Category Archives: Robotics

Roomba Inventor Joe Jones on His New Weed-Killing Robot

Evan Ackerman for IEEE Spectrum: Tertill is a solar-powered, weed-destroying, fully autonomous and completely self-contained robot designed for your garden.

Advanced robotics will make jobs such as harvesting easier for farmers. In time, when robots finally learn how to harvest each individual crop, farms will be able to produce more yields for human consumption.

Brnice Magistretti for VentureBeat: Picking apples may seem like a fun weekend activity, but it's actually backbreaking manual labor. Abundant Robotics wants to help agricultural growers shoulder this task and today announced funding of $10 million, led by GV, to commercialize its apple-picking robot.

A robotics breakthrough by product design and development firm Cambridge Consultants is set to boost productivity across the food chain - from the field to the warehouse. It paves the way for robots to take on complex picking and sorting tasks involving irregular organic items - sorting fruit and vegetables, for example, or locating and removing specific weeds among crops in a field. "Traditional robots struggle when it comes to adapting to deal with uncertainty," said Chris Roberts, head of industrial robotics at Cambridge Consultants. "Our innovative blend of existing technologies and novel signal processing techniques has resulted in a radical new system design that is poised to disrupt the industry."

BySteve Brachmannfor IPWatchDog: More and more, the agricultural world is looking towards the mechanization of labor processes through robotics as a way of potentially increasing their productivity.Robotics was identified as a sector of investment growth in agricultural techby an April 2014 white paper on agriculture technologies published by the entrepreneurship and education non-profit Kauffman Foundation.Roboticsis a regular focus of ours here on IPWatchdog, most recently visited inour coverage of the incredible advancements in walking and jumping robotics pioneered by Boston Dynamics, aGoogle Inc.(NASDAQ:GOOG) subsidiary. With American farmers alreadyheavily involved in the regulatory conversation involving the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs), or drones, we thought that it would be interesting to delve into the world of farming robotics and see the recent advances in that particular field. It's important to understand first that the robotics being developed for commercial use on farms won't be stand-alone humanoid units ranging through fields to pick crops. Any piece of hardware implementing an algorithm which automates some of the manual work of farming falls under this heading. One good example of this is theLettuceBot, a precision thinning technologywhich works to visually characterize plants in a lettuce row, identify which plants to keep and eliminating unwanted plants to optimize yield. The unit doesn't move by itself but is guided along by a tractor instead. The technology has been developed by Blue River Technology of Sunnyvale, CA, a company which hasattracted $13 million in investment between 2011 and 2014to commercialize this product. The LettuceBot's creators hope toprovide the technology as a third-party service to farm ownersbefore manufacturing the unit for commercial sale. Cont'd...

FromAGROBOT: AGB manages a set of robotic manipulators able to locate and identify your strawberries, selecting them based on their size and degree of ripeness. This system analyzes your fruit one by one, and it is responsible for ordering cutting movements that guarantee accuracy, smoothness, and sensitivity in the strawberry treatment. The fruit, picked with the strictest hygiene conditions, is driven by our FlexConveyor System to the packaging area.Select the ripeness you would pick up. AGvision is an artificial vision system that identifies your fruit with maximum accuracy and consistency. Its advanced technology, implement in real time a protocol for morphological and color analysis which systematically return the ripeness of the fruit, discriminating exclusively those strawberries which meets the quality standards previously set by the farmer... ( more details )

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The field of Robotics integrates sensing, information processing, and movement to accomplish specific tasks in the physical world. As such, it encompasses several topics, including mechanics and dynamics, kinematics, sensing, signal processing, control systems, planning, and artificial intelligence. Applications of these concepts appear in many areas including medicine, manufacturing, space exploration, disaster recovery, ordinance disposal, deep-sea navigation, home care, and home automation.

The faculty of the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR), in collaboration with the academic departments and centers of the Whiting School of Engineering, offers a Robotics Minor in order to provide a structure in which undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University can advance their knowledge in robotics while receiving recognition on their transcript for this pursuit. The minor is not owned by any one department, but rather it is managed by the LCSR itself. Any student from any department within the university can work toward the minor.

