This is because tools, switches, valves, and environments where robots of the future are likely to work were created with humans in mind. DARPA and iRobot are currently working on one of the most important components of any humanoid robot, the hand. DARPA and iRobot have unveiled a robotic hand that has both strength and dexterity, something that is a requirement for any functional robot.

According to DARPA, the three-fingered robot hand is strong enough to lift a 50-pound weight, yet has the dexterity to utilize a small set of keys or even a set of tweezers. The robotic hand is also very strong and can survive being bashed by a baseball bat. DARPA stayed away from a five-finger human-style hand because the three-fingered hand features a usable palm making it easier to achieve fluid motion.

The hand created by DARPA and iRobot is known as the ARM-H and is constructed using 3-D printing, custom molded plastic and rubber, and plastic machining techniques. DARPA thinks that the hand will also be surprisingly affordable when produced in batches of 1000. DARPA predicts that in batches of thousand each robotic hand would cost about $3000. Current robotic hands can cost as much as $50,000 each.

[via CBS News]

The military uses a number of different types of weapons that rely on GPS signals to accurately track and destroy enemy targets. If the GPS satellite system were to go down due to accident or a military strike, GPS guided missiles, and bombs could be rendered ineffective. DARPA doesn’t like the thought of military weapons rendered ineffective by taking down a few satellites that orbit unprotected in space.

Therefore, researchers at DARPA have been working on creating something called the TIMU, or Timing and Inertial Measurement Unit. This tiny chip has everything it needs on the single piece of silicon to navigate around the globe without relying on GPS satellites. The sensor has a six-axis IMU including three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. It also has a highly accurate master clock all packed into a space measuring only 10 mm.

DARPA says that the tiny piece of silicon can give hardware using it a near precise location. DARPA says that the little sensor works because it provides three pieces of information that are required to accurately guide anything to a desired destination. The three pieces of information are orientation, acceleration, and time. The chip DARPA designed uses six layers of silica and is only 50 microns thick. That is about thickness of a human hair with each of the six layers providing a different function depending on the sensor embedded there. The TIMU does have applications outside of military use and could allow for civilian GPS devices offering improved navigation indoors or underground where GPS satellites can’t be used.

[via Element 14]

One caveat for the program was that the robot had to have the dexterity needed to be able to climb ladders and use tools. Carnegie Mellon University is one of the educational institutions that participated in the challenge. The robot created by the University is called the CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform or CHIMP.

The robot has an interesting motivation system using triple-jointed limbs that are able to move on tank treads over roads and rough ground. The robot is also able to lift itself up and travel using two of the tracks while using claw-like manipulator arms to climb ladders, move debris, or turn a steering wheel. DARPA is seeking robots it would be able to enter facilities during serious accidents, such as the accident that occurred at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.

Robots that enter the competition also have to be able to operate without a power line or a wired connection. CHIMP uses onboard processing power for balance, collision avoidance, and navigation. The design was accepted by DARPA into the top group of Robotics Challenge entries. The first round of tests for this group of robots, including the CHIMP will begin in June. The first challenges are purely based on software. Physical task challenges will happen in December.

[via The Register]

Boston Dynamics ended up recording a video of the robot throwing the cinder block across the testing field, and it’s quite impressive, but also extremely freaky and scary at the same time. You can watch as the robot grabs onto the cinder block and picks up while attempting to keep its balance. However, just as you think the robot might tip over, it flings its arm around and tosses the cinder block a good 30 feet or so.

Cinder blocks aren’t light by any means. They can weigh anywhere from 20 to 30 pounds, and most of us would have to use two hands to pick one up. After that, we’d probably only be able to throw one half the distant that the robot threw its cinder block. In any case, you now know that robots are capable of throwing heavy objects straight at you.

Of course, we’re not quite sure what the implications would be for a military robot that’s going to be used for carrying supplies. We’re guessing the arm could be used for moving small obstacles out of the way, or maybe hurling heavy objects (like cinder blocks) at enemies. Whatever the case, we now know what robots are capable of if they ever turn on us.

The ARGUS camera system can be attached to the main pod of a drone, and once in action, the camera can capture images at 20,000 feet with a resolution of 1.8 gigapixels — so high-res in fact, that you can see what color shirt a pedestrian is wearing. It can’t quite make out facial features, but it’s able to spot a six-inch object within a 10-mile radius.

