Paralysed woman moves robot with her mind

Cathy Hutchinson has been unable to move her own arms or legs for 15 years. But using the most advanced brain-machine interface ever developed, she can steer a robotic arm towards a bottle, pick it up, and drink her morning coffee. The interface includes a sensor implanted in Cathy's brain, which 'reads' her thoughts, and a decoder, which turns her thoughts into instructions for the robotic arm. In this video, watch Cathy control the arm and hear from the team behind the pioneering study.
LINK: Youtube

Lego Robotic Arm

Uploaded by sumthinelse5790 on Feb 5, 2012 This is a model prosthetic arm made entirely of Legos. -hand movements and wrist abduction/adduction are Lego pneumatics -wrist pronation/supination, wrist flexion/extension, and elbow flexion/extension are Lego motors (Power Functions) The main purpose of this project was to accurately mimic the full range of motion of a normal human arm and hand. The secondary goal was to maximize speed and power, yet maintain a consistent ratio between the two for demonstration purposes. It is important to note that it was designed as an above elbow prosthesis, and the yellow shoulder is only meant to act as a static model. The amount of weight it can lift is limited to the shape of the object and orientation of the wrist and elbow, but it can't do much with more than a couple pounds. The controller is a rudimentary cluster of switches and joysticks. A 4-motor air compressor with pressure-regulation was made of Legos. LINK: Youtube

Functional Exoskeleton for the Disabled

(YouTube Link)
Hayden Allen hasn’t walked in five years, but in this video, he’s able to move around using a new type of exoskeleton called REX:

Called REX, short for “robotic exoskeleton”, the legs weigh 38 kg (84lb) and are individually made for each user.

The first pair is expected to sell for $150,000 (£97,600) the equivalent cost of 20 standard wheelchairs.

The inventors claim that due to the upright and mobile nature of their creation, users will not suffer the burns, scrapes and bladder infections that can come with wheelchair use.

One of the great features of this design, as you can see in the video, is that it’s fairly easy for a wheelchair user to mount the exoskeleton by him/herself.

Link, Via: DVICE, Via: Neatorama

Wired's robotic spider gallery

Wired.com has a fun gallery of robotic spiders and critters. This one, created by Stanford mechanical engineer Sangbae Kim, was based on a cockroach. It has an aluminum chassis, an electronic motor, and a power-transmission system that allows it to move up to about seven and a half feet per second. Via: Boingboing

Meet Marv, The Robotic Vibraphone

Marv is a MIDI Actuated Robotic Vibraphone created by Tim O'Keefe, Michael McIntyre, and Brock Roland at the SFSU School of Engineering.

Marv is made up by several large banks of solenoids- both for striking and dampening the keys. Marv is an extremelly well documented robot- the site has extensive technical details as well as tons of photos, links, diagrams, and videos. Go to LINK for more info, Via: Youtube

The Senster - Robotic Sculpture from the late 1960's

Today and Tomorrow has some photos and a video of a cool robotic sculpture from the late 1960s, designed by Edward Ihnatowicz. Senster would be right at home at Maker Faire!

The Senster was a robotic sculpture developed by Edward Ihnatowicz in the late 60’s. It was commisioned by Philips and part of their permanent showplace, the Evoluon, in Eindhoven between 1970 and 1974. It was the first robotic sculpture to be controlled by a computer and could react to the behaviour of the visitors with its sound and movement sensors. The computer used to control The Senster was a Philips P9201 and had only 8K of core memory. Now, almost 40 years later, every interaction student could make something like this and fit the logic in a small box. But this is still an amazing project.

The Senster (Via: Mt. Holly Mayor's Office,Via: Boingboing, Via: Youtube)



Edward Ihnatowicz was a Cybernetic Sculptor active in the UK in the late 1960's and early 1970's. His ground-breaking sculptures explored the interaction between his robotic works and the audience, and reached their height with The Senster, a large (15 feet long), hydraulic robot commissioned by the electronics giant, Philips, in Eindhoven in 1970. The sculpture used sound and movement sensors to react to the behaviour of the visitors. It was one of the first computer controlled interactive robotic works of art.

Robotic exoskeleton arms

Panasonic-owned firm Activelink Co. built this robotic exoskeleton called a Dual Arm Power Amplification Robot. The Activelink slogan is delightedly science fiction-esque: "Creating a New Human Machine Age." LINK Via: Youtube

From The Telegraph:

A team of six engineers, under Go Shirogauchi, has been working on the project since 2003 and aims to have the device, which is made of an aluminium alloy, ready to go into practical use by 2015.

"The prime use for the arm will be in disaster zones, where wheeled vehicles are unable to operate but heavy weights need to be moved," Shirogauchi said.

When completed, the arm will serve as a common platform that will have a wide range of interchangeable parts that can easily be installed. Other potential applications include in warehouses and on construction sites.

"Japanese scientists create 'Alien' bionic arm"

Paul Hoc - A Robotic Artist

Paul Hoc is the world’s first robotic artist. What it needs is just a pen, and it’ll then start drawing on a piece of paper and it’ll never get tired.

The Paul Hoc artistic robot was designed by Objetgraphik for the 2008 Saint Etienne International Design Biennial. It can move canvas creating geometric designs with near-to-perfect precision which human cannot compete. It simply looks like a small truck, with a robotic arm and a felt pen in its hand. Take a look at the video of Paul Hoc in action below:



Link, Via: Trendsupdates

Robotic Television

A flat TV panel is hidden under the bed and slides out to position itself for the optimum viewing while in bed. LINK, Via: Youtube

Robotic Dog Is Like a Real Dog, But Lifeless

Have you always wanted a dog but were unable to get one due to an allergy, totally mean parents, or some other completely legitimate excuse to keep a lovable bundle of joy out of your life? Well, good news! Technology is now making it possible for you to get a robotic version of man's best friend that improves upon the original by not soiling the carpet, needing to be taken for walks, or having a soul!
This robotic pup from Japan responds to sounds and being pet, barks, and moves sort of like a real dog. It's just like having a real puppy except not as fun. But hey, if you just can't get a real dog and have $270 kicking around, I guess this is your best option. Have a comment, will add it later when I edit. LINK, Via: Youtube