UCSD to create robots that see, think and do

By Gary Robbins for the San Diego Union Tribune:  UC San Diego is creating a robotics institute that will develop machines that can interpret everything from subtle facial expressions to walking styles to size up what people are thinking, doing and feeling. The “See-Think-Do” technology is largely meant to anticipate and fulfill people’s everyday needs, especially the soaring number of older Americans who want to live out their lives in their own homes. Engineers envision robots that are so good at sizing up people, places and situations that they could help evacuate crowds from dangerous areas and pick through the rubble of an earthquake to look for survivors. The newly created Contextual Robotics Institute will be formally announced on Friday when some of the nation’s top scientists meet at UC San Diego to discuss the future of robotics. The campus has already lined up support from such San Diego companies as Qualcomm, which needs new markets for its computer chips, and Northrop Grumman, which develops unmanned aerial vehicles. “Our plan is to do the research and development that’s needed to realize robots of the future — robots that are safe, useful and autonomous in any environment,” said Albert Pisano, dean of UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering.   Cont'd...

Robotics Enter Hybrid Instruction

By Dian Schaffhauser for Campus Technology:  A doctoral program at Michigan State University has begun experimenting with the use of robots to pull on-campus and off-campus students closer together in class. The Educational Psychology and Educational Technology (EPET) doctoral program focuses on the study of human learning and development and diverse technologies supporting learning and teaching. During a spring course in 2015 all but one student participated by being present in the form of an Apple iPad affixed to a swivel robot that was stationary; one student was on a robot that could move around the classroom. As Christine Greenhow, the faculty member who led the seminar course, explained, the experiment was intended to expand beyond traditional Web presence of online students. "When you are using videoconferencing, it's very common to see all these different faces on the screen if you're here in the classroom and not really know where to look. It creates this distance between the speaker who's online and the speakers in the class," she said in a video about the project. "What if we could put online students in the classroom in a robot? How would their presence change?"   Cont'd...

Local Portland business, Virtuabotix.com, opening its brand for resale

Virtuabotix.com announces its plans to expand distribution, following recent product additions. Now over 400 unique Open Source Electronics, Robotics, and educational kits available to small businesses.

Industry Pioneer Leads National Robotics Education Foundation

Tom Atwood named Executive Director as efforts expand. Widely known and experienced in the robotics industry, Atwood is recognized for his long-time advocacy for expanding hands-on robotics education.

The Rubik and the Robot

A multi-talented control and automation team applies its mechanical, electrical, and software engineering chops to celebrate-and solve-a timeless puzzle.

Bionic Kangaroo

With the artificial kangaroo, Festo also shows how pneumatic and electric drive technology are combined in a highly dynamic system.

National Robotics Week And MATE ROV Competition

The 2014 MATE competition highlights the role that ROVs play in exploring and documenting shipwrecks, studying sinkholes, and conserving our national maritime heritage sites.

DRC SafeStop Case Study

For the Robotics Challenge, to demonstrate the robots ability to operate a vehicle, DARPA chose to use the RANGER XP 900 EPS vehicles, which were all customized for the challenge with a TORC SafeStop Emergency System.

Brain Control Becomes A Reality

The fore-runner of brain communication to a robot is Neuroprosthetics, which is an area of neuroscience concerned with neural prostheses. That is, using artificial devices to replace the function of impaired nervous systems and brain related problems.

Using Drones To Prevent Animal Poaching

These drones are solely surveyors. They must be well equipped to notice when something is out of place or detect potential threats and weapons and alert park rangers immediately.

The Savior Aerial Robot (Pars)

The Savior Aerial robot is designed in a way that it can quickly move towards drowning people by user guidance and activates its savior system. This system releases life tubes for the drowning ones.

Interview With FAMU-FSU College of Engineering: RASC-AL Competition

In this exciting competition, undergraduate and graduate students are invited to create a multi-disciplinary team to build a planetary rover prototype and demonstrate its capabilities to perform a series of competitive tasks in field tests at the NASA Johnson Space Centers Rock Yard in June 2013.

Interview With University Of Nebraska: RASC-AL Competition

In this exciting competition, undergraduate and graduate students are invited to create a multi-disciplinary team to build a planetary rover prototype and demonstrate its capabilities to perform a series of competitive tasks in field tests at the NASA Johnson Space Centers Rock Yard in June 2013.

Interview With University of Utah, "RoboUtes": RASC-AL Competition

In this exciting competition, undergraduate and graduate students are invited to create a multi-disciplinary team to build a planetary rover prototype and demonstrate its capabilities to perform a series of competitive tasks in field tests at the NASA Johnson Space Centers Rock Yard in June 2013.

Interview With West Virginia University: RASC-AL Competition

In this exciting competition, undergraduate and graduate students are invited to create a multi-disciplinary team to build a planetary rover prototype and demonstrate its capabilities to perform a series of competitive tasks in field tests at the NASA Johnson Space Centers Rock Yard in June 2013.

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