Robotics Information

Real-life robots obey Asimov’s laws

2008-09-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

European researchers have developed technology enabling robots to obey Asimov’s golden rules of robotics: to do no harm to humans and to obey them.
Issac Asimov, widely regarded as the spiritual father of science fiction, outlined three rules that all robots in his future worlds must obey. The most important two were: a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; and a robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

However, robotics in the real world has trouble striking a workable balance between these two requirements. Robots can perform tasks efficiently in controlled environments away from humans, or they can interact with humans if properly equipped with sensors to avoid any harm. But that degree of ‘sensing’ also creates complexity and a lack of robustness to hardware and software failures which, in turn, affects safety. Of course, robots could be safe if they move slowly enough, or work far away enough from humans – but then, their dexterity and effectiveness are dramatically reduced.

“Despite the scenarios science fiction has been depicting for decades of concrete human-robot interactions, we are still a long way from that reality,” says Antonio Bicchi of the University of Pisa’s Faculty of Engineering. “Most robots today can only work safely if segregated from humans, or if they move very slowly. The trade-off between safety and performance is the name of the game in physical human-machine interactions.”

Building solid Phriendships
Bicchi coordinates the EU-funded Phriends project to create a new generation of robots which is both intrinsically safe and versatile enough to interact with humans. “The most revolutionary and challenging feature of Phriends is designing and building robots capable of guaranteeing safety in physical human-robot interactions (pHRI),” the robotics specialist explains.

For Phriends, safety means ensuring no accidents occur, even in the event of programming bugs, sensor glitches, or hardware and software failure. But creating a robot that is both completely safe and can perform useful functions requires what Bicchi calls a “paradigm shift” in approach.

This involved going back to the drawing board and rethinking how robots are designed and function. “The classical robotics approach is to design and build robots with a specific task in mind,” Bicchi notes. “The robots developed by Phriends will be intrinsically safe, since the safety is guaranteed by their very physical structure, and not by external sensors or algorithms that can fail.”

The project has worked on developing new actuators – the devices which move and control the robot – concepts and prototypes; new dependable algorithms for supervision and planning; as well as new control algorithms for handling safe human-robot physical interactions. These components are then integrated into functionally meaningful subsystems, and evaluated and tested empirically. The project is also contributing to ongoing international efforts to establish new standards for collaborative human-robot operation.

Flexing design muscle
Before we get carried away at the idea of having android friends and colleagues working beside us at the office or even at home, it should be pointed out that Phriends is taking what could be described as a one limb at a time approach.

The project’s main focus is on robot arms and the partners have turned to nature for inspiration in developing a prototype Variable Stiffness Actuator (VSA). Just as human and animal muscles move in opposite directions to move limbs, the VSA achieves simultaneous control of the robot arm by using two motors antagonistically to manipulate a non-linear spring which acts as an elastic transmission between each of the motors and the moving part.

One of the Phriends partners, the E Piaggio Centre for Robotics and Bioengineering at the University of Pisa (IT) has developed a second version of the VSA which uses a more sophisticated antagonistic concept to move robot joints directly.

“This approach makes the robot arm lighter because its structure is ‘soft’ when the robot moves fast and can collide with humans, and it becomes ‘hard’, or tensed, when performing tasks requiring precision,” describes Bicchi.

Crash courses in safety
Phriends, which received more than €2 million in funding from the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme for research, has followed both a proactive and reactive approach to accidents. It has designed its robots to anticipate potential collisions with humans and avoid them. But in the unpredictable world we live in accidents will happen, and collisions may occur anywhere along the arm.

Two of the project’s partners – DLR in Germany and the University of Rome in Italy – have developed an ingenious solution which, like humans, relies on ‘proprioception’ to determine the relative position of neighbouring components using special sensors. Such ‘self-awareness’ enables the robot to react promptly to collisions or crashes and resume safe operations.

But even a rapid correction may be no good if the robot is heavy and solid, as industrial arms traditionally are. Phriends has explored a number of ways to make impacts gentler, including lightweight robot design, soft visco-elastic covering on the links, and mechanically decoupling the heavy motor inertia from the link inertia.

Shockingly complex simplicity
In the greater scheme of things, Phriends is one small step for robotics, but one massive leap for pHRI. “The real challenge for the future of robotics is not to do something shockingly complex, but to do even simple things in a way that is safe, dependable, and acceptable to ordinary people, thus making human-robot coexistence possible,” remarks Bicchi. “The economic impact of safe and dependable robots in manufacturing is huge in terms of simplifying plant layouts, increasing the productivity of workers and machines, and for overall competitiveness.”

The project has already elicited industry interest. Germany’s Kuka Robotics, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial robots, is a partner in Phriends. Kuka will release a new robot arm in 2008 which incorporates some features developed by Phriends.

Outside the EU, companies in Japan and South Korea, which are also working on similar technologies, have contacted Phriends requesting their assistance in developing new technologies and products.

The technology the project has developed also has potential applications in other fields, including in sports training and physical rehabilitation.

Robotics company battling lawsuits

2008-09-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

An attorney for an industrial robotics firm that is moving out of Adrian filed a motion Thursday in Lenawee County Circuit Court, asking to withdraw from two lawsuits involving AIDCO International Inc.

Thomas Walters of Bloomfield Hills claimed a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship in his motion. A hearing was scheduled for Sept. 29 for Judge Timothy P. Pickard to decide whether to allow Walters to withdraw. Trial dates now set for February and May would likely have to be adjourned.

The two lawsuits involving AIDCO were in court on Monday where orders were finalized on pending issues.

In one lawsuit, Graham Packaging Co. of York, Pa., is claiming a robotic packaging machine it bought from AIDCO in 2005 is unusable because of frequent breakdowns and malfunctions. It is asking the court to order AIDCO to take the machinery back and refund the $253,188 price.

AIDCO denies an alleged breach of contract. In a case summary filed March 3, attorney Walters stated Graham Packaging was using the equipment.

“AIDCO has made warranty calls to plaintiff’s plant and has resolved all issues with the machinery,” he stated.

A second lawsuit involves claims and counterclaims by AIDCO and parts supplier Nu-Con Automation of Kalamazoo.

Nu-Con claims AIDCO has not paid for $70,703.79 in goods and services delivered to the Adrian-based robotics business.

AIDCO counters that it has suffered financial losses due to faulty equipment supplied by Nu-Con.
“As a direct and proximate result of Nu-Con’s inability to recommend and provide cylinders that work properly and do not fail in the applications and environments in which they were known by Nu-Con to be intended for use, AIDCO has incurred damages which currently exceed the sum of $100,000 and continue to mount,” Walters stated in a March 5 complaint.

AIDCO announced a relocation to Cincinnati, Ohio, last year. The first phase of its move from a plant on Center Street in Adrian was to have been completed in February.

MIT adds robotics, voice control to wheelchair

2008-09-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

MIT reports its researchers are developing a robotic, voice-driven wheelchair, which would allow a user to be able to tell the wheelchair to go to a specific location, rather than control every twist and turn.

The autonomous function of the chair is based on a map stored in its memory, the school said. The chair would adapt to a person’s personal habits and learn an individual’s particular name for a location, according to the school.

Rather than manually capturing a detailed map of a building, the MIT system can learn about its environment by being taken around once on a guided tour, with important places identified along the way — much the same as a human being. For example, as the wheelchair is pushed around a nursing home for the first time, the patient or a caregiver would say: “this is my room” or “here we are in the foyer” or “nurse’s station.”

The project is being co-developed by Nicholas Roy, assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics. MIT AgeLab researcher Bryan Reimerm and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory professor Seth Teller are also collaborating on the project.

Teller’s group at the CSAIL robotics, vision and sensor networks group is also working on a location-aware cellphone and industrial forklift that can autonomously transport large loads from place to place outdoors.

Roy and Teller have been exploring the use of wi-fi signals, which the chair uses, and wide-field cameras and laser rangefinders, coupled to computer systems that can construct and localize within an internal map of the environment as they move around. After preliminary tests on campus, they have begun trials with patients at the Boston Home in Dorchester, where all of the nearly 100 patients have partial or substantial loss of muscle control and use wheelchairs.

MIT said the researchers would like to add a collision-avoidance system using detectors to prevent the chair from bumping into other wheelchairs, walls or other obstacles. In addition, Teller says he hopes to add mechanical arms to the chairs, to help pick up and manipulate objects.

ARM Will Take Key Role In Consumer Robotics Of The Future

2008-09-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

Currently the majority of funding for robotics goes into the military and space exploration arenas, but the consumer market will be the largest robotics segment long term and ARM will play an important part, according to a report.

ABI Research believes there will be a battle for the space between x86 and ARM. “The challenge in personal robotics engineering is keeping costs low. Part of that is to fit complex software into as small an ARM processor as possible, with even lower-cost ARM processors handling subsystems of the robo,” explained ABI Research principal analyst Philip Solis.

An alternate way to get more processing power at little to no cost is to use a nearby PC to act as an external "brain," communicating with. Complete autonomy for the robot is preferable, and for that, powerful yet low-cost processors are needed, the report highlighted.

On the battle between ARM and x86 in this market, Solis said: “We would likely see very small, lower-power x86 processors used as the main processors, alongside ARM processors.”

KUKA Robotics to Showcase its Robotic Machining Solution

2008-09-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

KUKA Robotics Corporation proposes to exhibit its robotic machining solution designed for the Northern American manufacturing market at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2008 to be held in McCornick Place in Chicago, September 8-13, 2008.

The KUKA KR 100 HA (High Accuracy robot series) along with the KUKA.CAMROB Software, have been designed to assist in high precision applications like milling, trimming, routering, de-burring, dispensing, striping, gauging and laser processing.

KUKA CAMROB Software is capable of generating robot programs automatically from CNC data for several applications like pattern making, stone working, woodworking, metalworking and plastics. It also includes milling application modules which can be used to integrate milling tools. KUKA industrial robots exhibit maximum machining flexibility, and minimize investment costs.

With such offerings,KUKA is able to provide a complete system for an automatic CNC machine with a robot. The milling application modules enable integration of milling tools and additional components into a complete robotic system as standard products. This combination of new software and the KUKA robot enables easy and fast operation of a robot when used as a machine tool.

“The KUKA.CAMROB software opens up a whole new range of potential applications with robots for a wide variety of manufacturing processes,” remarked Stu Shepherd, president KUKA Robotics Corporation.

The system also offers functionality and flexibility as KUKA robots are able to mill, grind, glue, cut, saw and handle quick adaptation to changing production processes. More options become available as the KUKA robot does machining jobs with a 6-axis configuration.

In addition, presence of turn tables and linear units allow the integration of additional axes into the machining process. The 6-axis system is more cost-effective, reducing investment costs by nearly 50 percent and it also offers higher precision, quality and speed.

KUKA.CAMROB provides higher process speeds when compared to machine-assisted or manual machining.

Due to its flexibility, the custom configured system can be used in various applications including prototyping, pattern making, sectioning, engraving and polishing in stone working. KUKA provides systems with application specific components and tools for ensuring high-quality.

http://robotics.tmcnet.com/topics/robotics/articles

Group seeks young scientists, engineers for robotics showcase

2008-08-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Partners for Progress of St. Charles County is looking for young people interested in math, science and technology for a robotics showcase this week.

The group will host a "Robotics Showcase" on Aug. 28 at St. Charles Community College.

The showcase encourages students to become the next generation of math, engineering, technology and science professionals, according to a news release.The showcase will run from 7-8:30 p.m. in the college's College Center at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville.
The showcase event is designed to promote robotics as an "academic sport" to interest middle school and high school students. As part of the program, a $500 scholarship will be awarded to a participating 2009 graduating senior, according to the release.

In 2005, the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that only 18 percent of high school seniors are proficient in science. And 5 percent of current college graduates earn science, engineering or technology degrees, compared to 66 percent in Japan and 59 percent in China, according to the release.

"A competitive workforce is essential to job growth in St. Charles County," said Randy Schilling, chairman of Partners for Progress, a group of local business and civic leaders. "Participation in robotics is an avenue for students to develop skills necessary high-tech jobs while competing in a team sport."

Showcase activities include robot demonstrations, a video presentation of a robotics competition, one-on-one opportunities with team members, information on math, engineering and technology careers and scholarships, attendance prizes and refreshments.

New Catalog on Nanopositioning Actuators, Piezo Stage Systems and Nano Robotics Released by PI

2008-08-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Nanopositioning Specialist PI has released a new catalog on nanopositioning and tools for nanorobotics The components and solutions shown in the catalog were developed for high-tech industries such as:

# Nanotechnology & Biotechnology
# Aerospace & Astronomy
# Medical Technology
# Microscopy & Imaging, Spectroscopy
# Photonics, Optics, Lasers
# Precision Machining
# Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test & Measurement
# Data Storage

The 163 page publication presents PI's state-of-the-art products and technologies -- such as:

# Nanometrology Sensors
# Ceramic Nanopositioning Actuators and Motors
# Nanopositioning Tools for Microscopy & Imaging
# Linear Piezoelectric Nanopositioning Stages
# Hybrid Nanopositioning Stages
# Z/Tip/Tilt Piezo Stages
# Fast Steering Mirrors
# XY & XYZ Scanning Stages
# 6 Axis Piezo Stages & Hexapods
# Piezo Controllers and Drivers
# Scanning Microscopy Stages

The catalog also includes a mini-tutorial on nanopositioning technology, with drawings, specifications, and data sheets for PI nanopositioning products and related accessories.

Snake-arm robots to aid working in dangerous, confined, and cluttered spaces

2008-08-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Snake-arm robots are flexible robotic arms without elbows to get in the way of operating in confined spaces. Snake-arm robots are flexible and compliant, like endoscopes, but they are controllable like a robot and can be precisely positioned, company officials say.

OC Robotics already has developed a snake-arm robot for Airbus in Toulouse, France, for assembly and inspection tasks within aircraft wings -- an area previously inaccessible to automation. The robot for Airbus is capable of sealing, swaging, and inspection inside a mockup of an aircraft wing rib bay. The robot now is set to begin testing.

The snake-arm robot moves its tip around obstacles with a tip-mounted camera. OC Robotics officials say it is effectively a controllable endoscope able to snake into awkward or cluttered environments.

Club promotes robotics the fun way

2008-08-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

It is with this in mind that a group of Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) lecturers and undergraduates formed a club in 2006 to promote robotics through fun activities.
Thanks to the Mobile Robotics Club, a group of some 200 youngsters has been getting the chance to take part in numerous robotics competitions.

Its founding members, Koh Seng Yau of Kluang, Johor, and Saravanan Sivanandhan of Bentong, Pahang, believe that encouraging youngsters to participate in such competitions is the best way to help develop their interest in robotics.

Towards this end, the club, since 2006, has been organising the annual RoboGamez.

"We want to make learning science and technology fun and interesting by using a hands-on approach," said Koh.

Jointly organised with Uniten's College of Engineering, RoboGamez is a competition which sees fully-autono-mous and pre-programmed robots attempting to get out of a maze.

RoboGamez 2008 is partly sponsored by Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Uniten, with some of the funding coming from club members.

The competition will be held on Sept 5 and 6 at the Uniten Putrajaya campus. It is divided into three categories -- for schools, Uniten students and other institutions of higher learning.

Former iRobot employees cultivate new idea

2008-08-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

At a meeting of the MIT Enterprise Forum on July 30, a company that includes two former iRobot employees announced that it's developing an autonomous robot capable of...organizing potted plants.

While that may sound like a strange and fruitless project to spend years working on, the robot actually fulfills an industry need that could end up making their Groton, Mass.-based company a lot of green, Harvest Automation CTO Joe Jones and CEO Charles Grinnell told me in a phone interview. (The company earlier was known as Q Robotics.)

Where's the big business in potted plants? Everything from conifers that grow in your yard to office houseplants are often started and grown in those same plastic pots you buy them in at the garden store or home repair center.

Space is a large preoccupation for growers. Too little space between potted plants and the plants grow into each other or develop black spots as they mature, making them unsellable, said Grinnell.

If too much space is left between them from the start, land or greenhouse space is wasted. And because many growers use sprinkler systems, fertilizer and water that falls into the gaps is also wasted, and that wastes growers' money. Growers also want to minimize the amount of fertilizer seeping into the ground and from there into water supply, said Jones.

Currently growers use manual labor with sticks and ropes to rotate the pots and measure the space between them as the plants grow.

The autonomous robot is about two years away from being commercially available, but the current prototype can pick up potted plants between 1 and 3 gallons in size. The waterproof and sun-proof robot can carry the pots around and line them up in organized grids based on a grower's specifications.

Harvest Automation's robots have global awareness through beacons placed around the perimeter of a given area, and communicate the way the iRobot Roomba communicates with beacons that tell it which rooms to vacuum. While the battery technology has not yet been decided, the types of batteries the company is looking at would allow the robots to work for up to 8 hours and take about 4 hours to recharge.

Robotics help make algebra work

2008-08-06T09:11:00.001-07:00

Based on the results from last year’s pilot program, more than 85% of students who took part in the institute passed algebra in ninth grade with a grade of C or better, the organizers said.

According to former L.A. Unified Supt. Roy Romer, failure in algebra “triggers dropouts more than any single subject.”

To address this, the nonprofit organization Project GRAD Los Angeles, in collaboration with universities and businesses, hosted a Middle School Summer Institute throughout July. The students were selected primarily because they were at risk of not enrolling in algebra next month.

During the month, students spent mornings learning about algebraic concepts and the afternoon learning how to apply them to manipulate Lego robots. All of the students also took a writing course, were exposed to college and careers in math and science, and visited the UCLA School of Engineering.

In Thursday's competition, student teams competed in a race through a skills course in which they had to program the robots to turn at certain angles. Students won prizes for speed, accuracy and creativity.

The mission of Project GRAD Los Angeles is to help students in historically underserved communities get access to high-quality public education and college.

Students go to battle with robots

2008-08-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

The kids in the Robotics Showdown probably never knew that engineering could get that rough as robots tumbled and crashed during each elimination round. "Have you ever seen anyone do that before?" a robot pilot exclaimed.

