Lifeboat Foundation

The University of Michigan has come up with a temperature sensing “computer” measuring just 0.3mm — so small it beats the one developed by IBM.

It is about a tenth the size of IBM’s former record-setter, and so sensitive that its transmission LED could instigate currents in its circuits.

The term “computer” is used loosely by the university, as it continues to question what exactly a computer is. It does have a processor, but unlike a full-sized computer, it loses all data when it loses power.

Continue reading “The world’s smallest computer is so tiny that it makes a grain of rice look gigantic” »

Rather than building objects layer by layer, the printer creates whole structures by projecting light into a resin that solidifies. Rather than building objects layer by layer, the method creates whole structures by projecting images onto a resin that solidifies.

How it works, why it’s so powerful, and where it’s likely to be most useful first.

Now, this is awesome. A stationary robot, two mobile robots, and a human cooperating to perform a task. The humanoid robot also interprets human gestures and obeys those commands.

More information: http://www.co4robots.eu/

Continue reading “Co4Robots — Milestone 2 Demonstrator” »

Johnny Matheny demonstrates how a modular prosthetic limb works during DARPA Demo Day 2016 at the Pentagon, May 11, 2016. Matheny is a test subject with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab⁸.

Another step forward in robotics self-awareness. This robot learns it’s own kinematics without human intervention and then learns to plot solution paths.

Columbia Engineering researchers have made a major advance in robotics by creating a robot that learns what it is, from scratch, with zero prior knowledge of physics, geometry, or motor dynamics. Once their robot creates a self-simulation, it can then use that self-model to adapt to different situations, to handle new tasks as well as detect and repair damage in its own body.

A saying from one of my favorite movies is, “Tie two birds together and even though they have four wings they cannot fly.” Can’t say the same about flying drones.

“We perform outdoor autonomous flying experiment of f-LASDRA, constructed with multiple ODAR-8 links connected via cable with each other. Each ODAR-8 can compensate for its own weight, rendering f-LASDRA scalable. Utilizing SCKF with IMU/GNSS-module on each link and inter-link kinematic-constraints, we attain estimation accuracy suitable for stable control (5cm: cf. 1-5m w/ GNSS).”

Continue reading “Outdoor Autonomous Flying of Flying-LASDRA with Onboard Sensing” »

A bacteria-fighting protein also lulls fruit flies to sleep, suggesting links between sleep and the immune system.

It turns out electric sliding door handles aren’t great when everything’s frozen.