Category Archives: Robotics

Gears were turning at Northeastern State University's Bagley Hall Thursday, as local students worked on their projects during NSU's RACE Summer Academies.

There were several academies for kids to choose from, including a robotics academy and a Rube Goldberg academy.

Kids ages 4-5 participated in a robots course, wherein they explored popular robot movies and books, while learning how to make their own robots from household items. Thursday, the students built an "art robot" out of a plastic cup, clothespins, markers and a tiny motor.

"They were very excited for this," said Karissa Pierson, junior at NSU. "They were asking all week, when are we going to make the robot that moves? When are we going to make the art robot?"

Pierson said they'll cap off the week by letting the kids make costumes to become robots themselves.

Just down the hall from the robotics academy, 8-year-olds were building Rube Goldberg machines. After starting off with a game of Mousetrap, the students quickly began constructing their own contraptions, including roller coasters and machines made from Rube Goldberg kits.

According to Laura Myers, Grand View Middle School science teacher, the Goldberg students were ahead of the curve when it came to building their machines.

"They're doing some of my sixth-grade lessons for potential energy," she said. "I have yet to see a roller coaster built like this, and I've taught two years to sixth-graders and these are third- and fourth-graders. It's interesting, because I feel like sometimes we stifle that creativity. So, the third- and fourth-graders have surprised me a little bit with how much more they'll be like, 'Oh, we could do this, we could do that.'"

The RACE academies aren't just for parents looking for ways to keep their kids occupied during the summer. They're for educational purposes, as well.

"Kids, when they leave [school] for the summer, they kind of forget everything," said Barbara Fuller, director of Robotics Academy of Critical Engagement. "So we like to do these, because it gives them another month to kind of enhance what they just came out of school doing."

Volunteers aren't teaching the kids at NSU's camps; teachers are doing that. Fuller said STEM is very specific about whom it hires, so they not only have the background in the subjects that they're teaching, but they also know how to control a classroom.

"We want the kids to come in and know they have an experienced teacher," she said. "We have a lot of children who are on the spectrum, so our teachers understand that and they can adapt the lessons very easily for them."

The camps have become particularly popular among the students enrolled, as well as the teachers.

Savanna Weis came from Florida to help out with the RACE academies.

"I enjoy coming back and working, because I helped start this program when it was just in its infancy," said Weis. "We started with four girls. Now we have our competition team, our students resources and our summer academies for the youth. I really enjoy seeing the ways that our program is growing."

Fuller said she hopes to soon offer RACE Academies during the regular school year.

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Youngsters go high-tech at robotics academy - Tahlequah Daily Press

Knob Noster Robots delivered candy to people walking past the Knob Noster High School Stealth Panther Robotics team booth at the city fair.

The group built and entered robots in the national First Robotics Competition, which began with a January challenge to teams to create a certain type of robot, student Joey Baker, 15, said.

We have to make a robot that will play a game, Baker said.

The team built a robot with a delivery system, he said. He demonstrated at the fair with one robot that carried one piece of candy and another that threw Tootsie-Rolls to people.

Fuel we collected off the floor with our amazing motor. (The fuel) goes into our hopper, which will get spun around into our shooter, and that will shoot it into the boiler, Baker said.

Fuel consisted of Wiffle Balls.

Knob Noster finished 20th out of 68 teams in the World Championships in St. Louis, with no divisional breakdowns for schools of different sizes. Before going there, the team went north for the 10,000 Lakes Regional Robotics Competition in Minneapolis, winning the Rookie All-Star award, the highest award for a first-year team.

We were able to compete with veteran teams that were 10 times bigger than us, as rookies, so I feel really good about the future of the program. My dozen kids from here go up against 50-member teams, Stealth Panther Robotics head coach Chris Adams, a technology and engineering education teacher, said.

Competing well nationally is a tribute to the students and the teams sponsors, Adams said. Sponsors include Northrup Grumman, which built the B-2 bombers stationed nearby at Whiteman Air Force Base. He said volunteers who put in hundreds and hundreds of hours individually this year are a critical element in the teams success.

Our team put in 8,000 hours building these two robots, Adams said.

