | Three Robots Used in Endeavour Mission on International Space Station
Space Robots
In what is being called the most technical mission to date, three individual robots will be used in the latest mission to the International Space Station, with the goal of enlarging the Japanese laboratory embedded in the Space Station.
For the duration of the 16-day mission, there will be five spacewalks and working with three robotic arms. One of them will walk across the outside of the space station in a similar fashion of the slinky toy so many children enjoy.
Holly Ridings, head space station flight director for the Endeavour mission, said it is one of the most technical undertaken by NASA. The mission goals couldn't be reached, she added, without the use of NASA robotics technology.
"The length of the mission, the five spacewalks, the robotics used almost every single day and 13 crew members makes it a big puzzle and all those pieces need to fit together correctly to get everything done," said Ridings, adding that NASA space missions will become increasingly dependent on robots.
"We have learned a lot about robotics and about working together with robot," she said. "Our spacewalkers are involved in activities while the robotic arms are looking at them and giving us camera views. The choreography of the different robotic arms is really complicated, and we've learned a lot about it and we do it well. Robotics is really one of the things that NASA has a lot of experience in and it's allowing us to do some wonderful things on the space station."
Endeavour is set to dock with the space station early Monday morning. Then the real difficult work begins on Tuesday when two astronauts will take the mission's first spacewalk with the aid of two robotic arms.
Ridings explained that as the astronauts start their work outside the space station, a robotic arm will lift a 4-ton piece of the Japanese complex out of the shuttle's payload bay. This piece, which has been named a "front porch", will be permanently attached to the outside of the Japanese module. It is built to hold its own payloads, as well as host experiments that need to be conducted in outer space.
Space Robots
In what is being called the most technical mission to date, three individual robots will be used in the latest mission to the International Space Station, with the goal of enlarging the Japanese laboratory embedded in the Space Station.
For the duration of the 16-day mission, there will be five spacewalks and working with three robotic arms. One of them will walk across the outside of the space station in a similar fashion of the slinky toy so many children enjoy.
Holly Ridings, head space station flight director for the Endeavour mission, said it is one of the most technical undertaken by NASA. The mission goals couldn't be reached, she added, without the use of NASA robotics technology.
"The length of the mission, the five spacewalks, the robotics used almost every single day and 13 crew members makes it a big puzzle and all those pieces need to fit together correctly to get everything done," said Ridings, adding that NASA space missions will become increasingly dependent on robots.
"We have learned a lot about robotics and about working together with robot," she said. "Our spacewalkers are involved in activities while the robotic arms are looking at them and giving us camera views. The choreography of the different robotic arms is really complicated, and we've learned a lot about it and we do it well. Robotics is really one of the things that NASA has a lot of experience in and it's allowing us to do some wonderful things on the space station."
Endeavour is set to dock with the space station early Monday morning. Then the real difficult work begins on Tuesday when two astronauts will take the mission's first spacewalk with the aid of two robotic arms.
Ridings explained that as the astronauts start their work outside the space station, a robotic arm will lift a 4-ton piece of the Japanese complex out of the shuttle's payload bay. This piece, which has been named a "front porch", will be permanently attached to the outside of the Japanese module. It is built to hold its own payloads, as well as host experiments that need to be conducted in outer space.
Space Robots
Monday, June 8, 2009
Robot Control System to be Created for Next-generation Automated Drilling and Exploration Platforms
Under WaterRobot Control Systems
Advanced Control Systems Enable Robotic Oil and Natural Gas Drilling
Cambridge, MA /PRNewswire/ -- Seabed Rig AS has licensed technology and contracted with Energid Technologies Corporation to create a robot control system for its next-generation automated drilling and exploration platforms.
Seabed Rig AS is developing a new autonomous drilling rig that operates in ultra deep water and arctic environments. Unlike traditional surface operations, the new rigs will lie on the ocean floor and connect to a surface vessel for power and communication. This breakthrough patented approach will make it possible to explore and tap the estimated 40% of world oil reserves yet to be found that are in these extreme areas.
