Archive for September 2012

Georgia Health Sciences University uses new surgical robots


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Today, robots can clean, help us communicate with friends, and even save lives. Even at universities like the Georgia Health Sciences University, doctors use DaVinci robots to operate on patients. These robots can reduce recovery time, decrease the duration of the operation, and the precision surpasses open surgery any day. All these benefits result in a better surgery. As robotics technology gets more advanced, robots like DaVinci will just keep getting better. Thanks for reading and check out the video above to see the robotic surgeons!

Say hello to the new hexbug warrior robots


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The most successful hexbug ever to hit the market is obviously the nano. It's small, fun, and moves with excitement. Since Innovation First new this bug was a hit, they decided to take what was awesome and make it better. the result was the hexbug warrior. It's basically just a "weaponized" version of the nano, and each one has numerous weapons. The weapons enable each robot to duel each other in the ring. Each robot costs around $8.99 and you can pick one up at RadioShack. Thanks for reading and check out the video above them in a deadly battle!

Robohub, the new robotics website


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With all the robotics information floating around the web, it's hard to find the best to delve into. That's why the people from Robots podcast have created robohub.org. This new site is perfect for any robot enthusiast, and I can see this becoming the next big robotics site. The site itself has four main category's, news, views, talk, and learn. News covers all the latest info about robotics technology. Views go in depth with expert views, discussions, and more. Talk is all about interviews with leading roboticists. Lastly, the learn category is dedicated to tutorials, learning materials, and other helpful things relating to robotics. Overall, I highly recommend you go and check out this site. Thanks for reading and check out robohub.org for more info.

The robotics hall of fame. Cast your votes today!


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Back in January, we set up a robotics poll. After a few weeks, we got a total of ten votes, and Nao was the winner. Anyways, today I received a new Robot magazine. After reading a few pages, I saw a robotics poll that was set up by Carnegie Mellon University. If your interested in giving your favorite robot a chance at being the winner, then check out www.robothalloffame.org. Thanks for reading and be sure to cast your votes before September 30th!

iRobot purchases Evolution Robotics for $74 million dollars


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If you have heard of the mint robot, then you may know that it's developed by Evolution robotics. A few days ago, iRobot sent out a press release stating that they bought Evolution Robotics for $74 million dollars. This is also a perfect example of horizontal integration, but now it's involving the robotics industry. Thanks for reading and check out irobot.com for more info.

Robots performing Gangnam style!


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For the past month, I have been hearing about these new "Gangnam style" videos on YouTube. It shows a Korean music artist dancing in a new way. However, since most of you visit my blog for robotics info, I decided to show a video of some robots that can do Gangnam style. Enjoy!

Bridge laying robot made from a Lego NXT kit


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Ever since I got my own NXT Lego kit, I have been watching other people's projects on YouTube. I have come across maze robots, rubix cube solver robots, and even butler robots. Today, I found a robot that can lay a bridge down for itself to cross a gap. Check out the video for yourself above.

Meet FIXBOT, Sugru's favorite robot


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If you're the kind of person that likes to fix things up, then you may want to watch the video above. Anyways, Sugru made an interesting Arduino robot that uses it's servo driven arm to patch things up with Sugru. Have a broken TV remote? No problem, FIXBOT will make it as good as new. Thanks for reading and check out the video above to see the robot in action!

Boston Dynamic's LS3 robot, helping soldiers 400 pounds at a time


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Yet again, Boston Dynamics has created a new 4 legged robot. It's similar to BigDog, but it does have a few new perks. LS3 is what they call it, and it stands for, "Legged Squad Support System." Just like its brother, BigDog, it has 4 legs and has extreme balance. It can also tackle terrain without breaking a sweat. Unlike BigDog, however, it has a different chassis and is less noisy. Sensors enable it to follow a human leader while carrying a hefty payload of 400 pounds. LS3 carries out all these actions while sensing and avoiding impeding obstacles that try to intercept it's path. If you're interested in seeing this awesome robot in action, then check out the video above. Otherwise, thanks for reading and add us to your bookmarks to stay updated in the field of robotics!

Boston Dynamics cheetah robot runs faster than Usain Bolt


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Back in February, the Boston Dynamics cheetah robot galloped at a record speed of 18 mph. Recently, the robot has replaced it's own speed record by 10 mph, leaving Usain Bolt behind. In the video above, you can see the robot running at it's top speed of 28 mph, and then landing head first on the treadmill. Over 30 mph may sound like a huge challenge as of now, but this robot is sure to overcome the challenge and surprise us again with it's new speed records. Thanks for reading and be sure to plus one us on Google+ !

Meet Miimo, Honda's new lawn mowing robot


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Usually, when it comes to robotics, Honda is always focused on improving Asimo. However, this time it's a whole new kind of robot. "Miimo" is what they call it, and it's pretty high tech when you compare it to other robotic lawn mowers. For example, it cuts grass 2-3 mm at a time, multiple times a week to ensure your lawn is looking better than your neighbors. It uses a wide variety of sensors to get the job done right. To know that's it's mowing the right area, it stays within the borders of wire installed under ground. Safety is also important, so Honda threw in two lift sensors which when activated, shuts down the robot completely. To be activated again, a PIN code is required. That feature is also good for dealing with theft.
Charging is simple too. Miimo is always checking it's battery levels, and when they are low, it returns back to the charging dock. All in all, this new robot seems pretty neat, and if you hate mowing your lawn, then you may want to consider getting this robot. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed today's post.