RobotNext

Weekly Newswrap for Friday, December 11, 2009

The Newswrap is back and it is moving to Fridays. 

For the past several weeks, there has been no newswrap since my weekends have been busy with various robotics events.  Because this situation may continue for the next few months, I decided that the logical thing to do was to move this feature to Fridays.  As before, stories from the week past will be featured. 

This week the stories form a medicine-related theme.  Articles ranging from robotic surgery to robotic massage can be found for the last five days.  Certainly, today’s news about a robotic technology able to operate on a beating heart is the one that gets my vote for the best of the week.  It certainly fits the mission statement of this blog:  The next thing in robots.  This advancement might mean no more need for a heart-lung machine in heart surgery.  Many complications could be prevented with a such a surgical procedure.

What is your favorite?  Look over the stories at the links below.  Let me know by leaving a comment.

French team develops robotic technology to operate on a beating heart - News-Medical.Net

If you've been waiting for the day to arrive when computers actually start performing surgery, that moment might soon be upon us. A French team has developed a computerized 3D model that allows surgeons to use robotics to operate on a beating heart ... 

(author unknown)
Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:50:00 GMT

Robots massaging your pain away - News 8 Austin

News 8 Austin  

News 8's Todd Boatwright explains how a new robot is assisting physical therapists in healing patients. The National Library of Medicine also suggests ...
and more »

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:52:14 GMT

Cyberhand Controlled via Electrodes Directly Implanted into Arm Nerves

European researchers have successfully implanted tiny electrodes directly into motor and sensory nerves of an amputee's arm stump, allowing him to move and feel sensations from a robotic hand.

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:52:57 GMT

Robotics in Action: Dr. Samadi Demonstrates a Robotic Prostatectomy on ... - Investors Business Daily

Alvarez, also the managing editor of Health News at Foxnews.com, touted Dr. Samadi as "the king of robotic surgery." Samadi, who has performed over 2,100 successful robotic prostatectomies in his practice, began working with the da Vinci robot in ...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:56:00 GMT

McKesson Unveils Pharmacy Automation System – InformationWeek 

InformationWeek
… pharmaceutical distribution centers and hospital automation solutions," McKesson said. McKesson also introduced the CytoCare Robot for improving safety, …

More: continued here

Post from: Tony Dyson Robotworld The most exciting robot community on line, sponsored by EVO2 The Unlimited Robot Promoter

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:12:49 GMT

Da Vinci Surgery Robot On Display At Augusta Mall Over The Weekend - WJBF-TV

WJBF-TV

Surgeons say the Da Vinci robot, that's already being used at Doctor's Hospital here, in Augusta, is invaluable. Dr. Rafael E. Jordan: “Through the robot we ...
and more »

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:38:35 GMT

Weekly Newswrap

For this week’s newswrap, there are four stories.  First, from Saturday, is the article about the chemical-detecting robot built by a high school student as a science fair project.  Read the article to find out how it was done.  And yes, it was made from LEGOs!  Second, there is a story on a biologically inspired robot. This one is built by the US Navy to clean barnacles from the bottom of ship’s hulls.  The BUG or Bio-inspired Underwater Grooming robot works by using suction to attach to the hull of a ship.  Third is a post on snakebots.  (I couldn’t let the week go by without a snakebot!)  Of course, it is from Carnegie Mellon and the story has great details on the snakebots developed there.  Finally, there are the Tai Chi robots from Beijing.  Watch the video to see the robots in action.

High School Student Develops Chemical-Detecting Robot - Ethiopian Review

High School Student Develops Chemical-Detecting Robot
Ethiopian Review
You made THAT with Legos!,” exclaimed the children who crowded around my robot on Public Day at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair this ...

High School Student Develops Chemical-Detecting Robot - Ethiopian Review
(author unknown)
Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:51:18 GMT

US Navy's Bio-inspired Underwater Grooming Robot

The US Navy is trying to save some money by making their ships more fuel efficient. Keeping a ship's hull free of barnacles, oysters, algae, and other marine life can decrease fuel consumption by up to 40 percent and increase speed by 10 percent. To do the job of cleaning, or "grooming", a vessel's hull, the Office of Naval Research has developed the Bio-inspired Underwater Grooming (BUG) robot (PDF format). The BUG is an autonomous robot that uses negative pressure vortex regenerative fluid movement (which civilians refer to as "suction") to stick to the hull of a ship. Four wheels drive it forward while sensors including biofilm detectors and flourometers allow it to avoid obstacles and plan paths that will take it toward fouled surfaces. The Navy hopes BUGs will be online by 2015, saving up $500 million in maintenance costs per ship while reducing the Navy's carbon footprint. The robot could also be used on non-military ships and yachts. For more info, see the ONR news release.

US Navy's Bio-inspired Underwater Grooming Robot
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:42:46 GMT

Robotic Snakes - The Future of Things

 

Carnegie Mellon's Robotic Snake 
(Source: Carnegie Mellon University) via TFOT

Robotic Snakes
The Future of Things
TFOT has previously covered the Snake-Inspired Military Robot, developed by IDF, and Serpentine Climbing Robots, developed by RoMeLa of the College of ...

Robotic Snakes - The Future of Things
Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:26:37 GMT

T'ai Chi robots to rule the world? - CNET News

T'ai Chi robots to rule the world?
CNET News
Humanoid robots developed at the Beijing Institute of Technology can do more than perform T'ai Chi maneuvers and answer simple questions ...

T'ai Chi robots to rule the world? - CNET News
Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:36:49 GMT

Weekly Newswrap

This week’s RobotNext Newswrap brings you five stories with a robot-animal theme.  In the case of the Bloodbot from Thursday, it was not built to mimic a vampire bat, the story only makes that connection to express what might be a common fear about this machine.  And, the pet care robot does not recreate an animal, it is designed to take care of your animal.  The other three stories are all about biomimetics.  There are Panda robots, a robot arm modeled after an octopus arm, and a robotic guide dog concept.  Check out the stories at the links below.

Taiwan lab develops panda robot

... of scientists hopes to add new dimensions to the island's reputation as a high-tech power. The Centre for Intelligent Robots Research aims to develop pandas that are friendlier and more artistically endowed than their endangered real-life ...

Taiwan lab develops panda robot
Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:15:51 GMT

Bloodbot combines your worst vampire and robot fears » Coolest Gadgets

Bloodbot combines your worst vampire and robot fears on Coolest Gadgets.
Coolest Gadgets - http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/

Bloodbot combines your worst vampire and robot fears » Coolest Gadgets
Mark R
Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:41:16 GMT

Acrobatic Octopus Arm Could Be Model for Flexible Robots - Wired News  

Acrobatic Octopus Arm Could Be Model for Flexible Robots
Wired News
“This is very important for robotics. If you build a robot with many degrees of freedom, it becomes very difficult to control.” said Laschi, who was not ...

Acrobatic Octopus Arm Could Be Model for Flexible Robots - Wired News
Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:47:55 GMT

Michigan Students to Develop RFID-enabled Robotic Guide Dog

After developing an RFID-enabled cane, Central Michigan University students hope to use what they've learned to create a robot that can read EPC Gen 2 tags to guide the blind.

Michigan Students to Develop RFID-enabled Robotic Guide Dog
Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:48:05 GMT

PetCare Robot Concept is Quite Worthy

Walyou

But, if you have one of these robots at home, you don't have to worry about your pet at all – the robot acts as a spare guardian of your pet. ...
See all stories on this topic

PetCare Robot Concept is Quite Worthy
Walyou
Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:59:05 GMT

Weekly Newswrap

Here’s this week’s newswrap from RobotNext.  While there is no theme to tie this report together, the robots from the posts of the last seven days are interesting and varied.  From Friday, the Japanese are at it again.  They have released a robot to help the elderly exercise.  Lately, there seems to be a new health care robot coming out of that island nation every day.  Then, there is the clothes folding robot from Thursday’s story.  Actually, this laundry bot has been mentioned in several blogs and I just happened to pick this one.  Wednesday had yet another robot that mimics nature.  Now, it is robot bees.  Built to demonstrate communal behavior, these robo-bees join the robo-ants, robo-flies, and other robo-insects crossing the line from nature to mechanical.  Tuesday’s robot is the machine every couch potato craves.  The kegerator is a beer-pouring robot.  Maybe this would be perfect for the sports fanatic who doesn’t want to miss a moment of the game.  Finally, in RoboBath, NASA has developed a way to clean and sterilize a robot of bacteria and other living organisms, so that future robotic landers going to planets or moons won’t contaminate the surface with Earth lifeforms.  Check out the stories at the links below.  Let me know what you think.  Leave a comment.

