Online Cortex Thoughts on Science and Technology

Robot’s Everywhere has a post where they show the following picture of a Tokyo Fire Department robot rescuing a dummy in a drill.

The robot appears to be dragging the victim up the ramp by his/her neck.

Very Nice!

This was #8 in a series of photos from a Boston.com News in Photographs piece.   The caption there reads:

Tokyo Fire Department’s rescue robot transfers a mock victim onto itself during an anti-terrorism exercise in the response to a radiological dispersal device in Tokyo, on November 7, 2008. Tokyo Metropolitan government conducted the exercise with eleven organisations including Metropolitan Police Department. (TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

Posted under Fun, Intelligent Systems, Lifestyle, Music, Robotics, Uncategorized

European researchers are working on an EU-funded project called HISMAR (Hull Identification System for Marine Autonomous Robotics) to develop a robotic hull cleaning system to remove marine growth from ships. Marine growth significantly increases the friction of a ship moving through water, which significantly increases the cost in terms of energy. In addition, marine growth poses an environmental hazard.

More at Robots Everywhere…

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

Posted under Entrepreneurship, Research

Two great images from the HiRISE camera!

This is the Phoenix probe parachuting into Mars’ north polar region from orbit with Heimdall Crater in the background.  A larger image can be seen at Astronomy Picture of the Day.

This image shows the Phoenix probe on the ground.

At this point, a camera under Phoenix may have found a hard icy substrate underlying the topsoil (story here).

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

Posted under Astronomy, Exploration, Mars, Robotics, Software, Space

Here is the first image back from Phoenix.

It is an image of the footpad.  Clearly, the proble has landed on a level surface.  No obvious sign of ice… yet?

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

Posted under Astrobiology, Astronomy, Exploration, Robotics, Space

During the second spacewalk of the STS-123 mission, the crew began assembling Dextre.  Dextre is the newest member of the International Space Station’s Mobile Servicing System, and will act as a repair and construction robot for the ISS’s exterior.  Dextre is enormous “standing” or rather floating at 12 feet tall.  He has an 8 foot shoulder space and two 11 foot arms!

From National Geographic News, Astronaut Garrett Reisman stated,

“Now I wouldn’t go as far to say that we’re worried it’s going to go run amok and take over the space station or turn evil or anything because we all know how it’s operated and it doesn’t have a lot of its own intelligence,” Reisman told the Associated Press last week.

“But I’ll tell you something,” Reisman said. “He’s enormous, and to see him with his giant arms, it is a little scary. It’s a little monstrous, it is.”

Dextre is provided by the Canada Space Agency, who has for years supported the robotic arm on the shuttle.

This is a video of the installation:
High resolution – 50.3 MB
Low resolution – 2.6 MB
More videos and images can be found here.

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

Posted under Exploration, Intelligent Systems, Research, Robotics, Space, Technology