The Stealth Panthers look forward to 2018 competition, he said.

Were going hot and heavy back in next year, Adams said.

What worked last year may not work next year, Baker said.

We get a new game every year, he said.

Other than the motors and gear boxes, you cant fabricate anything in advance, Adams said. Its a worldwide reveal and theres thousands of schools nationwide that will all reveal on the same day.

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Robots deliver candy - The Daily Star-Journal

After last weeks Kids in the Kitchen, Ally Berggren brings kids another week of fun with WNCC and ICE Enrichments Robotics Week.

Kids, in first through seventh grade, get the chance to go "nuts and bolts" for the world of robotics during Berggrens four-day camp.

On the first day of camp, the children got to create their own robot posters and create their own designs.

Young camper, Alison Miller said, My favorite thing about camp was definitely making my poster.

As the camp progressed, the kids got the chance to learn how to build levers, pulleys and machines. Those robotics basics paved the way for the campers to build drawbridges, carnival rides and planes out of robotics kits.

Weve just been getting familiar with the (robotics) kits and it has evolved into building actual robots, Berggren said.

The third day of camp, the campers got in teams of two built their own robots and created a user guide for it. The teams then switched robots and tried to assemble the other teams robot by following the user guide they created.

While Berggren has put on other camps in the past, this is the first year for the robotics camp.

Since it is the first year, we have to play things by ear, Berggren said.

The activities for day four of the camp were dependent on how the beginning of the week went.

Berggren said there were some difficulties with having such a large age range with different learning levels, but she said the kids usually group together to help each other out.

In its first year, the camp seems to be a success and the kids seem to love it.

Its really fun, Kaylee Kinnan said, while Alison Miller chimed in. And its difficult all at the same time.

WNCC and ICE Enrichment will be putting on kids camps throughout the whole summer.

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Kids learn robotics during week-long camp - Scottsbluff Star Herald

Maine elementary school students from Edmunds, Sedgwick, and Winthrop broke standing records in Maine Robotics events at the organizations spring track meets.

These regional events are the culmination of weeks or months of preparation by teams of children who have engineered and programmed robots to compete against each other. Examples of events are: fastest robot, strongest robot, clearing objects from a table, delivering an object to a target, shooting ping pong balls into a box, and speed building a robot.

This year, statewide records were broken by five students. At the Ellsworth event, Paige Bell of Edmunds broke her own speed build record with a new time of 1:56. Her new record was then immediately broken by Inez Furth, also of Edmunds, who built her robot in 1:54. Also at the Ellsworth event, Ira Bucholtz of Sedgwick broke his own record in the ping pong shot put event, delivering an amazing 149 ping pong balls (363 points) into the target in just 30seconds.

Chris Searles and Jadee Garcia from Winthrop Middle School broke the record for the strongest bridge event. While weighing only 875 grams, their structure suspended 85 pounds.

Held each May in Oakland, South Portland, and Ellsworth, the three competitive events were attended by 460 Maine children representing 60 teams and accompanied by 90 adult coaches. Teams from Saco to Houlton attended to test their skills against those of their peers. Leading up to the events, teams worked on their robots in schools, in after-school programs, and through community organizations.

Along the way, they have learned valuable skills in the areas of engineering, computer programming, and more.

We dont teach robotics because we love robotics, said Thomas Bickford, Maine Robotics executive director, in a press release. Its never been just about robotics. Its about teamwork, communication, and the importance of trial and error. Every participant at these track meets has had the experience of their robot failing miserably over and over before they figured out how to make it work right and achieve the goal. Thats the value.

Track meets have experienced a 30percent increase in participation in just two years, filling this Mays events to capacity. Maine Robotics is seeking funding to add two more track meets to the spring slate of offerings for 2018 so that more children can participate.

For information about track meets, summer camps, fall programming, or other offerings, visit: http://www.mainerobotics.org .

This post was contributed by a community member. Submit your news

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Three state records broken at Maine Robotics spring track meets - Bangor Daily News

Quick Take

GE Aviation (GE) announced that it has acquired OC Robotics for an undisclosed amount.

