NIU Robotics Club defends ‘Most Innovative Design’ title

For the second time in as many years, the NIU Robotics Club engineered the “Most Innovative Design” at the annual AMD Jerry Sanders Creative Design Competition.“NAI” – its name originates from the acronym, Northern Autonomous Intelligence – is a 145-pound ground robot designed to navigate through a series of objective-based challenges.

In March, students from universities nationwide competed in the two-day event at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.Sponsored by Advanced Micro Devices,Former Apple exec out as COO at Leap Motion it’s the oldest continuing robotics competition in America. Last year, NIU Robotics designed and built the first successful flying robot in the history of the competition.

“Teams spend close to a year engineering robots to compete in objective-based challenges,” said mechanical engineering major Kevin McNary, president of the NIU Robotics Club.“This year’s challenge included picking up flexible cones and soccer balls within a 50-foot-long course,” McNary added. “After spending hours debugging and programming the robot, the competition finally arrived. NAI was tested in the pit area and worked beautifully.”NAI is equipped with an intelligence program that allows separate control systems to talk with each other and coordinate tasks. The robot is controlled by a foam controller consisting of two buttons marked “Start” and “Kill.”

“NAI uses a front facing camera and laser optical sensors to track the position of the cones on the ground. The arm design of NAI is fully controllable with a feedback system,” McNary said.The club also updated last year’s robot, named QUIN 2.0. QUIN’s name originated from “NIU Quad copter” spelled backward. QUIN eliminated two teams and advanced to the quarterfinal.Jerry Sanders Creative Design Competition logoThe goal of the event is to promote engineering disciplines and offer students a chance to creatively demonstrate their technical abilities. The design competition presents a well-rounded multi-disciplinary engineering challenge to future engineers.

“In just two years, NIU Robotics has grown to become a serious competitor at Jerry Sanders,” McNary said, “and plans to continue to be the most innovative robotics team in Illinois.”

Former Apple exec out as COO at Leap Motion

Former Apple executive Andy Miller left his position as president and chief operating officer of wireless computer controller maker Leap Motion three weeks ago, around the time the company was preparing to cut 10 percent of its staff following disappointing sales of its products.

Miller has become an adviser to San Francisco-based Leap Motion, a company spokeswoman said, confirming a report on Re/code.Founded in 2010, Leap Motion got enormous amounts of press when it unveiled an $80 palm-sized motion-control and motion-sensing device for controlling computers with gestures.

In fact, the number one reason for downtime in arm-mount camera applications is cables. It’s not unheard of for a $300,000 cell to go down because of a $300 cable. Fortunately, with new camera standards, robot-mounted cable management has become easier.

“Most of the large OEMs realize the importance of cable management,” says David McCain, Manager Robotic Solutions at LEONI Engineering Products & Services Inc., a cable and dress-out manufacturer in Lake Orion, Michigan. He says it’s usually the Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers that could benefit from assistance in cable management.

Leap Motion backer Highland Capital Partners even created a $25 million fund to invest in entrepreneurs and companies developing products around the company's hardware and software technology.Reviews of Leap Motion's devices were disappointing after it shipped, however, and sales were about a third of what the company hoped to achieve. As a result, the company, which grew to a peak of 120 employees, cut back on staff.

Miller remains a partner at Highland Capital Partners, which he joined after working for nearly two years as a vice president of mobile advertising at Apple. Highland is among investors who have sunk $44.1 million into Leap Motion.

Students continue work on prototype robotic arm

That’s what Sharon McCurdy remembers of the time shortly after her husband, John McCurdy, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ALS. His hands now lie furled in his lap, resting on legs that also refuse to function.

John was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, two years ago. The illness leads to the degeneration and eventual death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, according to the ALS Association. The degeneration causes a progressive loss of control over voluntary movements.

Helping patients like John was the focus of a meeting on Mercedes-Benz
 March 18 between a group of Cal State Fullerton students and the Orange County chapter of the ALS Association. The students have been working for months on a prototype for a robotic arm that could be used to aid ALS patients.

