7 days of Robotics: 11-17 June 2012

We love projects taking different paths than mainstream. It often pays off to think outside the box. This week we have a such example by researchers from the EPFL (Lausane, Switzerland) that focus on making a flying robot robust to collisions instead of obstacle avoidance. They added active legs to the AirBurr, a robot from their earlier work. The AirBurr was already robust, since it deforms and does not break when hitting walls or other objects. Now, after a crash the flying robot can right up itself and takeoff, much like insects! Ideal in cluttered environment where one cannot be 100% sure to avoid collisions.

Our second story this week is also about robots in hostile environments. Such environment are often avoided by hobbyists. Not all of them actually. One of them built a robotic submarine with little resources. He simply used Lego NXT and protected the controller brick inside a plastic bag. And it works! Watch videos of this underwater robot, the AirBurr from EPFL, and much more in our weekly selection of videos.

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Videos of the Week

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News of the Week

• Robots and Components
• Business, Funding & Initiatives
• Projects and Experiments
• Events, Shows & Groups
• Robotic Software
• Misc

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Robots and Components

• Robotic grippers based on granular jamming (Video) – Robots Dreams – 17 June 2012
• An Introduction to the Arduino (Video) – Robots Dreams – 17 June 2012
• Joggobot Will Keep You Moving – Robots.net – 15 June 2012
• Robot Hand Uses One Actuator to Provide Gripping Action #DigInfo (Video) – Robots Dreams – 14 June 2012
• Go Sphero! Get Your Robot Ball Today – RobotShop – 13 June 2012
• This Little Robot Can Sure Run Its Ass Off – Plastic Pals – 13 June 2012
• BattroBorg 20 Battling Robots in Action (Video) – Robots Dreams – 13 June 2012
• Robotic Motion Control Enables Breathtaking High-Speed Video – IEEE Spectrum : Robotics – 13 June 2012
• i-SODOG Robotic Dog
• i-SODOG Robot Dog Dances, Shakes, Understands Voice Commands, and Totally Rocks! (Video) – Robots Dreams – 14 June 2012
• Breaking News: Takara Tomy Developing Robot Dog – Omnibot i-SODOG – Robots Dreams – 13 June 2012
• Robust Flying Robot Can Self-Right And Takeoff After Crash
• Insect-like flying robots self-recover after crash (w/ Video) – Phys.org – 14 June 2012
• AirBurr MAV Can Now Self-Right, Is Utterly Unstoppable – IEEE Spectrum : Robotics – 14 June 2012
• Robotic Lawnmover
• Robot lawnmowers still a work in progress – The Robot Report – 14 June 2012
• Bosch Robotic Lawnmover – Robotland – 13 June 2012
• Bosch Introduces New Autonomous Robotic Lawnmower – IEEE Spectrum : Robotics – 11 June 2012

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Business, Funding & Initiatives

• Some robotic stocks are defying the down markets – The Robot Report – 14 June 2012
• Japan to develop drones to monitor radiation – Phys.org – 12 June 2012
• New Service Robotics VC
• New Venture Fund Specifically for Service Robotic Startups – The Robot Report – 16 June 2012
• Grishin Robotics Has $25 Million to Invest in Robot Startups – IEEE Spectrum : Robotics – 15 June 2012

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Projects and Experiments

• British researchers create robot that can learn simple words by conversing with humans (w/ Video) – Phys.org – 16 June 2012
• Robotic Zebrafish Influences Real Fish – Robots.net – 14 June 2012
• NXT Drummer – The NXT Step – 13 June 2012
• Robot learns language through ‘conversation’ with people – Phys.org – 13 June 2012
• PLTW Students Integrate LynxMotion and VEX – RobotC – 12 June 2012
• Grey November – NXT driven submarine – The NXT Step – 11 June 2012
• Michael’s Macro Mouse Project – RobotC – 11 June 2012
• MicroCuber – The NXT Step – 11 June 2012
• RoboCar HV driverless R&D test vehicle can also be driven with an iPad #DigInfo (Video) – Robots Dreams – 11 June 2012

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Events, Shows & Groups

• 2012 Field Robot Event June 28th – 30th – Robots.net – 16 June 2012
• MoonBots 2012 Phase One/ Registration – The NXT Step – 14 June 2012
• TEDxFront Range – Randy Menzer – Stem to Steam (Video) – Robots Dreams – 12 June 2012
• Korea’s Got Talent, and It’s Robotic (Video) – Robots Dreams – 11 June 2012

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Robotic Software

• ROS Networking – NooTriX – 16 June 2012
• Getting Started with ROS for the NAO Humanoid Robot Tutorial – Robots Dreams – 13 June 2012
• Robotic assistants may adapt to humans in the factory, thanks to new algorithm – Phys.org – 12 June 2012

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Misc

• Robots Podcast #106: Swiss Robotics – Robots.net – 16 June 2012
• Milestone Reached in Brain Mapping Project – Robots.net – 13 June 2012
• NASA Gets Confident, Shrinks Mars Rover’s Landing Bullseye – IEEE Spectrum : Robotics – 12 June 2012
• Robot Designers: Beware of the Uncanny Valley!
• Uncanny Valley robots essay resurfaces 42 years later – Phys.org – 13 June 2012
• Toyota Retires Trumpet-Playing Partner Robot – Plastic Pals – 12 June 2012
• An Uncanny Mind: Masahiro Mori on the Uncanny Valley and Beyond – IEEE Spectrum : Robotics – 12 June 2012
• The Uncanny Valley – IEEE Spectrum : Robotics – 12 June 2012