Video: Sporty robot Taizou wants the elderly to exercise

Another week, another healthcare robot coming put of Japan (and this is generally a good thing). This new model, named Taizou [JP], is ...
CrunchGear - http://www.crunchgear.com/

Video: Sporty robot Taizou wants the elderly to exercise
Serkan Toto
Friday, 11 Sep 2009 11:02:22 GMT

FOLD-E! Clothes-folding robot demonstrated at SIGGRAPH

Who wouldn't want one? Scatter your undies on the ground (if they're not there already), give FOLD-E the go-ahead, and scant minutes later, ...
CrunchGear - http://www.crunchgear.com/

FOLD-E! Clothes-folding robot demoed at SIGGRAPH
Devin Coldewey
Thursday, 10 Sep 2009 11:43:24 GMT

Robot bees mimic communal feeding - The Engineer

Robot bees mimic communal feeding
The Engineer
A Northeastern University neurobiologist is to bring his expertise in animal robotics to a five-year, $10m (£6.1m) National Science Foundation (NSF) ...

Robot bees mimic communal feeding - The Engineer
Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:01:53 GMT

The kegerator evolves into a beer robot

But we were scooped on a beer robot. The Asahi robot was part of a promotion for the Japanese brewer in 2006. The R2-D2-shaped bot would pour a tall cold ...
See all stories on this topic

The kegerator evolves into a beer robot
Pitch Weekly
Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:45:51 GMT

RoboBath: NASA Studies The Cleanest Robot in the World - Popular Mechanics

RoboBath: NASA Studies The Cleanest Robot in the World
Popular Mechanics
Two other robots are tethered to the machine to let it access terrain as steep as 85 degrees. + Bot Specs: The rover is the size of a toy wagon, ...

RoboBath: NASA Studies The Cleanest Robot in the World - Popular Mechanics
Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:57:37 GMT

Weekly Newswrap: Military Robots

This week featured a number of stories on the “Robotics Rodeo” held at Fort Hood, Texas this week.  Here at RobotNext, I decided to feature some of these posts since they were not covered here during the week.  At the robot rodeo, the point was to see what machines have been developed with the research funds the military has provided to companies over the years.  So, about 30 exhibitors showed up to display their bots.  Read the stories below to see the wide range of robots that the armed forces are looking at for future service.  Also, the one story listed below that is not about the “Rodeo” is the one from iRobot on the new contract it has received to produce more robots for the military.  It is the featured story from Tuesday.

Robots gear up for duty in 'rodeo' at Fort Hood - Fort Worth Star Telegram

News 8 Austin

Robots gear up for duty in 'rodeo' at Fort Hood
Fort Worth Star Telegram
"If a robot gets blown up, all we have to do is get another one," he said. Thousands of robots are already working in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention ...
Fort Hood shows off its robot armyTemple Daily Telegram
Photos: Robots on the road to safer convoysCNET News
Robot Gunslinger: Steady there, cowboy Mark Rutherford/CNETPopular Science
Killeen Daily Herald -ArmyTimes.com -CNET News
all 10 news articles »

Robots gear up for duty in 'rodeo' at Fort Hood - Fort Worth Star Telegram
Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:55:23 GMT

Fort Hood shows off its robot army - TDTNews.com - Temple Daily ...

Kairos Autonomi demonstrates a double bot system at the Fort Hood Robot Rodeo on Thursday. The pickup has an autonomous navigation system so it can go driverless to an area where IED activity is suspected. The tank-like robot on the ...
Temple Daily Telegram News Feed - http://www.tdtnews.com/

Fort Hood shows off its robot army - TDTNews.com - Temple Daily ...
(author unknown)
Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:29:57 GMT

Hood hosts ‘Robotics Rodeo’ - Army Times

Fort Hood, Texas, hosted a Robotics Rodeo to see what’s hot in the world of unmanned automation. The focus of the Sept. 1-4 event was to give more than 30 different exhibitors a chance to display the latest in autonomous robotics, a capability that ...

Hood hosts ‘Robotics Rodeo’ - Army Times
Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:25:00 GMT

Companies showcase robots at Fort Hood Posted On: Friday, Sep. 4 ...

