Robotic Wii

Game consoles popularity rose back in the 1980s when Nintendo introduce their game console system. I can still remember the day when I got mine. I was but a child then, but the joy and endless hour of pleasure are still with me today.

I evolved quickly as new game systems came out, all the way until Sony PS1, that's where I lost all my gaming abilities, the graphics were complex and required too many maneuvering. It wasn't until last year where I rekindled my passion with the gaming system, this time back in love with Nintendo and its Wii game console system.

The popular game console has taken the nation by storm and have brought interactivity with robotics to a whole new level. So much so, that the military is now incorporating the Wiimote into their tactics as a way to controlled the warfare robots.

David Bruemmer and Douglas Few, from the US Department of Energy centre in Idaho, have adopted a mine-clearing robot to be directed by the Wii controller. The scientists found traditional controllers took up too much of the operator's attention, while the Wii controllers' movement simulate three dimensions and natural human movement using wireless technology.

Touch and Feel delivered via 3D Modeling

I was discussing a topic with a colleague which I cannot longer remember even thought the discussion took place less than 24 hours ago. But today I read this story, it describe the use of robotics and technology where researchers are in the mist of creating a system that could allow people to feel textures and shapes of 3-D designs created on computers -- without any kind of mechanical equipment.

"Carnegie Mellon University researchers announced that it could soon be possible to feel objects created on computers through a touch-based, or haptic, interface, without using gloves, similar equipment, or force feedback. One lightweight moving part floats on magnetic fields and simulates various sensations people experience when they touch real objects."

"We believe this device provides the most realistic sense of touch of any haptic interface in the world today," Ralph Hollis, a research professor in Carnegie Mellon's robotics institute, said in a news announcement.

The philosophical question comes into place when it comes to the design aspects of the device. Does this mean that the pimply nerd can design the girl of his dreams and then feel her up? Does it mean we no longer need to keep pets captive as the unit will allow us to pet one thereby securing the comfort of the animal?

The bottom line is that sometimes we stretch and push technologies past their limits. Why are we able to create sensations, design 3d elements, have a robotic companion at home, but we still cannot cure cancer, prevent viruses such as AIDS, or design a world where children don't go hungry?