Category Archives: Robotics

Mimicking biological neuromuscular systems sensory motion requires the unification of sensing and actuation in a singular artificial muscle material, which must not only actuate but also sense their own motions. These functionalities would be of great value for soft robotics that seek to achieve multifunctionality and local sensing capabilities approaching natural organisms. Here, we report a soft somatosensitive actuating material using an electrically conductive and photothermally responsive hydrogel, which combines the functions of piezoresistive strain/pressure sensing and photo/thermal actuation into a single material. Synthesized through an unconventional ice-templated ultravioletcryo-polymerization technique, the homogenous tough conductive hydrogel exhibited a densified conducting network and highly porous microstructure, achieving a unique combination of ultrahigh conductivity (36.8 milisiemens per centimeter, 103-fold enhancement) and mechanical robustness, featuring high stretchability (170%), large volume shrinkage (49%), and 30-fold faster response than conventional hydrogels. With the unique compositional homogeneity of the monolithic material, our hydrogels overcame a limitation of conventional physically integrated sensory actuator systems with interface constraints and predefined functions. The two-in-one functional hydrogel demonstrated both exteroception to perceive the environment and proprioception to kinesthetically sense its deformations in real time, while actuating with near-infinite degrees of freedom. We have demonstrated a variety of light-driven locomotion including contraction, bending, shape recognition, object grasping, and transporting with simultaneous self-monitoring. When connected to a control circuit, the muscle-like material achieved closed-loop feedback controlled, reversible step motion. This material design can also be applied to liquid crystal elastomers.

See the original post:

Somatosensory actuator based on stretchable conductive photothermally responsive hydrogel - Science

Photo: Saint-Cyr Cotquidan

Boston Robotics Spot quadruped robot seems to be hitting the battlefield with a group of French Army trainees in a series of drills and simulations that explore how these currently unarmed robots could work side-by-side with humans.

The soldiers-in-training used Spot for various reconnaissance tasks during a two-day trial of the technology.

As reported by news outlet Ouest-France, Spot and some robot friends are supplying intelligence and support for ground troops. The other robots included the French-made pack robot called the Nexter ULTRO and Shark Robotics Barakuda, a wheeled drone that carries a heavy blast shield to protect the students.

The tests, which took place in late March, were part of a project by the cole Militaire Interarmes school at a French army camp Saint-Cyr Cotquidan.

Four students carried this applied research exercise project to three scenarios: an offensive action with the capture of a crossroads, a defensive action by day and then at night, and urban combat, said Cotquidan engineer Grard du Boisboissel. Spot apparently ran out of battery during one of the exercises and had to be carried home.

G/O Media may get a commission

This is neither the first nor likely the last time soldiers use robots in battlefield training. Google acquired Boston Dynamics in 2013 and although there hasnt been much information on the robots military usage, the company allegedly took military funding over the years. Further, robotic quadrupeds from China-based Unitree Robotics appear to be readying for battle, according to a recent report. The test in France, however, seems to be the first time Spot has been seen in a true military setting. Luckily, the French havent armed this little fellow yet although its not like people havent tried.

Read the original:

The French Army Is Testing Spot the Robot on the Battlefield - Gizmodo

Hello! Welcome to the Orlando Robotics & Makers Club!

We are working to build a strong Robotics & Maker community in Central Florida. Glad you found us!

If you met us at Maker Faire Orlando, click here (http://www.meetup.com/Orlando-Robotics/pages/Orlando_Maker_Faire_Info/) to learn more.

We love to share our knowledge of robotics, 3D Printing, radio controlled airplanes, micro-controllers, and other Maker projects. Our members have a variety of skill sets ranging from newbies, students, graphic designers, technical editors as well as mechanical, electrical and software engineers. We all share a common passion for making fun things and have begun to collaborate on projects such as our Maker Faire exhibits. We welcome your new ideas and hope to get folks excited about making and continuously improving our group.

We are passionate about strengthening the community by increasing STEM / STEAM skills (i.e., Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math), for all people, and supporting education for everyone... preschoolers through retirees.

Come join us and please suggest events, projects & topics of interest.

There is no cost to join and there are no dues.

You can learn how to do most everything from fellow members.

We meet the 2nd Saturday of every month in the Melrose Tech Center, on the 2nd floor of the downtown Orlando Library... and sometimes at the MakerFX maker space... please check the specific meeting for the location and time.

Hope to see you at the next meetup!