Robotics is fundamentally integrative and multidisciplinary. Therefore, any candidate for the Robotics Minor must cover a set of core skills that cut across these disciplines, as well as obtain advanced supplementary skills.

Core skills include the following:

Supplementary advanced skills may be obtained in specialized applications such as space, medicine, or marine systems or in one of the three core areas listed above.

The full minor course listing (see below) lists which courses fill these requirements. Note that ALL core areas must be filled, but that ANY advanced/supplementary courses can be chosen from the list. This allows students to strike a balance between breadth and depth.

If you are interested in declaring a Robotics minor, please contact Alison Morrow.

An undergraduate qualifies for the minor provided he or she has taken at least 18 credits (at the 300 level or above, with a C- or above) from an approved list of courses (provided on the Robotics Minor website), with the following requirements and restrictions:

Undergraduates interested in completing the minor must be assigned a minor advisor. The advisor is responsible for helping the student choose courses and helps to ensure all requirements for the minor are met. The minor advisors are listed below:

Below are sample curricula for ME, CS, ECE and BME majors. These sample curricula were designed to highlight certain requirements:

Note: these are just samples. For the full list of requirements see Overview, above. For a complete list of courses, see Robotics Minor Courses, below. A sample Mechanical Engineering Student Robotics Minor:

A sample Computer Science Student Robotics Minor:

A sample Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Robotics Minor:

A sample Biomedical Engineering Student Robotics Minor:

The minor is managed by faculty of the the LCSR in collaboration with academic departments and centers of the Whiting School of Engineering. If you have suggestions or questions regarding the minor, please direct them to Prof. Noah Cowan.

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Laboratory for Computational Sensing + Robotics | Robotics ...

A group of Afghan teenage girls will be allowed to travel to the United States to partake in an international robotics competition after their visa applications were denied twice, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

A Homeland Security Department spokesman said inan email that the agency had approved a request from the State Department for thesix girls on the robotics team and their chaperone to enter the country and attend the competition, which is set to bring teams from more than 160countries to Washington next week.

The decision resolves adispute that drewintensebacklashfrom human rights activists and raised questions about whether U.S. agencies were retreating from previous efforts to advocate for young women in Afghanistan, where they are often denied educational opportunities.

[For Afghan girls robotics team, U.S. visa denial was last of many hurdles]

The criticisms also fueled arguments thatPresident Trump is seeking to ban Muslims from entering the country. The most recent version of Trumps travel ban restricts visas to citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries, but Afghanistan is not on the list.

The headof FirstGlobal, the organization hosting the competition,cheered the news in a statement Wednesday.

I truly believe our greatest power is the power to convene nations, to bring people together in the pursuit of a common goal and prove that our similarities greatly outweigh our differences, said First Global President Joe Sestak, a former U.S. Navy admiral and Democratic congressman. That is why I am most grateful to the U.S. Government and its State Department for ensuring Afghanistan, as well as Gambia, would be able to join us for this international competition this year.

Itremains unclear why the State Department denied the girls visa applications in the first place. A spokesperson for the agency told the Associated Press on Wednesday that all visa applications are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with U.S. law.

In allowing the girls to travel to the United States, the Department of Homeland Security granted them parole,authorizing a one-time, temporary entry into the country for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, a spokesman told The Post.

Members of a robotics team from Gambia were also granted visas Wednesday after being previously being barred from entering, as the Associated Press reported. Teams from Syria,Iran and Sudan, all countries included in Trumps travel ban, have not faced similar setbacks.

Politico, whichbroke the story Wednesday evening, reported that Trump had personally intervened andasked officials at the National Security Council to take action.

The presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump, tweeted her support on Wednesday, saying she looked forward to welcoming this brilliant team of Afghan girls to Washington next week.

The girls, all high schoolers, had constructed a ball-sorting robot to enter in theFirst Global Challenge, an international robotics contestthataims to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and math. After convincing their parents to let them attend, the team made two 500-mile tripsfrom their hometown of Herat in western Afghanistan to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to apply for visas, as The Washington Post reported.