While DARPA doesn’t want to give anything away, they at least say that the imaging system consists of a collection of 368 sensors that are the same found in modern smartphones, but it’s the processing power that really makes the ARGUS stand out. The camera can also stream around 1 million terabytes of video, which is around 5,000 hours of HD footage per day.

Whether the ARGUS is currently deployed right now is unknown, and we can’t see what the camera looks like either. Overall, DARPA is keeping quiet on any future implementations of the imaging system, and they’re not telling us exactly how they can stream an exabyte of video per day. There’s got to be some crazy processing power on board, for which we know nothing about at this point.

[via ExtremeTech]

DARPA says that the use of electronics on the battlefield has grown significantly and that it’s almost impossible to track and recover every device. DARPA says that after an operation is over, electronic devices can often be found scattered across the battlefield and could be captured by the enemy and repurposed. Captured electronic devices also give the enemy opportunity to compromise the advantage of the US military.

DARPA wants to create electronics under a new program called the Vanishing Programmable Resources or VAPR program. The goal of this program is to create transient electronics or electronics capable of dissolving into the environment around them. The electronics developed under the program will be required to maintain current functionality and ruggedness of conventional electronics, but when triggered they would be able to degrade partially or completely.

DARPA says that once the dissolve command was triggered the electronics would be useless to any enemy that might find them. DARPA has issued a special announcement for a Proposers Day to be held in advance of a full solicitation. DARPA wants these Proposers Day participants to conduct basic research into materials, devices, manufacturing, and integration processes. The goal of the program is a technology demonstration with a circuit representative of an environmental or biomedical sensor able to communicate with a remote user.

[via DARPA]

That massive laser was intended to be used to destroy the missiles, bombs, and other projectiles in-flight. However, the Airborne Laser Testbed project was abandoned last year. DARPA is still working on programs to put lasers into fighter aircraft with two projects ongoing at this time.

One of the laser projects is called the High Energy Liquid Laser Defense System (HELLADS) and the other is the Aero-Adaptive/Aero-Optic Beam Control (ABC). HELLADS is the airborne laser project seen in the image and centers on a 150-kilowatt system. This laser is 10 times smaller and lighter than current laser systems.

The HELLADS laser system is small enough to be used on ground and in the air aboard aircraft. The project was to create a laser weighing less than 5 kg per kilowatt able to fit into a total space of three cubic meters. ABC is a laser designed as a defensive weapon. It would be a small laser current mounted on aircraft or other vehicles used to shoot down incoming missiles. This project uses a fancy beam control to keep from losing its energy as it fires. The turbulence created by the aircraft engine.

[via Dvice]

DARPA calls its new initiative the Phoenix program, and they’re looking to spend around $180 million to test technologies that will retrieve working parts from dead satellites and use them elsewhere. Essentially, DARPA wants to save money overall, and increase the return on investment with all of its satellites.

Essentially, DARPA will launch a robotic mechanic into space with a toolkit that will be able to mine dead satellites for parts. There would then be a separate launch of multiple mini-satellites, where the robotic mechanic would then connect the mini-satellites to the old satellite parts to create a whole new satellite of sorts.

The Phoenix program is actually already under way, and DARPA has given contracts to several companies to develop new technologies that will eventually be able to scrap old satellites for its parts. The agency is also seeking new proposals from interested companies starting next month. The first test that will find out whether the program will work or not will come in 2016, when it launches a demonstration mission to one of 140 dead satellites that DARPA has picked out for this mission. It’s a new technique that’s never been done before, so while we’d love it if the program went off without a hitch, there’s always the possibility that it might not work, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed hoping for the best.

DARPA’s most recent plan is one such far-fetched sounding project that may be just crazy enough to work. The latest plan is called the Upward Falling Payloads project and is aimed at developing storage capsules for military assets that would allow devices, such as drones, to be stored at the bottom of the ocean for years at a time until needed. The idea is that capsules can be dropped at strategic locations holding drones or other items and the capsules could release their payload when needed.

The plan calls for unmanned, distributed systems to provide the military with operational support including situational awareness, disruption, deception, and rescue. One of the potential payloads for these capsules are small aerial drones that can launch to the surface in capsules, take off, and provide observation or act as decoys. DARPA is calling for input on finding ways of extending survival of capsules under extreme ocean pressure.

