The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition has developed a novel exoskeleton designed to stop muscle and bone density loss caused by long stays in a zero gravity environment. Known as the Grasshopper, the suit would be worn by astronauts while they exercise in space. It’s worn much …
Read More »Monthly Archives: January 2015
Care-O-Bot 4 Delivers Food, Assists with Cooking and Cleaning
In need of a robot butler? The latest version of the Care-o-Bot is coming soon! The Care-O-Bot 4 is a rolling bot designed to help around the house or work in the service industry. It’s customizable, too, with six plug and play components. So customers can request …
Read More »A Robot To Handwrite Your Letters
Handwriting is truly a dying art. In many schools, cursive is no longer taught. If you still appreciate handwritten notes, or have clients who do, consider HelloBond.com. The robots at Bond are experts are handwriting, with real pen and ink. Simply type your message, send it …
Read More »A Reliable, International Power Supply for Single-Board Computers
A poorly made power supply can wreak havoc on a robotics project, particularly one that uses USB power. If the cable is too long, made with narrow gauge wire, and the project requires a lot of current, the adapter might not provide 5V reliably. This can cause brownouts …
Read More »Bat-Inspired Robot Features Wings that Adjust to Walk
Researchers in Europe have developed a robot that can fly and walk, by rotating wing segments. Named after one of the project’s lead researchers, Ludovic Daler, the Deployable Air Land Exploration Robot (DALER) features a unique design inspired by vampire bats. Triangular segments on the outer edge of …
Read More »New Robot Helps NASA Build Lighter, Stronger Parts
A new robot at NASA will help the space agency develop stronger, lighter materials for aerospace vehicles. The multi-million dollar robot, called the Integrated Structural Assembly of Advanced Composites (ISAAC), is one of only three worldwide. “It changes how we look at composites,” saysBrian Stewart, integration …
Read More »Add a Capacitive Touch Screen to Your Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi lovers will likely remember the old PiTFT Mini Kit resistive touchscreen, which required a stylus. This new kit, available from Adafruit, can be used with your fingerpad! Featuring at 2.8″ display, the new PiTFT Mini Kit offers 320 x 240 16-bit color pixels. The screen …
Read More »New Glass Could Make Longer-Lasting Batteries
Chemists and materials scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new kind of glass they say could significantly improve batteries. The research team says the new material — vanadate-borate glass — could be used as the cathode to double the life of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. “One major …
Read More »BeachBot Creates Huge Pictures in the Sand
Disney Research and ETH Zürich teamed up to create an artistic robot that draws in the sand. BeachBot uses a rake with individually adjustable tongs to create lines in the sand, drawing abstract art and Disney characters. Three special balloon tires move the bot along with beach without a …
Read More »A 5 Megapixel Camera for the pcDuino
Upgrade the video capabilities of your pcDuino with a new camera! The tiny device captures 2592 x 1944 active array video and images. Connecting the 5 megapixel camera is easy, as it plugs right into to any pcDuino V3. The module’s onboard OV5640 image sensor is …
Read More »Hummingbird Duo Premium Robotics Kit
This beginners robotics kit from Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab features lots of pre-wired sensors and motors that can be easily connected — no soldering required. That makes the kit perfect for anyone starting out in robotics, from age 10 to 110. The kit includes light, sound, …
Read More »Robots Practice Exploring Mars Using Volcanos on Earth
Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are set to send more robots into volcanos. VolcanoBot 1 has already explored Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano and built 3D maps of fissures inside. Now NASA says VolcanoBot 2 will be tested later this year. Lighter and smaller than its predecessor, …
Read More »Trobo Robot Tells Stories About STEM
Little kids love stuffed animals. Two dads, Jeremy Scheinberg and Chris Harden, decided to take advantage of this fact and design a plushy that would inspire kids to explore STEM concepts. Their toy, Trobo is designed to work in tandem with an iPad or iPhone. Once a wireless connection …
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