Kevin Hines

Orlando Robotics & Makers Club: http://www.meetup.com/Orlando-Robotics

FAQs:

Where should I park my car when meeting at the downtown library?

I park in the city-owned parking garage, which is directly across the street from the entrance to the downtown Orlando library, on Central. It cost $2 per hour to park there, but it is so conveniently located, for me, it's worth paying that... There is also some free parking on the streets, but that's hard to predict.

Where is the meeting located within the library?

The meeting location is on the 2nd floor, inside the library... go up in the elevator or take the stairs, to the 2nd floor, and you will see the "Melrose Tech Center"... walk in, stop at the reception counter, tell them you are here for the Robotics & Makers Club meeting... the reception person will point you to the club meeting location, which is about 50 feet from the Melrose reception desk.

When do people arrive?

Some of us arrive about 30 minutes before the actual meeting start time, but you are welcome to come and go as you want.

What are the rules?

We are very informal, there are no dues, and the only actual "rule" is that children under 16 years old need to be with a parent at all times. I recommend signing up on the Meetup page, so that you will receive meeting announcements. Other than that, please have fun, share your knowledge and your work with others and enjoy learning!

What's the difference between Making/Makers and Crafting/Crafters/Crafts?

I don't think there is a difference... To me, making ANYTHING is making/crafting... Please bring your crafts, and share your crafting work with the rest of us Crafters/Makers. 🙂

What should I bring?

Please bring any projects you are working on that you'd like to show folks... every meeting we have "show & tell" time during the meeting, where each person has a few minutes to share their projects if they'd like... you can also ask for help, share news items, etc.

I look forward to your participation!

Kevin

Go here to see the original:

Orlando Robotics & Makers Club (Orlando, FL) | Meetup

2021 Summer STEM Camps On-Site

TechPlayzone Summer STEM Camp will be held during the month of July onsite at Center Place and Fine Arts Center in Brandon for rising 2nd - 6th grade campers. Each week on-site camp topics include: coding, robotics, and Minecraft for Jr. engineers. Camps are Monday - Friday from 9am - 12noon for $150 per week. Campers rotate as small groups through Zones and enjoy drones, robotics, Minecraft, and game design each day. Covid-19 precautions are in place for camp for the safety of our students and staff.Staff members have documented processes for cleaning all equipment, chairs, and tables during our camps. Additionally, all campers and staff members will wear masks according to CDC guidelines.Register Today! TechPlayzone camp is where bright and creative kids play to learn.

Virtual camps are half day from 3pm - 5pm Monday-Friday.Minecraft Camp / Roblox - $150Game Design / Minecraft - $150Robotics Camp - $285- campers will receive a robot to keep.Register online today for Virtual camp in a 3D reality environment.

Continue reading here:

TechPlayzone - Coding, Science , Technology, Engineering ...

After losing thousands of jobs to the pandemic downturn, robotics and automation could slash hundreds of thousands more oil and gas jobs around the world and sharply reduce labor costs by 2030, according to Norwegian energy research firm Rystad Energy.

At least 20% of the jobs in drilling, operational support and maintenance could be automated in the next 10 years, Rystad said Monday, with U.S. employment needs reduced by more than 140,000 workers, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The industry has already seen significant job losses. Nearly 60,000 oil exploration and production jobs in Texas were lost in 2020, as the global pandemic caused an unprecedented oil crash. Nationally, the oil and gas industry lost an estimated 107,000 jobs during the pandemic, according to global consulting firm Deloitte.

The use of robots is already emerging as a low-cost alternative in the offshore industry, where they can stay underwater permanently and easily access places that are difficult to reach for submersibles remotely operated by humans.

But their use in inspection, maintenance and repairs is where robotics has gained the most traction in recent years. For example, the self-propelled robotics arms developed by Kongsberg Maritime and used by Norwegian operator Equinor can travel longer distances and carry out subsea maintenance and repair in confined spaces.

Drilling, which is costly work and involves dangerous tasks in challenging environments, also stands to be upended by robots. See the full story.

Read the original post:

Robots could replace 140,000 US oil and gas jobs over next 10 years - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

The Manchester Machine Makerswon the Think Award at the Vermont FIRST Tech Challenge Championship against more than two dozen other teams in the robotic design, build and program competition.

The Manchester team, which formed in 2019, won the Think Award, which is one of the competition's seven judged awards that "primarily focuses on the team's use of math and science to drive its engineering design process," said Mike Cole, one of the team's coaches. The Manchester team took second place in the same category last year.