The arm and corresponding headpiece use signals from the wearer’s brain to move motors on the arm. Those motors, in turn, move the framework of the robotic limb and the wearer’s arm and hand with it.

Michael Smith, past president of IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society, worked with the students prior to the meeting to help them develop the arm to best fit the patients’ needs.

Smith said a tool like this, even in a simple form, could make a world of difference in the life of an ALS patient.

“It’s all about function,” Smith said. “What people with ALS are concerned with … is ‘What can this device do for me?’”Smith said the goal is not a perfect tool. The goal is to allow a patient to do something they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.

Mercedes-Benz

This radar-based assistance system provides the possibly distracted driver with visual and acoustic warnings of identified obstacles and prepares the adaptive Brake Assist system for precision braking. Braking is initiated as soon as the driver steps emphatically on the brake pedal.

When an impending danger of collision is identified, the COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST system calculates the precise braking force ideally needed to avoid an accident and makes the best possible use of any distance remaining. As a new feature, COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST affords protection from typical rear-end collisions in dangerous traffic situations in the CLA from a speed of only 7 km/h.

Five lines and packages which vary greatly in character are available to individualise the striking compact mid-range coupé length/width/height: 4630/1777/1437 millimetres. In keeping with the digital lifestyle of the CLA's social media-savvy target group, smartphones can additionally be fully integrated into the vehicle's display and operating system.

The CLA Edition 1 will only be available for twelve months. Among the exclusive equipment features of this model, which can be powered by any of the engine versions, the NEON ART interior with leather upholstery and black DINAMICA microfibre with yellow contrasting topstitching is worthy of mention.

Its breathtakingly sporty proportions and powerfully dynamic design idiom, with its interplay between concave and convex surfaces give this four-door coupé its unmistakable look.

The vehicle's striking features include the bonnet embedded in the front end with powerdomes and the diamond radiator grille. The light modules and LEDs behind the headlamp cover glass have been arranged in such a way as to create the characteristic "flare effect" for the daytime driving lights and indicators. This light signet defines the car's energetic appearance and shapes a new Mercedes face.

Ad Endorsing da Vinci Robot Violated U of Illinois Policies, Review Finds

An internal review by the University of Illinois has found that an advertisement in which a university surgical team endorsed a pricey surgical robot violated school policies.

Though the team acted “in good faith,” the review concluded, the episode pointed to the need for clearer rules and stronger enforcement.The review by the university system’s vice president of research followed criticism of the ad for the da Vinci surgical robot that ran in the New York Times Magazine in January.Ad endorsing da Vinci robot violated Illinois policies?  It featured a dozen members of the surgery team at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System above the headline “We believe in da Vinci surgery because our patients benefit.”

While surgical leaders at the Chicago hospital viewed their appearance in the ad as “free publicity” for their program, the review said, some outsiders saw it as promoting a commercial product. Paul Levy, the former chief executive of the prestigious Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, wrote a series of blog posts saying their actions violated hospital policies.

The ad was intended to run in 11 magazines, the review said, but the university asked Intuitive Surgical, the robot’s maker, to suspend it after Levy’s posts began appearing. The company agreed.The review found that staff members were not paid for appearing in the ad and that “there were no fraudulent attempts to hide any associations between faculty and Intuitive Surgical.”But the review also found that policies were broken.

“Based on discussions with individuals involved in the advertisement, neither the Office for University Relations, which works with the campuses to ensure consistent application of the University’s image and messages, nor the Ethics Office, was consulted regarding the participation of UIC employees in the advertisement,” said the report, which is dated March 15 but was released publicly yesterday. “Additionally, approval was not solicited from the Chief Operating Officer of the Medical Center as required by internal policy.”

Ad endorsing da Vinci robot violated Illinois policies?

