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The News -
Science
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Written by William Cox
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
Scientists from the Shiga University of Medical Science and Ritsumeikan University in Japan, have created yet another miniature robot to explore around the inside of your bod y. The robot, which is less than 1" x 0.5" is inserted through an incision and is moved by controlling a magnetic field surrounding the patient.
The researchers developed five different kinds of prototypes with features such as image capture functions, medicine delivery systems, and tiny forceps for taking tissue samples. MRI images of the patient taken in advance serve as a map for navigating the minibot, which is said to have performed swimmingly in tests on animals.
The robot is also equipped with an umbilical cord to send back images and other data. Here's a link to the article in Japanese, if you're so inclined.
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The News -
Hobbyiest
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Written by William Cox
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Wednesday, 28 February 2007 |
 If you've ever need a digital servo but have balked at the price, the Open Servo Project should be an attractive option. The project seeks to develop software and hardware to replace the internals of standard servos like the Futaba S3003 and the Hitec-HS311.
OpenServo is an open community-based project started by Mike Thompson with the goal of creating a low-cost digital servo for robotics. The hardware and software design of the OpenServo is free for anyone to use and modify to meet their particular needs. It is currently being developed by a small group of dedicated individuals striving to maintain the very best in free, open source software and standards.
The project uses a 8bit AVR microcontroller, MOSFET h-bridge, "feedback of servo position, speed, voltage and power consumption", and only costs about $10 extra per servo (so, about $20 for one complete servo).
Visit the OpenServo Forums for more information.
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The News -
Hobbyiest
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Written by William Cox
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Sunday, 25 February 2007 |
I always like to point out great design when I see it, and Mike Smyth's Minimechadon is a prime example. Mike created the little guy to experiment with learning algorithms for walking. The robot weighs 12oz and has 4 degrees-of-freedom.
The sensor array consists of 4 touch sensors on the bottom of each foot, Left and right IR obstacle detection, and 4 CdS photo detectors located on all four sides of the robot. The heart of the control system is a Microchip PIC16F819 micro-controller and a separate 8 channel A-D converter.
The mechanical structure is built from brass tubing (which all the wiring runs through, UHMW (a high density plastic material), and PCBs. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the robot is the use of PCBs to create a 3D structure and mount all of the circuits/electronics.
There are other pictures of the MiniMechadon on Mike's website , along with other projects. Be kind to his server though.
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The News -
Latest News
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Written by William Cox
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Sunday, 28 January 2007 |
 Starting Saturday, February 3rd, Ugobe will offer it's robotic dinosaur, Pleo, for preorder. The price is expected to be around $250, and Pleo is expected to ship sometime in the 2nd Quarter of 2007 (April - June).
Pleo features over 30 sensors, a video camera, SD and USB ports, a 2hr battery runtime, automatic recharging, and over 14 motors. I'm especially looking forward to how people plan on hacking Pleo.
Update: Well, for those of you that checked, I'm sure you'll know that Ugobe has decided to postpone the Pleo release until Summer 2007. The postponement is to add some sensors to Pleo, improve his 'voice' and make other changes/additions. In the meantime, Ugobe is sponsoring an essay contest to give away 10 Pleos. Happy writing!
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The News -
Latest News
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Written by William Cox
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Monday, 22 January 2007 |
WowWee Toys, probably one of the largest robotic toy manufacturers, has announced three new additions to it's robotic lineup at this year's CES show. In addition to the hugely popular Robosapien line of toys, you will soon be able to get a robotic panda, RoboPanda and spider-like robot, RoboQuad, and snake/worm 'bot, RoboBoa.
The RoboBoa claims to have motion detectors, alarm clock, and an iPod port for playing your favorite tunes. The creepy four-legged RoboQuad seems a bit more advanced with long-distance IR object detection, holonomic motion (able to move left/right, up/down without turning). It's also supposedly able to detect doorways and the size of objects.
The RoboPanda is a robotic "friend" and has several modes of operation. No word on whether it has "attack mode". He also tells stories and has a small Panda child to protect.
There are several videos after the jump.
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