OC Robotics designs and manufactures commercial snake-arm robots and related control software for hazardous and confined environments.

The addition of robotics technology will help GE Aviation improve its On Wing support business while reducing employee risk, and should continue to differentiate the business unit in the market it operates in.

While the impact on GEs bottom line is small, the acquisition points to smart management willing to adopt robotic technologies to drive efficiencies and remove employees from risky environments.

Target Company

Bristol, UK-based OC was founded in 1997 to develop flexible robotic arms that do not have prominent elbows, allowing them to be more supple and agile in confined spaces.

Management is headed by Managing Director Craig Wilson, who has been with the company since July 2013 and was previously CEO of We Care and Repair, a home repair service for elderly persons.

Below is a brief demo video about the companys snake arm system:

(Source: OCRobotics)

OC says its robots are used in various environments such as nuclear, aerospace, construction, and security. Its customers include the UK Ministry of Defence, Airbus (OTCPK:EADSY), Areva (OTCPK:ARVCY), US Dept. of Defense, Ontario Power Generation, and others.

OC Robotics was capitalized by both private investors and the UK government.

Acquisition Terms and Rationale

Neither company disclosed the amount or terms of the transaction, nor did GE Aviation discuss any changes to financial guidance or file an 8-K that might have provided additional details on the deal.

Accordingly, I presume the transaction was not material to GE Aviations financial condition.

The acquisition rationale is to add OCs snake arm technology to the GE Aviation Service business group, which provides engine repair services to general aviation and commercial aviation customers worldwide.

As Jean Lydon-Rodgers, vice president and general manager of GE Aviation Services stated in the deal announcement,

OC Robotics will play an important role in how we service our customers engines. This acquisition will expand our component repair development capabilities and increase the efficiency of the On Wing Support team as they perform inspections and repairs on our customers engines.

The On Wing support team helps customers avoid flight delays and schedule interruptions by repairing minor engine issues without having to remove the engine. The group performs more than 4,500 rapid repairs annually for more than 250 customers.

The OC Robotics snake arm has a reach of more than 3 meters and a cumulative bend of more than 180 degrees, improving the inspection, fastening, and cleaning processes when it is integrated with tooling.

On Wing repair support will likely become an even greater emphasis for airlines, as fleet usage increases and airlines look to maximize profits while reducing downtime and delays.

It is also part of a growing trend in commercial and industrial business to deploying robotic devices in order to reduce hazards to human operators. The devices increase productivity while reducing risk of injury, so are a win-win for employers and employees.

GE Aviation is just one division of parent company GE, but acquisitions such as that of OC Robotics will serve to position it as a leader in the markets it operates in.

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GE Aviation Acquires OC Robotics For On Wing Engine Servicing - Seeking Alpha

Smart robots playing the role of personal assistants, in-home caregivers, even pet sitters used to be fantasies that played out only in the realm of science fiction -- but not anymore. The robotics market is taking off and will continue to grow, with worldwide spending on robotics predicted, according to an IDC study, to reach $139 billion by 2019.

Related: These 5 Robotics Startups Are Changing The Way Work Gets Done

Already we're beginning to see multi-purpose robotic devices on the market. An example is the Jisiwei Smart Vacuum Cleaning Robot, which doesn't just clean your house but is also a home-security device with surveillance monitoring capabilities. Then there's Xiao You, a service robot designed to teach children, take care of household chores and monitor various aspects of daily life.

Finally, there's Domgy by ROOBO, the first "intelligent" pet robot, which aims to be a family companion that plays with your kids, reads your expressions and gestures and even breaks into dance. Imagine that at your next party.

With robots becoming more ubiquitous in many areas of our lives, and with so much opportunity and promise, it's no surprise that more entrepreneurs are jumping into the market.

In fact, entrepreneurial innovation is fueling the demand for robotics. Research from the International Federation of Robotics states that startups less than five years old already make up 15 percent of all companies engaged in the Services Robotics market. A lot of investment is pouring in, only adding to the number of companies in this space.