Practical operation on the hostile ocean floor is only possible using robotics. The robots maintaining the rig must be versatile and able to perform many tasks, from drill pipe insertion to maintenance and repair. They must be mechanically advanced and intelligently controlled.
Energid Technologies will use its premier robotics software, Actin(TM), to simulate and control the complex robots used by Seabed Rig. Actin will be responsible for coordinating the motion of multiple robots, each with many moving parts.
"We developed Actin for NASA robots," said Neil Tardella, COO at Energid, "for the harsh environment of space. With it, we can bring to reality Seabed Rig's startling vision of undersea robots."
Drilling oil wells from the turbulent ocean surface can cost more than $600,000 per day, with progress stopped by bad weather. And it can be very challenging to reach potentially rich resources in arctic and deep water. Seabed Rig has developed the safe, economical technology that will allow wells to be drilled under ice and at the bottom of the sea.
"Our approach is to remotely control the sea-floor drilling system from a surface ship," said Kenneth Mikalsen, Chief Technology Officer of Seabed Rig. "We encapsulate the system to make it environmentally friendly with no discharge to the sea."
Actin will allow the undersea kinematically redundant robot arms to reach around obstacles, optimize for strength, and smoothly avoid joint limits. "Actin will maximize performance and make control from the surface easier by allowing direct control over hand placement," said Mr. Mikalsen.
"Energid is going to help Seabed Rig change the way people think about offshore oil drilling," said David Askey, Chief Business Development Officer at Energid.
For more information, contact Mary Salzman at Energid Technologies, +1.617.401.7090 x 420, or Roald Valen at Seabed Rig, +47.938.31.301.
About Energid Technologies
Energid Technologies develops tools for robotic applications in the aerospace, agriculture, transportation, defense, and medical industries. Energid's Actin(TM) and Selectin(TM) products provide advanced robotics technology in the form of extensible software toolkits. Energid specializes in the sensing, control, and simulation of complex systems. For more information, please visit www.energid.com.
About Seabed Rig
Seabed Rig AS is developing an innovative sea bed drilling rig to carry out cost-effective drilling from a location at the sea bed, in deep waters and in arctic areas. The Seabed Rig is unmanned with automated and robotized working operations that are remotely controlled from an interactive 3D interface. For more information, please visit www.seabedrig.no
Actin, Selectin, and the Energid logo are trademarks of Energid Technologies Corporation.
SOURCE Energid Technologies Corporation
Underwater Robot Control Systems
Advanced Control Systems Enable Robotic Oil and Natural Gas Drilling
Cambridge, MA /PRNewswire/ -- Seabed Rig AS has licensed technology and contracted with Energid Technologies Corporation to create a robot control system for its next-generation automated drilling and exploration platforms.
Seabed Rig AS is developing a new autonomous drilling rig that operates in ultra deep water and arctic environments. Unlike traditional surface operations, the new rigs will lie on the ocean floor and connect to a surface vessel for power and communication. This breakthrough patented approach will make it possible to explore and tap the estimated 40% of world oil reserves yet to be found that are in these extreme areas.
Practical operation on the hostile ocean floor is only possible using robotics. The robots maintaining the rig must be versatile and able to perform many tasks, from drill pipe insertion to maintenance and repair. They must be mechanically advanced and intelligently controlled.
Energid Technologies will use its premier robotics software, Actin(TM), to simulate and control the complex robots used by Seabed Rig. Actin will be responsible for coordinating the motion of multiple robots, each with many moving parts.
"We developed Actin for NASA robots," said Neil Tardella, COO at Energid, "for the harsh environment of space. With it, we can bring to reality Seabed Rig's startling vision of undersea robots."
