Finally…a self assembling robot for real. OMG!

This project introduces a new challenge problem: designing robotic systems to recover after disassembly from high-energy events and a first implemented solution of a simplified problem. The Self-reassembly After Explosion (SAE ) problem involves a system putting itself back together after being exploded. Explosion in this context is defined as the rapid, randomized disassembly of a system from a high-energy event. Vision-based guided localization is used here for self-reassembly. Integration of various communication schemes (CAN-BUS, local IR) are incorporated at the various states of the reassembly sequence (e.g., localization, docking, walking).

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I was fortunate to attend the final review as a member of the jury. A number of really interesting reconfigurable robotic projects were presented.

The central issues explored in this studio will be on Space Manufacturing which is carried out by small modular robotics at a variety of scales. Such systems will demonstrate value for three primary reasons: 1)The required quantity of structural material resources is far in excess of what can be sensibly be launched from the Earth. 2) The required civil and structural engineering tasks dictate machinery requirements far in excess of what can be sensibly launched from Earth. and 3) the requirement of fabricating the components and building and maintaining the facilities. Issues of embedded computational control structures, communication and kinetic engineering are therefore paramount. The environment on the moon will be seriously considered including: gravity, pressure, radiation, and the mass balance of resources and waste required for sustaining human life at such a scale.

see website here

Nissan produced this amazing ad for their 2006 model year. Amazing transformational objects.

If you know who made this please let me know.

Here it is, the Rob Thomas, “Lonely No More” Music Video I have been looking for forever. Amazing re-programmable space. Just leave the sound off.

If you know who made this please let me know.

I know…you have seen it a million times. Not yet a robot, but it is still so amazing in motion.

The Novint Falcon lets you control a game in three dimensions, and also lets you feel high-fidelity three-dimensional force feedback. The Falcon controller moves right and left, forwards and backwards, like a mouse, but also moves up and down. When you hold the Falcon’s detachable Grip and move your cursor to interact with a virtual object, environment, or character, motors in the device turn on and are updated approximately 1000 times a second, letting you feel texture, shape, weight, dimension, and dynamics. The Falcon lets you control and interact with games in more realistic way, allowing you to develop real physical skill and muscle memory, adding a new dimension to gaming.

see website here

Amazing talk on evolutionary robotics.

See video here

Modular robots have been originally envisioned as a universal, robust, and low cost alternative to a variety of specialized robots with fixed body structure and functions. Unfortunately, even after two decades of studies in this field, most researchers agree that these advantages are yet to be fully realized. One of the serious problems that hinders the progress in this area is the prohibitively high cost of fabrication and operation of known modular robotic systems, which limits the modular robotic community to only few specialized labs at select universities.

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This project combines modular robotics, systems nanotechnology and computer science to create the dynamic, 3-Dimensional display of electronic information known as claytronics.

Claytronics is taking place across a rapidly advancing frontier.  This technology will help to drive breathtaking advances in the design and engineering of computing and hardware systems.

see website here

There’s no more natural control interface than yourself. This robot, developed by engineer Tsuyoshi Horo at Tokyo University, watches you with an array of eight cameras and creates a 3D model of your body. If you point your finger, the cameras will recognize the shape, and send commands to the robot to respond to your gesture. It’s way cool, but it’s not exactly portable, since the cameras are stationary. It’s able to do all kinds of things besides robot control; here’s a video of someone playing Half-Life 2 with body motions:

see website here