Seeing in 3D

Credit: Tecnológico de Monterrey

Credit: Tecnológico de Monterrey

From early stereoscopic images to 3D screens and holograms, people have always been fascinated by the possibility of enhancing our visual perception and bridging the gap between various two-dimensional representations of the world and its actual three-dimensionality.

Sadly, despite recent developments in 3D technology, the digital world is still under the domination of 2D. On top of it, the divide between 2D and 3D appears to be bigger than ever as digital platforms continue to gain importance in how we interact with the world. Incorporating the digital world of ideas into the fabric of reality remains the next logical step that could give the word vision a whole new dimension.

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Robot suit gets people out of the wheelchair

Having spent almost ten years in a wheelchair after a car crash left her paralysed below the chest, Sophie Morgan was finally able to stand on her feet and walk again. What got her out of the wheelchair was not some kind of groundbreaking therapy, but a robotic exoskeleton developed by the New Zealand-based company Rex Bionics.
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Robot with a sense of humour is no joke

emiew2-roller-skating-robot

Last week, the Japanese company Hitachi rolled out the latest version of their EMIEW2 service robot (Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate). And to the horror of all professional comedians trembling for their jobs, this time the robot returned with a sense of humour.

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Robots for everyone

Source: MIT

MIT Printable Robot
Source: MIT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea of creating cheap and affordable robots has been haunting robotics enthusiasts for a long time. In fact, when it comes to robots, for most of us there still exist only two price categories: expensive and very expensive. However, if we want to inspire and attract young people into the field of robotics, it is crucial that they have a chance to be part of the robotics community and, most importantly, to get their hands on robots.

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Car-sized Crabster robot is the new king of the ocean floor

Crabs know their way around the ocean floor. These crawling creatures live in all the waters of the world, so if we want to learn something new about underwater exploration, it might be a good idea to take some cues from them. And this is precisely what a research team at the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology did.

After two years of investigation, the team, led by Bong-Huan Jun, developed Crabster CR 200, a car-sized robot inspired by crustaceans and designed to survey shipwrecks and other areas of scientific interest.

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These robots have some serious dance moves

You think you can dance? Then check out our compilation of dancing robots in action.

Industrial robots may be bulky and dangerous, but who says they can’t dance? Watch this roboLounge tribute to Daft Punk by four Stäubli robotic arms. Synchrony is their strong suit!

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Meet Romeo, a new rising star of humanoid robotics

 

Source: Aldebaran Robotics

Source: Aldebaran Robotics

Five years have passed since Aldebaran Robotics announced an ambitious joint project with over a dozen leading French research centres to make France one of the few countries to have developed an advanced humanoid robot. Finally, the robot, named Romeo, made its long-awaited debut at the Innorobo robotics fair, which was held earlier last month in Lyon.

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Barcelona Robotics Meeting 2014

logo-barcelona-robotics-miniLast Saturday robotics enthusiasts from all over Barcelona gathered in the Mobile World Centre at the heart of the city to learn about how the latest robotic technology is being put at the service of citizens. The event was organised by the educaBOT foundation, which aspires to promote science and technology and introduce a wider audience to the reality of robotics research and industry.

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What robotics learned from Pixar

Each year brings us closer to the day when robotic companions will become an integral part of our homes, schools, hospitals and offices. However, for robots to be truly accepted in our personal space, their social interactions with us must acquire the kind of fluency and coordination that humans expect from each other. This is one of the challenges addressed by Guy Hoffman, the co-director of the Media Innovation Lab at IDC Herzilya in Israel and possibly one of the most original thinkers in robotics today.

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Children will learn from robots

We featured a previous post on one of the most emotionally literate robots in the world Nao, who was developed by Aldebaran Robotics and is currently being used by the ALIZ-E project scheduled to end this year. This cute robot has been tested at aged care facilities and proved helpful for such tasks as monitoring and reducing people’s anxiety levels by engaging with them emotionally.

Now, another European project is testing Nao in a slightly different role – that of a tutor. Needless to say, EMOTE, a three-year research project launched in 2012, also picked up Nao for his ability to empathise.

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