Drilling oil wells from the turbulent ocean surface can cost more than $600,000 per day, with progress stopped by bad weather. And it can be very challenging to reach potentially rich resources in arctic and deep water. Seabed Rig has developed the safe, economical technology that will allow wells to be drilled under ice and at the bottom of the sea.
"Our approach is to remotely control the sea-floor drilling system from a surface ship," said Kenneth Mikalsen, Chief Technology Officer of Seabed Rig. "We encapsulate the system to make it environmentally friendly with no discharge to the sea."
Actin will allow the undersea kinematically redundant robot arms to reach around obstacles, optimize for strength, and smoothly avoid joint limits. "Actin will maximize performance and make control from the surface easier by allowing direct control over hand placement," said Mr. Mikalsen.
"Energid is going to help Seabed Rig change the way people think about offshore oil drilling," said David Askey, Chief Business Development Officer at Energid.
For more information, contact Mary Salzman at Energid Technologies, +1.617.401.7090 x 420, or Roald Valen at Seabed Rig, +47.938.31.301.
About Energid Technologies
Energid Technologies develops tools for robotic applications in the aerospace, agriculture, transportation, defense, and medical industries. Energid's Actin(TM) and Selectin(TM) products provide advanced robotics technology in the form of extensible software toolkits. Energid specializes in the sensing, control, and simulation of complex systems. For more information, please visit www.energid.com.
About Seabed Rig
Seabed Rig AS is developing an innovative sea bed drilling rig to carry out cost-effective drilling from a location at the sea bed, in deep waters and in arctic areas. The Seabed Rig is unmanned with automated and robotized working operations that are remotely controlled from an interactive 3D interface. For more information, please visit www.seabedrig.no
Actin, Selectin, and the Energid logo are trademarks of Energid Technologies Corporation.
SOURCE Energid Technologies Corporation
Underwater Robot Control Systems
Snake Scale Discovery Could Help Snake Robots
Snake Robots
The recent discovery that snake scales are the secret to how real snakes slither and travel along the ground has some scientists excited about the possibilties of applying that to snake robots to help them in their movement and tasks.
Scales are snake's side winding secret, say scientists. In a Tuesday report led by David Hu of Georgia Tech, experiments reveal that snakes propel themselves forward via friction between belly scales and the ground, rather than pushing off on rocks and twigs as long supposed.
According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal report, the findings means, "wheelless snake robots can be designed to slither, on relatively featureless terrain, such as sand or bare rock, which do not provide obvious push points." In 70 experiments with milk snakes, the researchers found the serpents vary the grab of their belly scales to go uphill or downhill and to pick up speed.
The findings may aid with the design of robots designed to slither into rescue scenes after a disaster.
Snake Robot Breakthrough
The recent discovery that snake scales are the secret to how real snakes slither and travel along the ground has some scientists excited about the possibilties of applying that to snake robots to help them in their movement and tasks.
Scales are snake's side winding secret, say scientists. In a Tuesday report led by David Hu of Georgia Tech, experiments reveal that snakes propel themselves forward via friction between belly scales and the ground, rather than pushing off on rocks and twigs as long supposed.
According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal report, the findings means, "wheelless snake robots can be designed to slither, on relatively featureless terrain, such as sand or bare rock, which do not provide obvious push points." In 70 experiments with milk snakes, the researchers found the serpents vary the grab of their belly scales to go uphill or downhill and to pick up speed.
The findings may aid with the design of robots designed to slither into rescue scenes after a disaster.
Snake Robot Breakthrough
Military Recon Robot Protects Troops, Police
Military Recon Robot
When you first look at the Recon Scout IR it looks like a small dumbbell. But even at a tiny 1.2 pounds, this robot does some major lifting.
Built by a company in Edina, Minnesota, ReconRobotics, the robot transmits video images of dangerous environments before police and troops have to go in.
It is used by police SWAT teams to defuse violent situations and the military to assess hostile environments from a safe distance.
