Friday, May 25, 2012

MOONBOTS 2012 Contest!

I highly recommend that you check out the MOONBOTS contest! (a variety of info. below)


Moonbots is a contest that challenges teams of students and adults to learn about robotics, the Moon, and space exploration by designing and constructing a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot that performs simulated lunar missions
WIN a LEGO MINSTORMS Robot and Even a Trip to Hawaii

Important LINKS:
- MOONBOTS info.

- MOONBOTS Announcement pdf

- What's MOONBOTS all about? pdf

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Robot Lifeguard ‘Emily’ Patrols the Beach


"Robot Lifeguard ‘Emily’ Patrols the Beach"
"Lifeguards in California are testing a robotic lifeguard named Emily that could speed up rescues and save lives.

Once a lifeguard launches Emily in the water, the robot, which resembles a small motorboat, can speed across the water to a distressed but conscious swimmer to provide comfort until a human responder can arrive.


The critical moments Emily cuts off the time it takes to complete a rescue could save lives, said Capt. Remy Smith of the Los Angeles Fire Department Lifeguard Division..."


Read the full article at its source:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/05/robot-lifeguard-emily-patrols-the-beach/

Saturday, May 19, 2012

More on Mind Controlled Robots

Great audio content on this fantastic advance from NPR: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=152319326&m=152319362

Video from the Nature (magazine) article that's generated so much buzz:

And the article: "Mind-controlled robot arms show promise"
"...Two people who are unable to move their limbs have been able to guide a robot arm to reach and grasp objects using only their brain activity, a paper in Nature reports today1.

The study participants — known as Cathy and Bob — had had strokes that damaged their brain stems and left them with tetraplegia and unable to speak. Neurosurgeons implanted tiny recording devices containing almost 100 hair-thin electrodes in the motor cortex of their brains, to record the neuronal signals associated with intention to move..." 
Read the full article at its source: http://www.nature.com/news/mind-controlled-robot-arms-show-promise-1.10652

ALSO - An older video showing a similar approach:

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Paralyzed, Moving a Robot With Their Minds



Also reported in the New  York Times...

"Paralyzed, Moving a Robot With Their Minds"


"'Two people who are virtually paralyzed from the neck down have learned to manipulate a robotic arm with just their thoughts, using it to reach out and grab objects. One of them, a woman, was able to retrieve a bottle containing coffee and drink it from a straw — the first time she had served herself since her stroke 15 years earlier, scientists reported on Wednesday.

She had a smile on her face that I and the research team will never forget,” said Dr. Leigh R. Hochberg of the Department of Veterans Affairs, an author of a study reporting the achievement.


The report, released online by the journal Nature, is the first published demonstration that humans with severe brain injuries can effectively control a prosthetic arm, using tiny brain implants that transmit neural signals to a computer.

Scientists have predicted for years that this brain-computer connection would one day allow people with injuries to the brain and spinal cord to live more independent lives. Previously, researchers had shown that humans could learn to move a computer cursor with their thoughts, and that monkeys could manipulate a robotic arm..."

Read the full  artilce at its source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/science/bodies-inert-they-moved-a-robot-with-their-minds.html?_r=1&ref=health