Robotics

Astronauts and robot sidekicks go together like Dave and HAL 9000, like Will Robinson and B9, like Doctor Who and K9. Soon, that illustrious list will grow longer with the addition of a Japanese astronaut and Kirobo, a conversational robot companion.

Kirobo looks like a cross between Astro Boy and a Power Ranger, all rendered in miniature. Since the bot's job is to be a companion, not a worker. It's very compact in size, just 13 inches tall and a little over 2 pounds in weight.… Read more

Most dresses are made by fashion designers. It takes a special dress to also require the efforts of a robotic designer. Fashion designer Ying Gao brought in robotics designer Simon Laroche to help create (No)where (Now)here, two dresses that activate when someone looks at them.

The gaze-activated dresses incorporate eye-tracking technology. When the dress detects a person's gaze, it moves and lights up in the dark. The undulating dresses are mesmerizing to look at. The fabric moves like gentle waves, making them look alive, like some strange ocean denizens.… Read more

Here's something I would totally sic my BigDog on, were I lucky enough to own one: a robot ape that can walk around on four legs and may one day stand up on two.

Researchers at Germany's DFKI, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, have been working on what they call the iStruct Demonstrator.

Its purpose is unclear, but with backing from Germany's Space Agency and its application being described as "space robotics," I can only speculate. Planet of the robot apes, perhaps? … Read more

iRobot wants to help you stay away from work meetings, a sentiment we can all applaud.

Trundling along on the heels -- or wheels -- of its RP-VITA medical robot, the AVA 500 was introduced Monday by the company as an enterprise-grade telepresence robot.

Developed with Cisco's TelePresence technology, the autonomously navigating machine is like a large, rolling webcam that lets remote users take part in "meetings and presentations where movement and location spontaneity are important." … Read more

In 2012, 83 firefighters died in the line of duty in the U.S. alone, and another 37 fatalities have been reported thus far in 2013. But, with better scouting tools, these numbers could be lowered.

Thank goodness for robots.

A new one out of the University of California, San Diego, may soon help first responders survey a fiery scene with its ability to enter a burning building and immediately transmit data on the state and location of the fire, the building's structural integrity, and the presence of any volatile gases -- all while on the lookout for survivors.… Read more

How close are we getting to actual brain control? It's starting to seem like it's not far off. On the sillier end of the spectrum, we've seen robotic ears and tails that respond to brainwaves, and more recently we've seen a brain interface for designing printable objects, a mind-controlled exoskeleton, and even mind-to-mind communication.

A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota has just added another exciting new technology to the list: a quadcopter that can perform feats of aerial agility, controlled entirely by the pilot's thoughts. … Read more

People who have lost fingers can try to get robotic hands that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Or they can try to 3D-print their own hand.

That's what Richard van As did after a woodworking accident in 2011 cost him four fingers. The South African carpenter decided to build his own fingers from hardware store parts but eventually turned to 3D printing.

Using a MakerBot Replicator 2 printer, he collaborated with Ivan Owen to create a prosthetic finger after much trial and error. They've since printed hands for four South African children who lack fingers. … Read more

If Google and many auto manufacturers have their way, we'll be ditching our steering wheels and letting computers take control of our cars in the not-so-distant future. And if the thought of robots taking the place of humans on the road makes you nervous, you're not alone.

With this new technology needs to come regulations -- or so says the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which on Thursday released its new policy on autonomous, or self-driving, cars. The agency said self-driving vehicles show promise but urged safety regulations and recommended that states … Read more

Be afraid. Be very afraid of these three letters: LAR.

Lethal autonomous robots is what Christof Heyns, United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, wants you to think about. He wants a global ban on the development of machines that can target people and kill them without supervision.

"The possible introduction of LARs raises far-reaching concerns about the protection of life during war and peace," Heyns said Thursday during the presentation of his latest report to the U.N. Human Rights Council. "If this is done, machines and not humans will take the decision on who is alive or dies." … Read more