In fact, organizers of the summer internship say that most of the kids had little knowledge of how things went from concept to marketplace. "Their experience was nil," says program coordinator, Pam Lindley. "A lot of them hadn't even heard of the manufacturing industry."

So for eight weeks, some spent in the classroom, but most in machine shops around town; the kids were able to experience the full manufacturing process, including all the hits and the misses. "It's a trial and error type of thing. We had a couple of other designs before this, and you know stuff didn't work, so you've got to improvise," team member, Jason Butkowski said.

For some teams it was back to the drawing board, but at the end, everyone came out a winner. "While you're doing it, you learn so much that time goes by so fast that you just like, 'Wow, I did this?'" says recent high school grad, CeeCee Turner.

The City of Phoenix along with 23 advanced manufacturing businesses sponsored the program, hoping to spark interest in an area that could see labor shortages in mechanical engineering in the future.

Complex classic meets robotic complexity

2008-07-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Robotics and a rose garden are two seemingly disparate elements that Quantum Theatre will use to bring William Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" to life.
A collaboration between Quantum Theatre and The Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, "Cymbeline" will begin performances Thursday in the Rose Garden of Mellon Park.

Using 21st-century technology and an outdoor setting are not just gimmicks to get attention, says Quantum Theatre's artistic director Karla Boos.

"It maximizes how to facilitate what I want to experiment with and serves the exploration of the play," she says.

Don't come expecting to see R2-D2 or Robbie the Robot substituting for actors.
"This is something far different from a walking, talking android," says Illah Nourbaksh, an associate professor at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University who has been working with Boos and her design team on the production.

Instead, Boos hints, the production will employ elements of robotic technology in more symbolic ways that may surprise and involve the audience.

"This piece of technology is an enabler of the old concept of more direct communication between audience and performer. ... I am so engaged about when we want the audience to affect the play and when we don't."

The towering cypress trees and greenery embrace the audience and stage, while infusions of high-tech machinery highlight the contrasts between the play's machine-like structure and the wildness of its plot, as well as the humanity revealed in the play's resolution, she says.

"Cymbeline," Shakespeare's seldom-done romantic drama is possibly his messiest work. Its title refers to King Cymbeline, a pre-Christian king who ruled Britain between 33 BC and 2 AD.

But most of the plot and the action revolves around Cymbeline's daughter, Imogen.

Imogen derails her father's plans to marry her to his second wife's son from her first marriage, instead marrying Cymbeline's adopted son, Posthumous.

Banished to Rome for marrying against the king's wishes, Posthumous falls in with Iachimo who bets Posthumous he can seduce the loyal Imogen.

Treachery, deception, lust, jealousy, betrayal, repentance, redemption and a whole lot more ensue before the drama is resolved with a happy ending of revelations, reunions and reconciliations.

"It's a deep play, a complex play. It's very funny. His takes on issues are very often unserious," says Boos. "It's important for me to do 'Cymbeline' without making a feminist statement and to see the parallels to our own government. This is a ruler who has many inadequacies and makes many mistakes. He does not come through the journey to knowledge a la King Lear."

Part thriller, part action drama, part romance, it's stitched together with plot devices familiar from other Shakespeare works -- women disguised as men, lovers mistakenly identified as dead and deceptions aided by pieces of jewelry or bloody handkerchiefs.

"It is a deeply experimental play. Shakespeare was using in new ways things he had combined or made conventions of his own work," Boos says. "He messes with them to a great degree. The cross-dressing journey (in 'Cymbeline') is to a different purpose than in 'As You Like It.' "

Shakespeare's play contains some two dozen speaking parts as well as parts for a horde of lords, ladies, Roman senators, soldiers, attendants, officers and musicians, as well as a soothsayer and apparitions.

The Quantum staging will offer a more streamlined and purposeful casting.

Mikelle Johnson, the production's sole female performer, will play King Cymbeline's much-wronged daughter, Imogen.

The gender-imbalanced casting is a deliberate attempt to heighten Imogen's sense of isolation.

Our view: Innovation has region on brink of economic revival

2008-07-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

Robotics, photolithography, clean energy — these technologies and others hold great promise for the region north of Boston whose brainpower is its greatest natural resource. There were these developments this month:

r The North Shore Technology Council launched its North Shore Life Sciences Accelerator, based at the Cummings Center in Beverly, whose mission is to "nurture select, early-stage biotech or medical-device firms with strong technologies and business plans."

r The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co., run by the state's 40 municipal utilities, including those in Peabody, Danvers, Ipswich, Middleton and Marblehead, announced a new program aimed at encouraging the use of solar power for electricity production.

The state has a goal of having 250 megawatts of solar power capacity in place by 2017, and this initiative will help companies like Solectra Renewables of Lawrence, which manufactures the equipment needed to convert renewable energy like solar power into useful electricity.

r At a meeting at iRobot Corp. in Bedford, Gov. Deval Patrick hailed the robotics industry as a "critical and burgeoning sector of economy." More than 2,500 people are currently employed in the field, and annual sales are approaching the $1 billion mark.

Between global giants like Gloucester's Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, a pioneer in the use of photolithography for the manufacture of microchips, and those start-ups still struggling for a foothold, the region appears poised for an economic revival built on what Patrick, during his iRobot visit, described as "our unique concentration of educational resources, innovative capacity and entrepreneurial spirit."

Robot playmates may help children with autism

2008-07-26T10:53:00.001-07:00

Papers delivered at three conferences in the US and Europe this summer report on new research at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering studying interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with bubble-blowing robots.

The preliminary studies, by Professor Maja Matarić and PhD student David Feil-Seifer of the USC Interaction Laboratory, confirm what has been widely reported anecdotally: that ASD children in many cases interact more easily with mechanical devices than with humans.

Matarić and Feil-Seifer, both specialists in Socially Assisted Robotics (SAR), are now engaged in further research to confirm their findings, and to develop a robot "control architecture" which will tailor robot interactions to the specific needs of ASD children to help therapists treating their condition.

The initial study, reported in the June Conference on Interaction Design for Children with Special Needs in Chicago, tested whether interaction as opposed to simple passive observation was going on between ASD children and a colorful bubble-blowing wheeled robot.

The robot had two settings. In one, it carried on its rolling and bubble blowing on its own internal schedule, regardless of the behavior of the child. In the other, "when the child pushes a button, then the bubbles blow," in the words of the Chicago presentation.

The study watched the children and observed differences. "We found that the behavior of the robot affects the social behavior of a child (both human-human interaction and human-robot interaction): social behavior with a contingent robot was greater than with a random robot.

"Total speech went from 39.4 to 48.4 utterances, robot speech from 6.2 to 6.6 utterances, and parent speech from 17.8 to 33 utterances. Total robot interactions went from 43.42 to 55.31, with button pushes increasing from 14.69 to 21.87 and other robot interactions going from 24.11 to 28. Total directed interactions (interactions that were clearly directed at either the robot or the parent) went up from 62.75 to 89.47. Generally, when the robot was acting contingently, the child was more sociable."

While only four children were part of the initial study, Feil-Seifer and Matarić believe the work clearly demonstrates the ability of robots to actively engage with ASD children - "offer a doorway into their attention," Matarić says. A much more extensive follow-up with more subjects is already in progress, in collaboration with Los Angeles Childrens Hospital and the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange.

Two other presentations by Feil-Seifer and Matarić, at the 11th International Symposium on Experimental Robotics 2008 in Athens, Greece in July, 2008, and at the IEEE Proceedings of the International Workshop on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, discuss these results in more detail, particularly in regard to the "Behavior-Based Behavior Intervention Architecture" (B3IA) they have developed to make the robots flexible and useful tools help ASD children.

This architecture (the system, including robotic and non-robotic components, plus provisions for recording and analyzing the proceedings) is based on an ASD therapy format called DIR/Floortime, in which a therapist shares floor with various toys used to try to engage the child.

Matarić and Feil-Seifer, in collaboration with Dr. Marian Williams from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and Shri Narayanan from Viterbi School's Department of Electrical Engineering, are replacing toys with robots, both the rolling robots with horns and bubble blowers used in the initial results, and humanoid robots capable of smiles and other expression.

Behind the scenes, the architecture also includes an overhead video view that analyzes, documents, and stores every interaction, and a control system for the therapist operator that allows for switching between scenarios for interaction with the child, to concentrate on what works, and change what works to make it work better -- while still retaining a standard record-keeping and monitoring system used in ASD therapy.

Matarić has for years been working in the field of socially assisted robots to help a variety of other user populations, including patients with Alzheimer's Disease and stroke victims receiving help in rehabilitation. She notes that ASD is now at "epidemic" proportions in the United States.

Oshkosh schools gear up for robotics competition next year

2008-07-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Branson, a design engineer, spoke to the Oshkosh school board Wednesday night about his experiences with the FIRST Robotics competition, which will be established in Oshkosh in the 2008-09 school year. FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is aimed at piquing high school students' interest in science and technology.

The program will draw high school students from public and private schools within Oshkosh and connect them with mentors in the community with the goal of building a robot and competing against other community high school students from around the country.

Garth Larson, dean of students at Webster Stanley Middle School, refers to the program as a "varsity sport that is more of a mental sport."

"It challenges a team of students and mentors to build a robot," he said.

The program is scheduled to begin in January. Students will have six weeks to build a robot to send to a regional competition where the team will be judged based on the robot's design, team spirit, professionalism and maturity.

One robotics team will be established for the 2008-09 school year with the hope of going to two teams the following year.

The student participants will work with mentors from local businesses like Oshkosh Corp., CR Meyer, Triangle Manufacturing Co., Sadoff & Rudoy Industries, Blue Door Consulting, MarquipWard United and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

"When I came to Oshkosh two and a half years ago I was surprised that Oshkosh didn't have a program like this," Komal Mehta, of Triangle Manufacturing said. "This is a very exciting program."

Students from the Appleton area participate in the FIRST Robotics competition annually, which is where Branson had the opportunity to get involved as a high school student in 2000, he said. Students from Fond du Lac also participate.

LEGO camp gets local kids hooked on science

2008-07-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

MERRIMACK – With the press of a button, Elan Brest's robot broke through a Lego wall at the beginning of an obstacle course, splitting bricks in half rather than just pushing the wall to one side.

The 9-year-old's creation continued toward a junk pile, which proved to be a tougher barrier for his small, motorized car. The car pushed the broken wall directly into the pile, stopping the robot's movement immediately.

"If the wall weren't there, it would be, like, 10 times easier," said Brest after his practice run.

Brest was one of 13 campers at this year's Lego Camp at Merrimack Middle School. The camp, designed to get kids 8-14 interested in science and engineering and expose them to the high school's robotics team, ran Monday-Friday.

Chop Shop, the Merrimack High School FIRST Robotics Team, uses the camp as a fundraiser to help raise part of the $4,000 fee each member must pay before the school year. The money covers the costs of materials, instruction and travel. Members serve as counselors for the camp, and help kids learn the software to program the Lego Mindstorms RCX robots.Although counselors help them along the way, campers were left to design, build and program their creations. Each robot had to pass through an obstacle course designed by the counselors, which consisted of tasks like traveling over a pile of Lego pieces and pushing a box through obstacles to the finish line.

"It's just a ton of fun to be able to do this and be able to see different minds solve the same task," said Alex Brunelle, a 17-year-old member of the Chop Shop team and Merrimack resident.

"That's pretty much the most fun I've been able to see with all the robotics stuff, even at the high-school level. When you set a task, and pretty much every team is going to come up with something different to solve each task. It's really cool to be able to look at an 8-year-old when you're 17 and go, 'Wow, I would've never thought of that.' "

Fran Leach, the camp director and a middle school science teacher in Derry, has been coaching Lego teams since the mid '90s, although she hasn't built a Mindstorms robot or learned the programming because she wants the kids to figure everything out on their own.

"I can truly say my kids do all the work, because I don't know how to do it," said Leach, who sets deadlines and oversees events during the camp, which was started in 2004. "They'll learn more by doing it own their own."

The camp is entirely hands-on, and at times, she said, she feels the camp could almost run itself.

"I have to make them stop for lunch," Leach said with a smile.

"They say, 'Oh, do we have to?' Even at lunch, 'Can we go back to the robots?' 'No, you've got 10 more minutes.' "

The kids were able to choose one partner to work on their robots. The computer program required for the robots doesn't take long to learn, Leach said, and the campers had a basic robot built and programmed by the end of the first day.

Nick Fernandes, a counselor and one the original members of the camp, said the hardest part for the kids is working together to discover a way to complete tasks, as they have to build their way from a basic program to a flexible system that allows for numerous changes.

"You have to program your robot initially to see what you can do with it, and then you make it more defined and detailed," said Fernandes, 15, of Merrimack.

"Trial and error – it's a lot of that."

Leach agreed the program forced the kids to evaluate their designs frequently, which she thinks provides a much-needed challenge.

"Life is too easy – you have to keep doing it," said Leach. "They think that they can just do something. They don't realize there's nothing wrong with trial-and-error.

Make way Ronaldo, here come the robots

2008-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

After Euro 2008, now Austria is preparing to host RoboCup, where 500 robots take to the football field hoping to prove their mettle.

Held annually since 1997, the RoboCup, one of the world's largest demonstrations of robotics, will take place in the southern city of Graz in July 2009, organiser Gerald Steinbauer said Friday.

"Robot-football is more than just entertainment. It is the ideal sceanario for developing moving robots in a mobile environment," said Steinbauer, a robotics specialist at Graz Technical University.

The 500 robots will be joined by 2,500 human players, with teams competing in four championships, depending on the size of robot.

A fifth, completely virtual, competition runs alongside the four championships, with two teams of 11 players pitted against each other in a simulator.

A more serious addition to the programme will test the efficiency of robots as potential life-savers in an earthquake scenario, Steinbauer added.

On the sidelines of the tournament, international experts will give public lectures on the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Mentors sought for students' robotics teams

2008-07-23T07:58:00.001-07:00

The St. Louis Crisis Nursery will host its 18th annual Celebrity Waiters & Waitresses Night from 5:30 to 11 p.m. on Aug. 21 at Monarch Restaurant, 7401 Manchester Road.

More than 50 local celebrities will help serve Monarch's upscale cuisine and drinks. Any tips they earn will benefit the Crisis Nursery. To make a reservation, call Monarch at 314-644-3995.

The event raised more than $72,000 last year and the organization has set a goal of $100,000 for 2008.

An After Party hosted by the group's Young Professionals Board will be held across the street at Jive and Wail at 9 p.m. with free admission for all Monarch dinner patrons.

The Crisis Nursery provides short-term, safe havens for children whose families are faced with emergencies or crises. For more information about the group, go to crisisnurserykids.org.

Mentors sought for students' robotics teams

2008-07-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

The Maryland Heights Department of Human Services is trying a new way to keep elderly residents active — a Nintendo Wii league.

Each weekly event will be held at an independent living facility or community center and events will accommodate eight to ten players, who will play in six rotations of about 20 minutes each. Home Instead Senior Care is the sponsor.

Seniors interested in learning more about the Wii system may attend "Wii 101," a demonstration that will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday at Maryland Heights Centre, 2344 McKelvey Road. To sign up or learn more call Joann Eng-Hellinger at 314-434-1919.

Students get technical at PCC robotics camp

2008-07-23T07:55:00.002-07:00

On Monday, students in a machine manufacturing technology camp at Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus were busy in the college’s machine shop, getting used to band saws, drill presses, lathes and milling machines.

What the 18 students and two adults were hoping to get out of the three-week course was the ability to craft parts that will allow their robotic creations to run more efficiently.

Debra Mumm-Hill, regional director for the Pacific Northwest for FIRST, which stands for For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, said 14 different high schools took PCC up on the offer for the class.

The program attracted students from Westview, Jesuit, Tualatin, Oregon City, Catlin Gabel and other area high schools.

“These kids love being together because they’re like-minded,” said Mumm-Hill, whose organization sponsors annual robotics competitions.

She said the hands-on experiences of the class were important to students studying technological fields.

“Many engineers in America have never built anything,” she pointed out.

Jackson Pugh, who will be a senior at Westview and joined the school’s robotics team in January, said he was learning a lot at the camp.

“It’s pretty sweet,” said Pugh . “You get to do a lot of things hands on.”

Although his main job is writing code and programming for Westview’s Team 1510, Pugh said one of the most important things he’s learned is how to communicate with other students.

Team 1510 currently is the only one in the Beaverton School District, but includes students from Science and Technology High school and Aloha High School.

Patrick Kraft, PCC department chairman for the machine manufacturing technology program, said this is the first time the summer program has been offered and one of the goals of the class is to get students oriented with using a variety of manufacturing tools.

“A lot of students have never had this opportunity to make something,” said Kraft.

In the past, students sometimes accompanied Kraft, who has volunteered with the Westview program over the last several years, to watch him create the parts they needed.

Now they have the opportunity to do that themselves.

“They can come down anytime in the (next) 12 months … and use PCC’s machine shop and build parts for their robots,” said Kraft.

Trevor Burtzos, a senior at Catlin Gabel School, said he believes he’ll use what he’s learned from the course and take it back to his team, The Flaming Chickens.

The team has been enjoying a string of successes, having most recently attended national competition in Atlanta last year.

Bob Hendel, who along with Mark Garcia coach the Westview Rotbotics Team 1510, said he’s been impressed with the robotics camp.

“This is phenomenal,” said Hendel, who previously spent 18 years working at Intel.

Hendel said a doubling of funding from Intel will result in the formation of a second Westview team. Meanwhile, a third team, consisting of students at other Beaverton-area high schools, could be created as well.

On the other side of the machine shop Monday, Zeno LeHericy, who belongs to Tualatin High School’s robotics team, TETRA, was busy milling a plastic box to store his newly created ball peen hammers.

“This class has been wonderful,” he said. “I’ve learned so much. It’s been a ton of fun.”

LeHericy, who will be a junior at Riverdale High School in Dunthorpe, is a founding member of the Tualatin team, which now numbers 27 students. His team had an impressive year as well.