Robotics startups have raised more than $2.6 billion since 2012, with most VC and angel funding in this category going to early-stage startups. Other growth points include:

The good news for entrepreneurs in the robotics space is the plethora of resources available to help on all aspects of this type of business, including financing and manufacturing. Organizations involved in the industry include Silicon Valley Robotics, a meta accelerator for startups in the robotics space in Northern California; the Robot Lab in Paris, an incubator that provides designers with tools and resources needed for the creation and development of their products; and our organization, IngDan, a one-stop IoT hardware innovation platform for consumer testing and feedback, to acclerate brand recognition and product adoption among Chinese consumers.

Related: Cuban to Trump: The U.S. Needs to Invest in Robotics to 'Win'

If you're an entrepreneur in the robotics space, here are five beneficial ways to approach the industry:

Robotics is no longer just for the luxury market or limited to certain industries. It's a global opportunity ripe for innovation in the areas of education, entertainment, health care and defense. For example, countries worldwide are investing in personal-assistance robotics initiatives to better support the needs of their aging and mobility-impaired populations.

Today, China is the fastest-growing robotics market, followed by Japan and the United States. The opportunities are numerous, but it's also important to understand the differences in each market. For example, in a country like the United States, consumers tend to seek out high-value products, with data privacy and security being important issues needing to be addressed .

In China, meanwhile, customers tend to be drawn to more cost-effective robotics products.

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How to Be a Winner in the Consumer Robotics Revolution - Entrepreneur

Back in 2009, Sobeys found itself at a crossroads.

Labour costs were rising, employee productivity was waning and the grocer knew that it had to keep building bigger distribution centres to accommodate the growing number of items being sold in its supermarkets.

So instead of building out and hiring more workers, the national grocery chain built up and replaced many employees with robots.

"The combination of labour costs going up and SKUs (stock keeping units) being on the rise kind of forced us to start thinking outside the box and try to find a technology to help us resolve those issues," said Eric Seguin, senior vice-president of distribution and logistics for Sobeys, during a tour this week at the company's largest warehouse in Vaughan, Ont.

Eric Seguin, Senior Vice President of Distribution and Logistics, watches products go by at the Sobeys Vaughan Retail Support Centre, equipped with robotics for automation in Vaughan, Ontario on Monday June 12, 2017. (Mark Blinch/Canadian Press)

Sobeys is one of a small number of Canadian retailers that have embraced robotics technology. Others have been reluctant to follow suit, experts say, due to a lack of investment, a lack of access to the technology and for a long time, a lack of competition.

Today, Sobeys operates four robotics distribution centres: two facilities north of Toronto spanning 750,000 square feet, another in Montreal and one in Calgary that opened earlier this month.

Unlike its 21 traditional warehouses, the mostly-automated centres rely on robotics instead of workers to pull items off the shelves and pack them onto pallets to ship to its 1,500-plus grocery stores.

The robots, which whiz up and down rows of stacked products piled up to 75 feet high for 20 hours a day, have resulted in reduced employee costs and quicker and more accurate deliveries, Sobeys says. It's also allowed the Stellarton, N.S.-based grocer to double the amount of items that can be stored.

One robot does the work of four employees, according to Seguin.

Products go by at the Sobeys Vaughan Retail Support Centre, equipped with robotics for automation in Vaughan, Ontario on Monday June 12, 2017. (Mark Blinch/Canadian Press)

"The robots don't get tired," Seguin said.

"They always show up the morning after the Stanley Cup final. They are always there the morning after the Super Bowl. It doesn't matter if it's 35 (Celsius) and a beautiful weekend."

The company has spent between $100 million to $150 million on each of its robotics facilities. Seguin says retailers, especially those in the grocery industry, have been slow to adapt due to the high upfront investment costs.

But that attitude is changing and fast, says retail consultant Doug Stephens.

"Retail in this country has enjoyed for many decades a bit of a dearth of competition, which is coming to an end now," said Stephens, who recently wrote a book called Re-Engineering Retail.

"With the influx of U.S. players in the last decade and certainly with the presence and impact of Amazon, Canadian retailers are really having to awaken to the idea that if we don't adapt and change and compete we're going to be in big trouble."