Recently, police officers used a Scout to find a person who was armed, suicidal, threatening officers and barricaded in a condominium complex. Standing outside, they could maneuver the robot through multiple rooms and get clear video images - even in the dark - of the home's layout. They found the exact location of the armed person's position so police could safely control the situation when officers entered the home.
Success stories like that have propelled ReconRobotics to millions in sales in less than three years. Recently, traveling cases of miniature reconnaissance robots were ready for pickup for the U.S. Army, which is buying 150 Scouts under a $1.35 million contract.
"What wakes us up in the morning is saving lives," said Alan Bignall, ReconRobotics, chief executive officer. He has led the company since it was spun out of the University of Minnesota in early 2007.
Planning to build the company in phases, he initially focused on getting one or two Scouts into the hands of law enforcement agencies across the United States. This year, Bignall and his staff are expanding ReconRobotics by marketing to branches of the military.
The robots range in price from $7,500 for the Recon Scout to $9,000 for its infrared-capable sibling, and they can pack lifesaving punches into the small, portable 7.5-inch-long frame. In 2007, its first year in business, Recon-Robotics generated $480,000 in revenue. Last year, the company entered the international market and sales rose to $1.65 million.
This year, Bignall said, the company already has secured well over $2.5 million in orders, and he estimates annual sales will reach $3.3 million to $5 million. Within two to three years, Bignall said that it's "very doable" that ReconRobotics could achieve $20 million in annual revenue.
Research to develop the robot began in the late 1990s at the University of Minnesota, and the military started expressing interest in the school's work at the beginning of this decade. The university received more than $6 million in government grants over several years to develop the robot. Professor Nikos Papanikolopoulos, who is also director of the university's Center for Distributed Robotics, spearheaded the research.
Casey Carlson, a product engineer who worked on the Scout at the school before joining the company, said one of the challenges of developing the product was ensuring the sophisticated technology within the unit's tube would not be damaged when the robot was thrown, literally, into action. The solution: large wheels on the ends of the robot's tube to absorb the shock, no matter how it lands after being thrown.
For its efforts, the University of Minnesota, which holds patents on the robot, now has an ownership stake in the company.
"We swapped stock in Recon-Robotics in exchange for the perpetual and exclusive rights to the university patents on the robots," Bignall said.
But the stand-alone company also needed to raise capital for the venture. During 2007 and 2008, ReconRobotics attracted $4 million in investments. Twin Cities Angels, an investment fund, and some of its individual members have invested $750,000.
"We thought it was the right race, the right horse and the right rider," said Phil Walter, chairman of one of the Angels' two funds.
"When the military breaks loose orders for this thing, it'll break loose in a big way," Walter said.
The robots are manufactured for ReconRobotics at MFG Solutions Inc. in South St. Paul.
Ryan Douglas, MFG's chief executive, said that each year MFG selects a company to invest in, with both cash and involvement ranging from business strategy to production management.
Douglas said ReconRobotics had "an excellent product," which has the ability to support troops and first responders in tough situations.
Military Recon Robot
When you first look at the Recon Scout IR it looks like a small dumbbell. But even at a tiny 1.2 pounds, this robot does some major lifting.
Built by a company in Edina, Minnesota, ReconRobotics, the robot transmits video images of dangerous environments before police and troops have to go in.
It is used by police SWAT teams to defuse violent situations and the military to assess hostile environments from a safe distance.
Recently, police officers used a Scout to find a person who was armed, suicidal, threatening officers and barricaded in a condominium complex. Standing outside, they could maneuver the robot through multiple rooms and get clear video images - even in the dark - of the home's layout. They found the exact location of the armed person's position so police could safely control the situation when officers entered the home.
Success stories like that have propelled ReconRobotics to millions in sales in less than three years. Recently, traveling cases of miniature reconnaissance robots were ready for pickup for the U.S. Army, which is buying 150 Scouts under a $1.35 million contract.