“We got to semi finals in Seattle,” he said. “It’s more fun than you could ever imagine.”

Robotic visionary

2008-07-23T07:55:00.001-07:00

Your car's global-positioning system probably wouldn't function as well as it does without a Holli-daysburg native's work with robots.

Red Whittaker - who went by "Larry" when his family lived on North Juniata Street - is the director of the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, where he lives with his wife, Kathleen.

Since 1983, Whittaker, 60, his colleagues and students have developed robots that do construction, underground and underwater work and hazardous cleanup, among other applications.

Whittaker's robots have roved on all seven continents and the North and South poles, crawled into the craters of a live volcano and cleaned a radioactive reactor after the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown. But, he said, a robot's impact may go far beyond its immediate task.

For example, in 1986, Whittaker and his team built NavLab I, a mobile robot that was able to self-navigate through Pittsburgh's Schenley Park by using laser scanners and color video camera to provide NavLab I's view of the road. Later versions of NavLab included GPS - which lead to the improvement of the technology, Whittaker said.

"What NavLab did was realize that GPS was always going to show error .... and only give a position every once in awhile," he said. "That was not good enough to guide or steer the machine or keep it on a road, so NavLab used other methods like inertial sensing ... that could determine whether there was a small change in steering or velocity."

NavLab, he said, showed that GPS would do better as a guide for long-term positions.

"Most people won't remember it, but there was a time when GPS didn't exist," Whittaker said. "And satellites were not up in the sky, and it couldn't determine position within half a mile. I could see the future, and I could see that there was a way to use that for driving outdoor mobile machines. I could see that that would be a big thing for driving tractors, the construction business, family cars, military machines."

GPS isn't the only technology Whittaker and his team have influenced. Some of the technology used in specialized robots - such as underwater, flying or mining ones - can be traced to research at CMU.

"The first ideas and how to do it, how to automate those activities started here," he said. "But like any great development, it succeeds by propagating into the world. Everybody can understand that by looking backward, what has to be done is to first see the future and then make it happen."

It's that way of thinking that has led many in robotics to refer to Whittaker as a "visionary," said David Wettergreen, an associate research professor in the Robotics Institute. Wettergreen said he's collaborated with Whittaker for about 20 years.

"One of his greatest talents is to see right to the critical questions and crucial research issues," Wettergreen said. "He's very good at sorting out systems and determining what are the challenges and what we need to work on."

And he's always been that way, said his brother, Chuck Whittaker, who works with Red at the Ro-botics Institute, and a spinoff robotics firm, WorkHorse Technologies LLC. Chuck Whittaker, 52, credits some of his brother's success to the construction, surveying and railroad-shop jobs Red worked as a teenager.

"I think that helped him with the engineering base," Chuck Whittaker said. "He was always pushing the envelope education-wise. He was always very studious - geek-like, if you will - always very applied. He worked in those shops and around places in Hollidaysburg, and he got a lot of good experience in how things get done. You take those lessons along, no doubt about that."

It was that background, Whit-taker said, that led him to study civil engineering at Princeton.

''I have a lot of appreciation for the teachers and mentors in those professional and work settings, for the experiences from those early years,'' he said. ''Those are deeply seeded experiences that go beyond how you do things and ground a life experience in what's worth doing - and how does that engage and mix the world.''

A high school classmate, Dr. Patrick Barnes, said Whittaker's intelligence left an impression on him. Barnes was the 1966 class president for Hollidaysburg.

"He's probably the most intelligent guy I ever met, in all of my education," Barnes said. "He was destined for greatness in whatever field he chose. ... If I had to say anything about him, I'd say he was Princeton smart and Marine Corps tough -how's that for a combination?"

Whittaker took time off from his undergraduate work to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, but returned to finish his degree and went on to earn both master's and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from CMU. In addition to his research work, he also teaches one graduate-level course per semester. Wettergreen was one of Whittaker's students - but their relationship has changed little since Wettergreen joined the faculty.

"There's not a Red for students and a Red for faculty," Wettergreen said. "He really treats everyone with a high degree of regard and works in a very collaborative manner with everyone."

The technology of each of Whittaker's robots builds on its predecessors. Lessons learned from NavLab I - the self-driving robot that improved GPS - are still being used to perfect the self-driving cars that Whittaker foresees someday becoming mainstream.

"These would be cars that are crash free," he said. "Automatic features can prevent many kinds of accidents, and 42 million people die in car accidents each year. These can prevent accidents that occur from drifting outside the lanes. ... So one of the features that will be available very soon are lane-keeping cars."

One of Whittaker's biggest projects is the Google Lunar X Prize, a competition challenging privately funded teams to be the first to send a robot to the moon, travel 500 meters and transmit video, images and data back to Earth.

Whittaker is leading Team Astrobotic, which includes leaders from CMU, the University of Arizona and Raytheon. Astrobotic's robot will be called Red Rover.

"China intends to go to the moon," he said. "Here in the U.S., it's sort of 'been there, done that,' but Japan intends to go to the moon, India intends to go to the moon, and the U.S. intends a huge campaign including a sustaining service station, like a space station, but on the moon."

The technology learned from a robot's trip to the moon may someday aid in a trip to Mars, Whittaker said.

"The real push is Mars, but Mars is too committing and too dangerous," he said. "It's a terribly committing experience that nobody knows anything about, so we can use the moon to build the equipment, test the equipment, and learn whether we can keep people out there doing things."

Girls take on robotics

2008-07-23T07:54:00.001-07:00

From robot soccer players to automated pizza makers, this camp has got it all, providing you are a young woman with an interest in science. Now in its 19th year, the four-week program draws high school-age girls from throughout the United States and abroad. This year's residents include students from Australia, Spain and New Zealand.

According to Gail E. Scordilis, Smith's director of educational outreach, about half of the 100 girls scheduled to attend the program this summer receive financial aid. Only 10 percent of the campers end up enrolling at Smith, but 70 percent go on to study science in college.

"It's a reflection of our mission around women in science and engineering," she said.

During a recent session, teams of students spent two weeks programming robots made from Legos to perform various tasks. One team created robot versions of soccer players Renaldo Cristiano and David Beckham. Another fashioned a pizza conveyor belt where robots tossed tomato sauce and cheese onto an English muffin.

Alejandra Hernandez, of Oakland, Calif., and Iovanna Valera, of New York City, created a traffic cop simulator called "Nab the Speed Demon." The project featured a Lego vehicle that was programmed to follow a strip of black tape around a maze of streets. When the vehicle passed a sensor it triggered a camera, that took a photograph of the speeder.

Valera, 14, attends the Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem, one of several high schools with which Smith has an educational relationship.

"One day I was in science class and a student from Smith College came and started talking about the program," Valera said.

Hernandez, 17, said she heard about the science program from a friend who had attended.

"It's a great experience," she said. "I like to work with electronics and robots."

Although Valera intends to stick with her true love and become a veterinarian, Hernandez said she plans to study engineering in college.

Kids Attend Robotics Camp at ISU

2008-07-23T07:52:00.002-07:00

The first ever HaYwIrE Robotics Summer Camp got underway today helping students from across Southeastern Idaho learn how robots work

There are about two dozen kids at this years camp, and organizers say their goal is to help more young people become interested in science and technology. Mark Edwards, a science teacher at Pocatello High School who helped organize the camp said, "We have students coming from as fas South as Downey, as far North as Aberdeen, and one student came in from Meridian."

Over the next five days these kids will learn how to build basic robots and program them to run on their own. Today students equipped their robots with sensors to recognize and move along lines of electrical tape. Something that didn't always go right. Daylin Penrod, a 13-year-old camper said, "It's frustrating because you don't-the robot won't tell you what to do."

Even with the challenges students say the camp is great. Dirk Stahlecker, a 14-year-old camper said, "I've learned a lot about programming that I never knew before, and I find that interesting. Along with being able to work with the Vex set." His teammate, 13-year-old Daniel Spreier added, "I think its been really fun even though it's still the first day. Its just been fun building the robot and making it work."

Over the next few days the teams will have to add a working arm to their robot, and design it to go through an obstacle course. Coaches and mentors will be on hand to answer some questions, but the campers will have to do most of the work on their own.

Organizers say they've designed the camp to give students a taste of what it's like to participate in a real robot competition. "What we're doing here in five days is a smaller version of what we do in six weeks during the competitive season," said Edwards.

The District 25 High School robotics team, HaYwIrE who is hosting this summers camp say they hope it will raise some money, and help them recruit future team members.

A World of Robotics

2008-07-23T07:52:00.001-07:00

You step into the hall and find yourself challenged by a robot to arm wrestle. Unbeknownst to you, the robot is communicating information about you across the building to a second robot, which is taking on another visitor. The result: Through robotics, you’re engaged in virtual arm wrestling with another human you can’t even see.

Other robots are there to invite you to other competitions against them — shooting free throws or constructing a building-block house against a blueprint. After these modern marvels take you to the woodshed, you enter the Robot Hall of Fame to meet some of the world’s most famous and important robots — a few in person, most by video timeline.

Now you’re ready for the piece de resistance — the Robot Workshop, where one of the world’s robotics pioneers is testing its latest consumer robotic device . . . and wants your feedback.

Pittsburgh abuzz with robotic art

2008-07-23T07:51:00.001-07:00

A green rollercoaster twists above the entrance to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

But this attraction isn’t for human riders — the coaster’s cars are filled with plants and a solar panel that triggers the ride to stop and start.

The coaster is one of 11 “BigBot” robotic art installations in a twoweek citywide celebration of robotics, dubbed Robot 250 to coincide with Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary.

“It bends the idea of what robotics is about and who it’s for,” said Illah Nourbakhsh, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and one of the originators of the Robot 250 idea. He hopes the project shows that rather than just being for industrial automation or tinkering engineers, robots can give everyday people a new way to express themselves.

The prelude to Robot 250 included workshops for dozens of teachers so that kids and adults could create their own robots.

The results were robots big and small, complex and simple: One woman used a Polaroid camera and other parts to create a robot that took pictures of cars speeding in front of her home.

One group made a conceptual robot that would automatically salt the city’s bridges in the winter, to encourage more people to walk them.

Kyle Buzard, 11, worked with several of his seventh-grade classmates to create robotic flower petals decorated with images to represent good — healthy things like fruits and vegetables — and bad, such as alcohol abuse or drugs. “We wanted to build a robot that would show how we could help the community,” Kyle said.

Kids Step Up with Robotics

2008-07-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Five local seventh-graders-to-be are building robots through a summer science program at the Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center.

They are participating in Robots and You, the first of two Summer Scientists programs at the center. With support from Cornell Cooperative Extension and a grant from the Oswego City-County Youth Bureau, the programs are free to participants.

Tuesday was the third of five sessions of Robots and You, a course in which students learn how to build robots using Lego NXT Mindstorms programmable components. The youths work together to learn a programming language so they can make their robots perform certain functions. One task calls for the robot to move forward, touch a wall, turn around and return.

Conestoga Cold Storage: All under remote control

2008-07-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

There’s no mystery surrounding this cold case. By capitalizing on consumer trends, employing the latest in robotics and technology, and continuously improving its efficiency, Conestoga Cold Storage has set itself apart in the industry.

It is popular with Canada’s largest food manufacturers and can handle everything from purchasing to distribution and warehousing.

Conestoga is headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario and has a national presence with facilities in Mississauga, Ontario, Calgary, Alberta and Montreal, Quebec.

It enjoyed revenues of C$50 million last year and has experienced growth of about 20 percent annually for the last 10 years.

The family owned company was founded in 1974 by Larry Laurin and originally handled commodities. Over the last 20 years, it has adjusted as market demands have changed.

“We moved from commodities into more finished goods over the last 20 years,” says Greg Laurin, manager of Mississauga operations.

“We really tried to get into a more specialized service area that our competitors have shied away from. Increasingly our customers require a higher level of case picking, tight timelines and detailed recall reporting so we have developed more and more sophisticated tracking systems to meet these new demands.”

Consumers, it seems, have increasingly moved towards more convenient, ready-made meals and other prepared foods that they could serve up quickly to accommodate their busy lifestyles.

Raising the bar

The use of robotics has played a key role in Conestoga’s growth.

By investing in automation, the company has increased its flexibility, maximized its use of space and developed a more efficient operation.

Mississauga has six robots, each 100 feet tall, working 24/7 with a fully computerized system.

An additional four robots operate at the Kitchener head office.

This level of automation means the company doesn’t have to worry about shift changes and miscommunications in its shelving and picking operations.

The high rise warehouse technology also provides high-density storage with increased energy efficiency over conventional warehouse space. For example, the automated warehouses can operate in complete darkness as these specialized robots do not require light to be able to see what they’re doing.

Conestoga is also developing an automated system that will pick orders at the case level.

A full-scale system is currently being stress tested in a frozen environment to ensure all of the components are reliable at temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

Cutting energy costs

With energy prices going up, Conestoga has made full use of its computerized and automated operations to cut some key costs.

Although spikes in gas prices have claimed the limelight in the United States, fuel is not the biggest driver of Conestoga’s budget.

“We’ve been protected from rising gas prices a little,” Laurin says, “because of the rising Canadian dollar, currently on par with the American.”

Labor takes the biggest bite out of the company’s revenues. Electricity is the second largest cost. As a result, Conestoga has implemented an aggressive energy-use reduction plan.

“Our electricity price is based on the actual cost of producing the energy at a certain time,” Laurin says.

Because the price of electricity fluctuates constantly, with rates tending to rise during the day and fall at night, Conestoga programmed its systems to run at full capacity at night and intermittently during the day. “Our freezing rooms are kept at below zero degrees Fahrenheit so there is no chance of spoilage,” he adds.

Using these systems the company has been able to reduce the bite that higher energy prices are taking.

In addition, Conestoga replaced its metal halide lighting, which produces significant heat, with fluorescent lighting, which produces far less heat and burns brighter.

However, the need for light at Conestoga is minimal.

“Half of our capacity is automated,” Laurin says, “and robots can run in complete darkness.”

The future is bright

Conestoga has benefited from a relatively stable labor force.

“The only place labor has been a bit of a challenge has been in Calgary,” Laurin says. “It’s a hot market with a lot of oil and gas expansion and building going on.”

The expansion in the oil and gas industry, he says, has siphoned some of the labor away.

Still, the cold storage business will grow with the popularity of ready-made foods and the company will grow along with it.

While he expects Conestoga’s expansion to taper off a little from its aggressive 20 percent annual growth, Laurin still sees the company’s numbers steadily rising.

“Our industry is a strong industry,” he says. “We see a bright future and an expanded market for us.”

The company is in the process of an expansion in Mississauga and increased the automated pallet capacity in Kitchener last year by 10,000 pallets. The Mississauga facility is now over 13 million cubic feet on 18 acres of land and Kitchener has nearly six million cubic feet of temperature controlled space.

In addition, Conestoga is expanding into the United States as the exclusive US distributor for a new chain of stores called MyMenu.

This chain is based on the successful M&M Meat Shops concept that operates nearly 500 locations across Canada.

These stores have hundreds of easy to prepare meals in one convenient aisle and are a perfect solution for preparing meals in today’s quick paced world.

There’s plenty of work to go around in Canada for this family owned business. Its four facilities have a shared volume of over 22 million cubic feet, and with consumers showing no signs of reverting to a slower-paced lifestyle, it’s unlikely Conestoga will get left out in the cold.

Ronaldo, make way for RoboCup

2008-07-22T07:32:00.001-07:00

Vienna - After Euro 2008, now Austria is preparing to host RoboCup, where 500 robots take to the football field hoping to prove their mettle.

Held annually since 1997, the RoboCup, one of the world's largest demonstrations of robotics, will take place in the southern city of Graz in July 2009, organiser Gerald Steinbauer said on Friday.

"Robot-football is more than just entertainment. It is the ideal scenario for developing moving robots in a mobile environment," said Steinbauer, a robotics specialist at Graz Technical University.

The 500 robots will be joined by 2 500 human players, with teams competing in four championships, depending on the size of robot.

A fifth, completely virtual, competition runs alongside the four championships, with two teams of 11 players pitted against each other in a simulator.

A more serious addition to the programme will test the efficiency of robots as potential life-savers in an earthquake scenario, Steinbauer added.

On the sidelines of the tournament, international experts will give public lectures on the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Summer Robotics Camp Kicks off at ISU

2008-07-22T07:31:00.001-07:00

School may be out for the summer, but that doesn't mean the learning has stopped.

More than a dozen local students attended the first annual Haywire Robotics Summer Camp Monday at Idaho State University's College of Technology.

Nuts, bolts, wheels and remotes are key parts to building the perfect robot.

That may not sound very complicated but Trevor Gordon, one of the students participating in the summer camp, says putting it all together isn't easy.

Trevor Gordon, Summer Camper: "We got it all built and then it wouldn't go so we had to completely figure out what was wrong."

The Haywire Robotics Summer Camp is designed to peak kids' interest in science and technology, and while many of these students haven't entered high school yet teachers say they will probably be light years ahead of their peers in many subjects when they do.

Mark Edwards, Pocatello High School Teacher: "Math, science, a little physics, a little electronics involved; in this camp there's programming."

During the camp student mentors from the high school team 1569 will help the kids build robots, program them to go forward, turn around, go in reverse and hopefully inspire them to join team 1569, which competes every year in robotics competitions.

Mollie Gower, High School Mentor: "Say there's a team that's in need of say a part or they don't really get something that's wrong with their robot, then there are other teams that are just waiting to help them."

Teacher Mark Edwards says another reason for the camp is because over the years there has been a shortage of college students going into the fields of science and technology and hopes the summer camp will change that.

Mark Edwards: "It inspires these kids to go on into college, into the engineering field or technical field, something that we have a big problem with in the United States; it's quite a dearth."

And as for Trevor, he says even though it's day one, the camp has done just that.

Trevor Gordon: "I'm really into a lot of electronics and this is just great for it."

The Haywire Robotics Summer Camp continues through Friday and ends with a competition and awards ceremony.