When they got the news that their visa applications had been denied, the girlswere heartbroken. They were crying all day, Roya Mahboob, an Afghan software executive and one of the teams sponsors, told The Postearlier this month.

The girls wrote on their competition page: We want to make a difference, and most breakthroughs in science, technology and other industries normally start with the dream of a child to do something great. We want to be that child and pursue our dreams to make a difference in peoples lives.

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Afghan girls team can travel to US for robotics contest after twice denied visas - Washington Post

Sometimes all it takes is an idea and an individual with the ability and desire to see it through.

Jacob Mugler, a recent Windsor High School graduate, is one such person. Due in large part to his initiative, the high school developed and began a robotics program that will continue for years to come.

Jacob is a young man who is an excellent student and person, Principal Bill Johnston wrote. He was also very instrumental in helping us get our robotics program started this year.

Jacob stepped up as a senior and was very involved with this program and showed great leadership, commitment and dedication to this program and was a great role model to those who may choose to be a part of our robotics program in the future, Johnston added.

For Mugler, being involved in school was both part of his fondest memories and also a source of regret.

My fondest memories of high school were hanging out with friends and participating in sports, Mugler said. I regret not being involved in more activities and academics and I wish I would have given football a try.

Mugler was involved in Future Farmers of America, Skills USA, National Honor Society, baseball, basketball, track, Clinton Technical Center Honor Society, Samsung Technology Grant Committee, robotics, Missouri Boys State, Windsor Youth Baseball, Truman Lake Fall Baseball, Community Clean Up, Booster Club Youth Carnival, working in the concession stands. and FFA Ag Awareness.

The robotics team played a large part in his senior year.

Jacob was an instrumental part of the robotics program this year, said Kimberly Luetjen, robotics team sponsor at Windsor. Jacob took on a leadership role within the club to help engineer and design our robot for the first year of competition.

With everything being new to the school year, Jacob took the initiative to teach himself how to build the robot in a computer software program and also how to program the robot to move on command, she added. Jacob aided younger students in the construction of the robot. He really shined in the robotics program and was a key part of our success.

Part of Muglers love of robotics may be born from his love of computers.

When I have free time I enjoy playing games on the computer with friends, visiting friends, and playing summer baseball, Mugler commented. I am planning to attend State Fair Community College for two years and then transfer to the University of Central Missouri. I am currently looking into studying fields pertaining to computers and aeronautics.

Mugler, who said he admired and looked up to his mother and father as role models, offered this advice to incoming freshmen: Get involved in different activities and pay attention to your academics including taking college classes in high school if you are planning to attend college.

Jacob Mugler

http://www.sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_tsd071317neighbors1.jpgJacob Mugler

Hope Lecchi can be reached at 660-826-1000 ext. 1484

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Neighbors: Windsor graduate helps develop school's robotics program - Sedalia Democrat

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July 12, 2017, 10:27 PM EDT July 13, 2017, 1:29 AM EDT

SoftBank Group Corp. is in talks to invest in Makeblock Co., a Chinese maker of DIY robotics, people familiar with the matter said.

Makeblock is seeking to raise about $60 million in a series C round by the end of this year as it targets a doubling of its valuation to $400 million, the people said, asking not to be identified talking about private plans. The figures are preliminary and could vary depending on negotiations, the people said.

SoftBank and Makeblock declined to comment.

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Makeblock is competing with a coterie of Chinese startups, as well as Pearson Plc, Lego Group and Sony Corp., who all want a slice of a learning industry that focuses on science, technology, engineering and maths. So-called STEM-education could become a $15 billion market by 2020, according to Beijing-based consultancy JMD Education. Shenzhen-based Makeblock already works with SoftBank-- the two partnered this month to offer a DIY drone, and the Japanese company distributes its educational robotics kits.

STEM education, which employs a problem-based approach to education, is tapping into Chinese parents craze for their children to learn coding and robotics. Makeblock has created a local competition equivalent to the Intel Corp.-backed RoboRave contest.

Founded in 2013 by aircraft-design major Jasen Wang, Makeblock sells kits of mechanical parts and electronic modules that can cost as much as $800 to robot hobbyists and educators. Its user base grew to 2 million by July from 600,000 in February, with about 70 percent of its revenue generated from overseas. Apart from Sequoia Capital, Shenzhen-based hardware startup accelerator Hax is also a backer.

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SoftBank Is Said to Mull Investing in China Robotics Startup - Bloomberg

July 12, 2017 by Jorge Salazar Code @ TACC Robotics camp gave 34 high school students mostly from underserved Central Texas hands-on experience assembling and programming internet-connected robotic cars. Credit: TACC

On a hot and breezy June day in Austin, parents, friends, brothers and sisters navigated through main campus at The University of Texas at Austin and helped carry luggage for the new arrivals to their dorm rooms. Thirty-four high school students from mostly low-income Title I schools in Central Texas, some from as far away as Houston, said good-bye to their families.

The students came for a different kind of summer camp, where for one week they became part of a science team that used computer programming and internet-connected technologies to solve a real-world problem. They had high hopes to walk away with experiences that would help them become future scientists and engineers.

From June 11 to 16, 2017, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) hosted Code @TACC Robotics, a week-long summer camp funded by the Summer STEM Funders Organization under the supervision of the KDK Harmon Foundation. The 34 students received instruction from five staff scientists at TACC and two guest high school teachers from Dallas and Del Valle, as well as round-the-clock supervision from five undergraduate proctors. Leading the camp was Joonyee Chuah, Outreach Coordinator at the TACC.

"The goal of the camp is to provide these students with their first experiences with programming, to jumpstart them and get them further ahead to things that are current in the computing world," Chuah said.

The students divided themselves into teams, each with specific roles of principal investigator, validation engineer, software developer, and roboticist. They assembled a robotic car from a kit and learned how to program the software that controls it. The robotic cars had sensors that measured the distance to objects in front, and they could be programmed to respond to that information by stopping or turning or even relaying that information to another car near it. Teams were assigned a final project based on a real-world problem, such as what action to take when cars arrive together at a four-way stop.

The Code @TACC Robotics camp went a step further than the typical introductory Lego-based robotics program by using maker-based electronics that connected to the cloud using the Particle platform. The robots assembled for the camp were three-wheeled cars that communicated via the internet and could relay events and interact with services such as Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook.

"The platform allows these robots to do a lot of communication with each other that facilitates projects that you wouldn't normally be able to do in a standard high school classroom using off-the-shelf toy robotics," Chuah said. The robotic cars presented a simplified version of the cutting-edge autonomous vehicles being developed today by leading companies such as Google.

Industry outreach was an important part of the camp, and the students toured the offices of IBM in Austin, where they participated in student activities that explored the IBM Watson supercomputer and robotics connected to it. The students also visited engineering departments and computer science departments at UT Austin, as well as TACC's world-renowned Visualization Laboratory. "They get a full experience of both college as well as future industry," Chuah said. "It's important for students to understand that there are economic and intellectual opportunities out there."

High school teachers sometimes lack the training needed to teach the more difficult programming languages like C++. Code @ TACC Robotics developed curricula and training for two guest high school teachers. "These individuals are working with us because they're excited to learn about robotics and they want to get jumpstarted on learning how to teach coding and robotics themselves," Chuah said.

Lashonda Petty of DeSoto High School and Katrina Van Houten of Del Valle High School were the guest teachers at Code @ TACC Robotics. "The camp has been really good for a lot of them. I've been talking to the students, and most of them are not pre-AP (Advanced Placement). They're not the type of kids who end up taking the harder courses, the higher sciences in their school. But they are way above in their ability to do it. They have all done amazingly well," Van Houten said.

Communicating the results of their research formed an important part of the Code @ TACC Robotics experience. They delivered their final presentations to an audience made up of TACC staff and the students' families, with translations provided in Spanish.

Central Texas student Guadalupe Oca, the software engineer for one team, explained their problem of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication at stop lights. Like the other teams, they arrived at a solution by breaking the problem down into small, and codable, bites.

"Our code was designed to make the robots stop at the stop sign. And they would decide who would be going first, just like in the real world. Humans expect the first person to go. There are those crazy drivers that just go whenever (audience laughs). They don't wait for the other person. Our initial solution was that whenever the robots get to the stop sign, they would tell each other, "I got here at nine seconds." Then the second robot gets here, and he says, "I got here two seconds after you. Go ahead and go first," said Oca.

