Looks like iRobot is determined to bring Judgment Day upon us. First with the military bots, and now they’re trying to build a liquid-metal-shape-shifting robot that will surely ask us if we are John or Sarah Connor. Okay, not quite, but it looks like they’re headed in that direction.
This week at IROS 09 (Intelligent Robots and Systems), iRobot and the University of Chicago unveiled a soft, blobby robot that looks something like an inflating marshmallow.
The new robot, called chembot, changes the shape of its stretchy polymer skin using a technique called “jamming skin enabled locomotion”. This means that different sections of the robot inflate or deflate separately; controlling this inflation and deflation enables the robot to move. DARPA, which is funding the project, hopes to use the robot to squeeze into small holes or under doors, which I’m guessing would be used for sophisticated surveillance.
The complexity shown in LittleDog’s adaptive gait and terrain navigation seriously makes my head hurt. If you consider yourself a geek you are of course familiar with BigDog; the 4 legged robot that robot dreams are made of. LittleDog is similar in concept but at a much smaller scale, and MIT has been using it as a research platform for a number of years. Evan Eckerman from Botjunkie sums it up quite well:
Researchers at places like MIT have been usingBoston Dynamics‘ LittleDog robot for years now as a testbed to teach legged robots to learn how to traverse variable terrain on their own. This video shows some highlights of a “dynamic double-support gait,” which means (as near as I can tell) that LittleDog is supporting itself, at times, on only two of its four legs. This is a substantially more efficient way of negotiating terrain thanwe first saw two years ago. LittleDog also demonstrates some markedly biological ways of negotiating obstacles (with the possible exception of the belly flop on the Jersey barrier)… I especially liked how it pranced in place slightly before tackling each stair. All this stuff is obviously a lot of work for a little bot, since poor LittleDog completely collapses at the end of every test.
LittleDog, remember, is teachingitselfthe most efficient way to negotiate these surfaces. Overhead cameras examine the terrain and plan out LittleDog’s route by computing a ‘cost’ for each step, which takes into account the distance moved towards the goal as well as the potential for a fall. After a lot of trial and error, LittleDog figures out how to best compromise between progress and stability, and the lessons it learns could be propagated up toother, larger quadruped robots.
This video is from Phase 2 ofDARPA’s Learning Locomotion program… MIT’s LittleDog team was awarded funding for Phase 3 of this program back in 2008, so we’ll keep you updated.
Everyone loves a good conspiracy theorist, right? Well, at least they’re good for a laugh from time to time. Take a gander at the new blog Resist Or Be Terminated, this nutcase has some insane conspiracy cooked up that our friends over at Skynet Research are up to something bad. What a joke! Skynet Research has been completely transparent in their intentions, they’re simply trying to foster along robotics development and have even been so kind as to share some of their technology with the robotics community. If you’re looking for a laugh, check out the video below showing some alleged ‘glitches’ in their system. People these days, ha!
Boston.com published a great article featuring a wide variety of robots around the world. If you like robots, and you like big pretty pictures of robots, you definitely have to check it out. In style with the article, I’ll keep this short and let you check out the pictures yourself!
Recently we were contacted by an upcoming advanced robotics R&D company who has been keeping a pretty low profile. Skynet Research only went public last week, but for the past 10 years has been hard at work and already making startling advanced in military and research level robotics. Some of this stuff is scary, it makes iRobot’s military line look like a bunch of toys. Check out these concept designs:
So here’s the kicker, I got a chance to talk to one of their lead researchers over the weekend and along with going public, they’ve also announced a Community Outreach Program to hobby and professional roboticists. They’re actually granting access to some of their technology (with no doubt a massive NDA attached) to the average hobbyist. From what I gathered speaking with them, the Model 101 Enhancement Module that is being provided for evaluation is some sort of Neural Networking microprocessor with built in wifi capability, used for relaying sensory data back to a central AI hub that is scheduled to go online in the near future. REALLY cool stuff, if you’re interested in applying for the beta program, you just have to submit your robot design and an explaination of why you think your project would be well suited for their program.
Here’s the official press release from Skynet Research, and be sure to check out their site for more info.
Skynet Research is a leader in the research and development of robotic technology, dedicated to helping the human race achieve great goals.And we want to hear from you!
Skynet Research believes every individual holds the capacity to make a difference, and is dedicated to finding as many people as possible who will impact our future goals.
The spark of imagination is the greatest asset of humankind.We are interested in mining this resource within the robotics community to find new robot designs.
