Next! But first let the robot wash your hair...

Panasonic's hair washing  robot... no need to tip it!

"Panasonic Tests a Hair Washing Robot

Panasonic recently demonstrated the first ever robotic hair washing machine which is now being tested at a hair salon in Japan and might replace human hair washers in the future. Should hair stylists have anything to worry about?

Back in 2010 Panasonic displayed a prototype of a new type of robot that can perform a feet only humans have done so far - wash and shampoo hair. Two years later and the robot seems ready for prime time in the first robotic hair salon in the world.



The new robot utilizes a special mechanism that learns a variety of head shapes and was developed to resemble a human person giving a head massage. Initially the robot uses a large amount of hot water to loosen up the hair and apply a small amount of hair gel and shampoo to the user. The next step for the robot is to wash the hair using water coming from a number of small nozzles and then moving on to massage the scalp by applying 24 robber "fingers".


The fingers can be finely moved using separate independent mechanisms for a comfortable fit to any head size (the robot uses a special arm that can extend to support different head sizes). There are 8 fingers on each side plus 8 fingers at the base of the scalp. The robot also sprays a special hair conditioner in the form of a mist that spreads uniformly across the hair. In the final stage the robot gives the user a full and relaxing head massage while blow-drying the hair.


According to Panasonic the applications of the robotic hair washer go far beyond normal hair salons. Hospitals as well as nursing homes and care facilities are prime candidates for the hair washing robot which can help reduce burden on the stuff and cut costs while providing an important service for the patients..."

Read the full article at its source: http://thefutureofthings.com/news/11453/panasonic-tests-a-hair-washing-robot.html


Student Focus Question(s): Yes, it's a cool idea, but does the world need a hair washing robot? Would you let a robot wash your hair? Who could take advantage of this technology? Do you see any problems with this?

After thinking about this, you can enter your response using the "Commnets" function, below (to the left of the envelope and pencil icons). Feel free to identify your school and/or class....

Finally, a robot that can flex when it has to!

"Most humanoid robots developed over the past few decades have had stiff joints, and that's a problem if they're ever going to interact with people. Their unyielding arms and legs could injure a person if they accidentally whack someone, or if they lose balance and fall down. Lately there's been a growing interest in developing robotic joints with variable stiffness, which would improve their safety, but so far few groups have built a complete robot. Now a team from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) is approaching that goal with their robot COMAN (COmpliant huMANoid).

Modeled on a four-year-old child, COMAN is 94.5 cm tall (from foot to neck) and weighs 31.2 kg. It features 25 degrees of freedom (DOF), and a combination of stiff and compliant joints (see diagram below). The compliant joints (14 DOF) rely on series elastic actuators. These actuators—a custom design created by the IIT team—are applied to the the flexion/extension of the arms and legs, and are both small and modular, which makes them ideal for multi-DOF robots like humanoids. The researchers have also built custom torque sensors for each of the elastic joints, including a 6-axis force/torque sensor for the ankle joints. Development of the robot is funded, in part, by the European AMARSI project..."

Read the full article at its source: http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/iit-coman-humanoid-robot

Student Focus Question:s What does this development in the desing of robots tell us about the design of human bodies? Can you think of other ways that robots need further development before they can interact with humans  effectively? Submit your thoughts using the "Comments" feature of this blog, below (to the left of the envelope and pencil icons).  Ffeel free to include the name of your school, class, club, etc.) .....................................................................................................
Click on book cover for information on Getting Started with LEGO Robotics.

Anyone who works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too) This books explains it all!

Check out ROBOTICS for TEACHERS Podcast
www.roboticsforteachers.com

Better watch yourself around this KIA robot!

Student Focus Questions: What does this commercial tell us about our society's attitudes about robots?
Would a real robot interpret the tire kicking customer's actions this way? If you were programming this robot, how might you change its behavior?

Submit your thoughts using the "Comments" feature of this blog, below (to the left of the envelope and pencil icons). Ffeel free to include the name of your school, class, club, etc.)
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Click on book cover for information on Getting Started with LEGO Robotics.