The Manchester team members joined other area students from the Bennington and Hoosick, N.Y., areas to competed in this year's Vermont FIRST Tech Challenge Championship, a competition that involves designing, building and programming robots to tackle scorable objectives.

The state championship, held electronically March 13, marked the culmination of a season that began this past September when the year's design challenge was unveiled and teams began meeting to conceptualize their robots, which in the competition are tasked with carrying out tasks both autonomously and with operator assistance. Teams consist of up to 10 students in 7th through 12th grade.

The Manchester team's members for the just-concluded season were Charlotte Ruley and Taylor Jarvis, both juniors at Burr and Burton Academy; Isaac Vernon, a ninth-grader at BBA; Aleks Rutins, an eighth-grader at The Dorset School; and Jason Giedja, a seventh-grader at Long Trail School. Meg Ruley was the team's other coach, and its mentors were Bob Ruley and Patty Rutins.

The team, a chartered 4-H Club by UVM Extension, recruits students in the Northshire and is open to new members. Its corporate sponsors are: Engineered Printing Solutions of Vermont, the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering, PTC, GoBilda, REV Robotics, and TPW Real Estate.

In addition to the team-level award, team member Charlotte Ruley was selected by competition officials to represent the state as one of two "Dean's List Finalists" this season. The recognition means that Ruley is a candidate among other state and regional finalists for one of 10 Dean's List Award spots to be chosen by FIRST, the nonprofit that oversees the worldwide competition.

Cole said criteria for the individual award includes academic performance and evidence of personal commitment to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as reflected by outreach to professionals in STEM-related fields, educators and other students.

Ruley, whose work this season for the Manchester team focused mainly on hardware design, said she and other team members met with other teams to seek and offer advice, and participated in an online show-and-tell event. Though participating in the competition is "the hardest thing I do," she said, the "gracious professionalism" and cooperative nature of the event makes it fun.

The number of Vermont teams in the competition this season more than doubled over the previous season, which Cole said could be attributed largely to a $40,000 grant from FIRST to Generator Makerspace, of Burlington, in partnership with UVM.

The teams from Bennington and Hoosick, N.Y. were among this new crop; both started to form in November, according to Chris Callahan, a coach of both teams and UVM professor.

Because of the coronavirus, leading up to the championship, the teams convened regularly as a group and in one-on-one, coach-and-student meetings through Zoom, Callahan said. It wasn't until February, weeks before the big event, that some team members met each other for the first time.

Callahan said that as an engineer he has been working on remote teams for more than two decades and that, in his view, the student teams being compelled to collaborate in a similar fashion served as a potentially useful lesson.

"This is what they will see in the workforce," he said.

In a statement, a spokesman for Engineered Printing Solutions, one of the Makers' sponsors, praised the team as "the manufacturers of tomorrow."

"We see in our own business that automation and robotics will increasingly dominate the manufacturing environment of tomorrow and indeed are already making tremendous inroads today," said marketing manager Peter Baldwin. "EPS remains committed to developing a 21st-century workforce right here in Vermont, as our growth as a company depends upon being able to draw from a qualified local labor pool."

The Manchester team worked remotely from November to early March before convening in person for a few days at the Manchester Village Courthouse, a meeting space made available by the town of Manchester.

As the team's prototype came together, the group found a way for team members to operate the robot from a remote location, said Cole, who added that, as far as he knew, the Makers were the only Vermont team to set up such a capability.

Both Callahan and Cole stressed that would-be participants don't need to be STEM wunderkinds to join one of the robotics teams.

The need for teams to recruit talent, fundraise and manage progress could make it appealing to kids interested in start-ups and entrepreneurism, Cole suggested, and the sports-like nature of the competition might appeal to athletes.

"There is room for growth in so many ways," said Callahan, who added that the project shouldn't be seen as "just 'the robot club'" but instead as a means of working on a team.

The Manchester team is holding a virtual open house at 1 p.m., Friday, April 2 to recruit new students to join the team. Students interested in registering for the event can visit tinyurl.com/mmm-questions.

The team's email address is ftc16221@gmail.com and its website is manchestermachinemakers.github.io.

More here:

Manchester robotics team captures Think Award | Local News | manchesterjournal.com - The Manchester Journal

AI-based robotics coming to a home near you.

