Saturday, May 9, 2020

Inspired by cheetahs, researchers build fastest soft robots yet -- ScienceDaily

Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, researchers have developed a new type of soft robot that is capable of moving more quickly on solid surfaces or in the water than previous generations of soft robots. The new soft robotics are also capable of grabbing objects delicately -- or with sufficient strength to lift heavy objects.

"Cheetahs are the fastest creatures on land, and they derive their speed and power from the flexing of their spines," says Jie Yin, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper on the new soft robots.

Publisher: ScienceDaily
Reference: (Read more) Visit Source



Were you following this:

Full Page Reload
Publisher: IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News
Twitter: @IEEESpectrum
Reference: (Read more) Visit Source



With commencements moved to virtual realm, one school experiments with robots

Thunderbird School of Global Management used avatar robots so students could still "walk" across the stage.

Colleges across the country are grappling with how to make their spring commencements more meaningful for students and parents disappointed about not being able to attend in person. With ceremonies moved to virtual formats due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one institution went out of its way to make its event stand out.

* * *

"To be honest, my team thought I was completely crazy," said Sanjeev Khagram, the dean and director general of Thunderbird School of Global Management, at Arizona State University . "I was like, 'I want robots, we've got to do robots!'"

Reference: (Read more) Visit Source



Just in Time for a Contactless World, Keenon Robotics has 6,000 Food Server Robots Already in

As restaurants across the country start to reopen, one question we’ve been asking is, assuming people will even want to go back into restaurants, how will they want to be served? Will customers want their server to wear a mask or not wear a mask? Which is less off-putting?

Another third option that may become increasingly common is having a robot server in your restaurant. Autonomous robots can shuttle food and empty dishes to and from the kitchen, they don’t get fevers and they’ll never cough anywhere near you or your food.

logo
Publisher: The Spoon
Date: 2020-05-08T13:00:00 00:00
Twitter: @TheSpoonTech
Reference: (Read more) Visit Source



Other things to check out:

To climb like a gecko, robots need toes: Robot designers take heed: adjustable hairy toes help

Robots with toes? Experiments suggest that climbing robots could benefit from having flexible, hairy toes, like those of geckos, that can adjust quickly to accommodate shifting weight and slippery surfaces.

Biologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics observed geckos running horizontally along walls to learn how they use their five toes to compensate for different types of surfaces without slowing down.

Publisher: ScienceDaily
Reference: (Read more) Visit Source



Covariant raises $40 million to bring robots to low-tech industries | VentureBeat

Covariant today announced the close of a $40 million series B funding round to bring its robotic control systems to additional industries and create more systems capable of picking, placing, and unloading objects in warehouses. Until now, Covariant has focused its efforts on ecommerce picking robots in highly automated warehouses. It may be best known for its work in robotic grasping , the task of picking up objects with a robotic hand or gripper.

The startup — whose founders met at OpenAI and the University of California, Berkeley — has raised $67 million to date. After emerging from stealth earlier this year with support from deep learning luminaries like Geoffrey Hinton, Jeff Dean, and Yann LeCun, Covariant stated that the Covariant Brain system is capable of picking and packing some 10,000 items with 99% accuracy.

Publisher: VentureBeat
Date: 2020-05-06T13:00:18-07:00
Twitter: @venturebeat
Reference: (Read more) Visit Source



Happening on Twitter

No comments:

Post a Comment