NASA successfully tests OSIRIS-REx robotic arm ahead of arrival

Posted on 20/11/2018 by Engadget RSS Feed

NASA's spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is just 75 miles from its destination and, just like you would near the end of a light, it's starting to stretch out. The craft successfully tested its Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), a robotic arm tha...

Volkswagen’s I.D. Vizzion EV is all about a customized ride

Posted on 05/03/2018 by Engadget RSS Feed

Volkswagen's I.D. platform just got its flagship product, the Vizzion. The electric vehicle will have a range of about 370 miles (600 kilometers) via a 111kWh battery pack, two motors for all-wheel-drive capabilities and will be ready for autonomous...

Harvard’s tiny robotic arm can make endoscopic surgery safer

Posted on 06/08/2017 by Engadget RSS Feed

Minimally invasive surgery is already amazing as it is, but a team of Harvard scientists have created a device that expands its possible applications even further. They designed a tiny robotic arm that lays flat while the endoscope is moving through...

ICYMI: Drawing bot, 3M’s future plan and an orb with a soul

Posted on 14/03/2016 by Kerry Davis

Today on In Case You Missed It: Artist Sougwen Chung creates art with help from a robotic arm, take a tour of 3M's exhibit, which visualizes the challenges the earth will face by 2050 and finally, bask in the glow of a large orb with AI that change...

German robot practices hitting humans to ensure future safety

Posted on 13/11/2015 by Mona Lalwani

Roland Behrens, a German scientist, wants to teach robots how not to kill humans. But first, he needs to know how hard they can hit before causing any serious damage. According to a Bloomberg report, a team of researchers at the Fraunhofer IFF Inst...

Smart robot arm can follow your lead without coding

Posted on 24/10/2015 by Mariella Moon

You might not be able to control the 7Bot robotic arm with your mind or your eyes, but at least it'll only cost you around $350 -- cheaper than an iPhone, its creators point out -- to get one. Even better, you don't need to know how to code to prog...

Curiosity rover starts light robotic arm workout in preparation for scientific main event

Posted on 07/09/2012 by Steve Dent

As NASA promised, Curiosity has stopped at the quarter pole toward its first scientific destination to test its robotic arm and attached scientific instruments. After 100 yards of driving, the rover extended its 7-foot limb, and will now spend six to ten days checking its predetermined positions and range of motion. That will ensure the appendage is ready after surviving the chilly vaccuum of space and subsequent setdown, and will let its minders see how it functions in the unfamiliar Martian gravity and temperatures. The JPL scientists in charge of the six-wheeler will also peep the Mars Hand Lens Imager and made-in-Canada Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer to warrant that they're up for all the geology to come. If all goes well, the rover will start scooping, drilling and analyzing in earnest when it hits Glenelg, then Mount Sharp -- so, we'd limber up first before tackling all that, too.

Filed under: Misc, Science

Curiosity rover starts light robotic arm workout in preparation for scientific main event originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Insert Coin: Cardboard Robot brings craning, plucking and learning with a dash of whimsey (video)

Posted on 11/07/2012 by Steve Dent

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Cardboard Robot has lowered it's crane claw boom on all the Kickstarter money business, and said "Hey, let's have a little fun here, too." It's a robotic arm kit consisting of four stepper motors, a controller, USB computer connection, and a structure made from corrugated cardboard with a claw or smartphone camera mount. While able to pick up small objects like socks and stuffed animals or crane a smartphone around, the fanciful bot's main function seems to be the fun of piecing it together, with its pliable surface also safer for working with kids. To that end, the mech's maker said that not only would it be easy to build, but the source code would be included for tweaking and with every $3k raised, one of the kits would be donated to a US school. So, if you want your own carton-y bot arm kit for learning and light plush toy duty (assembly required), the minimum pledge is $175 -- check the Kickstarter source to see how to pony up, or the video after the break.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Cardboard Robot brings craning, plucking and learning with a dash of whimsey (video)

Filed under: Robots

Insert Coin: Cardboard Robot brings craning, plucking and learning with a dash of whimsey (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentagon starts Phoenix trial to harvest defunct satellites, MacGyver new ones from orbit

Posted on 28/06/2012 by Steve Dent

The Phoenix Frankenprogram to harvest the corpses of expired satellites and cobble together new ones seemed like one of DARPA's more daft ideas, but this one has actually kicked off its first phase of development. The plan is to first launch a service craft -- replete with robotic arms and enough processing horsepower to work independently if needed -- followed by the tiny base-unit skeleton satlets. The service mothership would dip into an orbital area called the "graveyard", grabbing pre-chosen cadavers and picking off usable parts, especially valuable antenna arrays, with its robo-limbs. Those parts would be jury-rigged to the bare-bones units, creating usable Pentagon satellites and saving the $10,000 per pound launch cost. So far, a $2.5 million contract to develop the needed technology has been put in place, and bids for the no-frills satlets went out last week. Plenty of dirty work is still needed, so check the video after the break to see if the overly-elaborate plan can un-moot $300 billion of orbiting cold metal.

Continue reading Pentagon starts Phoenix trial to harvest defunct satellites, MacGyver new ones from orbit

Pentagon starts Phoenix trial to harvest defunct satellites, MacGyver new ones from orbit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iCRAFT robotic feeding arm (eyes-on)

Posted on 13/06/2012 by Brian Heater

We're back for another day of exploring the Northeastern University labs. We checked out a handful of projects yesterday, including the HyCycle, a runner-up in the school's Capstone award. Today we checked out the winner: iCRAFT -- that's short for eye-Controlled Robotic Arm Feeding Technology. The project was developed by a group of seven electrical and computer engineering students looking to create an inexpensive solution for helping the disabled and elderly feed themselves at home. As the Apple-esque name implies, the project utilizes eye-tracking to help the user feed him or herself.

The hardware side of the project involves a robotic arm and controller (which run a combined $640), a hacked Creative webcam and IR light (around $114), three bowls, a water bottle and a custom built power supply. On the software side, the team used the open-source ITU gaze tracker software, combined with a custom GUI. The whole thing is designed to be simple to use right out of the box -- though, being in prototype stage, there were naturally a few hiccups in the process. It didn't work perfectly when we demoed it today, but it certainly wasn't much more buggy than what many companies try to pass off as finished products.

Gallery: iCRAFT robotic feeding arm (eyes-on)