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The crowd gathered around the improvised four-way intersection marked by blue tape in the middle of the classroom. The student team looked intently into their laptops, and with a few keystrokes two robot cars whirred to life and advanced toward the intersection. One stopped at the intersection, then the other. Like a model driver, the last one to get there yielded to the first one, which then crossed the intersection safely followed by the second. The crowd cheered. If only the real-world could always behave so perfectly.

Funding for Code @ TACC Robotics camp was provided by the Summer STEM Investment Hub pooled funding comprised of the following organizations: Andy Roddick Foundation, Austin Community Foundation, KDK-Harman Foundation, and Webber Family Foundation.

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Code @ TACC robotics camp delivers on self-driving cars - Phys.Org

I got a glimpse into the future world of our robot overlords today. It was nervy at times.

I watched two robots go on stage at a tech event to debate the future of humanity with each other.

The robots in question are Sophia and Han, and they belong to Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based company that is developing and deploying artificial intelligence in humanoids. The duo took to the stage atRise in Hong Kongwith Hanson Robotics Chief ScientistBen Goertzel directing the banter.

The conversation, which was partially scripted, wasnt as slick as the human-to-human panels at the show, but it was certainly a sight to behold for the packed audience. Topics ranged from an early (and creepy) joke about taking over the world with a drone army, to ethics in robots and humans, robot job potential, and whether it is better to be rich or famous. There was even singing.

The event organizers claimed a world first for two robots talking on stage, and it isnt difficult to imagine that it could become a more common sight in the future.

Indeed, this is just the start of Hanson Robotics ambitious plans.

Company CEO and founder Dr David Hanson believes robots will become commonplace in homes and other aspects of our daily life within the next decade. But the key to that progress is to equip them with the emotions and adaptability that is lacking from todays crop.

Weve got these early uses but our aspiration is Data from Star Trek, Hanson told TechCrunch on the sidelines of the event following the robot debate. Data was the smartest member of the crew, he could do anything.

He certainly could work in a shop or a factory, but he was helping to solve the big problems in collaboration and friendship with people. He had a heart of gold, he was creative, he learned and adapted, he wasnt susceptible to the morals flaws of humans. That what we are aspiring towards we are still hooking all these things together but weve got the parts in pieces, he added.

For now, Hanson Robotics is preparing to launch its first consumer product, an Einstein-like mini robot aimed at teaching science to children. The robot is likely to be officially unveiled within the next month and be available for less than $300 once it goes on sale.

Up until now, the company has deployed small numbers of its humanoids for science museums, AI development projects and healthcare, in particular around working with autism cases.Now it can add speaking in front of a crowd at a technology event to the timeline.

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I watched two robots chat together on stage at a tech event - TechCrunch

Mechanical and robotic exoskeletons hold considerable promise, both as aids to the disabled and machines to increase the lifting power of worked in heavy industry, but so far the reality has lagged considerably behind the dream.

Mechanical and robotic exoskeletons hold considerable promise, both as aids to the disabled and machines to increase the lifting power of worked in heavy industry, but so far the reality has lagged considerably behind the dream.

One of the principle obstacles faced by designers in the need for frequent recalibration of exoskeleton settings. Each system, of course, has to be tweaked to suit its individual user, but it must also be adjusted to accommodate changes in movement styles or speed as the user becomes tired or switches from one function to another. Although technically possible, such alterations, done in downtime by a technician, are costly and tedious.

Scientists at the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon Universityin the US, however, have developed an exoskeleton system that incorporates feedback mechanisms powered by the person using it, allowing it to self-adjust to changing mechanical demands in real time.

The researchers call the system "human-in-the-loop optimisation" and have published their findings in the journal Science.

Led by DrJuanjuan Zhang, the scientists tested their new system by developinga ankle exoskeleton, suitable for use as either a prosthetic or to increase efficiency in jobs where lifting or climbing is a requirement.