University spokesman Thomas Hardy told the Chicago Tribune yesterday that employees had not been disciplined for their roles in the ad but that everyone involved is “embarrassed.”“If we had a do-over, we would do it right, or not at all,” Hardy told the newspaper. “We needed a more fulsome discussion as to what we were going to do, and what policies would affect that and whether it was something worth doing.” An internal review by the University of Illinois has found that an advertisement in which a university surgical team endorsed a pricey surgical robot violated school policies.Though the team acted “in good faith,” the review concluded, the episode pointed to the need for clearer rules and stronger enforcement.The review by the university system’s vice president of research followed criticism of the ad for the da Vinci surgical robot that ran in the New York Times Magazine in January. It featured a dozen members of the surgery team at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System above the headline “We believe in da Vinci surgery because our patients benefit.” While surgical leaders at the Chicago hospital viewed their appearance in the ad as “free publicity” for their program, the review said, some outsiders saw it as promoting a commercial product. Paul Levy, the former chief executive of the prestigious Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, wrote a series of blog posts saying their actions violated hospital policies. The ad was intended to run in 11 magazines, the review said, but the university asked Intuitive Surgical, the robot’s maker, to suspend it after Levy’s posts began appearing. The company agreedThe review found that staff members were not paid for appearing in the ad and that “there were no fraudulent attempts to hide any associations between faculty and Intuitive Surgical.”

Dubai turns to drones for firefighting

Dubai Civil Defence has bought 15 "quad-copters" – remote-controlled drones that will be used to patrol high-risk areas, such as industrial zones, to monitor and record fires. In the event of a blaze, the drones, operated from Civil Defence stations, will be used to fly around a building on fire to help determine how best to handle the situation before firefighters arrive at the scene, reducing their risk. Col Rashid Al Falasi of the Dubai Civil Defence said the drones were being trialled before being fully rolled out across the force, which was likely to happen this year. A special division of the Operations Department at Dubai Civil Defence has been set up to operate the drones. The division has two staffers, but six more are being trained.

"In case of a fire, four helicopters will circle the building," said Ali Salem Ghalaita, the head of the division. "The officer-in-charge will check the monitor and will find what they need exactly to fight the fire." There are three main quad-copters – one for patrol and checking offences, another for supporting fire-fighting operations, and the third to provide aerial shots for media activities. Each drone has a 45-minute battery life. To boost their effectiveness, patrol bikes have been equippped with special cases to carry the drones for easy deployment at the scene of a fire. Col Falasi said the Dubai Government wanted the civil defence agency to have cutting-edge technology. "Because of that, we will look at all new technology, but we must check if it has gone through proper testing first," he said.

The agency was also looking at a robot firefighter that would be produced by the end of the year by Naffco, a firefighting equipment manufacturer, the colonel said. It resembles a small firefighting vehicle and is fitted with foam, water hoses, and ventilation equipment. It can be controlled remotely by technicians from a distance of up to 15 kilometres away. The robot, named Knight Hawk, has heat sensors and a navigation system, but its Dutch developer, Geoborn, said it was only a matter of time before it became fully autonomous, with the ability to fight almost any kind of fire. Folmer Kamminga, Geoborn's managing director, said: "Most fire brigades, whether in Belgium, the Netherlands or the UK, do not allow their firefighters to enter a burning building."

If a firefighter isn't going to do that, then let a robot do it. Once there is demand for this, it will revolutionise the industry. There will be big steps in the next 10 years. I'm 66 now, but by the time I'm 76, maybe everything will be completely automated. "By the time my grandchild enters this industry, maybe all they'll need to do is to press a button and robots will completely extinguish a fire." Col Al Falasi said the civil defence force was aware of the Knight Hawk, but it would need to see more tests before it could determine whether the robot is a worthwhile investment. "For a robot, that requires them to have a trial period," he said. We don't want to buy it only for use in training, it has to work in the field and be safe.