DARPA also wants to find methods of waking up these underwater nodes after years of inactivity. The plan also calls for input on ways to efficiently launch payloads to the surface. That last part doesn’t seem too complex since submarines have been launching payloads to the surface of the ocean for a long time. DARPA is pointing out that this is not a weapons project and that the risk of losing any single node in the system is minimal.

[via Wired]

The Legged Squad Support System (LS3) robot, as it’s called, has evolved into a quieter, and more robust machine compared to past DARPA robots, which were louder than anticipated. The latest LS3 version represents the US military’s best hope for a robotic assistant that can carry combat loads across rough terrain for soldiers.

The new robot can also play “follow the leader” of sorts and be trained to follow a specific person, similar to an actual trained mule or horse. And it can regain its balance if it accidentally tumbles over rough terrain. During field testing, the robot successfully navigated ditches, streams, wooded slopes, and other rough environments.

Aside from carrying precious cargo for the military, these robotic mules could also be used as mobile recharging station for US troops to recharge batteries used in radios, transmitters, and other handheld mobile devices. The US Marines have already experimented with using renewable energy sources such as portable solar panels, but a charging station for soldiers would be pretty convenient as well.

[via Live Science]

The project is called 100 Gb/s RF Backbone or 100G for short. The goal project is to provide the US military with networks needing no wires that are about 500 times faster than the current wireless links used. The project is seeking to give soldiers in the field fast connectivity with high bandwidth and low latency you might expect from a fiber-optic network.

Currently the military uses wireless system called Common Data Link, which is secure wireless protocol used for transmitting imagery, intelligence, orders, and other secure communications. Exact specifications on the current CDL system are unknown but it is believed max out at about 250 Mbps. DARPA wants the significantly faster 100 Gbps equipment to retain the same weight and power requirements of the existing system.

To put the speed DARPA is seeking in perspective, most home networks max out at around 100 Mbps making them about 1000 times slower than the 100 Gbps DARPA wants to achieve with its wireless system. DARPA system is expected to use the KU band. While the system is being developed for the military, I can certainly see the potential use for these in the commercial environment for extending broadband access in the US to rural communities where wires are not always available.

[via Extremetech]

One robot design that DARPA has been funding is called the Cheetah and it’s a robot that might eventually be used to carry gear into combat. Cheetah is a four-legged robot designed to mimic the real animal in how it moves. Cheetah isn’t as fast as its namesake mammal, but it’s getting closer.

The cheetah robot has now set a record by running 28.3 mph. What that means is should the cheetah robot ever decide to take over the world, you won’t be able to outrun it. In fact, the fastest runner on Earth, sprinter Usain Bolt, wouldn’t even be able to outrun Cheetah.

Bolt has been able to hit a top speed briefly of 27.78 mph making it a close race, but Cheetah would win. When the robot apocalypse comes, take solace in the fact that you don’t necessarily have to outrun Cheetah, just be willing to trip the person next to you. Cheetah’s record for all-out speed previously was only 18 mph. It’s also worth noting that Cheetah set its speed record running on treadmill with no drag and requires power supply that is external and not carried by the robot.

[via Wired]

It’s not just making more efficient motors. According to DARPA, successful teams might look at a combination of “low-loss power modulation, variable recruitment of parallel transducer elements, high-bandwidth variable impedance matching, adaptive inertial and gravitational load cancellation, and high-efficiency power transmission between joints.”

There will be two different tracks of work ongoing simultaneously, one with a more practical focus and another that will look more at the science and engineering behind actuation. The eye-candy is likely to show up in Track 1, where teams will be required to actually outfit physical robotics systems with their creations:

“Track 1 asks performer teams to develop and demonstrate high-efficiency actuation technology that will allow robots similar to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) platform to have twenty times longer endurance than the DRC GFE when running on untethered battery power (currently only 10-20 minutes). Using Government Furnished Information about the GFE, M3 Actuation performers will have to build a robot that incorporates the new actuation technology” DARPA

DARPA is now inviting proposals from teams that believe they can put together something along those lines. The Maximum Mobility and Manipulation robotics program will culminate in a live competition in December 2013, followed by a second live final in December 2014.

Since that failed mission, DARPA has been investigating possible causes for the issue, and the agency now thinks that unexpectedly large pieces of the hypersonic aircraft’s skin peeled off. DARPA says that it expected some of the skin to wear down due to the extreme heat and speed of the aircraft. An independent review board has concluded that the most likely cause for the failure was “unexpected aeroshell degradation, creating multiple upsets of increasing severity that ultimately activated the Flight Safety System.”