Individuals are welcome to submit designs, videos and schematics relating to future robot models.We will showcase the most promising for all to see on our corporate website.
As part of our ever-increasing outreach, we are also making available the Skynet Research Enhancement Module Model 101 for consumer grade robots at no cost before it is even available in stores.
The Model 101 is compatible with any home robotics device, and will vastly improve the precision, efficiency and speed of any mechanized apparatus regardless of function.
There are many different Skynet Research models in production and operation, and countless more in active development at secure and undisclosed locations around the world.
Skynet Research is reshaping daily life for human beings across the planet, with contributions to business, education, healthcare, information systems and military defense.
Skynet Research has led the evolution of Artificial Intelligence to multiply at exponential rates, pushing to improve robotic function in daily life with a constant eye on the future.
We have been honored as “most innovative” company in numerous trade publications, while one award-winning professor stated Skynet Research is displaying an “unprecedented” rate of growth.
Matt Bauer, the man behind one of the top Robo-One class humanoid robots in the United States, Rook’s Pawn 3, sat in on the initial pitch and discussion of the Mech Wars event. He was intrigued, but when I asked him what he was planning he kept pretty quiet and simply said he’d release it when it was ready.
Well, Matt did not disappoint. He recently debuted his custom Mech Puppeteer Combat Platform, which is a very slick looking GUI built specifically to control Matt’s soon to be announced Robonova based robot for Mech Wars. Take a gander at the layout and you’ll see what I’m talking about:
Click to Enlarge.
The buttons light up, weapon systems have animated safety switch features, and a video feed with targeting reticle is built in. These controls are keyboard mappable and Matt is working to make this software as modular as possible and available for public release. Here’s a video showcasing some of the features:
And here’s a short video showing the built in safety features and weapon system of the software:
I personally can’t wait to see what Matt has up his sleeve as far as his actual Mech. If the quality of his software and Rook’s Pawn 3 is any indication, Mech Wars participants are going to be facing some fierce competition from him.
A turboprop engine powered airplane the size of a jet fighter capable of flying 300mph and reaching 50,000ft, isn’t too impressive for the US Military huh? Our military has more of them than we do items in our house. How about one that’s comes complete with infrared, laser and radar targeting with a ton and a half of guided bombs and missiles? Ok, this jet is getting a little cooler. Oh yeah, did I mention it is completely unmanned and that the pilot flies the plane while sitting at a video console in Nevada nearly 7,000 miles away?
The Washington Post has an interesting article on the emotional attachment soldiers have with their robots. We are glad this new technology is keeping more soldiers safe. It would make sense that such machines would become endearing to the very people they help protect.
“Sometimes they get a little emotional over it,” Bogosh says. “Like having a pet dog. It attacks the IEDs, comes back, and attacks again. It becomes part of the team, gets a name. They get upset when anything happens to one of the team. They identify with the little robot quickly. They count on it a lot in a mission.”
The bots even show elements of “personality,” Bogosh says. “Every robot has its own little quirks. You sort of get used to them. Sometimes you get a robot that comes in and it does a little dance, or a karate chop, instead of doing what it’s supposed to do.” The operators “talk about them a lot, about the robot doing its mission and getting everything accomplished.” He remembers the time “one of the robots happened to get its tracks destroyed while doing a mission.” The operators “duct-taped them back on, finished the mission and then brought the robot back” to a hero’s welcome.
We have previously blogged about Automatika and their Dragon Runner robot. We met the owner Mr. Schempf and he showed us how tough his robots were. We were smitten. (With the robots, not Mr. Schempf) Apparently we weren’t the only ones to like his robots because Foster-Miller Inc. just acquired his company.
Two robotics-related companies with Carnegie Mellon University roots have been acquired for as much as $9.2 million by Foster-Miller Inc., the largest supplier of robots to the Department of Defense.
The deal is expected to increase employment at both companies, and help breathe life into the Pittsburgh area’s eight-year-old nickname “Roboburgh,” as the region graduates from being just an idea developer to producing what its researchers dream up, experts said.
O’Hara-based Automatika Inc., which designs, develops prototypes and does small-scale manufacturing of robotic systems, and Applied Perception Inc. of Cranberry, which creates software and control systems for navigating unmanned ground vehicles, will be able to fast-forward their designs and ideas, executives said.
This army project has been making the rounds on the internet. The Flying Saucer works using the Coanda Effect which makes for a compact blade system to lift a larger bodied object. Pretty smart!
