Robotics, Automation, Transportation

The last decade or so has seen a rapid increase in drone technology, both in terms of hardware and software. With stiff competition and the pressure to keep pace with development, professionals in various fields are looking to employ these aero-bots for reasons ranging from leisure and photography to law enforcement and search-and-rescue operations. This demand naturally warrants innovation.

It has been established that robots can easily perform tasks that we give them. But, it was noticed that the digits of their robotic arms were missing a certain dexterity when the bots held or picked up objects with odd structures and those of smaller configurations, sometimes squashing or destroying them.

Next time you watch a flock, or mummuration of starlings swoop high and low in perfect unison, or a flock of geese migrating to new feeding grounds, imagine a similar scene but with drones instead of birds. It might sound far-fetched but it’s likely to be a reality in the not-too-distant future, as scientists have been working on developing software inspired by nature in order to allow a swarm of unmanned drones to carry out aerial surveys.

Numerous autonomous vehicles are being developed in the automotive and technology industries but none of them had ever been used in public roads, under challenging, real life conditions. After all, a vehicle capable of navigating without human input is a rather hard concept to achieve. The industry has been testing autonomous public transportation vehicles for years, but they were only able to use special single trajectory lanes.

Robotic hands were first introduced as a technological aid for upper limb amputation (hand prosthesis), and were further developed for the latest generations of humanoid robots [Evolving Science: SurenaIII reference]. A robotic hand can be described as a mechatronic, powered device designed to either replace physically and functionally a missing limb, or provide human-like functionality to humanoid robots.

Computers have been instrumental at automating repetitive or mundane processes. Scanning and digitizing whole books have gone down from hours to minutes. For us, it is unfathomable to live in a time without computers and a lot of effort is put forth to extend their utility into every aspect of work and play.

Google Glass debuted on April 4, 2012, with a warm reception that slowly waned by January 2015. The project did not shut down altogether, but was moved to its own department and is still available through the Glass at Work program. So why did Google Glass do so poorly?

Scott Holland of Manaunk, Philadelphia made a promise to walk his daughter down the aisle for her wedding. In his youth, Mr. Holland was an avid runner and cyclist, but when his daughter was age two, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. His mobility declined and by the time the wedding arrived, he hadn’t walked in over 20 years.

Parkinson’s disease affects more than 10 million people worldwide, with 10% of these being diagnosed before the age of 50. Parkinson’s disease has a variety of symptoms but can often cause pronounced and uncontrollable shaking in sufferer’s hands, which can make everyday tasks such as making a cup of tea or writing nearly impossible.

What would you do with a third arm? Some personal favorites would be using a phone while typing on a computer, holding a mirror while cutting my own hair, and doing push-ups while eating a donut. While the idea of me doing push-ups is implausible, having a third arm that is fully controllable and articulated is very real. Investigators at Georgia Institute of Technology have created a robotic third arm that attaches to a subject’s shoulder and responds to human gestures.

With the increased trend and market availability of smart home appliances usage, either for comfort or for economy (power consumption control), the automotive industry has started to seriously work on integrating the smart car technologies with the smart home platforms, trying to promote their products as part of the “Internet of Things” (IoT) networking technology.

Antipersonnel landmines are indiscriminate devices which claim victims the world over, ranging from soldiers, civilians, aid workers and peacekeepers. These mines are explosive devices which are usually detonated by the presence or proximity of a human, but can also be triggered remotely. It’s estimated that there’s 110 million mines buried in 70 different countries around the world, with another 250 mine stockpiled by armed forces.