According to DARPA officials, the shockwaves created when the skin pulled away from the aircraft were 100 times more than what the vehicle was designed to withstand. However, the vehicle was able to recover and return to controlled flight before the vehicle finally fell into the ocean.

“The result of these findings is a profound advancement in understanding the areas we need to focus on to advance aerothermal structures for future hypersonic vehicles. Only actual flight data could have revealed this to us,” Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz said.

[via The Washington Post]

The lenses are called iOptik and they were developed by company called Innovega. The company signed a contract to deliver the first full functional prototype earlier this week. The Department of Defense funded part of Innovega’s original engineering work for the contact lenses. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to wear lenses with this with technology since they allow the human eye to be multifocal. Our eyes can’t focus on something up close and something far away at the same time normally. However, when wearing these lenses the user can focus on things that are very close and far away at once because the lenses have two different filters.

The center of the lens sends light from the HUD towards the middle of the wearer’s pupil. The outer lens sends light from the surrounding environment to the rim of the pupil. The company hopes the technology will eventually be licensed for use by the public for augmented reality. Some other uses include watching 3-D movies projected onto the wearer’s own glasses with different images for each eye and possibly glasses such as those that Google showed off recently. Eye care professionals warn that some similar tech was used in the past to treat cataract patients after surgery and proved problematic. Depending on how the images change and move people wearing the lenses could get motion sickness according to some professionals.

[via BBC]

The contest is specifically looking for designs that can be used on rough terrain and for industrial disasters. The robot would be required to have the agility to maneuver itself into the driver seat and operate an open-frame vehicle such as a tractor. The robots will also have to be able to drive that open frame vehicle to a building and then get out of the vehicle.

Once out of the vehicle, the challenge says the robots would need to be able to unlock a locked door using a key, walk through the open door, and then walk down a 100m long hallway with rubble obstacles. Once at the end of the hallway, the challenge would be to have the robot climb ladder, locate a leaky pipe, and then close that leak by turning a nearby valve. The final stage of the competition would have the robots replacing a pump so the facility could resume normal operations. The robot is expected to accomplish all these feats semi-autonomously with nothing more than supervisory teleoperation from a person. That sounds like a very difficult competition.

[via Hizook]

DARPA are hoping that the satellites, aimed to cost around $500,000 each, would allow crucial mapping information to be sent in less than 90 minutes. In a statement, the agency said:

We envision a constellation of small satellites, at a fraction of the cost of airborne systems, that would allow deployed warfighters to hit ‘see me’ on existing handheld devices and in less than 90 minutes receive a satellite image of their precise location to aid in mission planning.

Right now, the plan consists of 24 satellites that would be able to stay in Earth’s low orbit for around two to three months before burning up on re-entry. DARPA say the plan would require manufacturers to take advantage of rapid production techniques currently used in the smartphone industry.

Right now the U.S Military makes use of unmanned drones in order to provide reconnaissance, although DARPA argues that drones cannot cover large areas of land without extensive refueling. The other problem is that there simply aren’t enough drones to go around to all the armed forces, and bandwidth requirements makes it difficult to get images back to the front line. DARPA have invited manufacturers to discuss the plan, and have organized a “Proposers Day” on March 27th.

[via BBC]

During her three-year tenure at DARPA, Dugan placed an emphasis on cybersecurity, as well as encouraging entrepreneurs not to fear failure. She scored points with military commanders by moving money out of research and development, and into more practical and immediate applications for the battlefield.

Her talks have also been considered bold, and almost controversial, in the past. Speaking to a congressional panel back in March 2011, she said that the time and place for dreaming was “not at DARPA”, and that it wasn’t “a place for self-indulging in wishes and hopes. DARPA is a place of doing.”

Dugan’s role at Google hasn’t been revealed yet, nor is it known exactly when she’ll be joining the search company, but she’s expected to leave DARPA “sometime in the next few weeks”. The Pentagon are praising her time at DARPA, saying that her leadership was “extraordinary” and that “she will be missed throughout the Department”.