By Matt Goodman FORT HOOD – They may cost millions to make, but when a robot deployed on the battlefield returns in pieces, it's hard for Lt. Col. ...
See all stories on this topic

Companies showcase robots at Fort Hood Posted On: Friday, Sep. 4 ...
Killeen Daily Herald
Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:17:27 GMT

Robots strut their stuff in military roundup

CNET News

Despite the hundreds of military robots that show up in concept or as prototypes on company Web sites and corporate reports, humans still do the fighting on ...
See all stories on this topic

Robots strut their stuff in military roundup
CNET News
Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:48:19 GMT

John Deere goes olive-drab at Robotics Rodeo - CNET News

CNET News

John Deere's R-Gator autonomous utility vehicle in the back country at Fort Hood, Texas. (Credit: Mark Rutherford/CNET) FORT HOOD, Texas-- John Deere , a household name in the Lone Star state, is hoping the brand will carry over into the market for ...

John Deere goes olive-drab at Robotics Rodeo - CNET News
Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:39:00 GMT

 iRobot Receives Order from the US Army for $35.3 Million

One of the robot’s strengths is its adaptability. It is well-suited for use by combat engineers, route clearance companies and infantry brigades. ...
See all stories on this topic

iRobot Receives Order from the US Army for $35.3 Million
Reuters
Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:18:21 GMT

Robots invading Fort Hood (Killeen Daily Herald)

FORT HOOD – The first-ever "Robotics Rodeo," which aims to encourage the development of autonomous systems in support of the nation's warfighters, is drawing the world's leading robotic designers and builders to the Texas-based event this week.

Robots invading Fort Hood (Killeen Daily Herald)
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:44:01 GMT

Weekly Newswrap: The Leftovers

Here are this week’s leftovers in no particular order.  There are seven stories that made the newswrap this week and they cover an interesting range of topics.  If there is any theme in the stories of this past seven days, it is the relationship of robots to human life. 

Starting on Monday, there is the report that showed-up in many sites all over the web.  This is the one about the robot hand that is quicker than seems robotically or humanly possible.  Go to the original Ishikawa Komuro Laboratory article and see the video for yourself.  It is amazing to watch.    Another medical robot is featured in Tuesday’s entry.  Rather than blazing speed, this robot features a gentle touch that can find cancerous tumors in patients.  And, rounding out the leftovers from the first three days of the week are the kissing robots from Wednesday.  (Okay, this may not be related to human life, except for the fact they are featured in a show that people watch.)

Thursday, there was the story on two robots designed to be nurses for the elderly or provide childcare for the young.  You can see the video at this website. Then, there is the story about the robotic nurse that looks like a giant teddy bear from Friday.  A robot designed to take care of plants on Mars (or maybe here on Earth) is the choice from the entries on Saturday.  Finally, from today, there is the high-tech wheel chair for patients that looks like something from a science fiction movie.

Take a look at all the posts from this week at the links below.

Japan robotics experts unveil sci-fi ... - Vancouver Sun

Japan robotics experts unveil sci-fi wheelchair
Vancouver Sun
Robotics and medical experts in Japan on Wednesday unveiled the prototype of a new hi-tech electric wheelchair that resembles a scooter and promises greater ...
and more »

Japan robotics experts unveil sci-fi ... - Vancouver Sun
Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:56:39 GMT

Le Petit Prince; robot to add plant life on Mars | OnlyGizmos

Le Petit Prince (or the 'little prince') is a robot concept designed to make plants from Earth sustainable on the planet Mars. The robot carries a plant.
OnlyGizmos - http://onlygizmos.com/

'Le Petit Prince' robot to add plant life on Mars | OnlyGizmos
Kunal
Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:10:28 GMT

Japanese create teddy bear robot nurse

CNET News

by Tim Hornyak Japanese researchers have created a robot nurse that can lift elderly patients from wheelchairs and beds. Naturally, it looks like a giant ...
See all stories on this topic

Japanese create teddy bear robot nurse
CNET News
Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:49:31 GMT

Caring robots learn to relate (Herald Sun)

THEY may look more like vacuum cleaners with eyes, but Matilda and Jackson are the next generation of nurses and "emotionally intelligent" babysitters.

Caring robots learn to relate (Herald Sun)
Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:45:26 GMT

The world’s first kissing robots (Crikey)

Cute AND creepy: robots Thomas and Janet are the stars of a Taiwanese robot production of Phantom of the Opera developed by the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.

