robotics

News

• Japan robot lab readies second prototype for work at crippled nuclear reactor

  A Japanese robotics lab has developed a new emergency response prototype that will soon be put to work at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northern Japan.

• Honda robotics for hands-free unicycle

  Look, no hands. Scooting about in a unicycle is no sweat with Honda's new robotics technology.

• UC Berkeley tests floating robot sensors to track water flow, environmental concerns

  It's been a couple of years and a couple of million dollars. Finally, researchers and graduate students who have spent years developing intelligent water sensors released them into the Sacramento River on Wednesday, about 80 miles east of San Francisco.

• Sharp to sell moody robotic vacuum with video streaming, remote control by phone

  Sharp's new robot vacuum isn't always happy to do your housework.

• Don’t get up — let the PR2 robot get your beer for you

  The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) has acquired a new robot that is capable of fetching beer from the fridge and a sandwich from Subway.

• Robotic spider weaves web at MIT Media Lab

  An MIT Media Lab robot mimicked silk worms and spiders and wove a cocoon-like structure with a little programming help from humans.

• Fujitsu research lab demos current projects, says economy shouldn't affect funds

  The head of Fujitsu's main research division says it is a mistake to cut back on investing in new technologies during hard economic times.

• K-glove developed from space robot

  General Motors and NASA used technology from their space-bound Robonaut 2 to create robotic gloves for humans that the companies hope can reduce repetitive stress injuries.

• Computers may control intersections for self-driving cars

  While scientists have been busy with making more accurate self-driving cars, at least one set of researchers has thought even further ahead and developed a smart intersection that can manage crossing flows of autonomous vehicles.

• UTS awarded grant for robotics research

  The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is the recipient of a $320,000 grant to fund the development of technology to enable robots to navigate unknown environments.

• Foxconn's parent may be planning to make robots

  The parent of Apple supplier Foxconn has broken ground on a new R&D (research and development) facility in Taiwan to produce what could be robots that will be used in the company's manufacturing facilities.

• IBM's Watson edges Harvard students in 'Jeopardy' quiz

  IBM's Watson supercomputer eked out a victory in a "Jeopardy" quiz-show battle with a trio of Harvard Business School students on Monday, pulling out the win with a higher wager on the Final Jeopardy clue that ends every game.

• Artificial skin can feel touch; robots prepare to out-human humans

  Researchers have found plenty of uses for carbon nanotubes, but a team at Stanford's of the Bao Research Group found a new use for them: artificial skin. The researchers created a stretchable, transparent skin-like sensor that not only is elastic like skin, but can also sense touch and pressure like the real thing.

• Europe's GPS satellites blast off

  Europe's GPS program, Galileo, became a reality on Friday with the launch of its two first operational satellites from the European Space Station in Kourou, French Guiana.

• Europe's satellite GPS to blast off after technical hitch

  Europe's space ambitions are scheduled to blast off on Friday with the launch of the first two operational satellites of the Galileo program, the European global satellite navigation system.