"What wakes us up in the morning is saving lives," said Alan Bignall, ReconRobotics, chief executive officer. He has led the company since it was spun out of the University of Minnesota in early 2007.
Planning to build the company in phases, he initially focused on getting one or two Scouts into the hands of law enforcement agencies across the United States. This year, Bignall and his staff are expanding ReconRobotics by marketing to branches of the military.
The robots range in price from $7,500 for the Recon Scout to $9,000 for its infrared-capable sibling, and they can pack lifesaving punches into the small, portable 7.5-inch-long frame. In 2007, its first year in business, Recon-Robotics generated $480,000 in revenue. Last year, the company entered the international market and sales rose to $1.65 million.
This year, Bignall said, the company already has secured well over $2.5 million in orders, and he estimates annual sales will reach $3.3 million to $5 million. Within two to three years, Bignall said that it's "very doable" that ReconRobotics could achieve $20 million in annual revenue.
Research to develop the robot began in the late 1990s at the University of Minnesota, and the military started expressing interest in the school's work at the beginning of this decade. The university received more than $6 million in government grants over several years to develop the robot. Professor Nikos Papanikolopoulos, who is also director of the university's Center for Distributed Robotics, spearheaded the research.
Casey Carlson, a product engineer who worked on the Scout at the school before joining the company, said one of the challenges of developing the product was ensuring the sophisticated technology within the unit's tube would not be damaged when the robot was thrown, literally, into action. The solution: large wheels on the ends of the robot's tube to absorb the shock, no matter how it lands after being thrown.
For its efforts, the University of Minnesota, which holds patents on the robot, now has an ownership stake in the company.
"We swapped stock in Recon-Robotics in exchange for the perpetual and exclusive rights to the university patents on the robots," Bignall said.
But the stand-alone company also needed to raise capital for the venture. During 2007 and 2008, ReconRobotics attracted $4 million in investments. Twin Cities Angels, an investment fund, and some of its individual members have invested $750,000.
"We thought it was the right race, the right horse and the right rider," said Phil Walter, chairman of one of the Angels' two funds.
"When the military breaks loose orders for this thing, it'll break loose in a big way," Walter said.
The robots are manufactured for ReconRobotics at MFG Solutions Inc. in South St. Paul.
Ryan Douglas, MFG's chief executive, said that each year MFG selects a company to invest in, with both cash and involvement ranging from business strategy to production management.
Douglas said ReconRobotics had "an excellent product," which has the ability to support troops and first responders in tough situations.
Military Recon Robot
Sales of Personal Robots to Surpass $15 Billion by 2015
Personal Robots
A report from GeckoSytems International Corporation projects estimates personal robot sales will be significantly higher than the previously announced figure of $15 billion by 2015.
While even this forecast could be very low, it does show that over fifty thousand new jobs will be created in high paying robotics development and manufacturing within the next four to five years.
The main reason for guessing that the $15 billion estimate was on the lower side is because of a parallel his company draws to the last major recession that happened in the early eighties.
At that time personal computers were seen as a simple, economical way of automating work, reducing manpower, not having to pay additional salaries and still getting the work done.
"The immediate impact of productivity improvements and cost savings drove the PC into markets faster than the adoption in good, less stressed economic times," said Spencer. “That new, high tech, high growth PC industry created hundreds of jobs during that recession.”
The company feels that the same scenario will be replicated during this recession and instead of the static PC’s of those days, companies, hospitals and individuals will instead now have a choice of personal care programmable robots that wash cars, look after old people, and serve drinks and food at restaurants.
“Due to the less than one-year payback for many, if not most, of our mobile service robot solutions, we expect our growth to be driven not only by the present economic downturn's severe cost reduction pressures, but also by pent up demand," said Spencer. “We expect to add more than a hundred new employees in the next year."