Behemoth multinational corporations like Amazon and Walmart have raised the stakes for Canadian retailers, offering lower prices, as well as quick and often free delivery or pickup services.

A tray crane is seen in operation at the Sobeys Vaughan Retail Support Centre, equipped with robotics for automation in Vaughan, Ontario on Monday June 12, 2017. (Mark Blinch/Canadian Press)

Last year, Canada's oldest retailer, Hudson's Bay Company, said it was spending more than $60 million in robotic upgrades to its 725,000-square foot Toronto distribution centre. Online orders that would've taken up to 2 1/2 hours to locate and pack manually are being shipped out of the warehouse and onto a truck within 15 minutes.

"We're really just on the cusp of the capabilities of these technologies," said Stephens.

While manual labour jobs are being lost in retail, the types of positions that survive the wave of automation will evolve and likely be more focused on loyalty and analytics, says Marty Weintraub, a partner in retail at consulting firm Deloitte.

"Robots can be much cheaper to implement and execute, and they don't come with some of the challenges that humans would face such as making errors or having poor judgment," he said.

"But technology cannot replace certain skills that computers can't do today, like jobs that require problem solving, intuition, the art of persuasion and creativity."

A man operates a forklift at the Sobeys Vaughan Retail Support Centre equipped with robotics for automation in Vaughan, Ontario on Monday June 12, 2017. (Mark Blinch/Canadian Press)

According to documents obtained by The Canadian Press in March, federal government officials were warned that the Canadian economy could lose between 1.5 million and 7.5 million jobs in the next 10 to 15 years due to automation.

In a report, Sunil Johal of the Mowat Centre at the University of Toronto estimates that the retail sector employs about two million people and between 92 per cent to 97 per cent of those who work in sales or as cashiers are at risk of losing their jobs.

"We're just scratching the surface of how technology can affect the retail sector," said Johal. "That's a cause of concern."

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Rise of the machines: Canadian retailers on 'cusp' of using more robotics - CBC.ca

Belleville News-Democrat

First season holds success for Highland Robotics Club Belleville News-Democrat The Highland Robotics Club aced their first season; the team placed third out of 16 teams at the First Regional Lego League competition in the robotics section. The club, which is made up of middle school students from the Highland area, participated ...

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First season holds success for Highland Robotics Club - Belleville News-Democrat

OCTOPUZ Inc. Posted 06/15/2017

OCTOPUZ Inc. has a new AE (Robotics Applications Engineer) project designed to allow each new AE employee to apply their skills they have gained through training and tutorials to a real-life example. The project is also very beneficial for co-operative education students that OCTOPUZ employs regularly from local universities like the University of Waterloo and the University of Guelph.

The project is a very important learning experience as it applies virtual theory to real-life circumstances. New hires apply their theoretical skills on robots in the OCTOPUZ Robotic Room, with brands like Fanuc, Kawasaki and KUKA making an appearance in the room.

Donovan Maudsley, a Mechanical Engineering Co-operative Education Student from the University of Waterloo recently completed his version of the project where a simple plaque with his name and title in addition to the OCTOPUZ O was milled with a Fanuc LR Mate 200iD. The LR Mate 200iD is a compact six-axis mini robot with the approximate size and reach of a human arm. It is also the lightest mechanical unit in its class, which enables it to be a flexible teaching tool for educational purposes.

All of the sides of Donovans plaque were curved in multiple directions, making it a difficult project to machine by hand. The toolpaths were programmed in MasterCam 2017, and combined were about 23,000 points long. He says that getting to use an actual machine was very rewarding. It was my first time ever machining something on a robot rather than a CNC machine. Working at OCTOPUZ Ive been taught about the strengths and weaknesses of robots machining, and getting to see these in action was great.

OCTOPUZ is very much a learning environment, and I feel my opinions and input are valued similarly to the rest of my team. The work I have completed at OCTOPUZ has always been interesting, and I learn a lot each and every day that I am here.- Donovan Maudsley

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Robotics Industry News - Robotics Online (press release)

A host of bizarre biomedical robots turned up at ICRA 2017,IEEEs flagship robotics conference, whichtook place earlier this month in Singapore. We saw swallowable robots that poke the stomach with needles and worm-like robots that explore the colon. Equal parts unnerving and fascinating, these bots aim to help peopleperhapsin ways we hope we never need. After sifting throughthis years presentations, werebringing you the five most terrifying and inventive videodemonstrations.

