Several European universities participated in a competition on the slopes of the highest peak in Spain, Teide, on Tenerife, Canary Islands. Lunar Robotics Challenge for the European Space Agency (ESA) for days together experts in robotics. Students had to construct a robot that meet certain requirements: ability to acquire samples of a similar lunar crater, not weigh more than 100 kg, consume no more than 2 kW and not have a capacity of more than 0.5 cubic meters. In addition, the robot must be operable from outside the crater, where there is no sight or in total darkness.
Eight universities were selected: Universität Bremen, Jacobs University, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Oulun Yliopisto, Univesitá Pisa Scuola Superiore Sant'a Anna, Surrey Space Center (University of Surrey) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
The robot winner, Cesar (Robot Exploration Craters and Return of Samples), University of Bremen was the only one capable of completing the mission successfully.
Robot of the University of Bremen wins contest in Tenerife
China uses an intelligent robot for the first time on an expedition to the North Pole
The robot, called "North Pole ARV, is the first autonomous vehicle Remote (ARV, for its initials in English) developed exclusively by Chinese scientists.
China used for the first time a robot intelligence in a scientific expedition to the North Pole, as the leader of the expedition, Zhang Haisheng, quoted today by the official news agency Xinhua.
The robot, called "North Pole ARV, is the first autonomous vehicle Remote (ARV, for its initials in English) developed exclusively by Chinese scientists and used to scan the ocean in three dimensions and in real time over the issue of third country Asia to the area.
Android, whose work is under the Arctic ice sheets is the result of the "863 plan" and was created by the Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) with the China Academy of Sciences.
The associate professor of SIA Shuo Li explained that "North Pole ARV" can function autonomously, with predetermined programs or by remote control and can communicate with the surface through micro-optics.
The temperature in the Arctic depths, salinity, ice thickness and the formation of the fund are some of the data that scientists hope to get through the new machine.
"North Pole" ARV weighs 350 kg and can operate within a radius of three kilometers and up to one hundred meters deep.
Chinese scientists are developing a robot to take care of the elderly
Chinese scientists from the Institute of Technology Harbin, in north-eastern country, to finalize the details soon to launch a robot on the market designed to care for older people living alone, state media reported today china.
The robot, which cost between 30,000 and 50,000 yuan (4.000-7.000 dollars) may bring food and medicine, sounding alarms in the event that the house has leaks of water or gas, or send text messages to family and Video friends and even sing songs or play chess.
The apparatus of 1.6 meters in height, could be in stores within two or three years, according to the official stressed Xinhua Li Ruifeng, one of the project.
The development of this project was commissioned by the Chinese Government to address the problem of rapid population aging china, one consequence of the one-child policy. The country has 159 million people over 60 years, 12 percent of the total population and the limited success of nursing homes in the country makes it necessary, as estimated by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, some 10 million social workers and nurses to care for this population.
A robot-suit for the elderly and disabled
TOKYO .- A Japanese company introduced a spectacular event in Tokyo, a robot costume, a sort of cyber external skeleton which provides the movements for the elderly and the physically handicapped.
When the user finally packed the invention, known as Hal, his strength is increased significantly so that its creator, Yoshiyuki Sankai, who has a cree in commercial services to the elderly.
The robot, similar to that of many Japanese manga mills themselves, may also be used in rehabilitation programs for persons with physical disabilities, as they do not need much force to move it. Hal is equipped with several sensors that sense the movements of the body, which help users to perform actions that they could not carry out alone.
The robot suit also facilitates movements like getting up from a chair. (Foto: EFE)
The presentation event, held at the Japanese Ministry of Science, was a demonstration of the amazing capabilities of Hal, manufactured by the company Cyberdyne. A political test
Sankai called the secretary general of the National Institute of Science and Technology, Yoshitsugu Harada, to lift his left arm with sacks of rice as I could. Harada said just the second sack, and that each package weighed ten pounds.
Professor Sankai subsequently placed in the three packages of the robot arm, wearing one of his colleagues, who endured the weight of 30 pounds without any effort.
Japan is one of the countries where the population is aging rapidly, it is estimated that the sector of services for the elderly will live a significant flowering. During the prior explanation of his project, Professor Sankai recognized that the anime (Japanese animation) inspired some stage in the development of robot-suit Hal.
The project of the robot: the end of the world is very close
One of my work, which I dedicate these months, is a project to be funded by the EU robots. Is classified in priority projects of the European Commission in the field of new technologies and innovation.
Researchers from 5 countries and 8 cities in the EU come together and try to create a kind of advanced autonomous robot-controlled camera and wifi networks. So far, centers in this field are Japan and United States. So I think the EU is trying to create a new center in Europe to compete with both countries and wants to take the lead in this field in the twenty-first century.
I find it interesting in the two following points:
1. The European Union takes this project to a common standard across countries and create a new platform. Each country has its own language for programing and using its protocol. To work with all countries and increase the productivity and competitiveness, it is necessary to unify standards and models. I believe that this project was created for exactly that through the long-term strategic planning.
2. On the strategy of using robot in Japan, it is thought that the robot used for household use. In United States, it is considered that the robot is for military use. This generates a question: in Europe, does the robot to serve? I believe that the robot has a role in the European public space. One of the characteristics of the city is, above all, the use of public space. This character, very strong, the city differs from other continents. Therefore, the identity of the robot in the EU must have a character related to public space.
The videos below are examples of robots invented by United States and Japan. Are the characteristics I mentioned above. But when I saw I had and I am afraid that the end of the world is already very close!