For decades, a certain order structured the world of automation. Robots, most recently those powered by AI and Big Data, worked in factories, while humans enjoyed the benefits of their labor where we live and work. This traditional human/AI robotics divide will surely remain for some industries. No one is installing an industrial robot in their garage to build a caryet. But the human/robot gap may soon dwindle, if not collapse, all because of one robotics expert who loves wine and was housebound due to an illness.

That last sentence might have thrown you for a loop. What could being a wine lover, an oenophile, to use the technical term, have to do with accelerating technology? The short answer is well, everything, and it has been that way for at least 8,000 years. Incredible leaps in innovation have regularly occurred just because people tried to make better wine and keep it drinkable for longer.

Dont believe me? The Greeks developed the Amphora, the ubiquitous jar powering the ancient seaborne trading economy, in large part to transport wine. Meanwhile, the wine bottle as we know it today has its roots in first century A.D. Roman glass innovations were designed to (you guessed it) protect wine while showing it off to the world. This means the smartphone screens and computer monitors we all rely on owe their existence in some part to wine.

But the wine industrys relationship with tech isnt just something relegated to the ancient past. Winemakers around the world are embracing robotics and AI technology in similar ways to their industrial counterparts, replacing raw steel with soil and sunshine, and grapes for finished goods. Bordeaux-based winery Chteau Clerc Milon uses a vineyard robot to collect soil data and pitch in on weeding. Palmaz Vineyards in Napa Valley harnesses Big Data to produce the perfect bottle, and some Australian winemakers are using machine learning to manage inventory and prevent contamination.

But these are industrial applications like the familiar factory robotics and AI systems we all know. Crossing over to the home environmentlike so many technical innovations throughout historyis the result of a special person being placed in special circumstances. The person in this case is automation expert Mark Chaney, and the circumstance was his housebound recuperation from a serious illness.

Before this event, Chaney founded Calvary Robotics in 1994. For more than 25 years he has helped Fortune 500 and high-growth startups integrate robotics and AI into production lines. But several years before COVID-19 left many stuck in their house, Chaney found himself confined for six weeks as he recovered from a serious blood disorder. Despite strict orders from his doctor not to work, Chaney isnt the sort to relax and watch TV. Instead, he created inventions to bring robotics into the home. One of these proved so popular he built a company to market the idea, and WineCab was born.

A longtime wine aficionado, Chaney wanted to utilize his other passion for robotics. As a result, he generated a system for storing wine in perfect conditions and delivering the selected bottle on demand. This is accomplished by a state-of-the-art six-axis high-speed robotic arm, the first industrial-strength model intended for home use. Built using collaborative robotics technology, it can safely work around humans. (Even a small robot arm can pack a wallop capable of dropping Iron Mike, but collaborative robotics, combined with multiple cameras and safety sensors, keep WineCabs system safe.)

The first to see WineCab in action outside of Chaneys family were 20 guests who attended a party celebrating his recovery. Mesmerized by the robots fluid movements, they watched it deftly select a bottle and dispense it for the crowd. Some attendees compared what they saw to fine art. Actually, the system does a type of performance piece not typically found in the home.

To be sure, if inventively dispensing bottles of wine is all there is to WineCab, that may be where the discussion would enda high-tech wine vending machine doubling as an ingenious parlor trick. But the robot arm only scratches the surface of the system. WineCabs real power is the AI bringing the system to life.

As is often the case, necessity is the mother of invention. This was true for Chaney. A wine lover for years, he still had not developed a deep knowledge of this complicated subject. After enough friends had stumped him with their wine questions over the years, he resorted to printing laminated cards listing the bottles he owned. Also, recognizing how only a few well-heeled individuals could ever afford to have their own sommelier on personal staff, Chaney set out to equip his home wine system with an AI-powered virtual sommelier.

Like its human counterpart, WineCabs virtual sommelier can suggest food pairings for wine and make personalized recommendations based on your tastes. How? Well, believe it or not, wine is a perfect application of AI and Big Data. A human expert working in a restaurant may be able to build food pairings based on 100 labels, but can they handle 10,000? Probably not.

WineCabs system, on the other hand, can track data on 600,000 labelsand countingdrawn from their partners at Delectable, an app for oenophiles. This makes sense. One of AIs greatest strengths is its ability to discern meaningful patterns from vast amounts of data. This information is also helpful to humans in key ways. The system presents a wide range of content for each bottle, educating owners as their collection grows.

