Robotics

Every fall, pods of enormous humpback whales make their way towards Hawaii, where they can ride out the winter in warm waters of NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. For centuries humans have watched this noble migration with awe and wonder. But today, an ever-growing number of these amazing animals are finding themselves in grave danger, entrapped in fishing gear and other marine debris.

Their initial purpose was inspecting oil and gas facilities by using drones. Since their start in 2009 they have worked with the drones to inspect facilities around the world and deliver actionable data through analysis of data collected from the job sites by drones.

Deadalean is a software company aiming at bringing our software for safety critical missions of human carrying flying vehicles. They started in 2016 and now they have around 18 people.

The new field of biohybrid robotics involves the use of living tissue within robots, rather than just metal and plastic. Muscle is one potential key component of such robots, providing the driving force for movement and function. However, in efforts to integrate living muscle into these machines, there have been problems with the force these muscles can exert and the amount of time before they start to shrink and lose their function.

Hydrogels, hydrophilic networks of polymeric chains capable of retaining a large amount of water, have been widely used in a variety of applications. Recent advances in highly stretchable hydrogels have extended their applications into the fields of soft robotics, transparent touch panels and other applications requiring large deformation.

Engineers have developed tiny ultrasound-powered robots that can swim through blood, removing harmful bacteria along with the toxins they produce. These proof-of-concept nanorobots could one day offer a safe and efficient way to detoxify and decontaminate biological fluids.

Researchers have developed artificial mechanosensory nerves using flexible organic devices to emulate biological sensory afferent nerves. They used the artificial mechanosensory nerves to control a disabled insect leg and distinguish braille characters.

In the field of self-driving cars, algorithms for controlling lane changes are an important topic of study. But most existing lane-change algorithms have one of two drawbacks: Either they rely on detailed statistical models of the driving environment, which are difficult to assemble and too complex to analyze on the fly; or they're so simple that they can lead to impractically conservative decisions, such as never changing lanes at all.

Launching off success in US markets, revolutionary frozen yogurt robots, are set to disrupt the industry in Canada.

The robot works without being controlled by a human operator. It covers the ground just by getting its bearings and positioning itself with the help of its camera, GPS RTK and sensors. Its system of vision enables it to follow crop rows, and to detect the presence and position of weeds in and between the rows. Two robotic arms then apply a microdose of herbicide, systematically targeting the weeds that have been detected.

Scientists have found a fast and simple way to make super-elastic, multi-material, high-performance fibers. Their fibers have already been used as sensors on robotic fingers and in clothing. This breakthrough method opens the door to new kinds of smart textiles and medical implants.

A high school in China is using facial recognition technology to analyze the behavior of students in the classroom and AI is also being tested to mark student essays.

Suppose that a drone is threatening the safety and security of people in an event or around an area or it is flying around a critical infrastructure and collects data illegally. DroneShield is founded for responding to this kind of concerns.

A research team is helping robot developers design machines less likely to injure the humans they work with. How? With their novel 'safety map'.

The BMW Group is to invest more than €300 million in its Leipzig plant. Comprehensive construction work to extend and update the body and paint shops, assembly and logistics is already under way, laying the foundation for continued growth and the production of future models in Leipzig.

Autonomous mobility, in the general public's eye, is now synonymous with cars. Whilst this might be the largest ultimate prize, it is by no means the only commercial manifestation of this technology. Indeed, as the IDTechEx Research report New Robotics and Drones 2018-2038: Technologies, Forecasts, Players demonstrates, numerous autonomous mobile robots are being commercialized in applications where there is (a) a clear commercial purpose and (b) a more structured and predictable environment.

Saildrone, Inc., a provider of high-resolution ocean data collected via a fleet of unmanned surface vehicles, announced that it has closed a $60 million round of Series B funding to scale up its global fleet of ocean drones to help monitor the state of the planet in real time.

Researchers developed a first of its kind deep learning-based system that can teach a robot to complete a task by just observing the actions of a human. The method is designed to enhance communication between humans and robots and at the same time further research that will enable people to work alongside robots seamlessly.

Autonomous vehicles promise to be the next revolution in public transport. But for these new services to develop, we must first identify the needs and motivations of their future users and be able to respond to them, meet many of the technological and regulatory challenges, and design new business models. This is the aim of the 4 year AVENUE project consortium, with a total budget of 22 million euros and funded by the European Commission up to the level of 16 million euros.

Many natural organisms have the ability to repair themselves. Now, manufactured machines will be able to mimic this property. In findings published this week researchers have created a self-healing material that spontaneously repairs itself under extreme mechanical damage.