1. Swallowable biopsy robot of doom

This capsule robot innocuouslytumbles around inside your stomachuntil it reaches suspicious-looking tissue. Then, like an EpiPen on steroids, the soft-bodied bot whips out a needle and jabs that spot inside your stomach in ten fast pumping movements. But this swallowable needle doesnt inject anything. Instead, it suctions up samples of tissue that doctors can analyze for signs of cancer or other disease. Then it moves on to other suspicious spots inside the stomachjab, jab jab!

The biopsy technique, calledfine needle aspiration, is typically performed from outside the body. This capsule robot, designed by researchers at the physical intelligence department atMax PlanckInstitute for Intelligent Systems,in Stuttgart, Germany, movesthe technique inside the body. Thanks guys.

Previous swallowable biopsy robotdesigns only scrape at thesurface tissue, they argued at ICRA. Doctors need atool that willreally get in there, and this design will do it.They tested it out on fresh pork fat placed in a plastic human stomach model. The capsule is equipped with a magnet, allowing the researchers to guide the robotsorientation and jabbing motions while inside the stomach. Of course after the job is done,the robot, with tissue sample inside, has to be retrieved. Its inventors suggest pulling it back out of the throat by a tether. Thanks again, guys!

2.Smashable Fingers

Sure you can make an electronic prosthetic hand that is controlled by personsnervous system, but can you make one that can survivegetting smashed by a hammer? The Bretl Research Group, led by Timothy Bretl at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, decided this was a necessary feature of prosthetic fingers. So the group fabricated an insanely flexible model hand, hooked it up with sensors,and, using various finger torture devices, smashed, twisted andbent the fingers in every direction (with thevideo camera rolling). You might wince, but the deformed digits just bendright back into shape.

The key was to eliminate the weak spotscommon incommercial prosthetic hands. That would bethe pin jointsthehingesaround whichrigid prostheticfingers bend, but often break. So the Bretl group eliminated the fragile part, replacing it with flexible materials. For each finger, they3D-printed the bone with a flexible polyurethane material,routed it with pressure sensor wires, molded a silicone skin around it, and then inserted three layers of pre-stressed spring steel. The thumb is made similarly, but equipped with amotor.After being smashed with a hammer, the hand can pick up that hammeror a glass of wineor a pair of scissorsand use it like nothing happened.

3. The colonoscopy robot you never knew you wanted

This robotmoves like a worm, inching its way up the rectum and around theentirecolon. And yes, someday people may elect to put this device in their bodies. Its meant to serve as an alternative to traditional colonoscopy, an uncomfortable procedure in which a physician snakes a thin, flexiblecolonoscopethrough the large intestine to look for signs of colon cancer and other diseases.A small, controllable robot equipped with a camera and tools to collect tissue samples could do the same job, with less discomfort. I suppose thats some consolation.

Several research groups have built prototypes of colonoscopy robots, each with their own ick factor. There arelegged capsule robotsand treaded capsule robots. This one, developed by the Rentschler Research Group at the University of Colorado, Boulder,falls in the worm robot category. It has three body sections that scrunch up and expand, propelling it along the intestine in a peristaltic motion. Each body section of the robot contains three shape memory alloy (SMA) springs, which compress andexpand, and are cooled by forced air flow. It can move15 centimeters in 6 minutes. Perhaps its less painful than a colonoscopy, but this worm robotmight be a tough sell until someone gives it a better name.

4. Laser-assisted robot arm tries not to be a bull in a china shop

Its a little awkward and slow, but this robot arm will grab and retrieve that hard-to-reach object you need. All you have to do is aim a laser beam at it. (And hope that you dont bump into anything else along the way.)The invention, developed by researchers at the Robotics Labat University of Massachusetts Lowelland the Helping Hands Lab at Northeastern University, aims to aid people who use mobility scooters. Home robotic arms are expensive and often challenging to operate, and this team of engineers wanted to make something simple enough that any scooter ridercould use it.

