Swarm construction

Watch these termite-inspired robots in action 

Termites are some of nature’s most magnificent architects that can easily build complex mounds that exceed their own size by several orders of magnitude – occasionally reaching up to nine meters in height. Paradoxically enough, each of these tiny insects does not have even a remote idea of what kind of structure it is building, nor does it receive orders from any termite authority. In fact, the termites’ architectural prowess makes no sense except in the context of swarm intelligence.

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IROS 2013

IROS 2013

This year’s International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS2013) was held in Tokyo, Japan— a globally recognized hotspot for some of the most fascinating robots on earth. Under the name of New Horizon, this conference aimed to get participants looking forward towards a new era of intelligent systems capable of meeting the needs of the fast-changing times we live in.
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WildCat: BigDog’s New Rival

Boston Dynamic’s been keeping dog lovers happy throughout their steady development of BigDog, a robot with uncannily canine gait and maneuvers. Now, feline aficionados can finally rejoice as WildCat makes its way into the robot world.
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Robots Vs. Jellyfish

Sea_Nettle_Jelly_1Jellies are on a world-wide rise: we’ve made the mess, now it’s time to clean it up!

They may be found in swarms of marvelous colours, or floating solitary like transparent pieces of blown glass. From waters East to West, and North to South the jellyfish knows Continue reading

Our Fascination With Mechanical Creations

An ancient Arabic machine  manuscript

An ancient Arabic machine manuscript

What’s so great about machines?

It’s easy to see how some of today’s mechanical marvels like NASA’s Mars Spirit Rover or The HRP-4C, created by The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), inspire jaw-dropping wonder. Who made that? And how on earth does it do that? Are all natural questions that come to mind in the face of these modern works. However, there’s something about animated bits of wire and metal that have intrigued humans for centuries.
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Machines as Medical Mock-Ups

3DModel_faceIn the near future, doctors may try out treatments on virtual versions of ourselves

Advances in  medical technology have played a major role in increasing people’s average life expectancy.
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Robots and Religion

Religion and Robots2Could prominent cultural beliefs affect the way nations are building their machines?

The robots being built around the world seem to be as diverse as the cultures they come from. While some have been engineered solely for people’s practical needs, others have been made to appeal to and keep the company of humans.
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BCBT 2013

The  6th edition of the Barcelona Cognition, Brain and Technology 2 week summer school
bcbtBCBT is back for its 6th summer in sunny Barcelona! Check out the CSN international summer school hosted by SPECS at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

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Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Robot?

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster (1931)

Our apprehension to artificial beings

The term robot was originally used in Karel Čapek’s 1921 play  RUR (Rossum’s Universal Robots). However, the concept of a being or machine  akin to today’s conception of a robot is something that goes back much further.

The notion of artificial beings is present throughout history in diverse methodologies.  In some they are portrayed as human servants, in others as divine creatures.  How are robots portrayed today?

Science fiction author Isaac Asimov introduced the three rules of robotics in his 1942 short story Runaround.
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