The company does agree with the projected forecast that claimed 50,000 jobs will be added by 2015, and says that there are jobs available, or will soon be available, in the following categories: software programmers - Artificial Intelligence, and Human Machine Interaction; Computer, software and electrical engineers - Actionable Situational Awareness and Sensor Fusion; Computer and electrical engineers - Control Systems, Hardware Abstraction, Embedded System Design; Electronic contract manufacturing production facilities - final assembly, calibration, and testing prior to shipment to Value Added Resellers (VARS), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s), dealers, and the rest that make up the supply chain cycle.
Robotics are also being used in microscopic, pin-point solutions, for insertion and navigation of catheters within the human body to rectify differently beating hearts, or arrhythmias.
Personal Robots
A report from GeckoSytems International Corporation projects estimates personal robot sales will be significantly higher than the previously announced figure of $15 billion by 2015.
While even this forecast could be very low, it does show that over fifty thousand new jobs will be created in high paying robotics development and manufacturing within the next four to five years.
The main reason for guessing that the $15 billion estimate was on the lower side is because of a parallel his company draws to the last major recession that happened in the early eighties.
At that time personal computers were seen as a simple, economical way of automating work, reducing manpower, not having to pay additional salaries and still getting the work done.
"The immediate impact of productivity improvements and cost savings drove the PC into markets faster than the adoption in good, less stressed economic times," said Spencer. “That new, high tech, high growth PC industry created hundreds of jobs during that recession.”
The company feels that the same scenario will be replicated during this recession and instead of the static PC’s of those days, companies, hospitals and individuals will instead now have a choice of personal care programmable robots that wash cars, look after old people, and serve drinks and food at restaurants.
“Due to the less than one-year payback for many, if not most, of our mobile service robot solutions, we expect our growth to be driven not only by the present economic downturn's severe cost reduction pressures, but also by pent up demand," said Spencer. “We expect to add more than a hundred new employees in the next year."
The company does agree with the projected forecast that claimed 50,000 jobs will be added by 2015, and says that there are jobs available, or will soon be available, in the following categories: software programmers - Artificial Intelligence, and Human Machine Interaction; Computer, software and electrical engineers - Actionable Situational Awareness and Sensor Fusion; Computer and electrical engineers - Control Systems, Hardware Abstraction, Embedded System Design; Electronic contract manufacturing production facilities - final assembly, calibration, and testing prior to shipment to Value Added Resellers (VARS), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s), dealers, and the rest that make up the supply chain cycle.
Robotics are also being used in microscopic, pin-point solutions, for insertion and navigation of catheters within the human body to rectify differently beating hearts, or arrhythmias.
Personal Robots
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The Rat Robot Psikharpax
Future Robots
Agnes Guillot dreams of one day seeing a giant 50cm white rat called Psikharpax scuttling fearlessly around her lab.
If so, it will be time to scream... But out of joy, rather than fear, for it could be a turning point in the history of robotics.
Psikharpax - named after a cunning king of the rats, according to a tale attributed to Homer - is the brainchild of European researchers who believe it may push back a frontier in artificial intelligence.
Scientists have tried for decades to make a robot that can do some more than make repetitive, programmed gestures. These are fine for making cars or amusing small children, but are of little help in the real world.
One of the biggest obstacles is learning ability. Without the smarts to figure out dangers and opportunities, a robot is helpless without human intervention.
"The autonomy of robots today is similar to that of an insect," snorts Guillot, a researcher at France's Institute for Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR), one of the "Psikharpax" team.
Such failures mean it is time to change tack, argue some roboticist.
Rather than try to replicate human intelligence, in all its furious complexities and higher levels of language and reasoning, it would be better to start at the bottom and figure out simpler abilities that humans share with other animals, they say.
These include navigating, seeking food and avoiding dangers.
And, for this job, there can be no better inspiration than the rat, which has lived cheek-by-whisker with humans since Homo sapiens took his first steps.
