Check out a new model for face recognition software from SPECS!
Many mammals have an amazing ability to recognize objects under distinct conditions. Tasks that may seem simple are in fact only possible thanks to the great complexity of the mammalian cerebral cortex. One of the most complex stimuli mammals are challenged by are faces.
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Machines give us clues about communication in the animal kingdom
Chimps, birds and bees are just a few of the many animals that communicate with each other when searching for food. Since everyone’s got to eat, communication during foraging is essential among social animals. In order to study how different types of communication strategies might evolve, the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) teamed up to conduct a joint research project.
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Robots are out of the operating room and at patients’ bedsides!
Robots that perform surgery have been around for a while. The da Vinci system, which has been in use since the 90s, electronically translates a surgeon’s hand movement into much smaller movements Continue reading
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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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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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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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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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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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?
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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