05/01/12 — Hyderbad, India—Scientists plan to equip a robot with artificial intelligence, auto navigation and facial detection features in the next two phases. Eventually, the budding scientists want to enable its operation through an android phone.  Such a Robotic Command System would come in handy for commandos, police personnel and firemen. It would also be fitted with infra-red camera to capture thermo-graphic images. In the event of people becoming unconscious in a smoke-filled room due to a fire in a building, the robotic device would quickly locate them and ensure speedier evacuation. A remotely-operated Robotic Command System, which can provide real time…

04/17/12 — White House: Office of Science and Technology—Today, at a ceremony with OSTP Director John P. Holdren, the Naval Research Laboratory opened the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (LASR), a new facility located at the NRL’s main site in Washington, D.C.  NRL has served the Navy and the Nation for almost 90 years, and is responsible for scientific and technological breakthroughs such as GPS, deep ocean searches, radar, and systems for the identification of “friend or foe.” LASR will support cutting-edge research in robotics and autonomous systems of interest to the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Department of Defense, such…