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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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.

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.

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The Robotic Method of data capture is extremely fast compared to traditional methods. Depending on the arrangement of the space, the robot can collect anywhere between 70K sqft and 240K sqft in a single day.

The data collected by the robotic is extremely high resolution. The onboard sensors capture everything in the space, defining your interior space with millimeter accuracy. This data can then be transformed into very accurate CAD or GIS products.

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see video here

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AUR is a robotic desk lamp, a collaborative lighting assistant. It serves as a non-anthropomorphic robotic platform as part of my Ph.D thesis on human-robot fluency and nonverbal behavior.

The lamp’s design was conceived around an existing 5-DoF robotic arm, and is aimed to evoke a personal relationship with the human partner without resorting to human-like features. By retaining the lamp’s “objectness”, I hope to explore the relationship that can be maintained through abstract gestures and nonverbal behavior alone.

The lamp is animated using a custom pipeline enabling the dynamic control of behaviors authored in a 3d animation system, and will perform in a unique human-robot joint theater performance this spring.

website link here

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The Robocoaster is a variation on the robot arms which are used in factories to build cars. By adding seats, designers have turned a functional machine into the fastest, most unpredictable ride you’ll ever take. It can be self programmed to travel in millions of movement combinations. No ride will ever be the same.

website link here

video link here and here and here

Researchers at CMU Robotics Lab have created gravity defying robots called Waalbots. The tiny hairs on a gecko’s feet, called setae, enable it to stick to surfaces. This is due to an intermolecular attraction between the setae and the surface, known as Van der Waals forces. A team at the NanoRobotics Lab, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), has used a dry elastomer adhesive that mimics setae and enables a robot to climb walls and ceilings. However the CMU Waalbot has far greater sticking power because its fibers are twice as adhesive as the setae of geckoes.

link here

video link here