A closer look at some of the BigBots on display around the city

2008-07-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

Art, imagination and robotics meet in the 11 BigBot robots on display at museums, galleries and public spaces around the city.

Today and tomorrow, we're showcasing four of the BigBots with descriptions and insights from their creators.

The BigBots are part of Robot 250, a massive, multi-site event showcasing the region's creativity in robotics and art. These kinetic sculptures were created by regional artists exploring new ways of using robotic technology to communicate something about the world we live in. None fit the mechanical man image many have of robots, but all challenge viewers to think about robots in new ways.

Most of the BigBots will be hanging around until the end of the week, so now is the time to get out and see them in action. Both of today's subjects are pictured here, and in the case of "Rise and Fall," above right, so is artist Jennifer Gooch, talking with Ajay and Anjana Jain, who are visiting from India.

'Mower'

Artist: Osman Khan.

Where: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens lawn (through Sunday).

Everyone would love to have one of these guys in a yard -- not only for its cool appearance and humorous nature, but also for its practical function. "Mower," aka Moe, is a robotic Styrofoam sheep equipped with a grass shearer in his mouth that autonomously roams the grounds at Phipps, giving the grass an occasional trim. An invisible dog fence on site plus a receiver collar on the robot keep the sheep from wandering off into Schenley Park. Ultrasonic range finders in his eyes keep him from crashing into things.

Creator Osman Khan, a visiting assistant professor of art at Carnegie Mellon, says the piece was inspired by Philip K. Dick's sci-fi novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and also alludes to green/sustainable practices of using sheep to maintain lawns. Says Khan: "The project is not an attempt to build a better lawn mower, but rather a whimsical and symbolic juxtaposition of two systems for labor and servitude, the machine and the domesticated animal, and explores possibilities and alternate visions of the robot in society."

TECH BRIEFS

2008-07-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh abuzz with robotic art

Eleven “BigBot” robotic art installations are included in a two-week citywide celebration of robotics, dubbed Robot 250 to coincide with Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary.

“It bends the idea of what robotics is about and who it’s for,” said Illah Nourbakhsh, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and one of the originators of the Robot 250 idea. He hopes the project shows that rather than just being for industrial automation or tinkering engineers, robots can give everyday people a new way to express themselves.

AOL exec aids documentaries
Retired AOL executive Ted Leonsis is turning his passion for documentaries into an Internet service meant to give independent filmmakers broader viewership.

His new Web site, SnagFilms, will take professionally produced documentaries like “Super Size Me” and some from National Geographic and PBS and show them for free at the site — or embed them in profile pages at Facebook, MySpace and other social networking hangouts.

Fifteen-second ads will run every eight to 10 minutes, with revenue split between SnagFilms and the filmmakers.

SAP shutters Oracle competitor
German software maker SAP AG said Monday it will shut down TomorrowNow, a subsidiary that provided support for Oracle Corp. software and was accused of stealing information from Oracle.

TomorrowNow was formed by former engineers at PeopleSoft Inc., with the idea of providing less expensive software support to PeopleSoft customers. SAP bought TomorrowNow in 2005, around the same time Oracle completed its $11.1 billion purchase of PeopleSoft.

Registration open for August robotics camp

2008-07-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

Kids can learn to build robots, robotic vehicles and creatures at a summer camp starting next month.

Robotics & Things of Simi Valley summer camp and workshop is in its fourth year. The camp will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 11-15 at Sophie's Education Center, 2699 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Students ages 8 to 14 will use mathematical, science and engineering practices to build robots.

Program tuition is $299.

Television Production, Teamwork? Lesson Seven - Roles of Producers

2008-03-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

Photography is an integral part of television production. Sometimes when a Director is handling a show, he does not realize the assets that are available to help in the show when he does not inquire about a producer' s specialty. For example, you might have producers inside of a community access project that are working in other fields. (You might have a volunteer producer who is a photographer or an audio specialist or who excels in another field that is related to video production). Many times Directors do not have time to inquire or ask about a person's specialty.

Other times the Director feels and knows that he is in charge and does not care to ask. By not finding out what your producers are good at or what their specialty is you might miss something great or something special. Other Directors might handle their show as if their show (and other shows that they direct on) are lessons rather than productions. You might see a Director who would rather teach someone a new skill rather than appoint producers to jobs that they are good at. This is wonderful (sometimes) for the person learning if they came there for a learning session. And it is wonderful for the teacher because that is his focus. But reality is that producers are at the show to help produce that particular show. And the Executive Producer of the show has a goal in mind - to complete his show to the best of his ability in the shortest amount of time, and to have everything turn out well for that particular show. This cannot be accomplished if your Director has different goals than the Executive Producer has.

If the E.P. (Executive Producer) assigns you do direct a show, know that your main goal is not to teach producers new skills, but your main goal is to direct that particular show to the best of your ability. Your main goal is to do a Director's job, nothing more and nothing less. So, when you (as Director) arrive at the show and you are in the control room, and you hear that there is a specialist that does sound, do not try and teach the sound specialist a new skill of cg or of camera. That is not the goal or the purpose of the show, and that is not what the Executive Producer has enlisted your help for. Your purpose as the Director of the should would be more to ask the sound specialist to handle the sound. In doing that you know that this part of the production is in good hands and you can go on to assign other roles. With sound handled properly, you are heading in the right direction for a wonderful production.

Showing a person how to do something (when you are shorthanded and you have no other choice) might be a necessity sometimes, but not often. But that is different than actually trying to teach a lesson (in sound, in cg, or other areas) while the show is in progress or while you are in the control room just before the show begins. A focus of every person in each production should be to focus on what their specific job is. If you are assigned to do camera work, that is your main and only focus. If you stick with that and handle that job first and foremost, you are doing your assigned job.

Who Helps Whom? What happens when someone else needs help? The Director will handle that job of helping that person. (In most productions there is a mix of both inexperienced, or newer producers and well-seasoned producers, and the Director will handle the job of helping others). There have been instances of where an entire production was made up of inexperienced producers. In this instance, the whole team banded together, sharing their knowledge. Everyone worked hard; everyone had fun and the best part was that the production was a complete success. That says a lot about teamwork. So in newer productions -where most of the crew is inexperienced, a solid teamwork approach is necessary and that helps the show. When you have an experienced Director, though you still use teamwork, the Director is in charge and the director will assist anyone that needs the help to do the show in the proper manner.

So, the key to good television production is first knowing the role of each producer who is helping out. Second, to know that when others need help, you are free to help them as long as your job is handled and finished or as long as it does not interfere with your job that you are assigned to do. (Each Executive Producer runs his show differently;; this is the way I run mine - by using teamwork, and using good judgment when it comes to making assignments and helping other producers.

Security and Safety! Another key to good television production is checking BEFORE the production begins that each and every producer is still certified and or not banned or suspended from the studio. You want to abide by all rules and by checking beforehand, you know your production will go off without a hitch. So, ask each producer if they are certified. If you have a doubt, always check with the studio staff, personnel or volunteers or Public Equipment room. Any one of those should know which producers are banned or suspended and having this information from a reliable source helps your show go smoothly. So, begin with all certified producers only, and give a list of the producers to the Security guard or person at the desk. Give the Security Guard a list of the talent, hosts or co-hosts and anyone else who would need entrance into the studio. (You do this in cases where there are no physical "tickets".

Money Matters? Regarding the productions and regarding tickets: All community access shows are free, so do not ever allow anyone to charge any money for anything involved in the show. If you are a host or guest and a producer asks you for money, run the other way and find another producer. Remember and remind them all that community access is free and no one pays to host a show or to be a guest on the show. In the same respect, producers do not pay talent, guests, hosts or co-hosts. This is entirely a free venture. Report any instances of demands for payment to the Administration immediately. That makes everyone do their job as their jobs where meant to be done.

Camera Operators: Camera Operators are not photographers though some photographers may be camera operators. That might sound contradictory but that is a true statement of fact. When you volunteer or are assigned to be a camera operator, you are not going to call the shots (unless the Director gives you that freedom). So listen to all instructions and follow those instructions. Even if you are a professional photographer or an avid photography hobbyist who has won awards for photography, you still do not call the shots when it comes to television production. Follow the Director's advice and instructions fully and you will be doing your job as you are assigned to do it. Quite a long while ago, there was a time when I, as a photographer, thought the shot could be better, and I wanted to change the shot. But what I did not know was that the Director was going to use special effects and he wanted the host to be in a certain area of the picture. Mistake was mine, of course, because I was behind the camera thinking as a photographer when I should have been thinking as a camera operator. That is the problem with me, I think as a photographer and I need to remember when I am behind the camera I am not a photographer, but a camera operator listening to the Director's instructions. One of my best experiences on a show was when I was able to get the shot that I wanted while the guest or host was on the other camera. But this was only done because the Director told me get the shot while the other camera had the guest or host. That is not something that I would do on my own.

Cameras, studio and robotics: In most community access television there are two types of cameras. You have the regular studio cameras (which the producers operate in the studio), and you have the robotics cameras (There is no producer behind the camera but a producer operates this camera from inside the control room). The robotics are very fragile and need to be handled with the utmost care. They will be "on" when you go into the studio. If there ever is a problem with the robotics cameras, you call someone from the staff (Public Equipment) room to handle the problem. If it is minor, the staff in P.E. will handle it. If the problem is major, the staff, most likely, will call an engineer into the studio to do the repair or to take the robotics out of the studio for repair. Under no circumstance is any producer, volunteer or intern permitted to repair these cameras or to do any work with them (physically adjust them etc). Only the engineers and the staff will do such work where appropriate. A good rule of thumb is to tell all of the assistant producers that are working with you to report any problems to you. And also, tell them that no one touches the robotics cameras. You, as the Executive Producer are responsible for the cameras and for the studio, since you sign the contract/responsibility sheet.

Floor Manager The job of the Floor Manager is managing the floor INSIDE THE STUDIO AREA. If you are a floor manager you should not be going into the control room for anything. You should not be giving instructions to anyone inside the control room. The Director is there for that. And the Director will instruct the Floor Manager and all other crew inside the studio. The Floor Manager will relay messages from the Director to the host, co-host and to others appearing on air. There are other details to the job of Floor Manager but I am writing here with the sole purpose of reminding Floor Managers that their job is inside the studio room, not inside of the control room. Instruct the floor manager that only you (the Executive Producer will handle the robotics cameras and that no other producer should touch those cameras. This is for the safe handling of the cameras.

CG Character Generator is the job that places the graphics and titles and any credits or other written or typed information on to the screen so that the viewers can see it and get more information about the show other than the verbal and visual clues that are offered by camera operators and sound technicians. I will go into more detail about this job in another article.

Sound/Audio: You need to have someone experienced in audio in order to have a great production. For some reason, in most community productions, not many specialize in this topic. When you find a good audio person, try and have this person do your audio all the time, if possible. Have a second producer as backup. Audio/sound is another important job in the studio. We will discuss this in length in one of our later articles.

Other Production Jobs Other jobs in the production are Technical Director, Audio Director, Sound Technician, and some others. I will go into details about these in upcoming articles. I will write other articles regarding other jobs that producers do on the set and inside the control room and I will go into more detail about the specific jobs, tasks and give other necessary information. I am willing to answer any questions also, so email me. You can check my email address that is at the website listed in my profile here.

The Difference: As you go along your way, producing your shows, you will meet all kinds of people, each with their own individual personality. And you will meet some, that no matter what their job is during the show, who will try to take control of situations. (I am not talking about someone who sincerely is helping out in a fix). I am taking about personalities. There are some producers who have the personality or attitude that they are indispensable, above the rest of the producers. Sometimes they will come obviously come across as if they are in a different social class than you are in, perhaps above you. No, they do not say that to you but they show that to you and they demonstrate it by the way that they act in the studio and in the control room. If you are wincing in pain at that statement, and you disagree that such people are not among our producers, think again. They are there. They do exist. And they will demonstrate their alleged superiority in the studio and in the control room. Note that I am not talking about education or training, I am speaking of their attitude of superiority, that is all.

The reason that I bring this up is because no one really wants to work with someone who has a superiority attitude. Yet, in the community access television world, some feel that they are forced to work with them. Stop right there in that thought. No one is forced to work with anyone in community access television production. Yes, producers are required to work on a certain number of shows, however, they are not required to work with specific producers. We can all choose producers and ask any producers. Just as producers have the right to refuse to work on a particular show, we, as producers have a right to ask anyone who is certified. The list is long. With patience, you will find some great producers to work with. As you get more involved with community access television production, you will see that you do have choices. And, you will have enough choices so that you can have your own preferences and work with producers that you are willing to work with. Never have such a lack of confidence that makes you think that you are unable to find producers so that you must settle for superiority complex individuals. In the community access neighborhood, there are many producers who are willing to show up and willing to do a great job for your show. Have confidence. Stand your ground and vow to work with producers who know that all producers are just as important as the rest, and that no one individual is any more important than the next. With an attitude that we are all equal, producers will show more respect on the set and in the control room, and there will be a more positive atmosphere both in the control room and in the studio.

Control Room Note: If you are in the control room giving instructions to someone in the studio, use that person's name when you speak. This way there is no confusion about who is speaking with whom. Most producers do that and it works wonders to make a smooth operation. It is better to hear, Jane, zoom in, rather than hear zoom in (with no one's name) and sometimes there is confusion about who should zoom in.

Shows: Many of our weekly shows are produced inside the community access television. Some are produced in the field at remote locations. You can check one of our websites to see some field and some studio shows that we have produced in the past and more recently. Check at http://www.youtube.com/superbooks7 We would be glad to send you our free newsletter if you request it by email. (These are sent out through email, not mailed).

Choose Wisely: Know that you have choices. Never let anyone convince you that you need them for your show. If you team up with producers who are respectful to you and to your other producers, you will produce a show but also you will have a good crew. Network, join a good, productive producers' group and ask around to find more producers for your show. It is your role, as Executive Producer, to make choices when it comes to choosing crew to work on the show.

Illegal Aliens, Agriculture and Robotics

2008-03-15T03:20:00.001-07:00

Apparently, we need Robots to pick apples, as The New York Times pointed out that "there are no shortage of apples, but a possible shortage of immigrant pickers." The issues seems rather crucial as Lisa a reporter for the times stated:

The Hudson Valley in New York has had near-perfect weather for apples this season, but there are fears that there aren’t enough hands to pick the crop.

It appears that with the crack down on illegal aliens many people are needing to mow their own lawns, so what we need now is a reliable robotic lawnmower that uses hover technology to float across the lawn, using hydro-craft technologies while it cuts it. How far away are such realities? Well there are currently several models capable of doing this now.

The question becomes that of cost and crisis. If the labor shortage gets too bad and we are in crisis mode to find such labor then the cost to produce the robot units will seem irrelevant considering the dilemma. We are almost there now. Therefore, a company that can inexpensively or even within reason produce a quality robotic lawn mower is in the green, literally.

Not long ago a couple of robotic graduate students produced a robotic lawn-mower which could be pre-programmed to start on a timer, cut the grass and then re-dock itself for charging, amazing that the concept had not caught on. Yet in a way we know consumers to be somewhat stand-off-ish when it comes to technology; that is unless enough PR and advertising is rendered to tout its practicality and applications.

Nevertheless, the time for robotic lawn mowers is now nearly upon us and expect one in every garage as the reliability comes to fruition and the next business cycle up-tick cometh. What say you? Think on this

Ten Innovation Trends at Stanford Media X- Robotics, Aging, Clean Tech, Brain, Gaming, Science, More

2008-03-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

The goal of Stanford University Media X is to foster collaborations between industry and academia. The 5th Annual Media X Conference on Research, Collaboration, Innovation and Productivity, which I was fortunate to attend, served its purpose well. Let me share the 10 Key Trends that every business executive and innovator should be paying attention to:

1) Personal Robotics is poised to explode soon (predicted by Paul Saffo). It usually takes 20 years science basic science exists until applications reach inflection point and take the world by storm-and we are about to see that happen. Some indicators: DARPA sponsored first robotics attempts in mid-80s, and now we have applications such as the Roomba vacuum-cleaner, and a fully automated racing car. Prof. Kenneth Salisbury showed how there are robots today with great motor skills-i.e., they can unload a dishwasher!

2) Brain Computer Interfaces. Prof. Krishna Shenoy explained how, for many people who can't move/ communicate well, new systems enable the translation of brain signals into control signals, by implanting electrodes in brain that measure signals and help predict behaviors based on response pattern recognition There are already applications today that help people move cursors based on their thoughts.

3) Clean Technology: Scott Z. Burns, co-producer of An Inconvenient Truth, explained how Al Gore was reluctant to make the movie, but he was convinced to participate given the increasing threat of global warming. Al Gore saw an analogy between the movie and a bio-feedback device that her daughter used to treat her migraines. In biofeedback, one learns how to manage vital body variables in order to reach a goal (preventing migraines, managing stress...). Similarly, Gore wanted each viewer to find his or her own "levers" or "muscles" and ways to act -not just be told what to do.

4) Reinventing Aging: Prof. Laura L. Carstensen, of the Stanford Center on Longevity, explained how Technology & Science has been improving Biology for the last 150 years, and now we need to focus on how to help people remain physically fit and mentally sharp as we age. We need to redefine "aging". Nowadays, there are many role models in their 70s and 80s that show how age is not an obstacle for being active contributors in society.

5) Virtual Simulations for medical education. Dr. LeRoy Heinrichs showed how simulations work very well to train surgeons and other medical professionals learn how to perform their jobs. Virtual simulations (in a simulated virtual environment) can work as well as physical ones (which typically are more expensive and less scalable).

6) Green Building and Green Cars. Prof. Gilbert M. Masters recommended reading the article "It's the Architecture, Stupid!" to understand how buildings account for 35-45% carbon emissions in the US, more than transportation and industry.

7) Friends not Email: Prof. B.J. Fogg claimed that email "cheapens our lives" and insisted that maintaining close relationships is critical for happiness. Email is a very bad tool to manage close relationships. Wise words.

8) Science Videos: Prof. Roy D. Pea made the case that there is an increasing need for DIY videos in protocol sharing among scientists, so they can better replicate experiments. His Lab is creating new ways to enable people create conversations about video to enhance diversity of views and connections.