Anyone who works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too) This books explains it all!

Check out ROBOTICS for TEACHERS Podcast
www.roboticsforteachers.com

Robonaut 2, The Robot Astronaut

"Robonaut 2 Team Receives AIAA Robotics Award


The NASA team behind Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, has been awarded the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Automation and Robotics Award for 2013. AIAA is the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession

Robonaut 2, or R2, is a dexterous humanoid robot built and designed at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Sent to the International Space Station in 2011 with the intention of aiding astronauts on dangerous tasks and freeing them from some the more mundane work, upgrades to the R2 system continue to produce novel advances in the field of robotics

“The R2 development team is an incredible group of talented people and I am so proud that the team has been recognized with this prestigious honor,” said Dr. Myron Diftler, Robonaut Principal Investigator at NASA Johnson. “To be acknowledged this early in our planned activity on ISS is especially notable. This award from our peers gives us increased confidence that R2 is on a track to even more success as we move towards mobility inside, and then outside the International Space Station...”


Read the full article at its source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/robonaut.html

Student Focus Question: What do you think will prove to be the greatest advantage to NASA and the space program of having robot astronauts? Submit your thoughts using the "Comments" feature of this blog, below  (to the left of the envelope and pencil icons). Feel free to include the name of your school, class, club, etc.)

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Click on book cover for information on Getting Started with LEGO Robotics.

Anyone who works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too) This books explains it all!

Check out ROBOTICS for TEACHERS Podcast
www.roboticsforteachers.com

Check out the Grizzly, a Robotic Utility Vehicle!

ATVs are awesome. Robots are awesome. It only makes sense that combining the two will create something that's double the awesome. And that's exactly what the Grizzly Robot Utility Vehicle does.

Made by Clearpath Robotics, it's an autonomous ATV designed to execute highly-demanding defense, mining and agricultural tasks. Billed as part-tractor and part-robot, anything you'll probably use an ATV for but are too chicken to risk your neck actually doing, like running down an army zombies or ferrying supplies over hazardous terrain, can be executed by this robot vehicle all by its lonesome.

Read the full article at its source: http://www.coolthings.com/grizzly-robot-utility-vehicle/

Student Focus Question: What type of person or business do you think would buy this machine? Why?
Submit your thoughts using the "Comments" feature of this blog, below (feel free to include the name of your school, class, club, etc.)

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Click on book cover for information on Getting Started with LEGO Robotics.



Anyone who works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too) This books explains it all!



Check out ROBOTICS for TEACHERS Podcast
www.roboticsforteachers.com

Robot Jellyfish may Keep the US Safe!

“Jellyfish 'RoboCop' will help save the world's oceans by patrolling US waters like an aquatic spy

• Jellyfish are attractive candidates to mimic because of their ability to consume little energy owing to a lower metabolic rate than other marine species

• Cyro, the robotic jellyfish is powered by a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery

• The skin is made of a thick layer of silicone, squishy in one's hand. It is placed over a bowl-shaped device containing the electronic guts of the robot

A life-like, autonomous robotic jellyfish the size and weight of a grown man is the latest weapon in the US Navy’s arsenal to guard the world’s oceans.

Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers have unveiled the prototype robot, nicknamed Cyro. It is a larger model of a robotic jellyfish the same team made in 2012 – headed by Shashank Priya of Blacksburg, Virginia, and professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech.

The earlier robot, dubbed RoboJelly, is roughly the size of a man's hand, and typical of jellyfish found along beaches…”

Read the full article at its source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2300966/Man-sized-robot-jellyfish-silicone-patrol-US-waters-aquatic-spy-study-life-ocean-floor.html

Student Focus Question: Why do you think robot designers are so interested in modeling their creations after real animals? Submit your thoughts using the "Comments" feature of this blog, below (feel free to include the name of your school, class, club, etc.)

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Click on book cover for information on Getting Started with LEGO Robotics.



Anyone who works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too) This books explains it all!

Check out ROBOTICS for TEACHERS Podcast
www.roboticsforteachers.com