How to survive in a world ruled by robots

Let’s pretend it’s the not-so-distant future. There you are, standing in the pile of rubble that used to be your home, minding your own business, when suddenly you’re confronted by a hulking humanoid robot with glowing red eyes.

9

59

Robots to revive dying dance routines

HRP-2 performing a Japanese folk routine called Aizu-Bandaisan (Image: Journal of Robotics Research)

1

0

Diode propulsion could power microbots

A new form of propulsion that could allow microrobots to explore human bodies has been discovered. The technique would be used to power robots and other devices such as microfluidic pumps from a distance.

3

0

South Korea creates ethical code for righteous robots

South Korea is drawing up a code of ethics to stop humans misusing robots – or vice versa – officials announced on Wednesday.

0

0

Robotic hand has a built-in 'slip sense'

An array of sensors lets the artificial handle manipulate objects without crushing them or letting them slip from its grasp (Image: Southampton University)

1

0

Vision-body link tested in robot experiments

This robot's leg movements have a crucial effect on the information received by its eyes (Image: Olaf Sporns/Max Lungarella)

0

0

Robot swarm works together to shift heavy objects

A "swarm" of simple-minded robots that teams up to move an object too heavy for them to manage individually has been demonstrated by robotics researchers.

0

0

Our Robot Future – Rodney Brooks

0

0

Prostate cancer patients who chose minimally invasive surgery rather than more extensive operations to remove the prostate were less likely to experience complications like pneumonia, but reported higher rates of long-term problems, including impotence and incontinence, according …

2

1

ISAAC ASIMOV'S Three Laws of Robotics need a makeover, according to a couple of AI boffins.

6

12

Scientists meeting at Asilomar say fears of technology transforming the workforce are legitimate.

1

0

These robot hands bounce a bouncy ball faster than you can believe, twirl a pencil, and catch things. You must see it to believe it. Wow.

2

1

An international debate is needed on the use of autonomous military robots, a leading academic has said.

2

1

A ROBOT that makes a morning cuppa, a fridge that orders the weekly shop, a car that parks itself.

8

11

Artificial intelligence (AI) will surpass human intelligence after 2020, predicts SciFi and AI notable Vernor Vinge who has warned about the risks and opportunities that an electronic super-intelligence would offer to mankind.

4

8

Two tech companies grapple with this challenge as they develop an autonomous hybrid vehicle that can feed itself

2

2

In response to rumors circulating the internet on sites such as FoxNews.com, FastCompany.com and CNET News about a "flesh eating" robot project, Cyclone Power Technologies Inc and Robotic Technology Inc would like to set the record straight: This robot is strictly vegetarian …

4

5

In an example of 'rewriting' insect brain circuits, Kanzaki's team has succeeded in genetically modifying a male silkmoth so that it reacts to light instead of odour, or to the odour of a different kind of moth. Such modifications could pave the way to creating a robo-bug which  …

0

0

A robot which expresses a variety of emotions has been unveiled in Tokyo. The Emotional Humanoid Robot can show off up to seven different emotions, including happiness, surprise, sadness and dislike.

1

0

Simple tasks such as walking and picking up objects are part of everyday life for people, but such mundane tasks still present major challenges for today's robots.

3

10

Ray Kurtzweil envisions a good future in the melding of man and machine. He is described as leading a cult of Singularity followers. What do you think?

0

0

A U.S. company is building a four-wheeled robot that will be able to jump over obstacles and aid military troops in combat.

2

3

The tweenbot, a cardboard-bodied, cheerful little bugger, is equipped with a flag stating its intended destination. Since it can only move forward, it depends on the kindness of strangers to guide it and remove obstacles.

1

1

Article features a soldier who crafted his own robot which he's named the prairie dog and its utility in the theater of operations.

1

1

NASA is asking the public to help name the International Space Station's next module - a control tower for robotics in space and the world's ultimate observation deck.

11

29

It has become almost a cliché to say that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have proved "how technology doesn't have a big place in any doctrine of future war."

2

0

At TED 2009, Juan Enriquez talked about the new human species emerging before our eyes. Thanks to an array of biological advances and our growing aptitude in robotics, we now find ourselves in the early days of the deliberate creation of what he called a new species.

4

7

Two Japanese companies have unveiled a security robot that can be commanded from a mobile phone to hurl a net that traps suspected intruders.

1

0

Miniaturisation of motors has not kept pace with that of electronics, leaving such tiny robots with no means to get around in the body. Now, research reported in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering has demonstrated a motor about twice the size of a human hair.

1

0

TTI, Inc. announced today that it is joining forces with the not-for-profit organization, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, FIRST, founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology.

1

0

Jacob Rosen is developing a wearable robotic "exoskeleton" that could enable a person to lift heavy objects with little effort. It's a bit like the robotic armor that has long been a staple of futuristic battle scenes in science fiction books and movies.

1

0

Japanese researchers have unveiled a robot suit designed to help reduce the heavy burden of harvesting as the nation's farm industry faces an ageing, shrinking workforce.

1

0