9) Games for Learning: Prof. Dan Schwartz showcased new methods for learning outside the classroom. Games can help merge formal & informal learning. Teachable agents are computer programs created by students to make their knowledge explicit, and can be used as part of games to motivate students do their homework.

10) 3D Scientific Imaging. Prof. Paul Brown displayed some of the new imaging and software packages that allow doctors navigate virtually into the bodies of patients, in a non-invasive way The images are simply spectacular. They used these technologies to see in detail the interiors of an Egyptian mummy.

Which of these trends is more relevant to your business? What can you do to start preparing for the future, today?

RFID Next Step - Automated Warehouses Are Part of the Future of Distribution

2008-02-26T04:00:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately currently passive RFID tags do not have the read only range and have trouble being read thru many materials which are used as support structures for racks and storage or to hold up the building itself. This becomes a significant problem when it is coupled by shipping materials, boxes and pallets which make reading of RFID tags difficult to read thru. Then the stacked products may also have significant density. For these reasons those who attempt to automate warehouses are putting RFID reader repeaters on structural support posts holding the building up. A 100,000 square foot building may call for up to 12 repeaters within the poles or hanging on the posts, sometimes in the walls themselves always careful to use special materials to not effect the range of the radio waves.

I propose tethered mini-blimps within the automated warehouses. RFID Repeaters would be on these mini blimp UAVs inside warehouses to prevent transmission problems, lost data or bad reads. There is no sense having a warehouse that is fully automated if you cannot for the life of you figure out what the inventory in that warehouse actually is.

The tethers will be attached to tracks in the ceilings and these tethers will have motors on them and small winches which will allow the altitude of the mini-blimp to move up and down to make sure there is always a good read. The blimp will download the information to the main IT Network and that data will be updated real-time.

In completely automated warehouses you would have mini-blimps above on tracks and forklift robotics rail based units on the bottom. No people, no lighting and kept very simple. In the event that the warehouse had dry goods, furniture and other such products there would be no need for climate control either. No people, no employee pilferage, no workmen’s compensation costs, no union hassles and as the evolution process continued no mistakes causing loss of goods. Since there is no risk of falling, the rails could be set in levels like automated parking structures and therefore the height of the facility or warehouse is irrelevant, it could be 10 stories by nine football fields thus maximizing space. Our mini-blimp proposal lends itself better to single story warehouses, yet can also be applied to multistory warehouse systems. In the case of a multi-story system; the mini-blimps would float between level and tethered to the underside of the rails which the robotic forklifts would be riding on top of.

Currently the American Auto Industry has the robotic vendor network and know how to make this happen. The Japanese are way ahead of the Germans and the Americans in the efficiencies, which come with robotic automated warehouses. RFID is getting closer to solve their issues with the costs of individual tags decreasing thru economies of scale. By using the entrepreneurial spirit and the cost controls and efficiencies that all businesses seek we can move the modern automated warehouses into the future.

Leverage Web Directories To Boost SEO!

2008-02-26T03:46:00.000-08:00

The pioneer of the web directory would have to be dmoz. The big benefit of Dmoz is that it is an open source link directory By open source I mean it is free to get into. It is not easy to have your site included in Dmoz but I recommend that every give it a shot. The websites that do get included will surely see reap so big benefits. It's not unheard of for webmasters to purchase domain names just because they are indexed in Dmoz.

Internet link directories are websites that have a sorted list of websites by specific categories. Internet directories are mostly used to find information on a specific subject

Directories have their initial category and are then split into a subcategory. Under the category of computers, for instance, one would find several subcategories for hardware and software, the Internet, hacking, ethics, education, computer jobs, algorithms, robotics, and virtual reality, to name a few. Each of these subcategories would be divided further into sites providing more specific topics.

Internet web directories are also used to help a webmaster improve their seo. Directories are useful to webmasters as quality backlinks. This is how they help build a web sites link popularity.

There are many different types of link directories such as general directories. The other directories will focus on a specific niche. If you are going to use web directories to help you build backlinks submit to as many as you can. Getting a link placed in a general web directory is good but if you can find one that relates to your niche it's even better. If your website is in a niche topic, using a niche link directory can allow you to get traffic that is highly targeted.

99% of directories and edited manually by a human. Just about all search engines will use website bots to index and add your website to their engine. The best part of a directory is that they are easy to maintain and create. It does not take much effort to create a quality directory. These are just a few reasons they have become a favorite source for webmasters.

Directories follow different processes for submitting links. The directory can ask you to register before submitting a link. Some will let you submit a free link but it can take a long time for you listing to show up. The fastest way to get listed is to pay for your inclusion. While getting your site listed in a popular link directory may cost money, it is well worth it. In addition to this, you will find that your site will begin receiving traffic much faster.

Try and submit you site to only the best link directories to get a good return on your investment. Having your site included in such a directory would give it the benefit of being listed as a quality site, as well as ensure high rankings. Submitting to directories is one of the most commonly used methods to improve a websites seo and PR standings. Your website will become much more visible, and this will allow you to gain larger amounts of traffic. The last benefit of submitting to directories is that you will now be able to sell quality advertising space.

Robotic Wars of the Future - What about Isaac Asimov's Three Laws for Robotics

2008-02-25T04:08:00.000-08:00

Ion-Frequency de-bonding and Isolation Concept for Truck Wash Robotics

2008-02-25T03:54:00.000-08:00

In the truck wash industry there are issues with water shortages throughout the nation and in many regions wells have run dry and in some other regions they are on level 3 droughts. Generally in level 3 droughts they shut down the car washes and that means the truck washes to. This is a little disconcerting to trucking companies who know that dirty trucks will get pulled over at the scales and inspection stations more often.

Trucking companies are also under the gun because they cannot find the labor to wash all their trucks. Needless to say if they could find a labor to wash the trucks they would need that person as a truck driver because there is a severe shortage in the number of truck drivers in the United States right now and it is getting worse. Trucking companies are not the only ones with a labor problem in the trucking industry; the truck washes also have a severe problem with labor. Even in areas where there is labor available many of the young man who would normally work at the truck wash have a drug problem with crystal meth.

Robotic truck washing systems do not seem to be able to clean the vehicle properly and only do about 90% of the job even though they cost about $200,000 for a modern robotic tunnel roll-over for truck wash system. It therefore makes sense that more research and development be done on Ion-Frequency de-bonding and Isolation, perhaps through the use of sound waves. If the dirt no longer attaches to the truck and falls to the ground and air blowers could be used to blow off the dust along with a quick de-ionized water rinse. This would be a good concept for Truck Wash Robotics. Please consider this in 2006.

Industrial Management Online

2008-02-19T02:37:00.001-08:00

An online degree in Industrial Management qualifies the graduate for a management career in a technologically-oriented industry such as aviation, chemicals, textiles, and robotics. Through a distance learning course, students of Industrial Management can complete their degree at home, and without forfeiting current employment.

Online Industrial Management schools prepare individuals for such positions as Industrial Production Manager, General and Operations Manager, Construction Manager, Management Analyst, Production Engineer, and even Production Sales Manager.

Industrial Management students learn to work with other managers to coordinate all the functions of the plant's departments, as well as the needs of suppliers and clients. They are taught how to analyze personnel and capital resources in order to implement the most efficient production process. Industrial Management graduates must be capable of overseeing production staff and equipment, and meeting quality standards as determined by the company and/or by law.

The typical online study of Industrial Management includes a broad-based education in business, as well as the subjects of mathematics, computer use, theories, systems, and statistics. Upon successful completion of the course of study, the student will be awarded with a degree such as a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Industrial Management or a Master of Science (MS) in Industrial Management.

Industrial Management is a vital part of today's business world, and an online degree can greatly advance employment and earning potential.

All Prolific Online Article Authors Are Bad

2008-02-19T02:35:00.000-08:00

As an online article author, I thought it was interesting when I read a Blogger's comment who stated that most of the authors that have 300 or more articles at online article submission sites and directory web sites put out; Crap Articles.

He also stated that those that write lots of articles do not get is many click thrus counts. Of course being an online article author who is prolific to say the least, I felt this was a personal attack on me and my fellow online article amateur authors and therefore I believe this issue must be addressed.

Since the blogger feels it is his right to attack me, I would like to state that I had to take off my Byline, why? Because I was getting too many click thrus. I was getting so much traffic that I could not keep up with everyone and it was getting to the point that it was causing problems for our online think tank.

Additionally I have 45,777 Ezine Article pick-ups. And on top of that did you know that often the articles, which are the most questionable in subject matter not only get the most traffic, but they get the most click thrus?

In fact I have one article, which is total garbage or crap about 2006 Hair Styles and another about Japanese Sex Robotics, both with massive amounts of article views and click thrus. So, actually if your article is too good, too long and too much information, there is no reason to click thru, because the reader has already learned all they might wish to know about the subject.

Suffice it to say that the most prolific online article writers do not write crap articles necessarily and they get much more traffic and click thrus and other authors with fewer articles. Additionally and currently I am getting no click through traffic because I had taken up off the click thru link at the bottom of my articles. But I did it because I was getting too much traffic and not because it was not working. Please consider all this in 2006.

Robotics Disussion Questions - What Is Robotics

2008-02-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

Robotics, put simply, is the use of electrical components to move mechanical components. The key components of robots are their ability to perform repetitive tasks in a precise manner.

There are many example of robotics use today, in toys and industry. Their function determines their appearance. For example, a robot that was designed for wielding car parts would not need arms and legs. We can classify robots into two categories – industrial and domestic.

Where are robots used? Another one of those robotics discussion questions.

Industrial robots

There are many robots in industry today doing jobs too repetitive or too dangerous for a human to do. These include continuous welding for steel pipes, welding car components in an assembly line, bomb disposal, and clearing of toxic waste to name a few.

Domestic robots

Many people want a robot that is bipedal, can walk and talk, as well as look human. We are rapidly advancing on this with the bipedal robots from Honda, Sony, and other Japanese companies with R&D in electronics. We aren’t quite at that stage yet, but here are a few robot toys that are showing us that with a bit more development, we can build our ‘dream robot’

Furby

Who can forget the fluffball of fun? When first released in 1998, it revolutionised toys with its ability to interact with its ‘owners’ with speech and automated movement.

Aibo

Aibo is the robotic pet dog created by Sony Corp. While most people see Aibo as an interactive toy, it is in essence a robot, as it is controlled by a computer chip. Aibo is also used for research into artificial intelligence as it is cheaper than conventional research robots.

2007 Trends in Robotics

2008-02-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

Ever consider the Future of Robotics? What will it really be like? Did Science Fiction get it right, if not how close were they? Will robots be everywhere and involved in every aspect of life? Will robots eventually take over all the modern Factories; will robots be making robots too? Which sectors will we see robots excel in? Will we see more;

* Robots in Commerce – Retail, Services, Fields,
* Robots in the home – Maids, Washing Car, Doing Chores, Mowing the Lawn,
* Robots in Security - Guards, Guard Dogs, Bomb Sniffers, Bomb Squads,
* Robots to the Rescue – FEMA, Earthquake, Hurricanes, Wild Fires
* Robots for the Weather and Environment – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
* Robots in Transportation – Light Rail, Cars, Aircraft
* Robots in Distribution – Trains, Warehouses
* Robotic Androids – Assistants, Mentors, Educators
* Robots and Artificial Intelligence – Thinking Machines and Systems
* Robots in the Military – Smart Munitions, Net-Centric Systems, UAVs

As you can see from this partial list, this subject; The Future of Robotics indeed warrants a bit of discussion on this subject. The Robots and Robotics of the future will shape our societies and civilizations forever. Are we ready for the runway ahead? Who will design, build, market and repair all these robots and robotic machines? Is our education system up for the challenge to fulfill the future needs in these industries?

Let us contemplate the changes in life style, standard of living and quality of life, as robots do our dirty work, do our jobs and simplify our lives. We must now consider this future, as it is rapidly approaching and has already started, soon it will be; Robots, Robots Everywhere. Please use this book as a thinking exercise and open your mind to the potential eventualities.

Information As A Competitive Advantage - Part 3, Creation Of Customer Value Through Retention

2008-02-14T01:49:00.001-08:00

Information for Customer retention The Customer expectations vis-à-vis service procurement can be captured by asking his/her preferences (e.g. a Customer may wish to have a product demonstration). Satisfying the Customer expectation, based on the information given, contributes to a positive Customer experience. Customer requests, preferences or comments on the service procured, represent valuable information and an opportunity to improve, for the Business. Complaints should also be considered by the Business, as an opportunity to improve. A Customer whose comment or complaint has been resolved satisfactorily, becomes a loyal Customer. All this information should be systematically gathered from all interaction channels, a challenging task which requires implementation of an integrated information system, deployed to all customer facing channels.

Monitoring service quality indicators, is important in order to assure satisfactory levels. Information on the service quality levels, as perceived by the Customers, is very important, since it completes the internal information. The combination of internal information with information gathered by the Customer creates a complete view of the service quality levels. Information for customer loyalty building Customer preferences information should be captured during interactions. Use of this information to provide customised service can have a very positive result, preventing the trial of competetitive products.

How to Request a Member's Contact Information on eBay?

2008-02-14T01:46:00.000-08:00

eBay enables you to directly request the contact information of your trading partner in case you are unable to do so through email. You can request for eBay users who are engaged with your current or recent transactions. A seller in any active transaction can request contact information of bidders on eBay for current transactions as well as in closed transaction of the winning bidder. Similarly, a bidder can request contact information of a seller during an active transaction or a closed one if he is the winning bidder. Moreover, access to international users might be limited due to the International laws.

Open an eBay page. On most of the eBay pages you will see the ‘search’ button in the top right corner. For requesting the contact information of a person, click on the link ‘advanced search’ under the search button. On the left side of the page click on the link ‘find contact information’ under the members section.

Next type the ‘user id’ of the member and the item number for the current transaction or closed transaction. The requested information will be received on your registered email id. But this information can be used only in the way listed in the eBay’s Privacy Policy. The user will also get your information of whose information you have received.

Academia Robotics Programs Need to Press

2008-02-13T02:06:00.000-08:00

Robotics is going to be a huge industry in the United States and currently across America kids in grade school, middle school and high school are indeed thinking in advance of this as a possible career. Why? Well simple as there are many contests around the nation going on right now and these kids are getting better and better at robotics. Now consider the ushering in of artificial intelligent household android robots and the future in service businesses and manufacturing with robotics. Can you se why robotics will be so big?

Now then to foster this further American Colleges, Trade Schools and Universities must get busy and increase their science, robotics, artificial intelligence and computer sciences program to keep up with the onslaught of new students and corporate research sponsorships and government research funding to make sure they can keep up.

Academia Robotics Programs will need to triple in size twice or maybe three times in the next decade and a half to keep up with the needs of the World and the Corporate Markets and thus they need to Press On. This would be no time for our Colleges and Universities to rest on their laurels as the human race progresses. Consider all this in 2006.

Career Opportunities in Robotics

2008-02-13T02:05:00.000-08:00

Have you given much thought to your career path in your future employment? Do you like to tinker with stuff or build new things? The robotics industry is expected to expand by over 3000 percent in the next ten years. It will be very similar to the computer age with its rapid growth rate.

You might wish to consider a career opportunity in robotics and you can specialize in a number of sub-industries such as robotics in automotive manufacturing, robotics in military applications, robotics in space or even robotics in the home. Consider if you will the future of robotic artificially intelligent androids.

Someone will need to build these units, maintain these products and repair them when they breakdown or go berserk. Obviously if someone's artificially intelligent robotic androids tries to kill the house cat it might be time to upgrade some of its software and repair it. Or what if they robotic transportation system device like the robotic truck malfunctions?

There will tons of career opportunities in robotics in the next decade and it might be smart to get in on the ground floor and work for a robotics company, which is growing very fast and they may even give you stock options. If you are thinking of career opportunities in robotics now is the time to make your move and I hope you will consider this in 2006.

Robotic Camels; Think Tank Discussion

2008-02-11T02:36:00.001-08:00

Ten Innovation Trends at Stanford Media X- Robotics, Aging, Clean Tech, Brain, Gaming, Science,

2008-02-11T02:34:00.000-08:00

Learning How To Read The Odds

2008-02-08T02:16:00.000-08:00

Winning. That's what it's all about. You want to place bets and rake in your winnings. You recognize that there is some risk involved but you embrace that risk and thrive on it! Otherwise, what's the point of betting, right?

Betting really isn't that different than investing in the stock market or driving a car: You have a goal (to make money or to go somewhere) and you have a way to do it (through a bet, an investment, or your car). Now, anyone in the world can invest or drive a car but to do so successfully - in a way that helps you arrive at your destination - takes skill.

So to bet or invest or drive a car, you need skill. What kind of skill? It's not a secret, but not a lot of people know what that skill is. Betting is not about knowing who will win. Investing is not about knowing which stock will do well. Driving is not about knowing how the car is made. The secret is...

Information.

You need information to accurately tell you which stock is likely to go up or down and you need information to help you drive the car properly (such as where to do, how to avoid accidents, etc.) In the same way, betting is about information management: taking in information, interpreting that information, and acting on it for a purpose… and that purpose is profit. In this book you'll learn about how you can do those three things - take in information, interpret it, and act on it - although we will specialize in just one area: interpreting the information.

You already know how to take in a lot of the information: you can read the odds, you can gather histories of the athletes and their wins and losses, you can look at the weather or the environment. All of that information will help you only if you take the next step: interpreting it.

What to Expect from a Weight Loss Surgery Information Center

2008-02-08T02:15:00.000-08:00

The weight loss surgery information center is not just a place to find information on the best weight loss doctors, surgeons, and hospitals where surgery can be performed. In fact, you can gain more knowledge from a weight loss surgery information center regarding obesity, its effects, and its complications.

A center for information

A weight loss surgery information center provides you with essential information about anything regarding obesity and surgery. It is your guide for those who want to undergo weight loss surgery but do not have enough knowledge or information about the matter.

