Archive 15.07.2022

Inflatable soft actuators that can change shape with a simple increase in pressure can be powerful, lightweight, and flexible components for soft robotic systems. But there's a problem: These actuators always deform in the same way upon pressurization.

Veo Robotics’ 2022 Manufacturing Automation Outlook finds that human-robot collaboration has risen for 6 out of 10 manufacturers in the last year, as facilities turn to automation to supplement workers

Starting this weekend, the thirty-ninth International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML 2022) is meeting from 17-23 July, 2022 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland, USA, and will be running as a hybrid event. Researchers working across artificial intelligence, data science, machine vision, computational biology, speech recognition, and more are presenting and publishing their cutting-edge work in machine learning.

Starting this weekend, the thirty-ninth International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML 2022) is meeting from 17-23 July, 2022 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland, USA, and will be running as a hybrid event. Researchers working across artificial intelligence, data science, machine vision, computational biology, speech recognition, and more are presenting and publishing their cutting-edge work in machine learning.

The Tin Man didn't have one. The Grinch's was three sizes too small. And for soft robots, the electronically powered pumps that function as their "hearts" are so bulky and rigid, they must be decoupled from the robot's body—a separation that can leak energy and render the bots less efficient.

RoboCup 2022 kicked off yesterday, and there have already been lots of competitions within the various leagues. Many of these are livestreamed to YouTube, and the recordings are available for anyone to watch.

Below are the links to the livestream (and recorded) channels for the leagues that have them.

• RoboCupSoccer
  • Standard platform
  • Small size
  • 2D Simulation
  • 3D Simulation
• RoboCupIndustrial
  • Logistics
• RoboCupJunior
  • Onstage

In addition to these channels, there are also some stand-alone recordings.

Here are some highlights from the humanoid league drop-in tournament:

This video features a match between the HTWK-Robots and rUNSWift.

Find out more about RoboCup 2022 here.

LINAK offers easy integration with robotics applications through CANOpen. Our DC actuators match up with battery voltage to provide the complete linear motion system.

As every athletic or fashion-conscious person knows, our body image is not always accurate or realistic, but it's an important piece of information that determines how we function in the world. When you get dressed or play ball, your brain is constantly planning ahead so that you can move your body without bumping, tripping, or falling over.

EPFL researchers have used swarms of drones to measure city traffic with unprecedented accuracy and precision. Algorithms are then used to identify sources of traffic jams and recommend solutions to alleviate traffic problems.

Engineers have developed a new class of smart textiles that can shape-shift and turn a two-dimensional material into 3D structures.

Researchers at I2R ASTAR Singapore and UM-CNRS LIRMM in France have recently developed a framework that could improve the ability of robots to identify objects in their surroundings that could be potential tools and then use them to complete manual tasks, even if they never encountered these objects before. Their approach, introduced in a paper published in Nature Machine Intelligence, could significantly enhance the ability of robotic systems to complete challenging tasks that might require tools, without the need for any prior tool training.

A new form of flexible photodetector could provide future robots with an electronic skin capable of "seeing" light beyond the range of human vision.

This spring, two Zurich-based Swiss drone companies received authorizations worldwide to break through the way of revenue generating use cases for BVLOS flights and for operations near one of the highest risks facilities, airports.

The latest wireless charging solutions use techniques based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. When an alternating current is passed through an induction coil on the transmitter side, an oscillating magnetic field is created.

At ICRA 2022, the researchers weren’t the only ones working with cutting-edge technology. We spoke to the exhibitors to get real-life demos of their products.

Tangram Vision

Tangram Vision is a hardware-agnostic sensor fusion platform. It streamlines the development and deployment of critical sensor infrastructure like calibration, fusion, and monitoring for any number of cameras, depth sensors, LiDAR, radar, and IMU. Their co-founder, Adam Rodnitzky, walks us through their sensor fusion platform.

FLX Solutions

Matt Bilsky, Founder and CEO of FLX Solutions gives us a live demo of their robot, the FLX BOT. Matt Bilsky applied his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering to create a novel, highly compact robot that is designed to reach and inspect parts of a building that a human cannot reach. The FLX BOT is one inch in diameter and is made of modular links that can be attached one after the other to extend the reach and degrees of freedom of the robot.

Exyn Technologies

Exyn Technologies specializes in aerial robotics, drone swarms, multi-modal sensor fusion, 3D mapping, obstacle avoidance, and autonomous navigation & planning.

Exyn’s focus is on developing software for aerial robots so they can operate in GPS-denied environments, without human control, prior information, or pre-existing infrastructure (e.g. no motion capture system).

Pollen Robotics

Pollen Robotics developed the robot, Reachy, an open-source humanoid robot with a quirky appearance. Reachy’s primary userbase is researchers studying fields such as teleoperation. Using mixed autonomy, Reachy is able to be teleoperated by humans, while still having onboard intelligence to autonomously infer the actions you want it to do.