The world’s first kissing robots (Crikey)
Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:56:57 GMT

Touchy Feely Robot Promises to be Gentle (and Check for Cancer) [Robots] (Gizmodo)

This won't hurt a bit! Researchers have developed a prototype robot that, through key-hole surgery, can detect cancer tumors in half the time, with less tissue damage, and with 40 percent more...

Touchy Feely Robot Promises to be Gentle (and Check for Cancer) [Robots] (Gizmodo)
Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:57:31 GMT

The Robot Hand Faster and Better Than a Human’s: The Gadget Blog ...

So the braniacs at Ishikawa Komuro Lab have developed a high-speed robot hand that can do things very quickly. Now we have at least one robot that can run decently, and at least one robot hand that can do detailed manipulation tasks ...
The Gadget Blog - http://www.everyjoe.com/thegadgetblog/

The Robot Hand Faster and Better Than a Human's : The Gadget Blog ...
Rico Mossesgeld
Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:24:12 GMT

Weekly Newswrap

This week’s wrap brings five stories.  Three of the stories are about robots and the military.  One of these robots can literally hover outside a window and peer inside.  Another can actually navigate inside your home.  What does this mean for privacy?  For the military, these robots can help in many situations of urban warfare, but for the private citizen it could be a big loss of rights.  Then, there is the story of the robot that can rescue a person by basically swallowing them into the bowels of the machine.  Finally, there is a story of a robotics store in Chicago that is aiming to have workshops to allow anyone in the area to learn about and build robots.  Check out these stories from this week. 

Robo-copter can navigate inside your home - CNET News 

This quadrocopter can find its way around interiors. (Credit: Ascending Technologies) Just when you were getting used to the idea of unmanned aerial vehicles patrolling the skies over your city, they're beginning to enter buildings. This flying robot ...

Robo-copter can navigate inside your home - CNET News
Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:15:00 GMT

Nano Air Vehicle takes flight

The Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) is a small bird-sized aircraft that uses flapping wings to fly and hover. It was developed by UAV-pioneers Aeronvironment with funding from (you guessed it) the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA). Aeronvionment is now working to improve the robot so it can fly in outside winds. From New Scientist:

Aeronvironment's flapper appears to achieve propulsion, stabilisation and control all at once using its paired wings. Details of the technology are confidential, however, under the US ITAR arms control export restrictions...
DARPA has said it wants a 10-gram aircraft with a 7.5-centimetre wingspanMovie Camera that can explore caves and other hiding places, relaying GPS data and images to base. It will need to fly at 10 metres per second and withstand 2.5-metre-per-second gusts of wind.
That goal is a long way off, but DARPA programme manager Todd Hylton says Aeronvironment is on the right track. "Progress to date puts us on the path to such a vehicle," he says.

"Hover no bother for flapping 'nano' aircraft"

Previously:

• Harvard's robotic fly takes off - Boing Boing
• DARPA seeks help designing combat robot insect hordes - Boing Boing

Nano Air Vehicle takes flight
David Pescovitz
Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:59:34 GMT

Japanese rescue robots save people by swallowing them

On one hand, you can be saved from certain death in a disaster situation, on the other, a robot must swallow you in order to get you to safety. ...
See all stories on this topic

Japanese rescue robots save people by swallowing them
Slippery Brick
Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:29:53 GMT

US military embraces robot 'revolution' - Space Daily

Robots in the sky and on the ground are transforming warfare, and the US military is rushing to recruit the new warriors that never sleep and never bleed. The latest robotics were on display at an industry show this week at a naval airfield in ...

US military embraces robot 'revolution' - Space Daily
Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:54:00 GMT

RobotCity Workshop Allows Everyone To Build Robot In Chicago Area - PR Inside

With RobotCity Workshop at www.robotcityworkshop.com they are a unique shop located in the Lakeview neighborhood just north of Belmont on Sheffield. They sell all kinds of robot kits, toys, parts, books, magazines, and novelties. They also offer ...