[via Wired]

The Cheetah robot is modeled after its real-life counterpart, which is also the land speed record holder for animals. And like the actual cheetah, this quadruped robot can flex and un-flex its back with each step to increase its stride and speed. You can see this in action in the video, which shows the Cheetah galloping on a treadmill.

Currently, the Cheetah is still attached to an off-board hydraulic pump and isn’t completely autonomous,
lacking sensors to detect its environment. However, DARPA intends to test out a free-running prototype, similar to what we’ve seen with the LS3, later this year.

[via Gizmag]

DARPA isn’t looking for giant Kevlar skinned blue aliens, but rather robots it seems. DARPA wants those that participate in the program to make “key advancements in telepresence in remote operation of the ground system” but those key advancements aren’t specified. DARPA is specifically looking for “semi-autonomous bi-pedal machines” so it doesn’t seem any of the tracked or wheeled variety of robots the military has today will do the trick.

It sounds more than a little like DARPA wants human controlled Terminator robots. That would make sense, that way we can keep Skynet from taking over. How awesome is this project? I love that DARPA can get funding and put out descriptions of projects that sound like pure science fiction with a straight face and many times actually pull the projects off.

[via Spectrum]

This first entry also happens to look like a Death Star and will be capable of 2 miles of live video streaming as well as seeing a tree so it does not bonk directly in to it. Have a peek at the demonstration video for the GremLion here, and try not to freak out too much over how incomplete it still is at the moment:

Next there’s the X-MAUS, a quad-copter that is able to unfold itself after it’s taken off so that it can fly as an airplane for more efficient movement. This model appears very much to be an erector-set constructed piece made with styrofoam and some gears that allow it to transform into a superhero on the fly.

Then there’s the QuadShot fro TU Delft, this one again appearing to come straight out of Star Wars, this time in the form of a B-Wing. These machines show up in Return of the Jedi, if you’d like to know, but they’re certainly not the inspiration for the QuadShot, right? These models and a whole lot more will continue the competition through the coming weeks and the whole thing will come to an end sometime this Summer!

[via ieee spectrum]

DARPA reportedly had 22 different stations along the flight path of the HTV-2 to collect data on the flight and oddly, when the flight was lost the only video came from a handheld camcorder used on the deck of one of the monitoring vessels by a crewmember. The video you can see below shows the aircraft as the third stage booster releases the craft.

According to DARPA, the flight was stable and controlled at Mach 20 for three minutes before the anomaly occurred. That is longer than the length of the flight the first craft accomplished. The changes made to the HTV-2 after the first failed flight were effective and the failure this time was due to other causes. Check out the video of the HTV-2 below along with a second video comparing the speed of the HTV-2 to other aircraft.

[via AviationWeek]

We wrote about this impressive tip of arrow looking glider yesterday and expressed excitement over its second launch. The first time this project was tested, the ship crashed into the ocean and could not be recovered. As this launch had the possibility of being the final test of the plane because of the budget crunch hitting the Pentagon, those hoping for the success of this piece of technology are likely digging their fingernails into their kneecaps at the moment.

If the project can be salvaged at this point, and if the project is able to move forward, the HTV-X, or whatever it’s called at the time, will aim at reaching anywhere in the world in less than an hour to deliver bombs to targets specified by the US Military. Furthermore, if the plane were to, theoretically, need to travel from Los Angeles to New York to hit a target, it could do so in less than 12 minutes.

Analysts are apparently saying that this method of destroying targets is far superior to launching ballistic missiles as at the moment missiles still travel predictable paths while a hypersonic vehicle like the HTV-2 can manuver in many ways. Analysts also note that this plane would not be mistaken for a nuclear missile, thus supposedly avoiding the possibility of triggering a nuclear confrontation.

The HTV-2 was launched for a test-run today a hypersonic vehicle launched by the military has “a long way to go” before deployment, so says Loren Thompson, analyst at the Lexington Institute with links to the defense industry. The launch today had the HTV-2 separate from its carrier rocket, perform some maneuvers, then contact was list. The test flight plan called for the HTV-2 Falcon to roll and dive into the Pacific Ocean, and by the sounds of it, at least the last part of the plan will take place one way or another.

UPDATE: DARPA has released a statement on today’s launch:

“Here’s what we know,” said Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz, DARPA HTV-2 program manager and PhD in aerospace engineering. “We know how to boost the aircraft to near space. We know how to insert the aircraft into atmospheric hypersonic flight. We do not yet know how to achieve the desired control during the aerodynamic phase of flight. It’s vexing; I’m confident there is a solution. We have to find it.”

