DOD seeking Terminator

The Department of Defense has put out a request for proposal for a robot similar to that in the movie terminator, where it could shapeshift like Mystique in the Xmen. The robot, however, will be put to good use as it would be send to the battlefield to recover wounded soldiers.

This project labeled ChemBot, according to an article in Computer World, is seeking robots made out of soft materials like thickening fluids and materials that have memory such as memory foams.

The goal is to have ChemBot be able to travel long distances and reach those areas not readily accessible to humans while being able to change is physical appearance in order to disguise itself.

If the creation becomes a reality, its usage can become unlimited.

Fantastic Voyage

I wasn't around in the 1960's, I did however spent quite a bit of time by making up for it by watching a lot of old movies and TV shows. Growing up I was a TV junkie, and still am today. Back then, however, I watch just about anything, but I favor sci-fi.

Today I read a story on how Israeli scientist have invented a microscopic robot which is injected into a human system to allow for diagnosis and perhaps treatment. Until recently the smallest robot tat had been built measured 1 centimeter (cm) and was developed at Kyoto University. The Israeli robot's diameter is one millimeter. This medical robot, which measures 1 millimeter in diameter, can even fight cancerous cells, the scientists speculate anyways. What is of interest is how the robot is able to grab a hold of the arterial walls and crawl it's way to the desired spot as manned by a human.

This robot very much reminded me of the movie Fantastic Voyage in which a team of scientist are shrunken down to perform brain surgery for a VIP, that is until one of the team members turns on them and wants to kill the patient. It was far fetch then, but almost a reality 40 odd years later. I think novels and movies are the basis for all genius ideas, hence why I still refuse to stop watching a movie no matter how stupid the premise. Who knows the next stupid movie could spark brilliance and make me a millionaire.

Danger Kennedy Space Center, Danger!

I grew up watching Irwin Allen's hit TV series, "Lost in Space." The most famous phrase to come out of the show was "Danger Will Robinson!" That's why today's news of Sheila Allen donating the B9 robot to the Kennedy Space Center' Visitors Complex caught my eye.

As a young boy I dreamed of having my own B9, but at last I grew older and came to find out that the robot was but an empty shell with an actor driving it. More accurately, there were two different robots on the hit series, one fully detailed shell and one prop use as part of the scenery of the show. The later sold on eBay in 2003 for $230,000 to a collector. Although I dreamed of owning a nice unit like this one, I cannot imagine paying a sum of cash like this for basically a hunk of metal with shiny leds. After all it is the functionality which made the B9 Robot attractive.

However, fear not, if you are looking to purchase a B9 robot, you don't have to locate the aforementioned collector, simply login to lostinspacerobot.com where you can purchase your very own replica of the B9 Robot for the discounted price of $24,500 a 900% savings over the eBay item. Alternatively, you can log onto eBay and pick up a miniature replica for about $150.

Robot Education

I'm a teacher by trade and find that teaching is generics more than an acquired skill. The reason being that a lot of patience is required. I'm typically not the most patient individual, but when I step foot in the classroom somehow it all works out.

Interestingly enough, the Brits are training a robot to teach autistic kids. Kaspar, as the robot has been named which stands for Kinesics and Synchronization in Personal Assistant Robotics, is part of the Interactive Robotic Social Mediators as Companions (IROMEC) project, which is funded by the European Union.

According to Ben Robins, a researchers at the University of Hertfordshire's School of Computer Science who is part of the robotics development team, the project is currently investigating how robotic toys can become social "mediators" for human contact, helping autistic children interact with other children and adults. The project studies not only human verbal communication, but body movement and gestures which are all part of human behavior and communications.

Autistic children enjoy Kaspar because it performs basic actions like smiling or waving, which appeal to them since the actions are simple and predictable. Autistic individuals like familiarity and repetional behavior, as explained by Robins.

In a world where folks like Neil Postman, who believed that Technology was evil and that it represents the end of human interaction, it is nice to see that technology is being tested and put to good use and education; providing interaction for those who would typically be left by a corner or let go to waste. Now they have the ability to learn and perform things that they previously could not bringing a human side that they had lost to the disease. For more information regarding Kaspar, please refer to this article.

Meet the new nanny

It's Friday night and you're wife has been looking to rekindle the marriage and heat up the relationship. You want to go back to the days when you first met, you are looking to take her for the traditional date, dinner and a movie; the problem, you have kids.

