Cybernetics and Robotics News - July 2009 Archives

Want responsible robotics? Start with responsible humans (7/31/2009)

When the legendary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov penned the "Three Laws of Responsible Robotics," he forever changed the way humans think about artificial intelligence, and inspired generations of engineers to take up robotics. In the current issue of journal IEEE Intelligent Systems, two engineers propose alternative laws to rewrite our future with robots. The future they foresee is at once safer, and more realistic. ...> Full Article

Researchers develop 'brain-reading' methods (7/28/2009)

Rutgers research discovery sets direction for decoding large-scale structure of brain ...> Full Article

Brain develops motor memory for prosthetics, study finds (7/22/2009)

A new study by UC Berkeley researchers shows that the brain can develop a stable, neural map of a how to control a prosthetic device, providing hope that physically disabled people can one day master control of artificial limbs with greater ease. ...> Full Article

Blind can take wheel with vehicle designed by university engineering design team (7/20/2009)

A retrofitted four-wheel dirt buggy developed by the Blind Driver Challenge team from Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory uses laser range finders, an instant voice command interface and a host of other innovative, cutting-edge technology to guide blind drivers as they steer, brake and accelerate. ...> Full Article

Robot learns to smile and frown (7/10/2009)

A hyper-realistic Einstein robot at the University of California, San Diego learned to smile and make facial expressions through a process of self-guided learning. The UC San Diego researchers used machine learning to "empower" their robot to learn to make realistic facial expressions. "As far as we know, no other research group has used machine learning to teach a robot to make realistic facial expressions," said Tingfan Wu, computer science Ph.D. student, UC San Diego. ...> Full Article

One step closer to an artificial nerve cell (7/9/2009)

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet and Linkoping University are well on the way to creating the first artificial nerve cell that can communicate specifically with nerve cells in the body using neurotransmitters. The technology has been published in an article in Nature Materials. ...> Full Article

Robo-bats with metal muscles may be next generation of remote control flyers (7/8/2009)

Tiny flying machines can be used for everything from indoor surveillance to exploring collapsed buildings, but simply making smaller versions of planes and helicopters doesn't work very well. Instead, researchers at North Carolina State University are mimicking nature's small flyers -- and developing robotic bats that offer increased maneuverability and performance. ...> Full Article

Researchers unveil whiskered robot rat (7/2/2009)

A team of scientists have developed an innovative robot rat which can seek out and identify objects using its whiskers. The SCRATCHbot robot will be demonstrated this week at an international workshop looking at how robots can help us examine the workings of the brain. ...> Full Article

News on The First International Reconfigurable Robot Conference (7/1/2009)

More than 130 delegates from 24 countries and regions came to present and discuss research on new robots developed in the past decade and their mechanisms. Topics of research and discussion included new properties and uses of robots for domestic, medical, hazardous, out-space and manufacturing environments, and the adaptability and reconfiguration of robots. ...> Full Article

Can a new implant coating technique create a new six million dollar man? (7/1/2009)

Tel Aviv University develops superior method for coating orthopaedic and dental implants ...> Full Article