“Prior to flight, the technical team completed the most sophisticated simulations and extensive wind tunnel tests possible. But these ground tests have not yielded the necessary knowledge. Filling the gaps in our understanding of hypersonic flight in this demanding regime requires that we be willing to fly,” said DARPA Director Regina Dugan. “In the April 2010 test, we obtained four times the amount of data previously available at these speeds. Today more than 20 air, land, sea and space data collection systems were operational. We’ll learn. We’ll try again. That’s what it takes.”

[via AFP]

The goal of this project is to create a missile system that can strike any target on earth within an hour. The first test of the HTV-2 ended after only 9-minutes of flight when the ship crashed into the ocean and could not be recovered. DARPA is set to test the missile again with a lift off from California. This may well be the final chance for the weapon.

If it has another catastrophic failure, it could be scrapped since the budget crunch has hit the Pentagon so hard. The design of the HTV-2 was very odd and in testing, it was found to be hard to stabilize in flight. The fear is a redesign of the vehicle could mean an end for the project.

[via Wired]

DARPA crowed-sourced the design of the XC2V military vehicle as a way to study the viability of designing military vehicles in this method and to see how much faster it would be than traditional design methods. This vehicle is a multipurpose ground transport that can take soldiers into and out of combat and can be converted to use as a medical transport too. The final design looks really cool and reminds me more than a little of an open desert trophy truck. The coolest part is that the crowd-sourcing really worked and worked very well. The company chosen to make the prototype you see in these photos is Local Motors.

The vehicle dubbed Flypmode won the XC2V competition and was given a 14-week deadline to build the first prototype. Local Motors didn’t need that long to get the bulletproof vehicle into the real world from the concept stage. The only thing I see that I have to wonder about is the exposed tires on the concept and the exposed engine bay on the front of the vehicle. They seem very susceptible to enemy fire.

[via Dvice]

The SST took over nine years to develop and cost over $110 million. The SST is able to create these larger and more detailed images because of its innovative design. The telescope has a curved charge coupled device (CCD) technology and a 3.5-meter aperture. This allows the SST to create wide-angle lenses and capture more light than any other ground-based telescope before. “Currently we have a ‘soda straw’ view of deep space, where we can only see one narrow segment of space at a time,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Travis Blake, DARPA’s Space Surveillance Telescope program manager. “The Space Surveillance Telescope should give us a much wider ‘windshield’ view of deep space objects, significantly enhancing our space situational awareness.”

The main concern is for the defense satellites the military has up there and the possibility of collision with all that debris in orbit. The new design makes the SST much more compact and nimble than previous generation telescopes, allowing it to cover more sky in less amount of time. If the SST is a success, the Air Force could deploy more of the telescopes around the globe, giving the military a complete 360° surveillance view of the planet.

[via PhysOrg]

The goggles look more like sunglasses to me and have some really cool features. They will be able to interface with drones flying overhead to give the solider details on what the drone sees and what the drone is firing at. That capability will mean that the solider can get the intelligence that the drone sees directly without waiting for someone else to offer the report.

Another cool feature is that the goggles could tell the solider whether that jet or helicopter on the horizon is friend or foe. The glasses were developed in cooperation with Vuzix, the same company that makes the video glasses for consumers. They would use a head tracker to know where the wearer is looking and could tell you things like the jet is a friendly F-16 at 21,000 feet, 30 miles out in theory.

[via Wired]

Boston Dynamics has announced that it won a DARPA contract to build a robot called Cheetah. The bot looks like the real animal it gets its name from, is faster than the fastest human, and has the agility to evade enemies. The Cheetah can zig zag as it runs and make tight turns as well as stop on a dime.

The company is working on another robot called Atlas that looks like Hector minus a head. As long as Atlas doesn’t develop a penchant for hot 70 starlets, we are all good. Atlas will be a walking bot that can walk over rough terrain, crawl if needed, and turn sideways to slip though narrow passages.

Via Wired

How awesome is that? It can be remotely controlled for precision flight and has its own power source inside. The device is dubbed the Nano Hummingbird and is a milestone as part of the Phase II contract awarded by DARPA to design and build a flying prototype. I can see this thing being used to spy on criminals and flown around just for fun.