"The rat is the animal that scientists know best, and the structure of its brain is similar to that of humans," says Steve Nguyen, a doctoral student at ISIR, who helped show off Psikharpax at a research and innovation fair in Paris last week.
Rat robots are being built in other labs in Britain, the United States and elsewhere. Two years ago, for instance, a team at the ITAM technical institute in Mexico City reprogrammed a Sony Aibo dog using rat-simulated software.
But the European researchers believe that Psikharpax is unique in its bio-mimicry, sophistication of sensors and controls and software based on rat neurology.
Their artificial rodent has two cameras for eyes, two microphones for ears and tiny wheels, driven by a battery-powered motor, to provide movement.
A couple of dozen whiskers measuring around a dozen centimetres stretch out impressively either side of its long, pointed snout.
The patented "vibrissae" seek to replicate a key part of the nervous system in a real-life rat, where whiskers are used to sense obstacles.
Data from these artificial organs goes to Psikharpax's "brain," a chip whose software hierarchy mimics the structures in a rat's brain that process and analyse what is seen, heard and sensed.
For instance, if Psikharpax's eyes sense that it is dark, the software gives a greater weight of importance to data from the whiskers, in the same way that a rat, at night, relies on other sensors to compensate for loss of vision.
But one famous rat quality - the power of smell - is not incorporated in Psikharpax. An artificial nose was originally included in the scheme, conceived by roboticist Jean-Arcady Meyer, but proved too complex in practice.
The goal is to get Psikharpax to be able to "survive" in new environments. It would be able to spot and move around things in its way, detect when it is in danger from collision with a human in its vicinity and spot an opportunity for "feeding" - recharging its battery at power points placed around the lab.
"We want to make robots that are able to look after themselves and depend on humans as least as possible," said Guillot.
"If we want to send a robot to Mars, or help someone in a flat that we don't know, the robot has to have the ability to figure out things out for itself."
Future Robots
Agnes Guillot dreams of one day seeing a giant 50cm white rat called Psikharpax scuttling fearlessly around her lab.
If so, it will be time to scream... But out of joy, rather than fear, for it could be a turning point in the history of robotics.
Psikharpax - named after a cunning king of the rats, according to a tale attributed to Homer - is the brainchild of European researchers who believe it may push back a frontier in artificial intelligence.
Scientists have tried for decades to make a robot that can do some more than make repetitive, programmed gestures. These are fine for making cars or amusing small children, but are of little help in the real world.
One of the biggest obstacles is learning ability. Without the smarts to figure out dangers and opportunities, a robot is helpless without human intervention.
"The autonomy of robots today is similar to that of an insect," snorts Guillot, a researcher at France's Institute for Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR), one of the "Psikharpax" team.
Such failures mean it is time to change tack, argue some roboticist.
Rather than try to replicate human intelligence, in all its furious complexities and higher levels of language and reasoning, it would be better to start at the bottom and figure out simpler abilities that humans share with other animals, they say.
These include navigating, seeking food and avoiding dangers.
And, for this job, there can be no better inspiration than the rat, which has lived cheek-by-whisker with humans since Homo sapiens took his first steps.
"The rat is the animal that scientists know best, and the structure of its brain is similar to that of humans," says Steve Nguyen, a doctoral student at ISIR, who helped show off Psikharpax at a research and innovation fair in Paris last week.
Rat robots are being built in other labs in Britain, the United States and elsewhere. Two years ago, for instance, a team at the ITAM technical institute in Mexico City reprogrammed a Sony Aibo dog using rat-simulated software.
But the European researchers believe that Psikharpax is unique in its bio-mimicry, sophistication of sensors and controls and software based on rat neurology.
Their artificial rodent has two cameras for eyes, two microphones for ears and tiny wheels, driven by a battery-powered motor, to provide movement.
A couple of dozen whiskers measuring around a dozen centimetres stretch out impressively either side of its long, pointed snout.
