The Robot Revolution…

Is it about robot evolution?

Robots have been transforming industries for years. In fact, it seems fair to say that the robot revolution happened a few decades ago and now we’re onto the sequel.

Time magazine featured a  cover story titled The Robot Revolution in 1980.
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Robot Companions: Student Design Competition

Calling all art and design students from Sheffield Hallam University!

What will the next generation of robot helpers look like? If you’ve got a vision,
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Pals in Pediatrics

The ALIZ-E project investigates the use of social robots with children in hospitals

The European project ALIZ-E began in the spring of 2010 and is scheduled to run for another 3 years with 8.29M€ in funding.

The goal of the project is to determine
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Europe's Integrative Technology

Robots for stroke patients and more…

The video above features the LOPES  (Lower Extremity-Powered ExoSkeleton) developed by Dr. ir Herman van der Kooij  and his team at the University of Twente, Netherlands to assist stroke patients who are learning how to walk again. It’s a critical time to invest in projects such as this one as Europeans- and many other populations around the world- are ageing  while the number of care giving professionals is dwindling.
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Meet the Mask-bot

it’s more than just a pretty face…

At first glance it’s a generic plastic mask fixed in front of a projector. Switch it on and you’re looking at the most realistic ¨talking head¨ yet. Researchers from the Institute of Cognitive Systems (ICS) at the Technische University in Munich have collaborated with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan (AIST) to create a life-sized talking head, the Mask-bot.
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Robot Companions for Citizens

An introduction to one of the FET Flagships

The video above was presented by the Robot Companion for Citizens Flagship Initiative at a conference in Warsaw at the end of November. Robot Companions for Citizens is currently one of 6 research initiatives in the running to receive 1 billion euros funding from the European Commission over the next 10 years.
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Man's (Mechanical) Best Friend

From canine companions to cleaning machines, robots are seeing all kinds of new applications

A robotic seeing  eye dog has recently been developed by Japan’s manufacturing company NSK.  A recent article makes the point that although this seeing eye dog  won’t get distracted by squirrels or tasty treats,  it looks like this robot needs a bit more work before it can keep up with its furry counterparts.
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A Robot's Bedside Manner

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology discuss their research on a robot’s touch.

How can we make robots safe?  How can we make them perform their tasks effectively? Although these are among the most critical questions today’s robot engineers must address, recently, researchers have felt the need to delve further into some of the issues pertaining to the use of medical robots.  For example, what types of robot-human interaction are people comfortable with, how do we make robots communicate their intentions, and  how will people perceive them?

Exploring the Softer Side of Things

Why soft robots are all the rage

Squids, snails and other invertebrates can do things that animals with hard skeletons can’t. For example they can squeeze through small cracks and move across rough terrain. Likewise, soft-bodied robots have some important advantages over traditional rigid ones. The video above displays a soft robot developed by George M. Whitesides and his team at Harvard University.
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