Tag archive: Robot

Paralysed in a horse-riding accident in 2007, Claire Lomas was told by doctors that she would never walk again. But thanks to a special robotic suit, the 31-year-old Brit is now back on her feet. Lomas, who has been wheelchair-bound since her accident, is so excited by recent developments that she’s decided to take on a challenge that even most able-bodied people would balk at — a 26-mile marathon. The ReWalk suit, described as a powered… Read More

One might think that a mannequin in a store window that suddenly starts pulling a few moves would be enough to make shoppers jump out of their skin, but looking at a video of one that has recently appeared in the window of a department store in Tokyo shows shoppers appear to be unfazed. Perhaps their nonchalant reaction should come as little surprise in a country where robotic technology is the norm. The android is the creation of Dr Hiroshi… Read More

The heart of CES is consumer technology–the odds and ends that are sure to hit your homes and wishlists within the next year. The show floor is full of every predictable type of user electronic, from cameras and laptops, to refrigerators and cars. While it’s all new and some of it edges on conceptual, it’s based in reality. But there’s one department that doesn’t have its feet as firmly on the ground, and that’s robotics. We took a stroll… Read More

Robots are often used to great effect these days thanks to incredibly advanced technology giving them the ability to get to places too confined or too dangerous for humans. But did you know that they can also make sandwiches? It’s true – engineers at the Intelligent Autonomous Systems Group from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have come up with a pair of robots called Rosie and James that are capable of making salami sandwiches as… Read More

Engineers at a robotics design firm in Bristol, UK have come up with a unique snake-like machine that wouldn’t look out of place in a big budget sci-fi movie. Developed by OC Robotics, engineers have been working on the revolutionary bendy robot, known as the snake-arm, for the last 10 years. The result is a remarkable piece of technology that can, according to its designers, “reach the unreachable.” Industries around the world have been showing… Read More

Guards in a South Korean prison will soon be introduced to some new colleagues – 150cm-tall robots on wheels. In the latest example demonstrating the country’s interest in robotic technology, the robots will be put to work in a prison in the city of Pohang, located southeast of the capital Seoul, from March next year. If the month-long trial is successful, more prison guards may be turning up to work alongside robots in the near future. A… Read More

Anyone who has tried to get some shut-eye beside someone snoring like an elephant breaking wind every five seconds knows how it can totally ruin a night’s sleep.  In an attempt to put an end to your bedfellow’s rumblings, you may have administered a gentle nudge or swift kick, but the chances are it will only have resulted in temporary success, or possibly just an angry complaint. In a worse case scenario, you may have been forced to retreat to… Read More

When wildfires flare up, they can get out of control and engulf huge areas in a matter of minutes. And when firefighters arrive on the scene, they can only survey the situation from one place – the ground. A team of engineers from the University of Cincinnati realized how useful it would be if firefighters could view the blaze from high above, so they set about designing and building an unmanned camera-equipped flying machine that could be… Read More

A few years ago Honda’s ASIMO robot humiliated the Japanese car company when it demonstrated how well it could tumble down stairs, when it was supposed to walk up them. Whether the engineers that made that ASIMO ended up on the scrapheap along with their failed invention isn’t known, but what is clear is that ASIMO is back. At a press conference held in Tokyo on Tuesday, Honda unveiled an all new ASIMO robot – one that can run, walk across… Read More

A woman who was paralysed from the waist down in a skiing accident has walked again with the aid of a robotic suit. The Ekso device was demonstrated for the first time in Europe on Friday at the London International Technology Show. The bionic legs detect small movements in the upper body of the wearer and then translates these into strides. Paralysed in 1992, Amanda Boxtel was given the chance to try out Ekso at the technology show. She told… Read More

Well, who would’ve thought it? All these years we humans have been playing the piano with ten fingers when apparently 19 are needed to do it properly. Italian Matteo Suzzi has created a piano-playing robot which, claims the inventor, can play the instrument faster than any human. The robot, called Teotronica, also has video-camera eyes which enable it to make sense of its surroundings, and even interact with its audience. Its design is, however,… Read More

A small battery-powered robot made by Panasonic will be put through its paces next month when it takes on a testing Ironman triathlon course in Hawaii. The stunt being performed by the Japanese-made robot is intended to promote Panasonic’s latest set of batteries, which the Japanese electronics company claims can be recharged around 1,800 times using a special recharger pad. As reported by Reuters, Panasonic’s Evolta robot has already climbed… Read More

Following the devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan back in March, together with the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant, it’s little wonder so many people in the affected areas are still in need of comfort and support. According to a Guardian report, residents returning to a retirement home some 17 miles from the badly damaged nuclear plant have been enjoying the company of two cute-looking seals. What makes them unusual… Read More

Designed for a class project in just under a month, the 'Jedibot' is a pre-fabricated, bright orange robotic arm that has been programmed to attack students with a red foam lightsaber. The robotic arm chooses a random attack and the student under attack defends with a green lightsaber. The arm has been set to only attack every two or three seconds, so the speed of attacks can easily be blocked. However, it's likely that the… Read More

Take that, Skynet! Kinda tough to have your robots crushing human skulls under their metal feet when they can't even throw a simple baseball across home plate. Yesterday was Science Day at the Ballpark for the Phillies/Brewers game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Penn. To celebrate, a custom robot built for the Philadelphia Science Festival — the aptly named PhillieBot — was invited to throw out the first pitch at the… Read More