Month: June 2015

Unmanned Aircraft to Detect Pipeline Hazards

Unmanned Aircraft to Detect Pipeline Hazards

Unmanned aircraft researchers associated with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Tech tested new sensor technology designed to detect potentially disruptive activities along energy pipeline routes. The flights last week near Farmville, in rural Virginia, involved a fixed-wing RS-20 unmanned aircraft flying beyond the visual line of sight of ground observers. The aircraft had a […]

New Perception Algorithm can Detect very Small Motions

New Perception Algorithm can Detect very Small Motions

Video-processing algorithm magnifies motions indiscernible to naked eye, even in moving objects. A key to the new motion-magnification algorithm is a technique for very precisely extracting foreground objects from their backgrounds. For several years now, the research groups of MIT professors of computer science and engineering William Freeman and Frédo Durand have been investigating techniques […]

Weekly Robotics Video: Japan’s chef Robot, Construction Robot, NASA’s Robot Challenge

Weekly Robotics Video: Japan’s chef Robot, Construction Robot, NASA’s Robot Challenge

Pioneering Medical Robots in Germany In Germany, Japan’s advanced robotic technology contributes to medical treatment for patients with mobility problems. Robots developed by Professor Sankai of the University of Tsukuba have helped people walk on their own after being unable to even stand without help. The robots have received approval throughout Europe as the first […]

ROSCon 2015 Registration Open

ROSCon 2015 Registration Open

The registration for ROSCon 2015 is open now. Early registration discounts are available until September 1st. ROSCon 2015 is a chance for ROS developers of all levels, beginner to expert, to spend an extraordinary two days learning from and networking with the ROS community. Get tips and tricks from experts and meet and share ideas […]

Robonaut 2 Lauded as 2014 Government Invention of the Year

Robonaut 2 Lauded as 2014 Government Invention of the Year

Robonaut 2, NASA’s first humanoid robot in space, was selected as the NASA Government Invention of the Year for 2014. Many outstanding inventions were considered for this award, and Robonaut 2 was chosen after a challenging review by the NASA selection committee that evaluated the robot in the following areas: Aerospace Significance, Industry Significance, Humanitarian […]

New EPSRC Robotics Project of £1.7Million at the University of York

New EPSRC Robotics Project of £1.7Million at the University of York

A new Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant will look into new ways of developing robotic control systems. Researchers at the University of York have been awarded a £1.7million grant to investigate the next generation of software tools that will lead to a new way of developing robotic control systems, which are increasingly […]

Maryland University won NASA’s Robo-Ops Challenge for Planetary Rover Design

Maryland University won NASA’s Robo-Ops Challenge for Planetary Rover Design

RASC-AL Exploration Robo-Ops Competition (i.e., Robo-Ops) is an engineering competition sponsored by NASA and organized by the National Institute of Aerospace. In this exciting competition, undergraduate and graduate students are invited to create a multi-disciplinary team to build a planetary rover prototype and demonstrate its capabilities to perform a series of competitive tasks in field […]

Pepper : The World’s First Personal Robot That Reads Emotions – Ready for Sale

Pepper : The World’s First Personal Robot That Reads Emotions – Ready for Sale

June 18, 2015 – SoftBank Robotics Corp. and SoftBank Mobile Corp. (“SoftBank”) today announced that ‘Pepper’, the world’s first personal robot that can read emotions, will go on sale in Japan starting June 20, 2015. With 1,000 units available for purchase in the month of June, customers will be able to place orders for Pepper […]