Kinds of technology

At a weight loss surgery information center, you can also learn about the kinds of technology being used in performing weight loss surgery. For example, the LAP-BAND or the laparoscopic band technology is one of the latest techniques being used for gastric bypass surgeries.

The procedure

You can also learn more about the different types of procedures in performing gastric bypass surgery through the information center. With that knowledge, you can have an idea on what the weight loss surgeon is going to do to you.

You need to be informed

Weight loss surgery consists of various types. Each procedure can cause a variety of restrictions to the body so you need to have a complete understanding on how each procedure can affect you during and after surgery before going under the knife.

Be guided

The weight loss surgery information center is also the place where you can be guided on what you can do to prepare yourself before surgery. It is also where you can be guided on what you can do and what you can expect after surgery. The information center can also advise you on how you can live healthily after you get better from surgery.

How to Request a Member's Contact Information on eBay?

2008-02-07T02:12:00.001-08:00

Robotics in the United States and the Future

2008-02-07T02:09:00.000-08:00

The United States is completely dropping the ball in the funding of robotics research to the point of endangering the future of our nation. Whereas we lead the field in some things we are very far behind in others and it is at the point that if we do not play catch up, we will put our nation’s national security at severe risk. This is coupled with the fact that we do not have enough children entering the math and science arenas.

Although recently with the DARPA Grand Challenge and robotics competitions in High Schools and Colleges we have made some headway, but lack of funding is undermining our future needs as a sovereign country.

The National Science Foundation, which has funded robotics research in the past is now putting less than 10-million a year in funding now. That is a national tragedy and a disgrace. To all we are and all we have built in this great country. A country founded on entrepreneurialism and innovation and it is a slap in the face to the forward progression of mankind. Some deny that the US lags other nations, but it takes only one look at Japan’s robotic research, white papers and commercial android like robotics to see, we are behind in many ways.

Robotic Wars of the Future - What about Isaac Asimov's Three Laws for Robotics

2008-02-06T02:20:00.000-08:00

The future of human wars is changing and it is obvious to see that unmanned vehicles will continue to invade the battle field and eventually our wars will be fought by robots and not humans. We have all heard the saying; All is Fair in Love and War. Indeed it is amazing how many people believe just that and in the heat of battle ones strict adherence to rules will be challenged more often than not. What about Isaac Asimov's famous Robot Rules? (source: WikiPedia).

The Three Laws of Robotics:

1. A Robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2. A Robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A Robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law

*Later a Fourth Law was added (The Zeroth Law):

A Robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

Apparently current military philosophers and thinkers are not the only ones contemplating the future reality and the use of robots in warfare. It appears that Isaac Asimov's rules for robots is totally out the window or perhaps we might say that the future force robots will soon be coming thru an international terrorist window near you?

Have you given much consideration that a potential enemy of the United States might build a bunch of robots to come to America to kill you and your family? Are you ready for the future? Is resistance really futile? I mean we can simply build our own more superior robots to protect us and/or kill our enemies first? What say you?

Ion-Frequency de-bonding and Isolation Concept for Truck Wash Robotics

2008-02-06T02:18:00.000-08:00

I Robot

2008-02-05T00:53:00.000-08:00

I have been writing reviews and expressing morals for a few of my favorite movies, which as it turns out, are mostly dramas and animations. Just to even things out, I want to mention a sci-fi movie this time. I particularly liked I, Robot because it had action, it had thought, it had a point, it was extremely funny in parts, it was not overly violent and guess what, there was no love scene. While sometimes I think no movie is complete without a love scene, because I am a hopeless romantic, sometimes, it really is not necessary and it gets overly used.

The film is set in Chicago in the year 2035, where robots have been developed to the point where they are used in nearly every household. The only person in all of Chicago who does not have a robot is homicide detective Del Spooner (Will Smith), who has an intense dislike for robots due to a personal experience with their lack of humanity.

The movie starts to gather momentum with the beginning of an investigation that lands in Detective Spooner's lap. A Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) appears to have committed suicide by jumping from his office window. Dr. Lanning was the inventor of the Three Laws of Robotics, the laws by which all robots are bound in order to protect humans, and co-founder of U.S. Robotics (USR), a highly successful company that specializes in robotic technology.

USR have just released a new line of robots called the NS-5. Each robot is outfitted with an uplink to URS's central positronic brain V.I.K.I (Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence). The more Detective Spooner investigates, the more he believes that Dr. Lanning's death was not suicide. When Detective Spooner examines Dr. Lanning's office an NS-5 robot bursts from hiding and flees.

When Spooner interrogates the robot from Dr. Lanning's Office, he finds out that this robot is quite unique; he even has a name, Sonny. During the interview Sonny displays emotions such as anger and fear, qualities that robots do not possess. Before Sonny can say anything incriminating, he is taken to be decommissioned by the CEO of USR.

After careful consideration and a search of Dr. Lanning's house which nearly gets him killed, Detective Spooner begins to think that something was threatening Lanning and that Lanning was trying to tell him that something is wrong with the robots.

There have long been debates about whether the development of technology is a positive step for humanity or if indeed we are fuelling our own laziness and destruction. I guess the thing to remember is that we as humans do not always think rationally and logically like computers, that weigh up pro's and con's, fastest routes, best results. We usually base decisions on feelings and past experiences. If we were to consider things like a computer, it would probably be better to have studied something different at university because it is worth more money, or it is probably better to buy only white cars because they are more practical, or there would not be any other food except meat and vegetables. I think it all comes down to the importance of finding the perfect balance between evolving to make lives better and creating machines to feed our inability to control our own lives.

Robotic Convoy Future Military Technologies

2008-02-05T00:52:00.000-08:00

The most important thing in the advancement of an Army is logistics. The cost to bring equipment, food, supplies and fuel into the battlespace is one of the largest costs of fighting a war. Streamlining the efficiency is a key to modern warfare and the army, which moves fastest and most efficiently stands a greater chance on winning the battle and the war. In the future we will see robotic convoys moving without drivers and this future military technology will give the United States not only the advantage but greater ability to maintain or political will over our opponents, almost to the point of them not wishing to have a war in the first place.

You see it costs a lot to feed, train and house 1,000 drivers who will be driving all these vehicles into combat and it is a very dangerous job as logistical supply chains have always been the favorite target of opposing forces, fore if you cut off your enemies supply lines it is like cutting off the snakes body and the head will not be able to strike.

Currently our advancement in military robotics is next to none and we will soon be able to mobilize our armies anywhere in the world, with very little manpower or human assets. This will reduce the risk of death and increase our ability to move more, faster and at less cost. Dear Iran, you might wish to think on this in 2006.

Artificial Intelligent Robots to Work Along Humans as Assistants

2008-02-02T02:03:00.000-08:00

Human scientists are looking for ways to build smarter and better Artificial Intelligent Robots to work along their human counterparts as assistants to increase efficiency and task performance. Like R2D2 and C3PO in George Lucas’ famous Star Wars Blockbuster movie. Super smart think tank teams believe that they are on the verge of figuring it all out.

You see if we want Artificial Intelligent (AI) robotic assistants to interface and work along side humans, then we need to give them personality. You see we cannot use only mirroring, that is only a component of life. Mirroring is a common human trait and it is something that Carnegie Mellon has been doing for some time and we also see this with Japanese Robotic Researchers and even those top dogs at MIT. But mirroring alone is not enough, as it gets to the point of aggravation fairly quickly.

We cannot allow the human-computer bonding to be only sustaining such patterns of mirroring, we need to weave into the process, some anomalies which are found in human interaction for the bonding to be sufficient, as the human innate tendency is to mirror the robot too. Let me discuss with you an abstract though along this line of reasoning. You see if every person were the same it would be like the Borg, if every one owned the exact same car folks would not appreciate their cars and if every tree were the same it would be like a fake forest not a real one.

So when we make a replica tree, it cannot ever be an exact replica of any tree ever made, but rather within a realm or two parallel lines or borders of adaptations and each individual tree must be within in those borders and the dots representing the trees must meander within those lines, touching the lines, jotting back and forth or even crossing them. You see that is life. Something that can go outside the boundaries not confined.

The most brilliant minds believe that they can design robotic assistants, which humans will bond too and believe they can figure this out. They are betting on it. By using such an individualistic approach to personalities in AI Robotics; then and only then will the mind see what it really expects, not just a dumb hunk of metal robot. Not a computer game with boundaries, but enough that there appears to be no out of bounds. Then it will more simulate and replicate life without replicable patterns in their entirety.

If not we will give away our simulation or replica, by causing within the mind a brain wave, which causes concern and says. What? It is at that instance we lose. It will be that instance that the friendship or bond between robotic assistants and humans will be broken and mistrust will ensue.

Think tankers think they can beat that and once it is figured out the applications are truly endless. Humans may come to enjoy actually being around replicas, simulations or things other than life, without cause for alarm or damage to their psyche. Many are quite sure of it. Some researchers right now think they know the answer and they have been working on it. Many of the most brilliant human minds think they will develop a perfect system of non-perfect-ness to please humans without being bothersome and thus can make a tree or many trees, which will be cut from the same mold with minor and major anomalies just like life. The systems being used are cute and the mirroring is nice and all that. Without taking anything away from their excellent work, we must admit in the here and now that these characteristics simply are not good enough yet. I seriously hope you have enjoyed our discussion today on Lance Winslow’s iPod Casting; always giving you something to think about. More on this in 2006.

Discover How to Get The Most Information About Metal Detecting

2008-02-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

10 to 15 years ago if you needed information about metal detectors you either had to go to a library or subscribe to a magazine to get the information he needed. As times has passed and with the advancement of the information age you can get all the information you need and more on the Internet. We will give you plenty of resources you can use to find information about metal detecting.

A website you can check out that basically is an online magazine is Western and Eastern treasures. This website has a lot of information such as where to metal detect, how to metal detect, and different types of metal detecting information.

You can also find a lot of articles included in this website and they are always updating the website with new articles so if you check back frequently you will be able to find new information.

Another wonderful resource and websites is treasure hunting online magazine. In this magazine you'll find out how to get started, different types of metal detecting equipment, skills and techniques to help you with your metal detecting, as well as a lot of other vital information that you can use.

Online navigation of this website is very easy to use and it is easy to find the information that you looking for quickly. So if you get a chance to check out treasure hunting online magazine you won't be disappointed.

We give you to resources to use that are readily available if you have an Internet connection or you have access to an Internet connection. Information is accessible to you 24 hours a day seven days a week and 365 days per year, you need to take advantage of these online resources because most of these websites have very valuable information that you can use.

Robotic Manufacturing Lighting

2008-02-01T01:31:00.000-08:00

American Corporations today have a cure for the lack of work ethic in the United States and it is called robotics. Robotics in manufacturing will solve the labor issues once and for all. Apparently the Modern Methods of Management first outlined by Friedrich Winslow Taylor were lost along the way. Unfortunately on top of this unfortunate eventuality Unions grew too powerful after finding liberal politicians along the way in the last century, both of which together bread a sense of entitlement to the masses. Then in the last three decades lawyers jumped into the fray convincing people that nothing was their fault and showed the people how they had a right to be irresponsible. The public liked this new paradigm, in fact they embraced it; Indeed what a great life, you are entitled to live well, do little and enjoy the fruits of the productivity of the greatest civilization ever created in the History of Mankind, without doing anything. Without contributing your best efforts or at best a half-ass effort would be viewed as acceptable. And best of all as long as you voted for those who promised to give you more for doing less, less is all you would ever have to give. Isn’t that great?

Well enough is enough say the Modern Corporation, if you do not want to work, we will get robots to do it. Today, robots, not people, make most of the cars we buy and the ones laborers do make, only a small percentage of those car parts are touched by human hands. Manufacturing in many of these regions of our country, which make automobiles, no longer employs the masses it use to. In fact many of these areas of our nation have moved to a larger retail and service-based employment.

Since the American worker could care less about putting in a days work for a days pay, we will now move to robotics in manufacturing. When building manufacturing facilities, which are run by robots, we need little if any lighting. After all robotic machinery could care less if it is dark or not. They are not bothered by Neon flickering lights, in fact the lighting ads no real productivity to the robotic machines. They have sensors using sound, laser, lidar and have no worries about the light. I therefore propose using LED lights, which will run off the rumble of the machinery or its vibrational energy. How so? Well, simple really, as this technology already exists and is being used in hand-held flashlights.

I propose we take this technology and use the bumps and vibrations of the machinery to power up the factory lights using electromagnetic induction technology to charge a capacitor instead of working off a the power grid, back-up power or battery power. Currently there are some nifty micro-flashlights being used which you can buy which use a similar technique and are available thanks to the Everlite Flashlight technology research lab. These smaller flashlights work by shaking them for about thirty seconds and shine for about 6 minutes and they shine quite bright since they use a very bright LED light.

Way to Artificial Intelligence

2008-02-01T01:29:00.000-08:00

The general perception of information technology and computers in particular has been that of a computing mechanism primarily used to manipulate data and present it in various ways. The comparison with human intelligence has been rather tenuous and in the realm of science fiction. It may therefore come as a surprise to many that scientists and engineers have been working on systems which may replicate organic intelligence in future. In fact, many algorithms and software have already been designed to mimic real intelligence.

Artificial intelligence has found widespread use in biometrics. Fingerprint readers are commonplace and are extensively deployed in access control systems. Face and iris recognition have lately become popular security devices.

Expert systems are a branch of artificial intelligence where computers are used to play the role of experts. They are also known as decision support systems and were first deployed by the military. They are used to help military commanders to take tactical decisions under battle conditions. Sometimes the amount of processing and calculations on the field can best be solved by expert systems. As the name suggests, state of the art technology can at present only help in assisting people in taking decisions. However, researchers in this field are confident in creating expert systems which will completely replace human interface.

Robotics is another exciting area under the umbrella of artificial intelligence. As of now, robots are assisting humans in automating factory operations. Computer aided design and computer aided manufacture are already crafting complex mechanical devices with high accuracy. Robots are also used in mines and restricted places for operations which are dangerous for human beings. They are also used in conducting delicate surgeries in hospitals.

Other terms which are associated with artificial intelligence are neural network and fuzzy logic. Neural networks as the name suggests is a type of system which is designed to replicate human decision process. The tree like structure with different path in the decision process forms the units of a neural network. It is evident that neural networks are essentially hierarchical and follow a definite pattern.

As against a rule based approach, fuzzy logic claims a more exalted place in the pantheons of artificial intelligence. Some scientists believe that human intelligence is not pure logic and has an enormous amount of fuzziness. Two people under similar circumstances may very well behave in different fashion. They therefore conclude that true intelligence is actually fuzzy. However in practice, it is not easy to mathematically model fuzziness. Probability and random number theory have assumed importance and these concepts are used widely in designing systems with fuzzy logic.

The subset of artificial intelligence consists of Expert systems with decision support systems and Robotics. These are implemented with neural networks or fuzzy logic. Human brain is too complex and the logic widely dispersed, to be replicated in its entirety. Therefore those mechanical activities which do not require much logic and are hierarchical in nature are best suited for present day applications .A day will certainly come when human intelligence is fully replicated by artificial means, though it may not happen in the immediate future.

Finding Alcohol Abuse Information

2008-01-31T02:16:00.001-08:00

The popularity of alcohol in society has led to many problems with its over consumption and abuse. People of all ages drink alcoholic drinks for a variety of reasons including enjoyment, peer pressure, curiosity and to get drunk and escape from the reality of their life. When people begin to consume too much alcohol it is important for the person and their friends and family to recognize this problem. Finding alcohol abuse information can help people understand and identify when drinking alcohol has become or is becoming a serious issue for an individual. Having the information readily available can lead to early and quick intervention.

Resources For Alcohol Abuse Information A lot of information can be easily found in ones own community. Hospitals, clinics and schools will usually have some handouts with information and many will have a counselor or other professional that can assist with information. Simple phone calls or visits can assist a person with finding a lot of great information and local resources. Local chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous and Alanon can also be great local resources for information and can also help in addressing any problems with alcohol.

For quick information on alcohol abuse and other alcohol issues there is some good information atalcoholism.about.com. This site offers a definition of alcohol abuse, a list of symptoms, and diagnosis and treatment information. The site also has current news articles and events related to alcohol abuse information. This site even offers a quick twenty question quiz to help determine if alcohol is a problem. The Alcoholism Screening Quiz is a list of question with yes or no answers that are easy for anyone to answer and can quickly identify a potential problem.

There are several ways for a person to get information on alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Any person who has alcohol included in their life should become familiar with the information so that they can quickly identify their own problem or a problem a family member or friend may be developing. Early intervention will prevent a snowball effect from this disease.

Overcoming Information Overload with Information Aggregators

2008-01-31T02:06:00.000-08:00

The Web continues to grow rapidly. Users find it difficult to know where to spend their browsing time. Web site owners find it difficult to attract visitors. Information aggregators help with these problems.

Information aggregators provide a summary view of what information is available and allow the user to go to the information source for the details. This saves users time and helps them not to miss information important to them. The summary modules often are all they want to know at a particular time. Web site owners can provide information modules that can be included on other Web sites, but they can also be displayed within an information aggregator. Providing useful summary content builds up good will and ultimately attracts more visitors to their site to see the details.

The fundamental building block of an information aggregator is a summary information module. This is the content that is organized and displayed by the information aggregator. The following are some types of modules:

* RSS feed

* Web page fragment

* Web page extract

* Vital signs

* Directory entry

The module content must be served to information aggregators in some standard format that is commonly known by the content providers and that is supported by the information aggregators. Here are some common formats:

* XML file

* HTML fragment file

* Commented HTML file

Typically these files will be accessed using a standard protocol such as HTTP.

The modules are displayed in the information aggregators in different ways by different tools. Here are some common layouts:

* 2 panels

* 3 panels

* Single column in time order

* Multiple column portal page

There are two main ways to get an information aggregator. One is as a desktop tool that you can download and run on your machine. The other is by logging on to a Web site.

