Building and further developing robots...

For more than 450 kits visit www.bausatz.elv.de (also available in Switzerland and Austria).
The ASURO ARX-03, for example, one of the most favourite robots from this supplier, is designed for application-relevant project studies for practical use - the smart brain capable of learning.

Makes a standing start in any direction

Omnidirectional robot with radio localisation



The Fachhochschule Dortmund presents an omnidirectional robot that can be used for transporting loads in intralogistics. To meet the requirements of modern production and distribution systems for smaller transport units, the robot has been designed for transporting Euro pallets.

It is located and navigated via an innovative radio localisation system in real time which was developed at the Fachhochschule. The localisation system uses technologies that are necessary for operating a mobile robot anyway, thus saving costs. Core element of localisation is a radio technology which can be used for locating the robot besides the communication necessary for drive commands and status messages.

So the FH was represented several times at Hannover Messe Industrie 2010:

»»» http://www.fh-dortmund.de/

Cord drive allows robot's hands to act vigorously

Image source: University of the Saarland

In future robots shall rescue earthquake victims from destroyed houses or help old-aged people at home. To make it possible that robots perform the tasks of human helpers they need hands that can grab heavy objects and can put them down again very carefully. Researchers at the university of the Saarland have now developed a cord drive for robotic hands that can transmit enormous powers in a simple and space-saving manner.

The catapult of the old Romans served as an example for the artificial muscles. The engineers presented this innovative miniature drive on the research stand at Hannover Messe from 17 to 24 April 2010. The project is a part of the EU project Dexmart. The project started two years ago with the goal to develop better robotic hands. Eight universities and research institutes in Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain participate. The university in Naples is responsible for the coordination.

»»» http://www.dexmart.eu/

The next generation

of window cleaning - is the robot:



Further information:

»»» http://www.urakami.co.jp/en/05/09.html

What is a ROV?

Image source: Wikimedia

A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a tethered underwater robot. They are common in deepwater industries such as offshore hydrocarbon extraction. An ROV may sometimes be called a remotely operated underwater vehicle to distinguish it from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the air. ROVs are unoccupied, highly manoeuvrable and operated by a person aboard a vessel. They are linked to the ship by a tether (sometimes referred to as an umbilical cable), a group of cables that carry electrical power, video and data signals back and forth between the operator and the vehicle. High power applications will often use hydraulics in addition to electrical cabling. Most ROVs are equipped with at least a video camera and lights. Additional equipment is commonly added to expand the vehicle’s capabilities. These may include sonars, magnetometers, a still camera, a manipulator or cutting arm, water samplers, and instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration and temperature.

»»» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/


A robotic submarine is undergoing final preparations to dive to the deepest-known part of the oceans.

If successful, Nereus will be the first autonomous vehicle to visit the 11,000m (36,089ft) Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean.

Only two other vehicles have ever visited the spot before, both of them human operated.

»»» http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8035499.stm

If it's to be a bit more professional

"For 15 years I had been looking for the ideal programming language for robotics. Until I found LabVIEW..."

But what is LabVIEW?

National Instruments launched LabVIEW Robotics 2009, a new version of the graphic system design software providing a standard development platform to design autonomous robot control systems.

»»» More information: www.ni.com/labview/whatis/

If somebody wants to make me a present

The perfect present for robot scientists

Nao is the elf-sized, cutting-edge robot every scientist wants for Christmas. He's the most versatile research robot on the market. Antenna checks out his credentials and finds out how scientists lucky enough to have snapped him up are experimenting in the lab...

More information:

»»» www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

»»» www.aldebaran-robotics.com

I'd rather build my own little helper

Image source: www.nncn.uni-freiburg.de

With LEGO Mindstorms it's a child's play...

thanks to research it can walk quickly and slowly:

Scientists from Göttingen have developed an autonomous walking robot which can use different gaitsdepending on the situation by means of "chaos control"...

»»» http://www.nncn.uni-freiburg.de/

There's something going on in robot town

Image: Gaetan Lee / Science Museum

Are we on the way to robot town? The Science Museum in South Kensington shows what robots are capable of today:

»»» http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/robotplayground/


And the site has an interesting blog about other scientific issues and questions as well:

»»» http://sciencemuseumdiscovery.com/blogs/collections/



Rover 'Jet 1', 1948 (Science Museum / Science & Society)