407 replies to this topic

[Craven]

It's robotic, but it's old.

It's around 13:16

[Logically Irrational]

Everyone's probably heard about this by know, but I'll put it on here anyway.

[Prolite]

Hell yeah, Alpha Dog is awesome. I can't wait to see what this dog can do in 5 years.

[Craven]

Do you know his little brother?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUQsRPJ1dYw

[Craven]

http://www.science20...bot_brain-83231

Artificial cerebellum that can cooperate with rat brain and replace it's functions.

[Logically Irrational]

Only in Japan:

[Logically Irrational]

The International Space Station has a robot now.

http://www.computerw...n_space_station

The space agency did not say when the robot will be on the move inside the station. After nearly a year of tests to see how the robot responds on the space station and how its human counterparts react to it, Robonaut 2 is expected to perform tasks such as cleaning and basic maintenance inside the station, as well as to help astronauts outside on spacewalks.

The 300-pound robot has been in the works for about 11 years. R2 was built with a total of 38 PowerPC processors, including 36 embedded chips, which control its joints. Each of the embedded processors communicates with the main chip in the robot.

At first, the robot will be connected to a pedestal on the space station and will only be able to work in place. By the end of the year, NASA hopes to ship one or two leglike appendages to be attached to Robonaut 2, giving it more mobility around the station.

Pretty soon, we'll hopefully be getting something like this up there:

[Craven]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9aeBlU-pvo

[wjfox]

I've changed the thread title slightly, to include AI.

Here's a story in the Wall Street Journal -

Are Smartphones Becoming Smart Alecks?

http://online.wsj.co...WhatsNewsSecond

[Unrequited Lust]

Something about swarms of micro-sized robots in orbit that do stuff:

http://singularityhu...essage-for-300/

Apparently the technology is already here, they just need funding.

[Prolite]

Only in Japan:

Sorry but this is just pre-programmed crap. Not impressed.

[Caiman]

Sorry but this is just pre-programmed crap. Not impressed.

I see where you are coming from, but I suppose the real point of this is to demonstrate precision robotics on a human-sized scale. Eventually all of this will converge into humanoid robots capable of mimicking human movement and ability.

[Craven]

I'm with Prolite on this. Yeah it's impressive precision, and Asimo is mindblowing, but it's BigDog and LittleDog that get the prize and are our future. While Japan was (or seemed like) technological leader it ultimately shows that they can only perfect some concepts, but innovation is totally not their thing.

[Prolite]

This is 2011. I'm not impressed with precision programming. That was impressive back in 1999. IBM's Watson and Boston Dynamic's Big Dog are absolutely impressive. In 5 years from now, I expect much much more. And when I'm 100 years old in 2081, I expect to be talking to an android and not know whether it's human or not.

[wjfox]

This is 2011. I'm not impressed with precision programming. That was impressive back in 1999. IBM's Watson and Boston Dynamic's Big Dog are absolutely impressive. In 5 years from now, I expect much much more. And when I'm 100 years old in 2081, I expect to be talking to an android and not know whether it's human or not.

Agree totally.

[wjfox]

iRobot to cut jobs in military robots division; home robots booming

Boston Business Journal by James M. Connolly, reporter
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Home and government robot maker iRobot Corp last night reported quarterly financial results that “far exceeded” expectations, and raised its projections for full-year results for the second time in 2011.

The home robot business grew 32 percent in the quarter — with 56 percent growth outside the U.S.

http://www.bizjourna...t-earnings.html

[Craven]

[Prolite]

I like that spherical flying machine.

[wjfox]

The robotics industry is now on an exponential growth path

Several indicators point to the robotics industry being on an exponential growth path. Key enabling technologies, such as AI, energy storage, computer hardware, sensors, and actuators are steadily improving, and revenues are also increasing. Robots are now doing an increasing number of tasks that formerly could only by done by humans. Some are even starting to worry that robots may take some jobs, although others argue that the robotics industry will create as many jobs as it displaces. In an interview with Sander Olson, Qinetiq Chief Technology Officer Robert Wiesman discusses the major advances that have occurred in the robotics field during the past three decades, as well as the future of autonomous robots.

http://nextbigfuture...xponential.html

[Logically Irrational]

MIT pair: Robots taking human jobs
http://news.bostonhe...e&position=also

Computers and robots are adding more skills to their resume every year — such as translating, data analysis and driving — and threatening to push expensive, highly trained workers to the unemployment lines, according to a new e-book by a pair of MIT economists.
“Until pretty recently, machines couldn’t translate languages, they couldn’t play a game show worth a darn, and they couldn’t drive a car,” MIT Sloan School of Management research scientist Andrew McAfee, co-author of “Race Against the Machine,” told the Herald. “But innovators and entrepreneurs are going to apply these technologies to situations where we have human workers.”

http://www.zdnet.com...y-machines/2933
http://www.bostonher...ticleid=1376106