The soft devices can perform a variety of tasks, including grasping delicate objects such as a raspberry and a raw egg, as well as lifting heavy objects. HASEL actuators exceed or match the strength, speed and efficiency of biological muscle.
The problem of navigating safely among pedestrians poses unique challenges. These include the increased unpredictability of pedestrians’ actions, as well as the lack of navigation guidelines, such as lane lines.
Scott Schrage, University of Nebraska-Lincoln via Phys.org: The technique, which creates a stronger chemical bond between silicone and an unprecedented array of plastics, could greatly reduce the time, complexity and expense needed to produce the microfluidic devices.
Upon detecting a force that results in damage to one of its extremities, the machine immediately begins coordinating the movements of the remaining parts, allowing it to continue operating despite the injury sustained.
Micah Kaats for BIEN: The researchers suggest that basic income may ease the strains of job displacement, provide support for individuals engaged in volunteer or social enterprises, and encourage entrepreneurial risk-taking.
Guy Cherni, Opinion Contributor for The Hill: Surprising though it may seem, the key for increasing drone-based value can only come through increased restriction and regulation of the industry.
Michael Belfiore for Bloomberg: Makr Shakr’s robotic arms pull cocktail ingredients selected via touchscreen or app from a network of bottles above the bar.
The Economist: “Slaughterbots” is fiction. The question Dr Russell poses is, “how long will it remain so?” For military laboratories around the planet are busy developing small, autonomous robots for use in warfare, both conventional and unconventional.
David Z. Morris for Fortune: Mountain View-based Knightscope has said in a statement that the robot “was not brought in to clear the area around the San Francisco SPCA of homeless individuals,” but only to “serve and protect the SPCA.”
• Vacuum generation that’s 100% electrical;
• Integrated intelligence for energy and process control;
• Extensive communication options through IO-Link interface;
Schmalz already offers a large range of solutions that can optimize handling process from single components such as vacuum generators to complete gripping systems. Particularly when used in autonomous warehouse, conventional vacuum generation with compressed air reaches its limits. Compressed air often is unavailable in warehouses. Schmalz therefore is introducing a new technology development: a gripper with vacuum generation that does not use compressed air. The vacuum is generated 100% electrically. This makes the gripper both energy efficient and mobile. At the same time, warehouses need systems with integrated intelligence to deliver information and learn. This enables the use of mobile and self-sufficient robots, which pick production order at various locations in the warehouse. Furthermore, Schmalz provides various modular connection options from its wide range of end effectors in order to handle different products reliably and safely.
Shelby Rogers for Interesting Engineering: Each robot has its own functions, and all of them have names reminiscent of Star Wars droids.
Matt Simon for Wired: “Companies like Amazon and others are now delivering products at an unprecedented rate, something like 500 packages per second. And that is only going to grow.”
Vecna Robotics, a leader in intelligent, next-generation, robotic material handling autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs), was awarded first place in the DHL & Dell Robotics Mobile Picking Challenge 2017. The event was held last week at the DHL Innovation Center in Troisdorf, Ge
Carolyn Said and Benny Evangelista for the SF Chronicle: San Francisco’s ordinance resembles laws enacted in the early days of “horseless carriages” that required a person to walk in front of a car waving a red flag, said Bob Doyle, spokesman for A3.
Patrick Caughill for Futurism: The feature would use the onboard computing system to analyze conditions to determine the best course of action.