Beyond the support for displaying content modules of different types in a useful layout, there are some other related features and approaches that could be included:

* Personal Web directory and knowledge base

* Capture tool

* Editions for targeted user groups

Roush Drag Pack Mustang: To Conquer The Streets And The Strips

2008-01-30T01:15:00.001-08:00

One year of rigid testing is worth it because Ford has eventually set forth a high-performance Mustang that delivers comfy everyday ride as well as nerve-racking drag race drive feel. The secret of this groundbreaking vehicle is the sophisticated ROUSH Competition Line of performance parts that completes its race-ready Drag Pack Mustang appeal.

With the development of the sophisticated Ford Mustang performance parts, the vehicle is set to break away from the limitations of street driving. Moreover, it is now also designed to face the barriers of drag racing. Further, it can roll from the street to the strip.

Ford wants to show that Mustang is growing up with time. Hence, to make it more powerful than before, the automaker incorporated the Roush features to it. Roush Drag Pack Mustang is the successor of Super Jet Cobra, a drag racing vehicle from Ford that has been introduced in 1969.

Roush Drag Pack Mustang is given enhanced Ford Mustang wheels, connecting rods, oil cooler, modified crankshaft, and an option of 3.91 or 4.30 Traction-Lok gears. Several parts of said Mustang version are upgraded. These parts include clutch Ford Mustang, flywheel, pinion gear set, one-piece driveshaft with safety loop, posi rear differential, control arm brackets, high-strength axle shafts, and more.

Unique features of Roush Drag Pack Mustang include new location of battery to create better weight distribution, smaller ROUSHcharger pulley and engine calibration, new tachometer with shift light, and the inclusion of an external on/off switch.

Tata Motors

2008-01-30T01:03:00.000-08:00

Launched in 1998, the Indica was a trailblazer in more ways than one, and it set Tata Motors on the path to reaching a leadership position in India's passenger car segment. The original Indica variants were followed by the outstanding Indica V2, a runaway bestseller. This car is now also available in the UK, under the label City Rover, following a tie up between Tata Motors and Rover, the British carmaker. Presented below are the different versions and models of the Indica. Indica V2 diesel

Indica V2 diesel: The Indica V2, an improved version of the original Indica, has several added features: SuperDrive engine, BlockShock absorbers, SmoothRide suspension, EasyShift gears and WideTread tyres. It is available in a range of vibrant colours and there is no waiting period (since it is available on an ex-stock basis). There are four models in this version: the Indica V2 DL, the Indica V2 DLE, the Indica V2 DLS and the Indica V2 DLX. Indica V2 petrol

Indica V2 petrol: The petrol version of the Indica is embellished with state-of-the-art technology and stunning style. Features include collapsible steering column, side-impact beam, energy-absorbing crumple zones in the front, anti-submarine seats, child-safety locks on rear doors, and laminated front and rear windshield glass. There are three models in this version: the Indica V2 LEI, the Indica V2 LSI and the Indica V2 LXI. Indigo Indigo

The Indigo is a comfortable, spacious, premium-features sedan with class-leading ride and handling characteristics in the midsize (C) segment. Developed on Tata Motors' highly successful car platform in Pune, the Indigo, launched in 2002, comes in three models of petrol and two models of diesel in six attractive colours.

The Indigo petrol comes with an 85bhp engine, while the diesel version is the only vehicle in this class with a turbo-charged engine. An extended wheelbase helps maintain a compact overall length while delivering large interior space. The different models of the Indigo are: the Petrol GLX, the Petrol GLS, the Petrol GLE, the Diesel LX and the Diesel LS. Indigo Marina

Indigo Marina The Indigo Marina story started following the success of the Indigo, and the realisation by Tata Motors that there was a market for a car that has the luxury of a sedan and the utility and convenience of a multi-utility vehicle. The Marina has the power, safety and luxury of the Indigo — and a whole lot more boot space.

Nokia N95 - A Smart Choice

2008-01-29T01:20:00.001-08:00

Nokia N95 is an impressive device that has been optimized to offer a wholesome mobile experience for the serious users – namely the professionals. The device is packed with the latest features and functionalities and has earned equal credit for its usability. Still, the device comes in an incredibly small package, making it easier for the users to carry it or simply slip it into the pocket. This little device comes with 5 mega pixel camera (with VGA video capture), connectivity options like - USB, Blue tooth, Infrared, GSM, WCDMA, HSDPA and WLAN), integrated GPS, a feature packed and application laden software platform - S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1and 150MB of internal memory (expandable via a microSD slot).

Thus, one can say that Nokia N95 is all set to rule the market, as it gears to pose as the Numero Uno top high end smart phone for 2007. Nokia N95 has a slider mechanism, which is extremely smooth and easy to operate. The keys are well laid out. Each row of keys is on its own ridge and there is good tactile feedback. The 5 Mega pixels camera uses Carl Zeiss optics. On the back of the device there is 'ring-slider' which open and closes the shutter. There are number of camera application. Camera options now include 4 ISO settings, contrast and sharpness adjustment, and an enhanced burst mode. The GPS functionality if Nokia N95 is a great addition to the set and marks a step forward for convergence.

There are number of premium services that are also enabled in the handset, example being automatic turn by turn voice instructions etc. The Nokia N95 retains and adds to the multimedia capabilities of previous N series devices. There is an impressive music player, enabled with host of features for editing, storing and downloading. Nokia N95 comes close with a plethora of connecting options. This includes infrared, Mini USB, WLAN Wi-Fi, UPnP, Blue tooth 2.0, and USB 2.0. It runs on both 3G GPRS and EDGE. There is also an integrated internet browser. The internal memory is generous with 160MB and it can be further expanded.

Rock Climbing Gear

2008-01-29T01:12:00.000-08:00

Most people consider rock climbing as an extreme sport, meaning it entails a lot of risks. Nevertheless, the sport draws a lot of enthusiasts. And the advancements in technology used to ensure the safety of the climber encourages more to engage in the sport. Rocking climbing gear has to pass stringent quality controls and checks. There are constant improvements to make sure the gear holds its weight against pressure and wear and tear.

A serious rock climber will always have safety on top of his priorities. Choosing the right set of rock climbing gear and equipment is the first step to ensuring a safe and successful climb.

Climbing enthusiasts may have all the latest gear, but the most basic equipment remains the same. A rock climber must always have the following gears: rope, harness helmet and rock climbing shoes. The rope must have a reliable set of carabiners, quickdraws, camalots, stoppers, micro stoppers and wired hexentrics. To execute a faster, clean rappel for those more advanced climbers, you must have the right ATC guides and super 8’s. Mitts are also important accessories when rappelling to prevent your hands from burning against the rope.

There are different types of harnesses for outdoor or indoor use, as is the case of a wall climbing activity. There are also types for kids and adults. To protect yourself from falling debris and rocks caused by natural erosion or by the movement of other climbers, you must also have a helmet that fits properly. Choose one that does not fall over your eyes. Under the helmet, you can wear a skullcap, a breathable liner that is used to ward off cold or lets out heat – depending on the weather or climate conditions where you climb. An experienced rock climber will also advise you to wear sensible shoes. They must be comfortably tight, and the soles must be capable of establishing a lot of friction with a surface.

robotics art in technology

2008-01-25T05:37:00.000-08:00

Then, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant said: “Ants! Enter your dwellings, so that Sulayman and his troops do not crush you unwittingly.” (Qur’an, 27:18)

The “Valley of the Ants” refers to a special place and special ants. In addition, the fact that Prophet Sulayman (as) could hear the ants talking among themselves may contain striking references to future developments in computer technology. The present-day term “Silicon Valley” refers to the centre of the world of technology. It is most significant that a “valley of the ants” appears in the account of Prophet Sulayman’s (as) life. Allah may be drawing our attention to the advanced technology of the future.

Furthermore, ants and other insect species are widely used in advanced technology as models in robot projects and are intended to serve in a wide range of areas, from the defence industry to technology. The verse may also be referring to these developments.

Latest Developments in Miniature Technology: Army-Ant Robots

The best known project using ants as a model are the “Army-Ant Robot” projects being carried out independently in several countries. One study being carried out by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Virginia State University seeks to develop small, inexpensive, and simple physically identical robots that can be used as a robot army. Project officials explain these robots’ functionality in the following terms: “The way they behave as a group, in a coordinated manner, perform a series of physical actions, and take joint decisions.” These robot armies’ mechanical and electrical designs have been based on the behaviour of an ant community. They are called the “army-ant” robots because of their similarities to their insect counterparts.

The “army-ant” robot system was originally designed as a “material-carrying system.” According to this scenario, several small robots would be charged with jointly lifting and carrying objects. It was later decided that they could be used for other tasks. One report describes other tasks to which they might be assigned in the future:

Nuclear and hazardous waste cleanup with robotic “swarms,” mining (including material removal and search-and-rescue), mine sweeping (both land and water), surveillance and sentry, planetary surface exploration and excavation. 1

In a report by Israel A. Wagner, an expert on ant robot technology, the ant robot projects were described in these terms:

Ant-robots are simple physical or virtual creatures designed to cooperate in order to achieve a common goal. They are assumed to have very limited resources of energy, sensing and computing, and to communicate via traces left in the workspace or on the ground, like many insects naturally do…

The distribution of work among multiple a(ge)nts can be made by either a central controller who sends orders to the agents, or by an a-priori agreement on a certain partitioning that, if obeyed by the agents, eventually leads to a completion of the given mission. A third way, used throughout the current work, is to design the behavior of individuals such that cooperation will naturally emerge in the course of their work, without making a-priori decisions on the structure of the cooperation. The specific application that we address is covering, which is also known as exploring or searching. This variety of names hints to the many applications this problem might have: from cleaning the floor of a house to mapping an unknown planet or demining a mine field. 2

As can be seen in these examples, an ant’s social lifestyle forms the basis of many projects, and the various ant-based robot technologies are providing benefits for human beings. That is why it is so important that ants and their valley are referred to in the Qur’anic account of Prophet Sulayman’s (as) life. The term “ants” in the verse may refer to an army consisting of robots, future developments in robot technology, and how robots will play an important role in human life.

Laser Cutting Tools

2008-01-18T04:13:00.000-08:00

There are various laser cutting tools depending on the type of finished product that you prefer.

Laser cutter routers that are computer-driven can cut each letter precisely, capturing every detail of the selected style. The said manufacturing systems are useful in cutting out symbols and logos in a cost effective manner.

Laser that is in a solid state uses one crystal rod with flat and parallel ends. Both ends have surfaces that have the ability to reflect. A light source that has high density and a flash tube surrounds the crystal.

When power is given by the network of pulse-forming, an intense light pulse called photon is released in one of the rod crystals. The light released is one wavelength and allows for minimum divergence.

A hundred percent of laser light is reflected on the rear mirror while thirty to fifty percent will pass through the mirror then to the shutter assembly to the angled mirror before going down through the lens and then to the work piece.

The laser light beam is not only coherent but also has high energy content. When it is focused on the surface, the laser light creates heat used for welding, drilling, and cutting.

The laser beam and the work piece is manipulated through the use of robotics. It can be adjusted to different sizes and heat intensity. The smaller laser is used for drilling, cutting, and welding while the larger machines are used in off giving heat.

One of the advantages of laser cutting is that cutting lubricants are no longer required. Also, this procedure boasts of very fine width of cut and thermal input with a narrow zone affected by heating.

So choose from various types of laser cutting tools to give you the results that you want.

Human Modification, Playing God with Humanity

2008-01-11T02:32:00.000-08:00

With modern advances in body augmentation, DNA manipulation, BioTech, Robotics and computer human interfaces it appears we may soon be modifying humans in a very big way. Some see ethics issues in this as we modify ourselves, will we still be human? Will we be playing God and make mistakes, which are irreversible? If we screw up big time, will we have the ability to change back? Chances are there will be mistakes along such lines, hopefully they will be small ones and hopefully we will pay attention and be careful along the way.

You see soon we will be modifying human life to be better and it will be our choice. You can choose to remain all-human and live a much longer life if you wish. But being all or 100% human maybe considered inferior in the future. But if you are a purist you can make that choice and it should be no problem. And there is no doubt if you do that you will not be alone in your purest views, there will be a huge following, and that is a good thing, CHOICE is always a good thing.

Have you considered how you feel about these things personally? For instance do you want the worlds libraries hooked to a wireless chip mounted on your skull covered up by your scalp? You would be smarter, have instant communication and your brain would have all the world’s knowledge? What if you could be young again, say the body you had in your 20’s but with your same knowledge and experience base now? Would you take that super pill? Or do you prefer to be older with achy bones and lack of that high energy? Well, what say you now? You do not have to decide right now, but soon, one day in the not so distant future you will need to make up your mind. Think on it.

How to Make a Simple Robot

2008-01-02T04:30:00.001-08:00

Robots, such as humanoids robot perform like humans and can do things humans do. However, if you are starting out making your first robot, do not think of the complicated, high technology and functional robot. Simple robot will need two wheels and the ability to move forward, move backward, move left and move right. This is the simplest robot you can do, enough to help you learn the basics. Hopefully, through your mistakes in your first robot, you can develop your second robot with more functionality.

What you need in making a simple robot?

· Money - of course you will need money in making your own robot because you cannot create your own parts by now.

· Design plan - again, do not think of a highly complicated design, simple robot needs to be able to move forward, backward and side ways.

· Wheel, this will move the robot.

· Motor, preferably battery operated motor

· Power, the choice of battery is important.

· Cool circuit thingy.

Steps in making a simple robot

1. Take the design and list the parts, tools and equipment you need.

2. Find a suitable place to make your robot, this will ensure that you have all you need in one place.

3. Follow the algorithm for a robot:

1. Forward, both wheels need to move at the same speed.

2. Backward, both wheels need to move at the same speed as well.

3. To move left, left wheel moves reverse and the right wheel moves forward

4. To move right, right wheel move reverse and the left wheel moves forward.

4. Attach the wheel; 3" wheel is the best because it will move the robot faster.

5. Attach the motor; the program will calculate gearing ratios, desired terrain, desired velocity and acceleration, voltage, power consumption and controllability.

6. Attach the battery to the motor; NiMH is the recommended battery for your motor.

7. Finally, the cool circuit thingy. Buy one that is already assembled, do not experiment on this one, you may do it on your second robot.

8. Test, test and test.

Making a robot is not easy; you therefore need a goal to finish the project. Joining robotics competition will help you move forward in your goal. If you do not win, no problem, redesign your robot and join again. It will give you the motivation to finish your robot.

Welding Robots

2008-01-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

Welding robots are used in industrial welding processes and facilitate automatic welding. Welding robots work on the principle of robotics and are controlled by robotic equipment. They work on the algorithm, which is required for the computation of work command. Welding robots are designed so that they can operate under various conditions at high duty cycles.

There are two popular types of welding robots that are usually useful in industrial welding. They are "arc welding robots" and "spot welding robots." These two welding robots are classified according to articulating robots and rectilinear robots on the basis of rotation of wrist in space.

Welding robots perform their tasks more repeatedly than a manual welder because of the repetitive program and monotony of the task. Welding robots offer many benefits to customers that include consistency and quality of welding, reduction of production costs, fewer scrapped parts, and an increase on your returns on investment. Welding robots also possess repeatability and consistent positional accuracy, which provides a better quality product than manual production. It helps in reduction of labor costs as well.

Welding robots require appropriate maintenance for continuous operations of welding. They may require regular recalibration or reprogramming for it. Proper robotic system design also help in minimizing interruptions in continuous production line. Correctly programmed welding robots precisely provide the same welds every time on pieces of the same dimensions and specifications.

There are many companies that have integrated and installed welding robot systems throughout the United States. They provide welding services to customers using these integrated and installed welding robots. There are many robot manufacturers also present in the market that provide welding robots to welding companies. These manufacturing companies offer a warranty, robot training, and prototype tooling for various robot integration packages. They also offer the customer care service with trained technicians, who can solve queries of customers from programming issues to robot system failure.

Academia Robotics Programs Need to Press On

2007-12-19T22:30:00.001-08:00

Career Opportunities in Robotics

2007-12-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

Blonde Babe Sex Robots

2007-12-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

The Japanese Robotic Researchers and Scientists are far ahead of the American robotic teams when it comes to android type human like robots. In fact the Japanese have created sophisticated artificial intelligence which enables many of their robots to do human like tasks using human like movements. They mirror your non-verbal communications and even speech patterns with voice recognition and the latest facial recognition features.

These robots are also available for commercial applications in Japan. Many of the current commercial applications for in the United States robotic companies are still on the ground floor scaring the household cat. For instance the Romba or iRobot robotic vacuum, which does work well but others say it merely sucks. The Japanese on the other hand are developing blonde “babe” sex robots, which do a whole lot more than suck and have more than one orifice to assist them in their specially customized robotic features. It figures they would be ahead of us in such endeavors and it also stand to reason that Japanese Business Men are lining up to get their very own blonde babe sex robots which currently are not available to the general public, like the android type robots like the full scale soccer robots or maid assistant robots that we have all seen in the science magazines.

You see, so often things, which are involved in the entertainment of the human animal instincts are by far the best sellers and in the industry of robotics it is no different. Once these super model Blond babe sex robots hit the Japanese buying consumer they will be sold for $4,000. Right now you can by a robotic dog for 3,500 and those prices are coming down due to the shear number they have already sold. Soon perhaps you can get a robotic girlfriend to keep in the garage or closet for under $3500 such a bargain. Isn’t it funny the kinds of technologies, which propel this species; silly humans. Think on it.

Ten Innovation Trends at Stanford Media X- Robotics, Aging, Clean Tech, Brain, Gaming, Science, More

2007-12-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

Robots in the Modern Battlespace

2007-12-06T05:25:00.000-08:00

Today the United States has many robotic fighting tools in theatre that are used every day, from the predator drones to the anti-IED robotic bomb squad units. There are hand-held UAVs as well. Currently being tested along our borders and in Iraq and Afghanistan are technologies I am not at liberty to discuss at this time - perhaps it will be all public knowledge in the near future. Indeed it does not take a rocket-scientist to figure it out - one only needs to read the defense industry rags from around the Globe.

