Robots take a giant leap (w/video)

from The Sydney (Australia) Morning News

March 13, 2012 – 3:30PM

Christopher Drew

BEDFORD, Massachusetts: Ever since Rosey the Robot took care of the Jetsons in the early 1960s, the promise of robots making everyday life easier has been a bit of a tease.

Rosey, a metallic maid with a frilly apron, “kind of set expectations that robots were the future,” said Colin Angle, the chief executive of the manufacturer iRobot Corp. “Then, 50 years passed.”

Now Angle’s company is trying to do Rosey one better — . . . Read Complete Report

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from youtube

Related:

New Honda ‘Asimo’ 2011 Robot Now Smarter, Faster

 

From How Stuff Works:

How Robots Work

by

On the most basic level, human beings are made up of five major components:

  • A body structure
  • A muscle system to move the body structure
  • A sensory system that receives information about the body and the surrounding environment
  • A power source to activate the muscles and sensors
  • A brain system that processes sensory information and tells the muscles what to do

Of course, we also have some intangible attributes, such as intelligence and morality, but on the sheer physical level, the list above about covers it.

A robot is made up of the very same components. A typical robot has a movable physical structure, a motor of some sort, a sensor system, a power supply and a computer “brain” that controls all of these elements. Essentially, robots are man-made versions of animal life — they are machines that replicate human and animal behavior.

In this article, we’ll explore the basic concept of robotics and find out how robots do what they do. . . . Read Complete Article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *