Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. recently unveiled two versions of a new robotic vacuum cleaner named Cocorobo (a play of words that combines “heart” and “robot” in Japanese). While they are expected to be more expensive than iRobot’s popular vacuuming robot Roomba, the Cocorobo vacuuming robots do come with additional features that might become popular… »
A researcher from the University of Arizona has developed Tucson Explorer II (TEX II) – an autonomous robotic lake lander that could potentially be used to explore the lakes of liquid hydrocarbon known to exist on Saturn’s largest moon named Titan. The robot could be used in terrestrial applications such as search and rescue missions… »
During the GM and NASA collaboration Robonaut 2 (R2) development, they had to engineer a dexterous hand that could use tools built for humans. That development served as groundwork for Human Grasp Assist device – a robotic glove that can be used to lower the fatigue in hand muscles after long use of tools, and… »
In one of our previous articles, we wrote about two ideas that employ robots building construction, but researchers from Cornell University came up with a different approach in a project named Machine Metabolism – Truss Structure Manipulation using Robots. The project involves a robotic system capable to break down modular elements and reuse them to… »
With support from the Department of Defense and NASA, MIT undergraduates built five volleyball-sized free-flying satellites, and three of those have been on the International Space Station since 2006 to test a set of well-defined instructions for spacecraft performing autonomous rendezvous and docking maneuvers. Recently, the satellite got an upgrade that enables its remote operation… »
A research team from Harvard University developed an array of “soft” robots inspired by natural forms, such as squid and starfish, which are capable to perform very delicate operations or move where rigid robots might not. These abilities enable the robots to pick up a raw egg without breaking the shell, or aid in search… »
A group of researchers from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) had a goal to create an original pedagogical tool that could be used for practical introduction of technology and robotics to children. In collaboration with the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL), they developed Thymio II – a small programmable robot… »
Engineers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VirginiaTech) have used inspiration from nature and developed a robot whose design and motion patterns resemble moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). Named Robotjelly, the robot was developed for the U.S. Office of Naval Research back in 2009, and its latest improved iteration was presented at the 2011 meeting… »