The patented "vibrissae" seek to replicate a key part of the nervous system in a real-life rat, where whiskers are used to sense obstacles.
Data from these artificial organs goes to Psikharpax's "brain," a chip whose software hierarchy mimics the structures in a rat's brain that process and analyse what is seen, heard and sensed.
For instance, if Psikharpax's eyes sense that it is dark, the software gives a greater weight of importance to data from the whiskers, in the same way that a rat, at night, relies on other sensors to compensate for loss of vision.
But one famous rat quality - the power of smell - is not incorporated in Psikharpax. An artificial nose was originally included in the scheme, conceived by roboticist Jean-Arcady Meyer, but proved too complex in practice.
The goal is to get Psikharpax to be able to "survive" in new environments. It would be able to spot and move around things in its way, detect when it is in danger from collision with a human in its vicinity and spot an opportunity for "feeding" - recharging its battery at power points placed around the lab.
"We want to make robots that are able to look after themselves and depend on humans as least as possible," said Guillot.
"If we want to send a robot to Mars, or help someone in a flat that we don't know, the robot has to have the ability to figure out things out for itself."
Future Robots
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Robots | Global Robotics Industry Report for 2008
*The global robotics industry was worth $17.3 billion in 2008 and an estimated $17.6 billion in 2009. This should reach $21.4 billion in 2014, for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.0%.
*The industrial robots segment is the largest segment, worth $11.5 billion in 2008. This is expected to decrease slightly to $10.5 billion in 2009, and then grow at a CAGR of 2.8% to reach $12.1 billion in 2014.
*Professional service robots is the second largest segment, generating $3.3 billion in 2008. This should increase to $4.0 billion in 2009 and $5.4 billion in 2014, for a CAGR of 6.0%.
Robotics: Technologies and Global Markets views the robotics industry as presently divided into six types of robots defined by their application:
industrial robots
domestic service robots
professional robots
military robots
security robots and
space robots
Robotics: Technologies and Global Markets recognizes the European Union’s ambitious attempt to establish uncontested leadership in robotics, through the creation of the European Robotic Platform (EUROP) funded jointly by businesses and government. Along these lines, Chapter Three: Common Concerns addresses all of the technical issues identified by EUROP’s working groups. This chapter is equally useful to U.S. and Japanese companies interested in further developing sales in European markets.
Robotics: Technologies and Global Markets is the first study with product demand forecasts that reflect:
The collapse of capital funding for new robot purchases.
The collapse of consumer credit for the purchase of robot–made goods.
The World Bank’s downward adjustment of the gdp in India and China.
The effect of the 2009 U.S. economic stimulus package.
*The industrial robots segment is the largest segment, worth $11.5 billion in 2008. This is expected to decrease slightly to $10.5 billion in 2009, and then grow at a CAGR of 2.8% to reach $12.1 billion in 2014.
*Professional service robots is the second largest segment, generating $3.3 billion in 2008. This should increase to $4.0 billion in 2009 and $5.4 billion in 2014, for a CAGR of 6.0%.
Robotics: Technologies and Global Markets views the robotics industry as presently divided into six types of robots defined by their application:
industrial robots
domestic service robots
professional robots
military robots
security robots and
space robots
Robotics: Technologies and Global Markets recognizes the European Union’s ambitious attempt to establish uncontested leadership in robotics, through the creation of the European Robotic Platform (EUROP) funded jointly by businesses and government. Along these lines, Chapter Three: Common Concerns addresses all of the technical issues identified by EUROP’s working groups. This chapter is equally useful to U.S. and Japanese companies interested in further developing sales in European markets.
Robotics: Technologies and Global Markets is the first study with product demand forecasts that reflect:
The collapse of capital funding for new robot purchases.
The collapse of consumer credit for the purchase of robot–made goods.
The World Bank’s downward adjustment of the gdp in India and China.
The effect of the 2009 U.S. economic stimulus package.
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