When adjusted for optimum efficiency the ankle apparatus reduced the wearer's metabolic energy consumption by around 25 per cent. The device was tried on a range of volunteers, all of whom were asked to move in 32 different patterns over the course of an hour.

"When we walk, we naturally optimise coordination patterns for energy efficiency," said team member Steven Collins. "Human-in-the-loop optimisation acts in a similar way to optimise the assistance provided by wearable devices. We are really excited about this approach, because we think it will dramatically improve energy economy, speed, and balance for millions of people, especially those with disabilities."

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Robotics: Human meets machine - The Sydney Morning Herald

This post was originally published by NoCamels. Check out theirexcellent coverageand follow them down here: Imagine this: youre sitting in your house. Next to you, your companion robot turns its head and begins to converse, suggesting a TED talk you might like. A helper robot brings you a cup of tea. Your smart home control robot warns you that the iron is still on, and security bots climb the walls.

While it may sound like sci-fi, Israeli companies have already created robots that can do all of these tasks.

The robotics industry is exploding worldwide. Market research and intelligence firm, Tractica, predicts that the industry will grow from $34.1 billion in 2016 to $226.2 billion by 2021, with the growth driven primarily by non-industrial robots.

Its not hard to see why. Decreased costs of hardware and the free provision of software such as Amazon Alexa are making robotic development easier than ever.

Artificial intelligence, which is the ability of machines to learn from their environment and complete human-like tasks, is also transforming the robotics industry. Since IBMs supercomputer, Watson, defeated humans in the quiz show Jeopardy in 2011, resources and brain power have been poured into progressing AI to create more sophisticated robots.

With strengths in mathematics and hi-tech, companies and researchers in Israel are contributing more than their fair share of this brain power.

Mobileye, an Israeli company that uses AI to allow autonomous vehicles to navigate safely, was recently acquired by Intel for $15 billion. Mazor Robotics, an Israeli medical robot company, has revolutionized spinal surgery with their robotic system. Gal Kaminka, a professor at Bar-Ilan University and national robotics expert, is advancing robotic minds with funding from international organizations such as the U.S. Airforce.

In 2016, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed that, Just as we have become a leader in cybersecurity, we must also propel forward the robotics and automation industry in order to take a place at the forefront of the sector.

Here are some of the coolest robots developed by companies and researchers in Israel:

In the field of companion robots, Intuition RoboticsElliQstands out for its human-like persona.

The artificially intelligent robot improves the lives of the elderly by suggesting activities to keep them active, connecting them with family and friends, and reminding them about appointments and medication.

ElliQ can sense its environment, recognize faces, and communicate with people by talking and processing speech. Its advanced body language, gestures, and emotional range give it a personality that seems to transcend machinery.

Founded in 2015 by Roy Amir, Itai Mendelsohn, and Dor Skuler, the company has raised a total of $7 million from seed and Series A funding. While ElliQ hasnt yet been released on the market, avid consumers can sign up to be part of the testing phase.

Israeli robotics company Roboteam is planning to launch 10,000 consumer robots this year. Previously focused on military robots, Roboteam wants to create a new robot that helps people around the house.

Seven years ago I went to visit my dear grandma, says Yosi Wolf, cofounder of the company. When I saw her trying to carry a cup of tea and cookies and she was shaking.. I knew we could provide services to help elderly people.

According to Wolf, the robot will be 3 feet high with an interactive 10-inch display. It will be able to navigate around objects using 40 sensors, and it even has a tray to carry items.

Roboteam wants its robot to be the iPhone of consumer robotics, with a similar price point and sophisticated capabilities.

Founded in 2009 by Yosi Wolf and Elad Levy, the company has raised a total of $62 million in two funding rounds, with personal investment from the ex-CTO of Alibaba and co-founder of the Fenghe Investment Group, John Wu.

Guy Hoffman, a researcher at the Inter Disciplinary Center in Herzliya, has developed a social robot to control smart homes.

Shaped like a microscope,Vyomanages smart homes by turning devices on and off, providing status updates, and monitoring the house for security purposes. Vyo has facial recognition, and interacts through voice commands and verbal responses.