Cyber Security with Peter Singer

Welcome to the twenty-first century! This is something that we wrestle with in the robotics world, but the problem looms in cyberspace, too. There is a vast array of both capabilities but also political, military, and business, legal, moral, and ethical questions that we thought were science fiction a generation ago, but they are now with us. And yet a century ago people back then had to figure out strange things like “horseless cars” and “flying machines.” Hopefully, we will muddle our way through in this century. The point of the book is that you simply cannot respond appropriately if you do not understand how cyberspace works, what its implications are, and why it matters.

I think of the parallel to the introduction of the horseless carriage. Many were astounded by this new thing and realized that they had to have something that they had never needed before when everyone rode horses, which was the strange thing called the traffic law. That change went beyond laws, extending to norms of conduct. In the United States, a man wrote a book about the proper way to drive a car; not technically but socially the proper way to drive. From that book we got the idea of two lanes, passing on a certain side, signaling before the turn. These were not just legal laws but also norms.

Yet, if you go back and look at it, some of the early laws on the government side were insane because they did not understand the technology. One of the early laws related to horseless carriages was that someone was supposed to walk in front of the car with a flag to let people know that it was coming. And when they got into an intersection and wanted to turn, they pulled out a flare and fired it into the sky. This made great sense in a world of horses but makes no sense in a world of cars. “There are similar proposals out there now about cyber security that one day we will look back on in the same way we do on the above example.”

“I fully understand what you are saying. It is also possible that you have exponential technological change that you will start to run into gaps between what we experience and anything that we have ever encountered before. If you, for example, start to grow brain cells, in the tens of thousands or millions and sort of create a being, it is basically going to throw a monkey wrench into all of the assumptions we have.”

In my writing, what draws my attention is exactly those game-changing technologies, these disruptive technologies, ‘killer applications,’ however they are described. These are technologies that fundamentally alter the political, military, legal, business, and ethical discourse.  We have had these game-changing technologies before in history. They range from fire, the printing press, gunpowder, steam engine, to the atomic bomb and the computer. The difference today is that with the speeding up of technological change, they are coming at us faster and simultaneously happening in multiple domains. So, we are having a tough time keeping up with Moore’s Law in IT.

Robots Have Their Own Wikipedia

Called RoboEarth, the project is intended to allow robots to share experience so they can learn from each other, with the aim of improving their interaction with humans. It works by robots (or humans) uploading information—like a map, image, or instructions for doing a task—to a cloud-based database in a machine-readable format that other robots can understand. Basically, the robots will all soon be reading each other’s minds.

“At its core, RoboEarth is a World Wide Web for robots: a giant network and database repository where robots can share information and learn from each other about their behavior and their environment,” the initiative’s website explains. It’s run by six European institutes, including Philips, the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands (where the project will be unveiled on Thursday), and four other universities, and is funded by the European Commission.

The showcase of the project, which has been in development for four years, will involve four robots using RoboEarth in a hospital scenario. “These robots will use RoboEarth as a knowledge base, communication medium, and computational resource to offload some of their heavy computation,” the team promises.

A hospital-like setting is an ideal test for the project, because where RoboEarth could come in handy is in helping out humans with household tasks. A big problem for robots at the moment is that human environments tend to change a lot, whereas robots are limited to the very specific movements and tasks they've been programmed to do.

“To enable robots to successfully lend a mechanical helping hand, they need to be able to deal flexibly with new situations and conditions,” explains a post by the University of Eindhoven. “For example ICM gets to grips with two new climbing robots you can teach a robot to bring you a cup of coffee in the living room, but if some of the chairs have been moved the robot won’t be able to find you any longer. Or it may get confused if you’ve just bought a different set of coffee cups.”

But with a shared knowledge base, the robots could learn this kind of information from each other and constantly stay updated. In a hospital example, the researchers suggest one robot could upload a map to RoboEarth (after using a sensors to scan the room, for instance) so that another could identify something like a glass of water immediately, even if it’s the first time it's set foot in the room. Or one robot could share its knowledge of conducting a task like opening a bottle of pills with all the others, so that each robot didn’t have to be individually programmed to do that. As the researchers ask on their site, “Why are thousands of systems solving the same essential problems over and over again anyway?”

