The Year in Robotics

I took a class in robotics as an undergrad.  We primarily focused on advanced kinematics of robotic motion which involved some pretty complex mathematics.  These advances not only make the stuff I did sound like second grade arithmetic, but are also incredibly exciting for the technological possibilities they represent:

In the past year, researchers have developed new robots to tackle a variety of tasks: helping with medical rehabilitation, aiding military maneuvers, mimicking social skills, and grasping the unknown…

The socialization of robots was an important area of research this year. Many researchers believe that giving robots social skills will make them better at assisting people in homes, schools, offices, and hospitals… a virtual robot mimicked sneakiness, hiding in virtual shadows and darting between obstacles to remain undetected ("Modeling Sneaky Robots").

Other robots featured this year focused on the mental side of social interaction. One computer program showed that virtual robots that forgot select information created more accurate maps ("Absent-Minded Robots Remember What Matters"). And, in a fascinating experiment, generations of robots in Switzerland eventually evolved to deceive each other when their resources were limited ("Robots 'Evolve' the Ability to Deceive").

… [F]or soldiers in the field, researchers created a robotic snake to check for signs of breathing and to deliver oxygen, if needed ("A Robomedic for the Battlefield")…

A group at Harvard and Yale universities also found value in simplicity: its soft plastic hand--embedded with just a few sensors--could pick up unknown objects using a flexible grip ("A Simpler, Gentler Robotic Grip"). A new implant could also bring improvements by giving patients unprecedented control over fine movements of prosthetics ( "Seamlessly Melding Man and Machine")…

iRobot released a new video of another robot funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Chembot, a deceptively simple-looking blob, will be able to squeeze under doors or through tiny openings, most likely for military surveillance ("iRobot Adds to a Shape-Shifting Robot Menagerie")…

Read the whole thing.  Many more links throughout.

(HT Kenneth Anderson)