It also has an appealing personality. Hoffman is known for his work on robots that act like humans: he was catapulted to fame in 2009 for his engaging TED Talk onRobots with Soul.

Vyo is still in the developmental phase, but Hoffman already has a range of other robots with similar human-like personalities. For example, Travis is a speaker robot that dances to music.

Hoffmans work could change the way we interact with machines: research conducted by Hoffman and a team of robotics experts showed that people felt better about themselves after interacting with a robot that responded emotionally to them.

Professor Amir Ayali and a team of researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a robot that could transform the way surveillance is conducted.

The four-inch longLocust Robotmimics the biological mechanism of jumping, and can reach a height of 11 feet more than twice the height of similar-sized robots, according to the researchers.

Able to be cheaply 3D printed (costing only around $100 USD), the robot is part of a wave of 3D printed robot designs that can easily be mass produced.

The robot would be useful in search and rescue missions and reconnaissance operations in rough terrain.

It has not yet been released on the market, and the team are working on developing the robots capacity to jump higher, fly, and even move with other robots in a swarm.

The Ben-Gurion University Robotics Lab, led by Dr. Amir Shapiro, is creating robots inspired by science fiction films. Designed to mimic animals (a technique known as biomimetics), the autonomous robots do work that is too dangerous or trivial for humans.

Snake-like robots have been designed to go into tight spaces on search and rescue missions. A fruit-picking robot, which Dr. Shapiro received a $1.3 million grant to develop, uses visual feedback to find and pick specific fruit. A wall-climbing robot, inspired by snails, can climb on almost any surface and has wide-ranging applications in intelligence gathering.

Although these dont seem as if they will be provided for consumer use, it might not be long before we see packs of animal robots deployed by larger organizations to complete tasks around us.

International investment and local talent continue to be funneled into the robotics industry. Given what this country has already achieved, we should expect a lot more exciting robotic developments in the future.

Israeli Technology News on NoCamels

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Meet Israel's next top robots - TNW

The NASA IV&V Educator Resource Center, NASA WV Space Grant Consortium, and Mountaineer Area Robotics (MARS) 2614 have teamed up with their partners in West Virginia to bring forward a robotic summer camp July 17-21 at the WV State Extension NASA SEMAA Lab in Beckley.

In a press release fromWorld Robot Olympiad (WRO), officials said this is the largest camp initiative ever, and will be a team-based program centered around learning to build, document, and program the LEGO EV3 robot and compete in the WRO.

Individuals or two- or three-person can register together for the camp, and students will work in teams of three at the camp.

The intent is for students who are new to LEGO Robotics or who are on existing First LEGO League (FLL) teams to form themselves into smaller groups so they can develop their technical and teamwork skills while competing.

Jim Higgins, president of Southern West Virginia's Robotics Club, said instead of children working alone, they will get to bounce ideas off of each other to form the proper outcome.

"I believe it's important for them to work in groups because they get to explore ideas different from their own and realize there is almost always more than one solution," Higgins said.

Robots and iPads will be provided for teams who need one. Although a robot is not required, if you are an existing FLL team or have a LEGO EV3 robot,camp organizers prefer you bring your own laptop or tablet.

The camp will be organized in two different age categories: Elementary, for 9-12 year olds, and Junior, for 13-15 year olds.

Cost is $125 per student and includes four full days of camp from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., snacks and lunch each day, WRO team registration and a tournament Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with awards.

Huggins said if there are students interested in attending the camp and are not able to pay the $125 fee, NASA partners and the Robotics Club will work together to waive the fee if necessary.

"It's short notice, and we are still wanting several students to sign up," Higgins said. "This is something some kids won't want to miss. They'll work with several STEM initiatives and get to work with LEGOs, it's going to be a really interesting time."

To register a student or team for the camp, contact Annelise Williams at 304-367-8215 or visithttps://www.wro-usa.org/register. Registration is required before students arrive at the camp so staff will know the amount of resources necessary for the week.

"We're all really excited for the week," Higgins said. "It'll be a great chance for kids to work together and solve something great."

Email: jnelson@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @jnelsonRH

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NASA robotics summer camp coming to Beckley July 17-21 - Beckley Register-Herald