ICM gets to grips with two new climbing robots

International Climbing Machines (ICM) has announced two new wall climbing robots will be joining its original Climber robot this year. Targeted at inspecting dams, wind turbines, and submarines, the MINI robot will be used to squeeze into tight spaces, while the MAXI model will be used to tackle large surfaces.

Made primarily for naval applications, the new MINI Climber weighs 20 lb (9 kg), and is about 14 in (35 cm) long and 15 in (38 cm) wide. The little robot is made from carbon fiber and epoxy to keep weight to a minimum, and carries a robotic arm that can position a laser to remove coatings from complex surfaces within confined spaces, like those found within a nuclear submarine.

ICM says it recently completed development of the MINI Climbing Robot, which will be put to work by the US Navy, but that the larger MAXI model is still under development. However, company CEO Sam Maggio tells us that the MAXI will be used to climb the exterior of Navy vessels to carry out coating removal tasks, and will be able to handle 1 in (25 mm) obstacles.

ICM started building wall climbing robots in 2001, after the owner of a industrial coatings company lamented that there was no easy way to clean large structures. The traditional method of scaffolding, scaffolding covers, and sandblasting was dirty and dangerous, creating a very hostile environment for workers high off the ground, breathing in dust, debris, and paint flecks.

To solve this problem, ICM invented the original Climber, which uses a vacuum system to stick to walls – or even overhead surfaces. Since even a smooth wall may contain obstacles, bolts, sills, or dirt, the robot needed to have some ability to deal with rough surfaces. ICM developed a thick foam rubber pad that forms a "rolling pressure seal" for the vacuum and acts as tank treads. The foam is able to handle 3/4-in (20 mm) bumps, which gives it the ability to climb brick walls, steel plates, and aircraft exteriors.

All of the ICM robots are remote controlled, operated by a worker using video cameras and a video-game type controller. A variety of cameras and sensors, cleaning systems (abrasion, sand blasting, etc.), and painting systems can be attached to the robots. Typical uses are inspection of giant wind turbine blades, cleaning the inside and outside of storage tanks, cleaning the bilges on ships and submarines, and inspecting the concrete in dams and nuclear power plants.

NASA's International Space Station

Researchers at NASA's Jet propulsion Laboratory have reportedly been experimenting with controlling robots through the use of Microsoft's Xbox One Kinect sensor and the new virtual reality headset from Oculus Rift.

According to reports from IGN, the team in question has been using the gaming technology as a means to control a robotic arm called JACO in real time. NASA says the way it works is simply by combining the position tracking from the Kinect's data readout with the rational tracking of the oculus Rift's VR sensor to create a first-person view of their operator. Once the operator is set and the view is oriented properly, the person using the system can perform simple tasks with the arm such as picking up blocks.

According to NASA, if the remainder of the tests on the technology prove successful, future applications of this system will include use aboard the Robonaut 2 humanoid on the International FAA Chooses Nevada for Drone Development Space Station. Why risk any lives with a space walk when someone can send a robot and control it with the same technology that's now found its way into countless living rooms across the world.

While Kinect is making one of its first appearances with the United State's space program, this is the Oculus Rift's second project. Previously in 2013, NASA used the technology on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They paired an Oculus Rift headset with an Omni treadmill in order to recreate the conditions and feel to give people and idea of what it's like to walk on the surface of Mars.

The video, seen below, shows the robitc arm and the Kinect/Oculus Rift system setup. After calibrating the body tracker and linking up with the headset, the person demonstrating is able to, very slowly, maneuver the arm in position to grab the block. It also has some cool in-space images of Robonaut 2. Watch the video and then tell us what you think about this emerging robot technology, all based on hardware designed for the world of gamers.