So they mounted onto a mobility scooter a robot arm, and equipped both the scooter and the arm with depth cameras similar to the Microsoft Kinect Sensor, which is used with Xbox. When the user aims a laser beam at the object she wants, the robot arm moves to that object, the camera scans it, and the teams grasp detection algorithm determines how to maneuver itself in order to pick it up. The contraption got it right about 90 percent of the time, the team reported at ICRA. Unfortunately the thing is hugeand the arm tends to collide with other stuff in the room. That could be resolved by adding more depth sensors, the team reported.

5. Wearable vision system takes the ouch out of canes

A blind person walks into a crowded room and has a dilemma: He needs to find an empty chair to sit in, but doesnt want to go aroundboppingankleswith his cane as he tests all the occupied chairs first. To help, researchers at MITs computer science and artificial intelligence laboratorycame up with a guiding system based on vibration feedback. The system includes a depth camera, an embedded computer, a vibration belt, and a brail system. The user wears the camera and computer around his neck and the vibration belt around his torso. Based on thevibration feedback, he can discern the location of obstacles in the area before testing them out with his cane. It can even tell him which chair is empty. To test the system, the engineers sent blind volunteers wandering through the halls of their buildings and into mock-up spaces. The volunteers were more hesitant and walked more slowly when they wore the feedback system, but they were able to navigate without using their canes.

IEEE Spectrums biomedical engineering blog, featuring the wearable sensors, big data analytics, and implanted devices that enable new ventures in personalized medicine.

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A new study finds that prosthetic hands trigger the most eerie feelings compared to normal hands or robotic hands 13Nov2013

These tiny, starfish-like microrobots are designed to perform biopsies inside the human colon 3Jun2015

On 19 December, the president of Stony Brook University in New York announced that it had licensed technologies for virtual colonoscopy invented there--including a computerized technique that makes it possible to see colon walls without having to evacuate the bowels--to Siemens, one of the world's leading makers of medical devices. Virtual colonoscopy uses computerized tomography to create 3D images of the colon, eliminating the need for the fiber optic endoscope that is snaked through the gastrointestinal tract in a conventional colonoscopy. Stony Brook researchers recently patented a refined electronic colon cleansing technique that will allow clinical radiologists to delete 22Dec2008

DARPAs HAPTIX program aims to develop a prosthetic hand thats just as capable as the original 28Apr2016

The heart hugger, the drug doser, and flexible forceps show how malleable machines will work safely inside the body 31Mar

Molecular robot brings us one step closer to mimicking cellular behavior 7Mar

With new design advances, nanorobots are inching closer to medical use 1Mar

Clever use of magnetic fields can selectively actuate individual microbots 15Feb

An implantable sleeve mimics the motion of the heart and reverses heart failure in pigs 18Jan

Implanted in the body, a tiny micromachine dispenses a dose of medication with each tick 4Jan

Team Cleveland took home the gold medal at the world's first Cybathlon 14Oct2016

The cyborg Olympics showcased robotic exoskeletons, brain-computer interfaces, and more 12Oct2016

A 16-year-old from Saudi Arabia develops an exoskeleton and control glove to revolutionize physical therapy for stroke patients 30Sep2016

The exoskeleton built for spinal cord injury patients is now cleared for stroke patients as well 30Sep2016

A hybrid delta biplane design results in efficiency, range, and pinpoint landings 20Sep2016

Patients regained some voluntary movements. Difficult to say which technology was the key factor 11Aug2016

This autonomous mobile robot helps to check in on patients more regularly 2Aug2016

But don't expect these robots to steer themselves through the body any time soon 26Jul2016

This could be the first robot ever to do the worm 25Jul2016

Teleoperated endolumenal bot can navigate inside the body, image and treat conditions without making incisions 7Jun2016

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A Colonoscopy Robot and Other Weird Biomedical Tech From IEEE's Biggest Robotics Conference - IEEE Spectrum