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‘DARPA’ Stories

Robot hand has strength of a strongman, dexterity of a doctor

, May 3rd 2013 Discuss [0]

Huge amounts of money and time are being spent researching robotics for myriad of potential uses in the future. Robots promise the ability to be able to work in environments that are too hazardous for humans. A robot must have the strength and dexterity to handle difficult situations that would confront human beings. A lot of research is being put into creating robotic components that mimic the human body in functionality if not design. Read The Full Story

DARPA divorces satellites for GPS-free tracking chip

, Apr 26th 2013 Discuss [0]

When we think about GPS satellites, most of us think about how the typical consumer uses GPS in their vehicle to get from one place to another. In fact, many people rely so heavily on GPS that in the event of a map problem, some people have literally driven right off the road because they depend so heavily on GPS. While a significant GPS outage for your average consumer might be an annoyance, an outage for the military could be catastrophic. Read The Full Story

Carnegie Mellon University builds CHIMP for DARPA Robotics Challenge

, Mar 14th 2013 Discuss [0]

A while back DARPA issued a challenge to researchers and educational institutions to help construct a robot that could meet a series of specific tasks. The competition had a prize of $2 million and was called the DARPA Robotics Challenge. The goal of the challenge was to have entrants build robots that have four limbs and possessed strength along the lines of a human. Read The Full Story

DARPA’s BigDog robot can throw cinder blocks farther than you

, Mar 1st 2013 Discuss [0]

You may already know about the four-legged robot from DARPA and Boston Dynamics; we've talked about it in the past and how it's supposed to help out military troops by carrying supplies over rough terrain and beyond. Now, the BigDog robot can throw objects, including concrete cinder blocks. However, instead of using one of its four legs, it actually uses an extending arm (which looks to be the robot's head and neck) to throw objects. Read The Full Story

DARPA unveils 1.8-gigapixel drone camera, can target hostiles at 20,000 feet

, Jan 29th 2013 Discuss [0]

Watch out, kids, because surveillance drones are about to get an upgrade. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have developed what's called the Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS), and it's said to be the most advanced surveillance system in the sky with a price tag of $18.5 million for the program. Read The Full Story

DARPA wants electronics that die on command

, Jan 29th 2013 Discuss [0]

DARPA is working on a new program designed to improve electronics for use on the battlefield. The improvements aren't to make the electronics more durable or to last longer. Rather, the improvements DARPA is seeking are ways to make the electronics kill themselves on command. Read The Full Story

DARPA plans to put laser turrets on fighter jets in 2014

, Jan 28th 2013 Discuss [0]

DARPA announced late last week that it wants to place laser turrets on fighter jets as early as 2014. DARPA has been working on airborne lasers for a long time in conjunction with the Air Force. The test bed for the airborne laser program was a Boeing 747 with a megawatt laser in its nose. Read The Full Story

DARPA to breathe new life into dead satellites

, Jan 23rd 2013 Discuss [0]

There are a ton of dead satellites currently still orbiting the Earth, but certain parts on these satellites often still work, such as antennas and solar panels. However, there's no method to salvage and reuse these satellite parts once they're launched into space, but DARPA is looking into it, and has launched a new program specifically for recycling old satellite parts. Read The Full Story

DARPA wants to stash drones on the bottom of the ocean

, Jan 15th 2013 Discuss [0]

DARPA launches projects that sound incredibly unrealistic from time to time. However, DARPA has also created actual working items that started out as incredibly unrealistic sounding plans. That means you can never discount DARPA when it puts out brief on a plan that sounds far-fetched at first glance. Read The Full Story

DARPA’s robotic mule can carry 400 pounds of cargo

, Dec 20th 2012 Discuss [0]

DARPA has worked on some pretty insane four-legged robotic creatures in the past, but this time they're looking for ways that they can help out the US military on the battlefield. The organizations most recent project is a four-legged robotic mule that can carry up to 400 pounds of cargo to literally take the weight of the shoulders of the military. Read The Full Story

DARPA is working on 100 Gbps wireless technology with 120-mile range

, Dec 18th 2012 Discuss [0]

DARPA works with some the most insanely cool projects for the military and other uses in the world. Some of the coolest projects that DARPA works on have to do with robotics and aircraft, but DARPA has many other projects in the works as well. One of those other projects is work that recently began on the development of a wireless communication system capable of 100 Gbps data transfers with a range of 124 miles. Read The Full Story

DARPA Cheetah robot runs 28.3 mph: There is no escape

, Sep 6th 2012 Discuss [0]

The gang over at DARPA likes to work on some really wild projects from time to time. The part that impresses me the most about some of the wild projects DARPA works on or funds is that the researchers actually get many of them to work. One of the things that DARPA has been pushing hard on is robotics in an attempt to design robots for the military and other applications. Read The Full Story
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