The prototype is handmade and has a wingspan of 6.5 inches and a flying weight of 19 grams. That is less than the weight of an AA battery according to the firm. That lightweight is very impressive when you consider it includes all flight systems, batteries, communications, and the camera. The aircraft is larger than a hummingbird, but weighs less. I want one of these!

If you’ll recall, the Transformer project has a lot of different scenarios for usage. One of the more unique ones, though, is the ability for the Humvee to work as a medical transport, with the ability to fly out of a dangerous situation at the drop of a hat. That means wounded soldiers on the ground, as long as they are near the Transformer, won’t have to wait for an incoming helicopter to evacuate.

A few more details about the driving and flying vehicle have emerged as well. For example, the Transformer will be able to move at a speed of about 65 mph, while it’s driving around. However, while it’s in the air, it will be able to reach speeds of 150 mph. The design calls for lightweight anti-blast armor, as well as ballistic-proof windows installed throughout. And, as you can imagine, the Transformer will indeed be outfitted with heavy weapons for defense, as well as offensive maneuvers.

But, the real motivator for the Transformer to take shape, and actually find its way to the battlefield, is the supposed cost. According to DARPA, the Transformer will only cost around $203,000 to construct. That’s about the same cost as any high-end supercar out there, so it doesn’t look like cost will keep the Transformer from seeing the light of day.

[via DailyMail]

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Intel Reports Record Revenue: Earlier this afternoon, Intel came forward and announced their third quarter results, which turned out quite good for the company. This is the best quarter they’ve had since the second quarter of this year, so it looks like Intel is on a continual rise. The company reported $3 billion in profit, on a record $11.1 billion reported in revenue. Interestingly enough, it looks like the bump in numbers doesn’t have anything to do with Atom-based netbooks, and has quite a bit to do with a three percent increase in laptops and server chips sales. True enough, considering Atom chips decreased by four percent.

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Jaguar C-X75 Electric Supercar Unveiled at Paris: The push for electric cars isn’t just a small one. Nearly every car manufacturer out there is working on getting their very own eco-friendly, electric vehicles out in the market. Jaguar’s brand new C-X75 electric supercar was just unveiled at Paris. It’s capable of reaching speeds of 330km/h, or about 205mph, and can reach 62mph in just 3.4 seconds. It has four 145kW (195bhp) electric motors –one for each wheel– which produces 780bhp in total. Two micro-gas turbines spin at 80,000 rpm, which extends the range of the supercar to 560 miles.

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The aerospace defense company, called AAI Corporation, is a Maryland-based unit, and they recently won a $3.05 million contract with DARPA, with the explicit hope that the Corporation can get the Transformer technology up and off the ground. AAI is working with another company, called Carter Aviation Technologies, to develop something called “compound helicopter” technology. This would allow the vehicle to carry up to four passengers, but it would feature rotor blades on the top, where –if necessary– the vehicle would be able to ascend into the air in a moment’s notice. The take-off will be automated, so those in the vehicle won’t have to have any training in flight.

The armored flying vehicle is meant to do a lot different tasks. DARPA wants the Transformer project, known as the Transformer TX back in April, to partake in “strike and raid” scenarios, as well as “intervention, interdiction, insurgency/counterinsurgency, reconnaissance, medical evacuation, and logistical supply.” It would be, just as the Humvee is now, a work horse, but one that’s able to drive or fly on command. And the Transformer is supposed to be able to carry upwards of 1,000 pounds, as well as fly up to 10,000 feet, and travel 250 miles on a single tank of gas.

[via Wired]

The research is being funded by DARPA and is looking to perfect the brain prosthetic interface and the program has been granted $5.6 million to continue its research. Allowing the brain to control prosthetics isn’t the only thing the technology has a potential use for. The tech could also be used for other man to machines applications like brain implants to control tremor, neuro-modulators to control chronic pain, and implants for people with spinal cord injuries.

The goal of the project is to develop a compatible link between living tissue and computer technologies to the human nervous system with hundreds or even thousands of sensors embedded in a single fiber optic fiber. The researchers say that the fiber optic tech would not be rejected by the body like other materials and would not be attacked and destroyed by the body’s immune system.