In spite of such benefits, WineCabs domestic entre forces us to consider the biggest problem with robotics and AI. Will these innovations replace people? In the manufacturing world, thought leaders are trying to figure out how AI-powered robots and humans can collaborate in a positive sum game.

Already, the supersonic business jet company Aerion Supersonic uses machine learning for digital twinning, what might be thought of as an AI-driven sandbox environment for designing and testing applications that would cost fortunes in the real world. As Tom Vice, Aerions President/CEO explained to me, Im opposed to machines replacing humans. We look for opportunities to create synergies between machines and humans. In the end, we want to improve peoples lives through advancements in our technology.

Meanwhile, in the home environment, Chaney believes WineCab can improve peoples lives without costing wine industry jobs. Even better, WineCab offers to bring owners in closer contact with local wine experts. There is a disconnect in most communities between sommeliers and wine lovers, says Chaney. Most people will use a sommeliers services in a restaurant, but never at home. Were changing that completely. We dont hope to replace the sommelier. We hope to build stronger relationships that never existed before.

In this way, human experts will constantly be interacting with WineCabs virtual sommelier, a program led by Master Sommelier Virginia Phillip, a young woman leading the future of wine. Chaney also believes WineCab will provide humanistic benefits for owners, not just the wine community. As he explains, Traditionally, a host may leave a gathering for 15 minutes to search the cellar for the perfect bottle. Because of WineCab, this process can happen in front of the gathering. It can even become a conversation point instead of a waiting game.

Ultimately, Chaney views WineCab as the best way to introduce AI-powered robotics to the home. And like Vice, he believes these tools can brighten humanitys future, not hinder it. He envisions a day in which the elderly and/or those homebound by illness (as he once was) will be served by better technology. What if AI-powered robots could help humans fight isolation and depression? And not just that, he asks. What if tech could improve the lives of our most vulnerable people?

Witnessing WineCabs growing impact reveals just how much AI and robotics are poised to become part of our daily lives. No matter what form this crossover from industry to home takes, one thing is clear: the days of this technology applying only to the factory (or in the vineyard) are numbered. Its now up to us to find that harmonious synergy between machine and mankind.

Read more from the original source:

AI And Robotics Are Finally Ready For Your Home (and I Dont Mean The Roomba) - Forbes

Make-A-Wish Colorado recently teamed up with Arrow Electronics to make a 17-pound, cutting-edge robot that would fulfill a Colorado teens wish.

SEDALIA, Colo. (CBS4) What better place to meet a dragon than at the Cherokee Castle in Sedalia? The wish starts with a virtual reality experience for Belle Cress and some of her family members. The 14-year-old is a cancer survivor.

She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Its a rare bone cancer, said Amber Borata, Cresss mom.

Cresss diagnosis came on the heels of her brothers battle with the same cancer. Belle went through several surgeries, and 10 months of intense chemotherapy.

I dont really remember much about the cancer, Cress told CBS4.

It was really tough. And she doesnt really remember a lot of that just because she was feeling so sick most of the time, Borata explained.

The light at the end of the tunnel was Belles wish.

Excited like a feeling that I cant really explain in my chest sort of nervous.. excited, Cress said of the moments before meeting her new pet dragon.

Then the reveal: Cress saw the dragon that she had in her imagination come to life.

Ive loved dragons ever since I can remember, she said.

Make-A-Wish Colorado partnered with Arrow Electronics, who then brought Its Alive Labs into the project, to create a cutting-edge social robot, a newly emerging realm of technology.

What we try to do and what everybody involved in this project tried to do is bring Belles imagination to life and I think weve done that, said Scott Dishong, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish Colorado. All of our wishes are intended to bring hope.

What she wanted in the form of a dragon was a pet, a friend, a companion, and theres a whole emerging category of technology called social robots. They can do a variety of things. They can do things for you, they can help you remind you of things, they can handle some of your communications, maybe even get things for you. And in this case they can be used to make you feel better, said Joe Verrengia, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Arrow Electronics.

Just rubbing the chin, or the head, or the nose, petting its rump a little bit, that will give you those different reactions, Victoria Pea said as she demonstrated how the dragon interacts. Pea is the project manager for Arrow Electronics.

The dragon wags his tail, stands up, spreads his wings, makes noises, and even eats special food. Hell even sit down when he gets tired.

Honestly, at the beginning of this, we were wondering if it could be a fire-breathing dragon. Obviously with electronics, its not the best idea, Pea explained.

