EU Commissions Swarm of Robot Fish to Sniff Out Pollution in Ports
The 2.5 million-pound ($3.6 million) contract was awarded by the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for SHOAL a project whose name looks like an acronym but isn’t, whose goal is to use robot fish to sniff out and report pollution in Europe’s harbors and rivers.
EU countries currently spend about $350 million per year on detection of pollution in its ports, but often either overlooks new sources of pollution,…
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Tagged: Autonomy, Fish, Essex university
Robot Heroics: Recovering the Dead, Catching Fugitives
On Friday a remote-operated underwater vehicle was able to locate and recover the bodies of 16 of the 16 people died in the crash of a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter off the coast of Newfoundland. The transport helicopter was ferrying 16 workers to the StatoilHydro owned Hibernia oil platform when the helicopter went down, about 55 kilometers offshore, after a distress call that said the helicopter had lost oil pressure in…
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Tagged: Remote operated vehicle
Orders Drop for U.S. Robot Makers; World Outlook Remains Strong
Orders from North American companies in 2008 were 21 percent lower than in 2007, though total revenue stemming from them dropped only 16 percent. Orders from outside North America improved the year somewhat; counting those sales, total shipments dropped only 18 percent and revenue dropped 15 percent.
Of particular concern for forecasters looking at 2009, however, was a sharper drop in orders placed by North American companied during the fourth quarter…
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Partnership Provides Autonomous Vehicles to Enable New Era of Deep Sea Research
WHOI developed and engineered the REMUS AUVs and…
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NASA UAV Test Pilot, Distinguished Astronaut and Two Technology Investors Join Astrobotic Technology
Astrobotic Technology Inc., which will pioneer the lunar frontier with commercial robotic services, today announced that four leading space and management experts have been elected to its Board of Directors.
“Together, these new board members span an enormous range of talents,” said Astrobotic CEO John Kohut, formerly a senior space manager at Raytheon Co. “Their backgrounds include top corporate management, investments and start-ups, senior NASA leadership, robotics and international relations experience.”
The company’s…
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Mars Rovers Near Five Years of Science and Discovery
NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity may still have big achievements ahead as they approach the fifth anniversaries of their memorable landings on Mars.
Of the hundreds of engineers and scientists who cheered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 3, 2004, when Spirit landed safely, and 21 days later when Opportunity followed suit, none predicted the team would still be operating both rovers in 2009.
“The American taxpayer was told three…
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Tagged: Remote operated vehicle
Braintech Inc. to Open New Multi-Purpose Detroit Area Office
Braintech Inc. (OTCBB: BRHI) will continue a strategic reorganization when the Company moves into a new Detroit-metro area office on Jan. 2, 2009 that will house its USA Engineering, Sales and Development Center and Robotic Laboratory. The new office is located in a “HUB Zone.”
Braintech, a recognized leader in Vision Guided Robotics, has hired and is in the process of hiring additional sales executives, as well as application engineers and vision scientists for the new Detroit-metro area office, which will be…
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Evolution Robotics Raises $13.88 Million from CMEA Ventures, Vodafone, Idealab and Quercus Trust
Evolution Robotics Inc., a leading robotics technology company, announced today that the company has raised $13.88 million in new venture funding. The series B round of financing was lead by CMEA Ventures, based in San Francisco, CA, with additional participation from Vodafone Ventures, founding investor Idealab of Pasadena, CA, and Quercus Trust. Evolution Robotics develops state-of-the-art robotics solutions and partners with original equipment manufacturers to integrate those technologies into new and more intelligent products. The new funds will be used for company…
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MobileRanger Outdoors Stereo Vision Brings Autonomous Robotics Closer to Reality
MobileRobots Inc announces its new MobileRanger Outdoors, a moderately priced stereo vision sensor ready for rough-duty exterior use in varied terrain and under moderately severe weather conditions. MobileRanger Outdoors means that roboticists can begin designing commercial robots that can safely operate outdoors for security, agricultural, landscaping, delivery, military and other applications.
Navigation sensors for robots—such as lasers, radar, flash lidar, high-definition lidar and stereovision cameras—often are extremely expensive and perform poorly under the harsh terrain, lighting,…
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WarBots: Latest in Military Strategy
Imagine a scenario in which one of the world’s largest oil pipelines could be guarded from attack without deploying any sort of large military force or private security personnel. Imagine if hundreds of makeshift explosives could be detected, extracted or even diffused before endangering the lives of a surrounding civilian presence. Imagine if a government could launch a full-scale military attack with only a handful of mechanical engineers and a fleet of 30,000 robots equipped with automatic firing and rocket launching abilities for land, air and sea.
Filed in: Robotics Trends Feature • Robotics FeaturesTagged: Irobot, Army
