One of the challenges emergency response workers face when trying to deploy a robot into a hazardous setting is getting the robot where it needs to be. Sometimes it's best to throw a robot into a debris-filled room or building, but robots have to be on their wheels or treads, or they're not functional. Researchers have developed a robot known as AGRO that can be thrown into an environment and always lands on its wheels.
It's been a few years since we last saw Tesla's faintly-disturbing robot snake charger in action, but if you assumed Elon Musk had forgotten about the time-saving gadget, think again. Teased in late 2014, and then shown as a functional prototype in mid-2015, the "solid metal snake" robo-charger promised to rescue drivers of the EVs from having to plug in their car manually to charge.
If you've been looking for a pandemic hobby, NVIDIA might have just the ticket, with the new Jetson Nano 2GB promising a one-box gateway into robotics and AI development. Announced today, the new starter kit costs less than sixty dollars but still gets access to the CUDA-X software and tools that pro-developers are using to create smarter robots and artificial intelligences.
There's a TV series in the making right now that involves characters from the RoboCop movie franchise. RoboCop, the 1987 movie directed by Paul Verhoeven, the movie that had two sequels: RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3, the movie that had one reboot: RoboCop (2014). Now there's an idea in the mix for a TV series that'd be a prequel to RoboCop... so... no RoboCop.
Though IFA 2020 is a lot different from previous shows, the event is still happening in some regard and companies are still announcing new products. One such company is Neato Robotics, which today announced three additions to its lineup of robot vacuums - the Neato D10, D9, and D8.
One of the biggest challenges facing researchers who are working on small robots is how to power them. The problem is that most batteries add significantly to the weight and take up lots of space inside small robots, making them impractical. Scientists have come up with a robot called the RoBeetle that doesn't use a battery, instead relying on liquid methanol for power.
A newly introduced home robot called Pumpkii is made specifically for pet owners (assuming they have a dog or cat, that is). The robot promises a variety of functionality that enables it to keep pets entertained, help owners interact with their pets from a distance, and more. One of the robot's most unique features is an extension arm equipped with a scoop for cleaning litter boxes.
This summer I've been testing several lawn mowers, the most unique of which is this robot from WORX. This is the WORX Landroid M robotic mower, a fully automated, cordless, rechargeable battery powered piece of equipment that'll do all your work for you. The biggest obstacle you'll face is setup, and that's pretty straightforward if you follow the directions step-by-step.
The United States Army has detailed the development of a new dialogue system that enables humans and robots to hold conversations. The new systems enable 'fluid communication' between soldiers and AI, according to the US Army, which refers to its new capability as Joint Understanding and Dialogue Interface (JUDI). By enabling conversations between humans and machines, officials say the two will be able to work together 'at operational speeds.'
Ford has released the hounds into its factories, setting two Boston Dynamics Spot robots loose to survey its Van Dyke Transmission Plant. Part of the robot-maker's newly-expanded lease program, Ford's goal with the two quadrupeds is to create a 3D digital scan of the facility that's both faster and cheaper than the old method.
The Amazon Scout delivery robot introduced last year is rolling out into new markets, Amazon has announced. After successful tests in California and Washington state, the company will deploy its Scout rover in certain southern markets, including Atlanta. Amazon Scout will make deliveries from Monday to Friday, using sensors and other advanced tech to navigate itself.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have been able to teach robots to pick up transparent or reflective objects. This has been a challenge for robots in the past, and the way researchers have addressed the issue is to teach the robots to infer shapes from color images. Picking up transparent and reflective objects has long stymied robots, but the new system promises to alleviate that issue.