The body was 3D printed. Each of the scales was individual glued in place. There are 25 motors and several electronic boards that bring the dragon to life. Its a marvel of electrical and mechanical engineering, not to mention artistry.

I asked for a dragon because I wanted something that would be as close to a real dragon as possible, Cress said.

Im pretty she shes in love with it, her mom added.

Original post:

Make-A-Wish Teams Up With Arrow Electronics Robotics Team, Brings Teens Vision Of Imaginary Dragon To Life - CBS Denver

If a pandemic wiped out mankind, would robots still enter competitions?

We havent reached those points yet (smart robots organizing their own society or human extinction), but COVID-19 did kill last years First Robotics Competition (FRC).

Just three days before the big event in 2020, organizers were forced to pull the plug. The pandemic had arrived and the country shut down.

They basically dropped it and all of our work for that year was lost, said the robotics team captain. A Rowley resident, he transferred to Ipswich specially in his junior year just so he could compete in First Robotics.

Please Support Local Advertisers

Now in its 30th year, FRC was founded by Dean Kamen, the inventor of Segway. Almost 4,000 teams with 97,000 students compete. Most are from America but dozens of other countries are represented.

The competitions values are gracious professionalism which embraces the competition inherent in the program, but rejects trash talk and chest-thumping, according to Wikipedia.

Another value is coopertition where teams can cooperate and compete at the same time.The goal of the program is to inspire students to be science and technology leaders, it added.

This year, the pandemic is still with us and its still not safe to hold large competitions in enclosed spaces. So FRC organizers have issued a modified challenge: High school students have to build a robot as they always do. The difference this time is that they have to video their bot at work and send the movie along.

Team coach and robotics teacher Ethan Powers said students received instructions in the new year on what they had to do. Tests included timed trials around a measured course and throwing objects through a hoop 8.5 feet off the ground.

With a submission date of April 8, its getting down to the wire in the music room at Ipswich High School. The robotics club moved there from one of the hallways they are using and found their times improved. It had nothing to do with acoustics and everything to do with flooring. The music room carpet had better traction than linoleum tiles and results improved on the timed trials.

The team has different groups with diverse responsibilities such as programming, mechanics and electronics. There is even a business sub-team that goes out to find sponsorship for what is an expensive build. Analog Devices, Institution for Savings, Tedfords and DJ Fabricators all helped there.

Although assisted by volunteers Dan Boone and David Platt, Powers said the coaches are white glove. That means they are not supposed to build or program or touch any equipment. All of the work must be done by the students.

Taking the robot through its paces last week, sophomore and operator Pia Stewart used two joysticks to guide the machine around a 15-by-30-foot course. She has to drive the robot around a pre-defined path without touching any cones. There is a five-second penalty for doing that, she explained.

Stewart said she drove one course 30 times before she got a good-enough score. You just progressively get better because you are doing it so often, she noted.

In addition to their coaches, the students have other advisors, Couvelon said. Every now and then an alum comes by and catches up with the team, he noted.

One of the them was Peyton Fitzgerald, now an engineering student Northeastern. Student Abi Dixon said he offered this advice: Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. In other words, get the driving and course right before trying to do it fast.

Stewart said she wants to be a mechanical or aerspace engineer and credited First Robotics with developing her skills. It has definitely helped me grow my passion and make me realize how much I love engineering, she said.

Dixon, a sophomore, said she also has designs on a career in the field. She also operates the robot and has worked on mechanics and early design concepts using CAD, she said. She would like to study mechanical or biotechnical engineering.

Caralyn Conrad is strategy lead for the team. That entails stuff like scouting at competitions, but my role is obviously different due to the pandemic, she said.

If I were to say what I do in a nutshell, it would be troubleshooting roadblocks to team safety and efficiency and creating systems to fix problems. In addition, Ialso do quite a bit of mechanical work on the robot itself, and Im currently heading a project to createa team tool cart to store everything we need to work on the robot, all in one place, she said.

Senior Ian Maher said he has been on the team throughout high school. I showed up as an eighth grader and everybody was very confused, he said. Powers said eighth grade students are now sometimes allowed on the team.

Because of Covid, the team doesnt spend as much time working on its robot as it would in a normal year, Powers said. They work from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., four days a week. There is no access to the building on Wednesdays or weekends, he noted.

He said the team has 20 to 25 members but of them, 10 to 15 are really serious and dedicated.

