Robotics
Humanoid robotics could help treat social disorders
A collaborative research team has found humanoid robotics and computer avatars could help rehabilitate people suffering from social disorders such as schizophrenia or social phobia. It is thanks to the theory of similarity, which suggests that it is easier to interact socially with someone who looks, behaves or moves like us.
Robotics IT platform developed for customer services
Hitachi has announced the development of 'EMIEW3', a humanoid robot, and its 'remote brain' robotics IT platform. EMIEW3, capable of autonomously approaching customers requiring assistance, was developed to provide necessary services and guidance in stores and public facilities.
Drones could be used to speed up landmine clearance
University of Bristol scientists are researching how drones can be used to speed up landmine clearance to demonstrate how large, football pitch-sized areas can be mapped quickly. The research, led by Dr John Day of the Interface Analysis Centre in Bristol’s School of Physics, is funded by Find A Better Way, the charity founded by England and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton.
Will drones soon be answering 999 calls?
The number of drones employed by European emergency services could be on the rise following the European Emergency Number Association’s (EENA) annual conference in Prague, Czech Republic, this week.
Robotic 'artist' spray paints giant murals
Robots do many things formerly done only by humans - from bartending and farming to driving cars - but a Dartmouth researcher and his colleagues have invented a "smart" paint spray can that robotically reproduces photographs as large-scale murals. The computerised technique, which basically spray paints a photo, isn't likely to spawn a wave of giant graffiti, but it can be used in digital fabrication, digital and visual arts, artistic stylisation...
How many Sensors are in a drone? What do they do?
MEMSIC has announced the availability of a whitepaper that spotlights and explains the various types of sensors and sensing technologies found in a typical drone product. The whitepaper’s infographic pinpoints the locations of the various sensors typically found in a drone and the whitepaper explains what they do.
Drones fly independently using "insect eyes"
After studying how insects navigate through dense vegetation, researchers at Lund University have come up with a system that can be applied to flying robots. By adapting the system to drones, they can be made to adjust their speed to their surroundings and fly on their own– completely without human intervention and control.
Paving the way for commercial drone flights
In the US the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) currently prohibits commercial drone flights over populated areas. However, a new government sponsored committee is recommending new standards that could help speed-up the roll-out of commercial drone flights.
Robot gestures to improve communication
In the world of robot communication, it seems actions speak louder than words. Scientists in the UK have discovered that by getting robot avatars to "talk with their hands," we understand them as well as we do our fellow human beings. Avatars have been in existence since the 1980s and today are used by millions of people across the globe. They are big business too: from AI to social media and psychotherapy to high-end video games, they are used t...
Prototype of neurorobotics platform released
An important milestone for the Human Brain Project has been reached: as of 30th March, the prototypes of the six information and communications technology (ICT) platforms are set for release. The neurorobotics platform, led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), gives scientists the chance to apply brain models to various different robots and thus conduct their own experiments.