This Robotic Hand Stays Cool by Sweating

A new robotic hand has a surprisingly humanlike way to cool off: it can sweat. This isn't a traditional all-metal construction bot, in which case oozing water would probably mean something’s going wrong, or pose a threat to the electronics inside. The sweaty robot, described in a new study in Science Robotics, is made of flexible hydrogels. Hydrogel robots, also called “soft” robots, are useful because they’re less dangerous—say, for example, a factory worker hits their head on one—compared to colliding with something made of metal. But soft robots also come with a different set of engineering challenges.

How robotics can be extremely beneficial to warehouse business

There is no doubt that warehouse robotics can increase the efficiency of human workers in more than one way.

Especially when it comes to moving heavy products and transporting them to far-fetched locations, there would perhaps be no better alternative than warehouse automotive solutions.

In today’s fast-moving e-commerce scenario, supply chain officials often tend to come across several logistics challenges.

Particularly, meeting all-inclusive demands of consumers requires utmost dedication from the operator’s end.

The robotic fry cook Flippy is getting a new look

Miso Robotics, the designers of the world’s most popular robotic fry cook “Flippy,” is giving their burger-flipping, french fry-prepping robot a new look.

The company has designed a new installation for its robotic arm that slots under the hood above a fry station instead of planting the robot on a kitchen floor.

It’s a move that’s designed to save space and improve efficiency as the company starts pitching its robotic chefs to quick-service restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King around the country.

Miso’s move comes even as other startups attempting to automate the preparation of everything from pizza to burgers are getting burned. Zume, the formerly high-flying would-be robotic pizza maker and packaging company, recently had to lay off a chunk of its workforce, and Creator, the automated burger prep restaurant, is still operating from a single location in San Francisco two years after its launch.

From home to healthcare, here are Robotic innovations transforming lives

From home, healthcare and manufacturing to transportation, education to the environment, robots have already touched almost all aspects of our lives. With rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and numerous other technologies, robots are becoming more capable, and affordable. Here are some of the robotic innovations that, in the not-so-distant future, will become widespread and change the way we live and work forever, making lives more convenient and meaningful. Delta Air Lines, in partnership with Sarcos Robotics, has developed a first-of-its-kind wearable robotic exoskeleton, the Guardian XO, a battery-powered industrial robot combining human intelligence with the power of machines.

‘PigeonBot’ brings flying robots closer to real birds

Try as they might, even the most advanced roboticists on Earth struggle to recreate the effortless elegance and efficiency with which birds fly through the air. The “PigeonBot” from Stanford researchers takes a step toward changing that by investigating and demonstrating the unique qualities of feathered flight. On a superficial level, PigeonBot looks a bit, shall we say, like a school project. But a lot of thought went into this rather haphazard-looking contraption. Turns out the way birds fly is really not very well understood, as the relationship between the dynamic wing shape and positions of individual feathers are super complex. Mechanical engineering professor David Lentink challenged some of his graduate students to “dissect the biomechanics of the avian wing morphing mechanism and embody these insights in a morphing biohybrid robot that features real flight feathers,” taking as their model the common pigeon — the resilience of which Lentink admires.

Legal considerations when it comes to robotics in surgery

There are currently a number of surgical robotic systems on the market, ranging from the da Vinci Surgical System (used for a wide spectrum of surgical procedures, including urology and gynaecology procedures), to Smith & Nephew’s Navio Surgical System and Stryker’s Mako Robotic-Arm (both used for orthopaedic surgery), and CMR Surgical’s Versius surgical robotic system, which is used for laparoscopic procedures.

The use of robotics for surgical procedures undoubtedly has a number of potential benefits, such as making clinical care better, faster and safer; however, equally, there are a number of risks that need to be considered by the manufacturer and supplier of the robotics, the purchaser, as well as by the clinicians and patients.

Robots on the Set

Intelligent robotic cameras that automate live transmission are used on stages, racetracks, and playing fields, operate autonomously - and provide a perfect TV experience. The camera pans evenly to follow the figure skater, smoothly zooming in as she pulls away and slowing down as she changes direction. A skilled hand with the camera? Yes. However, the hand isn’t human. The camera movements are generated by an intelligent robotic system. The system is backed by technology developed at Seervision, a spin-off from ETH Zurich that produces systems for automated video production that are capable of learning. The core of such systems is their image-analysis software, which is capable of recognizing and classifying people and makes sure that the cameras follow their movements. An expansion of the algorithm to other subjects is in planning.