Boone, a retired engineer, expressed admiration for the students and their work ethic. When I think back to when I was that age, I didnt have my stuff together the same way, he laughed.

Meanwhile, the deadline draws near. Last week, the team was happy with one of its course times but still had plenty of work ahead of it. We think were in good shape now, Powers laughed, but I promise you on April 7

Like Loading...

Read the rest here:

Robotics team adapts to new competition rules - The Local Ne.ws

Even when the Covid-19 downturn is finally past us, operators will have to continue exploring new avenues for cost reductions to be better equipped to withstand future market declines. In a report that looked into the adoption of robotics across the petroleum industry, Rystad Energy found that existing solutions could replace hundreds of thousands of oil and gas jobs globally and reduce drilling labor costs by several billion dollars by 2030, if there is an industry push for such a transition.

One of the segments with much to gain from the adoption of robotics is drilling, as it is highly cost-intensive and involves carrying out dangerous tasks in challenging environments. Robotic solutions have already been introduced successfully in drilling operations, with companies such as Nabors at the development forefront.

Applying current supplier specs, which suggest that robotic drilling systems can potentially reduce the number of roughnecks required on a drilling rig by 20% to 30%, Rystad Energy estimates that such a reduction in both offshore and onshore drilling crews can bring cost savings of more than $7 billion in wages in the US alone, based on present wage levels.

Inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) operations are also ideal for robotic operations and is the segment where adoption of robotics has gained the most traction among operators in recent years. This has so far mainly been limited to subsea IMR activities, but we are now starting to see IMR robotics solutions also being used for topsides.

Related Video: The Conditions Are Ripe for A Second Shale Boom

Overall, Rystad Energy believes that at least 20% of the jobs in segments such as drilling, operational support, and maintenance could in theory get automated in the next 10 years. Looking at the current staffing headcount of some key oil and gas producing countries, the US could reduce its staffing needs by over 140,000 employees and Russia by over 200,000 personnel. Canada, the UK, and Norway could shed between 20,000 and 30,000 jobs each.

Despite the huge potential of robotics, operators should be aware that these savings will be partially offset by the considerable investments required for the adoption of these solutions, which may vary depending on the cost structure and whether the robots are owned or leased, says Sumit Yadav, energy service analyst at Rystad Energy.

Nevertheless, the next generation of robotics solutions is already emerging within subsea IMR in the form of perpetually underwater robotics solutions that offer significantly lower costs and better reach than a conventional remotely operated vehicle (ROV). While a conventional ROV needs to be sent down from the surface, these new systems can stay underwater permanently and easily access places that are difficult to reach for conventional ROVs, irrespective of the weather conditions. Related: Oil Markets Already Priced In An OPEC+ Output Cut Extension

A notable example is the self-propelled robotics arms unit Eelume, developed by Kongsberg Maritime and used by Norwegian operator Equinor. Owing to their snake-like design, the robotic arms have the flexibility and agility to transit over long distances and carry out subsea IMR activities such as visual inspection, cleaning, and operating valves and chokes in highly confined spaces.

Not all digitization and robotization translates into a reduction in manpower, however. For instance, Transocean has introduced wearable safety technology that alarms a crew member if they come too close to the drilling equipment. If the crew member still doesnt maintain a safe distance, the alarm will shut down the equipment.

Similarly, Diamond Offshore has launched the industrys first cybernetic blow-out preventer (BOP) service. The service named Sim-Stack makes a virtual replica of the BOP hydraulically and electrically to assess its overall health and regulatory compliance. The system provides much faster information on component failures, reducing downtime and improving safety, and can also be used to train personnel, according to the rig operator.

While the emergence of robotics in the oil and gas industry seems inevitable, we believe that full-scale adoption is still a few years away as the long-term reliability of robotics in complex 3D environments such as those found on offshore platforms is yet to be tested. Another challenge in the implementation of robotics is limited communication capabilities, especially between robotics units. If robots are to fully replace humans, it is imperative that these systems communicate seamlessly to unlock true value. The implementation of such communication systems is both complex and costly.

Finally, job cuts due to robotics are likely to be met with some resistance from labor organizations, and robotized work processes may also need to pass regulatory hurdles as authorities seek to ensure that the operational changes brought on by the new technology satisfy safety and environmental standards.

By Rystad Energy

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Read this article:

Robots Could Replace Hundreds Of Thousands Of Oil And Gas Jobs By 2030 - OilPrice.com