RobotCity Workshop Allows Everyone To Build Robot In Chicago Area - PR Inside
Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:11:00 GMT

Weekly Newswrap

At the end of another week, I found several stories deserving of a mention in this Newswrap.  There is no unifying theme to the listing for the last few days, but, of course, it was impossible to go a week without at least one snakebot article.  And, it is creepy and incredible all in one.  This robotic snake is being developed for heart surgery by researchers at the University of Pittsburg.  You can check out the video at You Tube of the snakebot being readied for heart surgery on a pig.  The rest of the articles deal with the usual array of subjects for robotics these days.  There is the one from today on RFID robots that brings up the Terminators analogy (again), and the latest robotic invention from Japan—a robot sunflower.  Make sure and check out the farming robots from the Netherlands for a great non-military application of robots.  Of course, there is the warning about killer bots within 40 years in the post from findingDulcinea.com

Rise of the RFID Robots

Sure, Hollywood's Terminators are more powerful (albeit malicious), but the Georgia robots are real. And what makes them so interesting—even fascinating—is ...
See all stories on this topic

Rise of the RFID Robots
RFID Journal
Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:03:12 GMT

Farming Robots Have a Field Day in Netherlands

But a swarm of small robots could quite possibly replace these agricultural giants in farming of the future. Wageningen University Agricultural Professor ...
See all stories on this topic

Farming Robots Have a Field Day in Netherlands
NTDTV
Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:44:17 GMT

Cardiorobotics, Developer of Snake Robot Technology, Aims to Alter ...

The future of heart surgery is in something called a snake robot, at least according to the people at Newport, RI-based Cardiorobotics. We decided to check it.
Xconomy - http://www.xconomy.com/

Cardiorobotics, Developer of Snake Robot Technology, Aims to Alter ...
Eric Hal Schwartz
Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:04:29 GMT

Sunflower robot doesn’t need sun

In this article by Tim Hornyak, he explores how it is that Japan loves its baroque, impractical machines, with Honda's zillion-dollar humanoid robot ASIMO being the acme example. ...
See all stories on this topic

Sunflower robot doesn't need sun
CNET News
Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:03:21 GMT

US Predicts Killer Robots 40 Years Away, Raises Ethics Debate

Science fiction legend Isaac Asimov predicted a world in which many robot-like machines would be an integral part of human life. ...
See all stories on this topic

US Predicts Killer Robots 40 Years Away, Raises Ethics Debate
findingDulcinea
Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:04:59 GMT

Weekly Newswrap

This week there are stories about robot flies and one story about a robot that could attract flies if it is not careful.  For the last three days there have been these stories about flies or more specifically robotic flies.  So, this week’s newswrap just had to feature roboflies.   Two of the posts that are linked to below actually cover the same research into blowflies and how they process visual information in their tiny brains.  If scientists can figure out how the flies rapidly compute the image data with the limited neurological connections they possess, then there is a possibility of applying this to the robotic version.  The last story hopefully does not involve flies, but it is possible that if the packages are not well protected, then someone’s office might be a haven for flies.  In the post at botropolis.com, the Urban Mole, as it is dubbed, could delivered mail, books, or groceries (okay,that’s just gross.  I have to say no to food through the sewers unless it is outbound to the treatment plant!).  

You can read about these stories at the links below.  Keep that flyswatter handy!   

Flies' extremely quick eyesight may inspire ultimate vision for robots (New Kerala)

Washington, August 1 : Inspired by how the blow fly's extremely quick eyesight helps to keep it from losing orientation as it makes 'lightning-fast' movements to and fro, scientists in Germany have created an unusual research environment.

Flies' extremely quick eyesight may inspire ultimate vision for robots (New Kerala)
Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:29:58 GMT

Micro flying robots can fly more effectively than flies (PhysOrg)

There is a long held belief among engineers and biologists that micro flying robots that fly like airplanes and helicopters consume much more energy than micro robots that fly like flies. A new study now shows that a fly wing that spins like a helicopter blade generates the same amount of lift as a flapping fly wing while consuming only half the energy to move the wing. This finding can inspire ...

Micro flying robots can fly more effectively than flies (PhysOrg)
Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:15:43 GMT

Blowflies Get Virtual Reality in Flight Simulator (Wired News)

By sticking flies in a virtual-reality flight simulator, scientists are tracking how the insects manage to process visual images more than four times faster than humans. The researchers hope their results will improve visual-processing systems for flying robots.

Blowflies Get Virtual Reality in Flight Simulator (Wired News)
Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:49:19 GMT

Robot Delivers Packages Through Sewers | botropolis.com

Robot Delivers Packages Through Sewers As cities get more crowded, it will be more difficult for UPS and the Postal service to get around in their trucks full of packages. So what do you do? You make like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ...
Botropolis - http://botropolis.com/

Robot Delivers Packages Through Sewers | botropolis.com
Conner Flynn
Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:04:01 GMT