Do We Really Need Robots in Our Kitchens for Convenience?

I was unable to attend CES this year, and as such, I missed a bunch of robot stuff. LG showed off a mock restaurant with a robot cooking food and making pourover coffee. Samsung demoed a concept robot that was billed as an “extra set of hands” in the kitchen that could grab items, pour oil and even wield a knife. IRobot, maker of the Roomba vacuum announced it too was developing robotic arms to load dishes or carry food to the table. And of course, who could forget the robot that makes raclette melted cheese.

There are other companies out there looking to do much the same with robot arms. Sony has showed off its multitasking kitchen robot vision of the future before, and Moley has been touting this type of technology for years now.

Again, I wasn’t at CES, so I did not see these robots in action, but my inital response to robot arms swerving around a kitchen is why? Are these robotic ambitions the best way to gain greater convenience in the kitchen, or do they just make things more complicated?

Mobile Robotics to Drastically Change the Traditional Use of Automation and Robotics

Over the period of time we have strived to upgrade technologies in order to make our lifestyle more comfortable. We have introduced automation and robotics in order to reduce the manual labor required in manufacturing and production industries. Mobile robotics is one such application of robotics that develops movable robots around freely in a physical environment. These mobile robots are generally controlled with the help of software or by integrating sensors and relay circuits in the robots. These sensors can be used in identifying the surrounding environment of the robots and send information to the internal circuits. These circuits can then be programmed to give suitable responses with respect to the surrounding. These robots are a complex integration of physical robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) that helps the robots to freely navigate their surroundings. Mobile robots with the help of AI can now flawlessly work on any environment like air, underwater, or land and have gained absolute mobility even under extreme conditions. This has helped the production and manufacturing industries to reduce the human interaction at hazardous sites ensuring the safety of humans. Furthermore, the sensors in these mobile robots have significantly increased the perception ability and adapting to the environment accordingly.

Robots: Now coming to a workplace near you

"Digit" the robot can balance on one foot, navigate obstacles and fold itself to fit into the back of a car. One other thing — Digit can also use its arms to carry and deliver packages straight to your door, and even ask for help if a problem occurs along the way.No wonder that a big company like automaker Ford has purchased two of the robots to explore how the technology, developed by Agility Robotics and presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, might be used in a warehouse setting and for delivering goods. Indeed, an increasingly sophisticated generation of robots is proving capable of doing a wide range of jobs, from bringing you toilet paper to flipping burgers and performing surgery.   Most experts say robots will increasingly complement flesh-and-blood workers by taking over certain tasks, rather than replacing them wholesale. Others fear that widespread automation will kill jobs. But what's clear is that robots are marching into the American workplace. Here are just a few of the jobs and industries experts say could be transformed along the way.

The hottest thing in robotics is an open source project you've never heard of

According to recent LinkedIn data, artificial intelligence (AI) jobs are up 74% while data science jobs are up 37% since 2015. Perhaps less visible, but emerging quickly in importance, are the robots increasingly powered by that data science. Small wonder, then, that the second-hottest job in LinkedIn's analysis is the robotics engineer, experiencing growth of 40% since 2015.

While the open source projects behind the rise of data science are reasonably well known (e.g., TensorFlow and Keras, among others), most people aren't aware that robotics is also heavily influenced by open source and, in particular, by the Robot Operating System (ROS). Given the importance of ROS to the swelling open source robotics community, it's worth learning a bit more about it.

The Robot Operating System was born at Stanford

ROS has been around for over 10 years and has tens of thousands of developers building packages for it. In fact, according to ABI Research, roughly 55% of the world's robots will include a ROS package by 2024.

Samsung’s knife-wielding robotic chef is all flash

Samsung’s knife-wielding robotic chef is all flash

Last year, we asked whether Samsung was getting serious about robotics. A year later, we’re not any closer to answering the question. This year’s presser played out roughly the same as last on the robotics front — all flash and little productizing to show for it.