The problem is not completely solved just yet, but steps are now been taken towards developing a solution. Rogun, a 3 foot unit, developed by KornTech has been trained to recognized faces and is intended to be use as a nanny/security guard.

The robot contains a wireless unit and a small LCD screen that allows the unit to be used as an Internet connection terminal that can serve as a Web terminal or mobile connectivity station allowing telephone calls to be placed, as well as a video conferencing unit.

The Korean company will be mass producing Rogun at an estimated retail price of $5000.

That could be a very expensive date, but it can save your marriage and be consider cheaper than most divorces.

Will you? We do!

I recently got married in Newport, RI at a beautiful sunset setting. The ceremony is now but a blur, however, some of the most memorable moments are those of my MC handing out a tissue to my gorgeous bride as tears of happiness came rolling down her cheeks.

There are just some things Robots are not meant for. Even though a robot can be programmed to do just about any task given the time and dedication, no machine can be programmed to feel. This was the exact dilemma Data suffered in episodes of Star Trek.

Why do I bring all this up, simple, I just finished reading a story where Hanool Robotics, a manufacturer and creator of robots in Korea, has recently announced that they have created a robot which is to become the Master of Ceremonies at one of the designers wedding in a town approximately 75 miles south of Korea's capital, Seoul.

The engineers declared this performance as the first time a robot has been granted such a privilege. This however is not the first time this company has been ahead of the curve. Hanool Robotics were also the first to create a robot to serve as a bouncer and security guard. The company has also announce that once Tiro, valued in the upwards of $215,000, has serve it's marital duties it will also be programmed to perform other tasks.

Forget India, outsourcing to Robots is the next boom

I'm siting getting my weekly allergy shots when I just finished reading a story about a Japanese company who rents out robots to serve as receptionist.

Apparently, they have taken advantage of the many speech applications introduced in the late 90's and have sophisticated and perfected it to understand about 10,000 words which is all that is needed to serve as a receptionist.

Typically in all job postings I seen, a high school diploma is required; especially for a receptionist position where they face clients and interact with them.
The unit measures but 3 feet in height, and rents out for approximately $1,000.

I don't see us grabbing on to this technology anytime soon, but as jobs have been outsource to India, Philippines, and other countries in the APAC region, I can see some companies moving towards this solution, but not until the price tag becomes more affordable.

It is stipulated that office temp agencies have seem a 133% growth over the past year, including oversee staffing needs. With robots in place I predict that number doubling worldwide as we round out this decade.

Independent Robots

A while back I remember watching Robin Williams portray the part of a robot in the film Artificial Intelligence and thinking that someday technology would get there.

Well that day is not yet today, but China has gotten closer. A new breed of robots have been produced that not only clean your house, but are capable of charging their own batteries once they reach their threshold. This self service robot measuring but 14.3 inches in width and 4.8 inches in height was developed by Harbin University in the northern province of Heilongjiang, China.

The part vacuum, part mobile robot, which is expected to be mass produced within the next few years, will retail for approximately $200.

The intelligence of the machine has been designed and developed to be far superior and smarter than any other in the market today therefore allowing the robot to be very agile and perform its job avoiding all obstacle found in the traditional home.

With such a competitive price and ability I would not be surprise to see this unit produced sooner and see higher demands than that of a roomba. We may even find the market in a frenzy for the little guy surpassing that of tickle me Elmo a few years back.

Introducing the World’s Largest & Strongest Robot

KUKA Robotics today announced the introduction of their latest robot, the KUKA KR 1000 titan 6- axis robot into the Guinness Book of Records. The KUKA titan can withstand a static torque of 60,000 newton meters (Nm) with a payload capacity of 1000 kg and a reach of 3200 mm.

With such a massive machine in hand KUKA has placed themselves at the forefront of industrial design and manufacturing decreasing the space needed in manufacturing plants providing a cost effective alternative. The robot also provides speeds and dynamics never seen before.

KUKA Robotics Corporation is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial robots, with an annual production volume approaching 10,000 units, and an installed base of over 80,000 units. The company’s 5 and 6 axis robots range from 3kg to 570kg payloads, and 635mm to 3700mm reach, all controlled from a common PC based controller platform.

The German based organization can be contacted at 866-873-5852 or via its web site at www.kukarobotics.com. They will also be the Premier Sponsor of RoboCup 2007 in Atlanta, GA.