There have been a few trends emerging at CES. One of which is the celebrity endorsement. Justin Bieber is surely the perfect choice to unveil an ugly piece of garbage that flails its arms and legs while trying to emit a song or two.
Liquid Robotics has sent four of its unique unmanned maritime vehicle (UMV) Wave Gliders on trips across the Pacific Ocean. Two Wave Gliders will be going to Japan and the other two to Australia. Along the way they will collect over two and a quarter million discrete data points from the following onboard sensors:
Fumiyuki Sato a defense researcher for the Advanced Defense Technology Centre has built a spherical spy drone that looks like something out of a futuristic film noir. It is black, round and can chase thieves and spy in windows. Yikes!
In an effort to reduce labor costs, and remove the uncertainty of a restive work force with a penchant for jumping off company buildings, Apple’s primary contract manufacturing partner plans to radically increase the number of robots it uses. With most of the people out of the picture, does it matter where they make them?
Google has quietly (at least until now) built up a small fleet of Toyota Prius passenger cars and modified them to drive without the aid of human beings, though there are always some there anyway.
Robots playing humans at soccer? One day possibly, and I wouldn’t put it past the robots to beat us puny humans, either.
Not literally, although maybe one day, soon, when The Matrix becomes reality.
There are now more than 8.6 million robots in the world. Which is about the same as the population of Austria.
Much of our technology including green technology is becoming more and more intelligent. Washing machines can sense the size of a load of laundry and adjust water levels accordingly. Car transmissions can sense the need for changes and adjust quicker than their drivers can improving gas mileage. As our technology gets more intricate and intelligent, scientists are beginning to worry.
Advances in technology are generally good for the human race. They help keep us alive longer, make our lives more fulfilling, and generally make the world a much more entertaining place to live. Which is all well and good while we’re in control. The problem is with the continuing evolution of AI (Artificial Intelligence) we may not always be in control.
Toyota has tested a wheelchair that can be partially controlled through thought alone, with no need for body movement. It’s a way of using a new technology which drastically reduces the time it takes for a machine to read human brain waves.
A pair of NASA astronauts performed delicate repairs to an ailing Hubble Space Telescope in a mission that was judged a success despite a number problems with Hubble’s hardware.
Boeing has breathed new life into an old project by adding some new technology and thinking to the mix and voilà, the unmanned Phantom Ray is born, based on the company’s X-45 experimental aircraft.
Shades of the Beatles “Yellow Submarine”. In this case, no one lives on this yellow submarine. This sub is robotic and will be used to study the causes of the accelerated melting of the Pine Island Glacier in the Antarctic.
NASA has announced that the next generation Mars mission, originally planned for 2009, has been delayed for at least two years. A series of technical problems and cost overruns will force a delay until the year 2011, and will result in at least $400 million in added costs, the space agency said at a briefing at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The delay could possibly result in some layoffs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has stopped sending signals back to Earth after five months. Scientists believe it has likely frozen to the robot equivalent of death.
Honda has developed and introduced a cybernetic device which is used to help support body weight and reduce stress on the legs and knees. Although the bulk of Honda’s presentation of the device was aimed at assisting factory workers, there are obvious implications for others among the rapidly aging population of our planet. The mechanism is specifically designed support the weight of the body, reduce stress on the knees, help getting up steps, and staying in crouching positions.
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