Samsung’s approach to robotics thus far appears to be the model of many other big electronics companies. It’s flirtation with a technology that brings some sense of showmanship to the stage and booth. There’s no better example than Bot Chef. I got a preview of the tech in Samsung’s booth this week, pitched as “an extra set of hands in the kitchen.”

You can’t fault the technology for not being ready for prime time, at this point, of course. That’s not really the point yet. The question, however, is how serious Samsung is about bringing a pair of robot arms to kitchens across the globe to sauté tofu and liberally apply Sriracha. I would love to say “very,” and that the different demos were things the company was actively pursuing delivering on these products.

How Well Can People Work with Robots?

How Well Can People Work with Robots?

Critics say that this kind of human-machine cooperation has its problems. They say that keeping up with the pace of the new technology is hurting human workers’ health and morale.

Beth Gutelius studies urban economic development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has spoken with warehouse operators around the U.S.

She said human burnout is a problem in warehouses where robotics and artificial intelligence, or AI software are being used. She said that is because the robots add more work and increase the pressure on workers to speed up their performance.

Recently, reporters investigated injury rates at Amazon warehouses. They found that robotic warehouses reported more injuries than those without the machines.

Reporters with the Center for Investigative Reporting’s website Reveal studied records from 28 Amazon warehouses in 16 states. They found that the rate of serious injuries was more than two times the warehousing industry average.

Amazon, however, says that it is misleading to compare its rate with other companies. That is because the company says it has an “aggressive stance on recording injuries no matter how big or small.”

Airbus acquires MTM Robotics, which makes aircraft-building systems in Boeing’s backyard

Airbus acquires MTM Robotics, which makes aircraft-building systems in Boeing’s backyard

Airbus says it has acquired MTM Robotics, a Seattle-area company that provides automated systems for aerospace manufacturing, for an undisclosed sum.

MTM’s headquarters are in Mukilteo, Wash., just a few miles from Boeing’s Everett factory. But MTM has had a close connection to Boeing’s European archrival: For more than a decade, the company has provided light automated robotics systems for Airbus’ manufacturing facilities.

As an subsidiary of Virginia-based Airbus Americas Inc., MTM will retain its current leadership and 40-employee staff at the 10,000-square-foot Mukilteo facility, Airbus said today in a news release.

“We are pleased and excited to become a part of the Airbus family, and look forward to further integrating our products and approaches into the Airbus industrialization chain,” MTM founder Mike Woogerd said.

Since its inception in 2003, MTM, formerly known as Mobile Tool Management, has deployed more than 40 aerospace manufacturing systems — including machines, tools and software — throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In addition to Airbus, its customers have included Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Robot to transform safety in the petrochemical industry

Researchers have introduced the first ever Friction Stir Welding Robotic Crawler for the internal repair of pipelines, increasing the safety of those in the petrochemical industry.

The development of the first ever FSWBot, Friction Stir Welding Robotic Crawler for internal repair and restoration of pipelines, is designed to revolutionise the way industries deal with pipeline issues.

After being showcased in Aberdeen in November, the FSWBot project has been attracting attention from around the globe.

Peter Routledge, Forth Engineering Project Manager, said: “We are getting a lot of interest and inquiries about the FSWBot from across the globe. Interest is really building, including from Saudi Arabia, America, Canada, France and Spain.”

The technology will feature in a presentation at a Transformative Robotics for Industries day at the 4th Annual Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) UK and Ireland Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) Chapter Conference held at the University of Manchester on January 22.

An FSWBot presentation will also take place at an Offshore Pipeline Technology Conference in Amsterdam in February 2020.

And it will also be displayed at Friction Stir Welding International Symposium in Kyoto, Japan in May.

What are the main types of robots used in healthcare?

What are the main types of robots used in healthcare?

Types of robots used in healthcare Surgical Robots

Major manufacturers are increasing their R&D efforts within robotic surgical systems. The overall market is currently dominated by Intuitive Surgical, but the landscape is rapidly changing. The entrance of major manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson and Medtronicare is bolstering the medtech surgical robotics market.

There are specific product lines from each company focusing on individual therapeutic areas for minimally invasive robotic surgery. For example, the da Vinci System is a general surgical robot focusing on a myriad of surgical procedures in urological, bariatric, and gynaecological surgical procedures. Additionally, the MAKO System from Stryker specialises in orthopaedic surgery, specifically partial and complete knee replacements.