This ambitious project, which was found in Pentagon budget documents last year but now made public thanks to a PDF, is called, right now at least, the Transformer TX, and for good reason. If you read the below quote close enough, there’s a bit of key language in there that makes us think this thing might actually be way too similar to a Hasbro-like Transformer:

The Government’s envisioned concept consists of a robust ground vehicle that is capable of configuring into a VTOL [Vertical Take Off and Landing] air vehicle with a maximum payload capability of approximately 1,000 lbs.

Now, we understand that flying cars is something that we all want, and that we’ve all wanted since well before the year 2000 disappointed everybody, but this wording makes us think that DARPA has something else planned for their little hover-Humvee. Instead of just saying the Humvee will have the ability to fly around and carry 1,000 pounds, they say it will “configure into” a VTOL. That makes us think this will be a Humvee by day, and turn into a hover-car by night (minus the night and day specific configurations, of course).

Size wise, this is going to be a bit bigger than your traditional military-grade Humvee. It has to be less than 30 feet in length, and should be about nine feet in width. DARPA also wants the Transformer TX to travel up to 250 miles on one tank of gas, and they want it to reach up to altitudes of 10,000 feet when it’s flying around. Best of all, though, while they know pilots are still the best way to navigate flying things, the Transformer TX would also be equipped with remote piloting, just in case a certain situation is too hairy for a crew.

Science and the development of technology is one of the reasons that military’s can remain pertinent, but this is a little out there. We imagine that DARPA isn’t going to stop the crazy schemes any time soon, but if this does indeed come to fruition, we hope it’s not going to cost millions of dollars to create, or keep maintained for that matter. (Though, we know that’s not likely.) Nevertheless, from a completely tech standpoint, this is ridiculously awesome, and we hope we get to see some video of a flying Humvee soon. Especially if they get that working prototype working by 2015, like they want.

[via The Register]

Darpa is said to be requesting information on approaches to develop a portable generator powered by human waste that could be sustainable for several years off the grid. The reactor would be used for land and water-based operations.

Waste management is a big issue around the world and something like this, as gross as it sounds, would kill two birds with one stone. It would also give new meaning to the term “brown out.” I love this story. At any rate, Wired hasn’t posted a “haha we got you” comment as of yet, but this still feels like a joke to me. Now, if we can just harness all the wasted wind power from flatulence, we can usher in a new era in clean (but smelly) power.

This project is currently in research stages. It involves combining the qualities of an aircraft with a submersible vehicle. Now, make no mistake: this is not a submarine that can fly. In fact, DARPA is stating this is a flying device first, but once in water, it could work like a submarine.

In theory, when the aircraft is in the air, it could dive into the water and then operate like a standard submersible. However, I don’t think it could take a long jaunt under water, just in brief spurts of time. The biggest challenge thus far is combining the traits of both kinds of vehicles to operate properly. For instance, it would need to be light enough to fly, but heavy enough to be submerged.

[via Gizmodo]

Continental Automotive Systems are the brains behind the ‘Boss’, the heavily adapted Chevy, and they’re not really viewing this as an opportunity to pick up DARPA’s $2m first-prize. Instead, it’s seen as a test-bed for a variety of intelligent safety, telemetry and driver assistance projects that will feed back into Continental’s industry partners. Right now, they’re working on the next-gen incarnation of ABS and ESC braking, embedded telematics such as Bluetooth hands-free, security and car access control, hybrid drives and adaptive cruise control, all of which will have some aspect of the Boss educating them.

“Since there are no human drivers in the Urban Challenge, the driverless cars must “see” roads and other vehicles with cameras, lasers, radar, sensors and other smart car technologies. Planning software continuously determines where and how to drive, how to avoid trouble and how to quickly reach a destination” DARPA

Adaptive cruise control is perhaps the most entertaining of the lot, with the car maintaining not only a constant speed but a safe distance between other traffic. It can predict a potential collision, warn the driver and, if their responses aren’t deemed sufficient to prevent it, intervene itself with extra braking and directing power to different wheels.

So what’s the experience like? Crazy, that’s what. Riding in the Chevy Tahoe was both amazing and uncomfortable: unpredictable, and difficult at times to accept that this was the SUV driving and not someone directing it via remote control. Of course, most drivers wouldn’t be happy giving up ownership of the steering wheel to a computer, and so the practical applications will be more transparent. I personally can’t wait until some of the technology filters down: while I might be happy with my own skills on the road, its everyone else driving that I don’t trust!

Many thanks to GM and Continental Automotive Systems for the opportunity to experience the Boss.

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