This of course is only the beginning. Of course as smart as these Future Fighting Force tools are they are only going to become smaller, more robust in capability and more prolific in the outcomes of conflicts. Even the enemy is working frantically to copy our use of robotics and although their remote detonation road side bombs, car bombs and other incendiary devices is rudimentary, it often unfortunately serves its purpose. Using cell phones, Sony Play Station parts and other available electronics this is indeed a mild form of robotic usage also.

Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran have all used UAV surveillance. Hezbollah shocked Israel when they used a radar guided missile to attack a war ship during the Lebanon Conflict. Some believed the technology to be Chinese, perhaps some Israeli which was sold to the Chinese, re-packaged to Iran and given to Hezbollah. Either way the International Terrorists, insurgency in Iraq and even Al Qaeda is not without some modern robotic technology.

We must indeed make a serious effort to stay cutting edge on these technologies to protect our troops and to protect our people. Every advantage we give our own team and every disadvantage we hand to our enemy the greater our chances for victory.

Robotic Wars of the Future - What about Isaac Asimov's Three Laws for Robotics

2007-12-06T05:19:00.000-08:00

Social Robotic Fish in Fish Farms

2007-11-26T05:09:00.000-08:00

We have a problem in our fish farms, especially Salmon. You see for 500 plus million years the Salmon spawn up river and then swim down to the ocean grow real big and swim all the way back and lay their eggs. It is a great cycle indeed. It works for them and very well. Unfortunately for them they taste very good to us. We in fact have been over fishing them and they are one of California’s favorite Sushi fish. Yep, I myself agree, more salmon please.

When we put them in fish farms to grow they do not get the exercise they need to grow big and strong, so we need to give them exercise to fulfill their genetic needs and desires and to grow big and strong. It is what makes them a Salmon. Putting them into a giant swimming pool and feeding them steroids until they get fat is not working and will only introduce weakness and disease into their populations and into our food supplies. This is pretty well known and obviously makes sense. Of course some say with the over fished oceans, pollution and the coastal dead zones they are not doing so hot anyway. True enough.

I propose a more realistic recreation of their journey to the sea to they can fulfill their genes and I propose we introduce to their populations social robotic fish, similar to the RoboTuna and RoboFish at the top robotics lab; MIT.

Robotic Wars of the Future - What about Isaac Asimov's Three Laws for Robotics

2007-11-26T05:07:00.000-08:00

The Three Laws of Robotics:

1. A Robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2. A Robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A Robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law

*Later a Fourth Law was added (The Zeroth Law):

A Robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

Apparently current military philosophers and thinkers are not the only ones contemplating the future reality and the use of robots in warfare.

Ion-Frequency de-bonding and Isolation Concept for Truck Wash Robotics

2007-11-15T23:50:00.001-08:00

Building an Artificial Intelligent Unmanned Unicycle

2007-11-15T23:49:00.001-08:00

Is it possible to build an unmanned artificial intelligence unicycle? We know it is hard for the human being without practice to ride a unicycle, because it takes balance and coordination. Building an artificial intelligent unmanned unicycle will not been easy chore and right now even the top robotics scientists and the top researchers have only yet built a motorcycle which can drive itself without falling over. And even that is problematic as it to falls over once in a while.

Now then I propose to build an artificially intelligent unmanned unicycle which has weights which move around to keep it upright at all times without the rider on it. How so you ask? Well I propose using the same system, which is in the Segway Scooter which keeps the scooter from falling forwards or backwards and dumping the standup rider.

Next I propose a motor on the stem above the wheel that is connected to this device, which stops and moves the wheel to keep it from falling backwards or forwards. Now then, I propose something that looks like a captain's wheel on an old wooden ship be placed on the stem that leads to the seat where no rider will sit.

Additionally this wheel I propose to be made out of aluminum and hollow with weights inside. With the computer system attached to a level, which shows that the unicycle is falling in any direction other than forwards in backwards it will initiate a weight to move to the opposite side from which the unicycle is falling.

I am pretty certain we can build an artificial intelligent unmanned unicycle. Now you may ask why? And many people ask why people climb mountains and why they build kites and why human beings even exist. I say why not? Would you like to argue that logic with me today? Consider all this in 2006.

Toys and Technologies

2007-11-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

Where can you find ideas and concept to help in human innovation? Well one place is to study the works of those who are designing toys. That's right toy technologies. You know I have always thought that the Toy industry is a great place for innovation, because the stuff they come up with is way out and probably something no one would ever fund, but it works.

All sorts of cool aerospace designs, robotics, military kids toys and stuff. In fact I now live in a mobile command center myself, an idea basically from the GI JOE toy - Interesting indeed. It seems that borrowing ideas and concepts from Toy Designers makes a lot of sense really. I think a good engineer might find a great home making toys, RC and such and without the stress, sounds fun.

Currently, the average age of the aerospace engineers is 57 years old - that means we will need a whole new generation of designers and innovators, but even with all the kids in engineering school today, it is not even a fraction of what we will need. We may need to recruit some of these toy designers to give us a helping hand other wise we are going to be in for some dire problems in the future.

Perhaps the technology toy makers and designers can transform fantasy into the reality for the future of the most important human endeavors. You have to admit that it makes a lot of sense, because these folks have been making scaled models for years, so let's graduate them to the real thing.

Robotic Factories Require Dedicated Oversight Indeed

2007-11-05T01:54:00.001-08:00

Behind every automated robotic factory, there are dedicated professionals who must maintain, upgrade and watch the systems. A smooth running manufacturing plant is the key to success and efficiency is the key. Most modern day factories have developed some incredible processes and are adamant about maintaining a “Zero Lost Units” goal. It is paramount to them. So much so that the 24-hour factories over work the dedicated humans watching over them, many in fact complain that there is not a lot of time to do any more than eat and sleep and watch the machines get it done.

Does this sound very "Black Belt" Six Sigma; GE to you? Well it is, as ISO protocols and all have become the name of the game. Incidentally my uncle started "Six Sigma" and GE borrowed it for their buzzword. You cannot imagine how much could be lost with a downtime problem with such a factory, ouch. In some cases such as auto assembly lines the costs of an outage can be millions per minute?

Recently in talking with a gentleman in China who said that when an employee messed up on a stabilizer for a Boeing Product in the factory, they took them out back and shot them; so much for “Zero lost units" and oh yah, that and those onerous OSHA standards? Will robotic factories in the United States allow our companies to compete with that cheap Chinese Labor? You would never shoot a robot in a factory, as they cost millions of dollars. Of course some poor factory worker might go ballistic after losing his job to a robot and try to? If our factories can compete with China this way there could be an incredible leveling of the playing field and trade deficits. Their currency floating change in policy recently for instance could help us sell more cars there? Meanwhile adding 10% to their currency, now it is pegged to a bunch of currencies. It will have an affect on many industries here in the United States.

The Union Employees may take an initial hit in jobs, but in the end the only way for us to compete with the cheapest labor rates on the Planet is to make robotics our mainstay. It will keep our economy healthy and thus provide additional jobs in service and retail, while keeping our trade deficits in line with some sense of reality. But it takes a lot of great smart people to run robotic factories and we need more of them. We need more students going into robotics and the computer sciences that run them. We need to work on this as a major national priority now. Think on this, think computer robotics.

Radio Controlled Devices

2007-11-05T01:53:00.000-08:00

Building, driving, and modifying radio-controlled car kits or other toys is a popular hobby among radio controlled (RC) enthusiasts. The Radio Controlled devices are a popular hobby, and are a key component in a sport that involves displaying the skill of the user in controlling the device efficiently.

Radio Controlled devices, or remote controlled devices as they are also called, are devices that are worked remotely from a distance. The first demonstration of the remote controlling activity was perhaps by Jagdish Chandra Bose when he ignited gun powder and struck a gong from a distance using electromagnetic radiation.

Tesla was the first to demonstrate a radio controlled ship calling Teleautomata, using transmitter and receiver showing how ships and mechanical gadgets can be controlled on a wireless principle in 1898. He also constructed a wireless tower which remained unfinished due to economic constraints. This showed the farsightedness of Tesla. He laid the foundations for the radio controlled devices that we have today.

American inventor Armstrong remarked about Tesla: "The world will long have to wait for a mind equal to Tesla's, a mind of such creative possibilities and such wealth of imagination."

The Radio Controlled devices are commonly called RC devices - RC stands for Radio Controlled. In 1937 the first radio controlled airplane was flown by Dr. William Good and his twin brother Walter. Dr. William was a specialist in radios and Walter made Aeromodels, and they combined them to create the RC plane. Radio control had also been employed in WWII. In the 1960s, the availability of transistors revolutionized the circuits and made them more compact and light.

Principle of the modern Radio Controlled toys:

In the mid to late 60's, a British company named Mardave, based in Leicester, began to produce the first commercially viable Radio Controlled Cars. Their first cars were Nitro or gas powered cars sold in the local area in the early 70's. All such devices require a transmitter with controls, a throttle trigger and the wheels for turning. The receiver is placed in the body of the toy.

The models can be electric models as well as fuel models. The electric models work with electrical speed control, and the fuel control systems utilize the radio control mechanisms to regulate the fuel input and the such.

The radio controlled models can be toy grade or hobby grade. The toy grade devices are available in retail shops, and are available at a far lesser price. They are ready made assembled models, and usually utilize electric power. Hobby grade models are available at a greater cost but are more durable and serviceable. They usually require assembly, and most often run on gasoline or nitro.

These radio controlled cars are also used in races, and the cars or toys used in the races should confirm to the specifications. The Radio Controlled devices can be varied, and include cars, boats, airplanes, helicopters and robotics. The small robots, cars and toys are usually for indoor play. Robotics combined with radio control technology is frequently seen in the international robotics contests held annually in Japan and other countries. Robotics are another hobby, which are even more interesting when combined with radio controlled or remote controlled toys.

Online Car Auctions - Caveats to Watch Out for at Car Auctions Online

2007-11-02T23:42:00.000-07:00

Online car auctions may offer great car deals but there are caveats to watch out for. If you are new to bidding for a car at eBay and Yahoo Auctions, then this article will help prepare you mentally and avoid the mistakes which most people make. Be aware of these and it will go a long way to help you save the hassle, avoid disputes, save some money and let you drive off your dream car purchased from online car auctions.

1. What You See is What You Get

A photo is all you see about the car you are buying. It sounds scary but that is the nature of online car auctions. So you can either get used to the idea or avoid them all together.

2. You Buy What You Bid

Once you win the bid, there is no turning back. You are bound by contract to pay for the car.

3. Fake or Unlisted VIN

Sellers may not list the VIN numbers on the auctioned cars. At times, you may even come across fake VIN numbers. There are also listed vehicles with multiple VIN numbers especially if they were involved in major accidents and repaired with parts from different cars. There is a way to check by running a used car title check.

4. Incorrect Car Details

Some sellers either intentionally or unintentionally disclose the wrong car details such as incorrect engine configuration, model and year of manufacture. Doing an AutoCheck Vehicle History will get you the correct details.

5. Fake Bids

Beware of fake bids. Some unscrupulous bidders can hire a group of fake bidders to push up their prices artificially.

6. Shipping Costs

You need to check out the shipping costs involved. Do not get too excited and forget to include these in your overall budget set aside for the car.

Look out for these when bidding at online car auctions and you are in a better position to get a good deal. Find out how you can save the trouble, avoid the risks and driving home a car at up to 90% off retail prices by participating in seized car auctions through my car blog.

Robotics Information

2007-10-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

While pundits were wringing their hands over whether the show was a dud and if there even would be another Comdex, the robotics industry quietly set up shop on the floor and at an adjacent restaurant. Comdex organizers would prefer to paint the event as an all IT/enterprise experience, but robotics stole the show, and the field could prove, one day, to be what saves a still-struggling tech industry. With so much possibility and potential in this bourgeoning market sector, I thought a guided tour of some of the wonders I found would be worthwhile.
Notable for its ultra-low price and anime-style body, the $199 Wowee Robosapian humanoid robot can walk, pick up light objects and do other sundry tricks—some cute, some a bit disgusting. It's not autonomous, though, requiring a remote control to work. The company producing it has a track record in toys, not research or robotics, so I remain skeptical about the device's true potential.

The servomotor and robot-kit manufacturer Megarobotics, nestled in a tiny, nondescript booth on the show floor, was displaying small, intelligent motors that resemble those found in Sony AIBOs, which have roughly 20, and the old i-Cybie robopup. You can buy the AI Motors in single $45 units and as a $900 kit that lets you build your own Robodoggy. I watched a robot made from a kit do handstands and—what else—virtually pee.
My favorite robot on the show floor, though, was the remarkable Therapeutic Robot, Paro. In our Best of Comdex awards, this robotic, RISC-based baby seal was a surprise finalist in the gadgets category. When I approached, I thought it was simply a stuffed animal, but then it moved and blinked its large black eyes. I froze and almost involuntarily began petting it. It responded immediately. Takanori Shibata, senior research scientist in the Bio-Robotics division of Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry, developed the robot. He explained that the body is covered (underneath the white fur) with sensors, and that the robot uses speech recognition to learn its own name and respond to your voice. Paro learns over time, so it can differentiate between a stroke and what might be an aggressive pat. It charges via a pacifier-like device inserted into its mouth, leaving the illusion of a real seal pup unbroken. The robot, which will launch early next year, will cost in the neighborhood of $2,500 to $3,000 and is designed for hospitals and nursing homes, because interactions with pets have proven therapeutic for the ill and infirm.

Although fascinating, what was happening on the show floor paled in comparison to the scene I found just across the street at Piero's, a posh restaurant. It was a bit like a day care center, but instead of children, we had hyper and sometimes truculent robots (autonomous and remote-controlled) racing back and forth across the carpeted floor. They were scurrying between and around our legs and bouncing off walls and each other with little or no purpose beyond exploring the restaurant and, perhaps, entertaining themselves.

This odd sight was the culmination of a half-day robotics conference sponsored by VIA Technologies. The maker of Mini-ITX motherboards has long been popular with the DIY PC crowd and has become the new darling of robotics hobbyists, but has also, apparently, gained favor with nascent robotics companies. Representatives from some robotics firms—White Box Robotics, Robodynamics, Roboteq, and others—gathered at the conference to talk about the new vitality in the robotics market and demonstrate their various creations relying on VIA's low-power integrated motherboards.

VIA's motherboards are attractive to manufacturers because of their remarkably small size, affordability (typically under $100), low power requirements, and integration of graphics, sound, and core CPU on a single board. And robots built around the VIA motherboards are hybrids of PCs and bots. In other words, although a device like the Sony AIBO may have a CPU on a small circuit board, the board will typically lack the I/O interfaces—USB, sound, and video, for example—found on full-fledged motherboards like the Mini-ITX. Using a true motherboard also provides a shortcut to connectivity and compatibility with other hardware and software. From my perspective, this is good and bad news. The bad news is that some of the robots at the conference were more rolling PCs than true robots. White Box Robotics, for example, demonstrated a robot that looks quite a bit like a cousin of R2-D2, but has standard PC bays for hard and optical drives. The good news is that PC bots may be helping to speed the development of new robots.

Robodynamics, for instance, is just a few months old, but company CEO and Founder Fred Nikgohar has already built a working prototype (okay, it was working until he got to the conference and the motor burned out) of the Personal Droid Assistant (PDA). Designed for entertainment, security, and even telepresence, the four-foot-tall prototype is still little more than a plastic toy retrofitted with a mini-ITX motherboard, some PVC tubing from Home Depot, and a Webcam. Still, Nikgohar predicted that the commercial product might be ready for market as early as Christmas 2004.

Winning the War Before You Start - Using Technology to Play it Smart

2007-10-25T05:24:00.001-07:00

Proper use of robotic technology solves many problems in our military. It is often estimated that for every soldier or airmen on the frontline or participating in the tip of the sword there are 20-25 military personal behind them through-out the command and control and logistical supply chain. Military robotics is clearly an issue of efficiency and productivity - delivering more for less and with pin-point accuracy. Robotics and the Future Fighting Force roadmaps are dead on target and it is not by accident.

Less than 1% of all the humans who have ever lived have died in war. Although we hear more about the deaths in war today due to the far-reaching and often biased media the truth is that major fighting is concluded quite quickly with much less collateral damage thanks to smart munitions. This does not make armed conflict less devastating for those involved, yet it must be considered when discussing the reality of war technology. Indeed, just because allied forces can fight with unheard of precision does not mean the enemy will not attack pure civilian soft targets to promote their will or radical notions.

There is and has always been a good bit of the gross national product of any nation, spent on its military, as it is important to protect all they are and all they have built. Wouldn't you? Indeed and so we all do, both friend and foe. Due to the huge amount of expenditures there are always many companies and entrepreneurs willing and ready to work on research and development of war toys. Yet, the business of war is not a game and the stakes are very high - self preservation of a nation being amongst the top rationals.

Robotic Technology on, above and below the battle field have come a long way in the last couple of decades and yet this is only the beginning. Coming soon will be many new applications such as robotic units to pick up the wounded and take them to military medical facilities. There will also be MAVs or Micro-Air Vehicles perhaps capable of swarming like insects. Bird size MAVs are already nearly ready for service. Fully autonomous perimeter security mobile robots with weapons attached are already being deployed. Underwater Unmanned Vehicles are also in production with some units already in the water.

Military Robots

2007-10-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

Military robots are remote-controlled devices designed for military applications. Military robots work on military robotics such as AGV, UGV, TMR, MOUNT, RECON, Intruder, Ranger, and FCS. There are also many other systems that are being researched by the United States. Military robots provide alternatives for dangerous tasks that soldiers perform in the line of duty.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are among the remarkable success stories of military robots. They can take surveillance photographs and accurately launch missiles at ground targets without a pilot. Military unmanned systems include a wide range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs), which are designed to carry out various military missions. All these UVs are usually teleoperated. Military robots are also used as mine sweepers and bomb disposers on ground.

Military robots come in different shapes and sizes according to their military purpose. A military robot contains of a program that includes the route and other required conditions of the mission. These robots use GPS and simple control algorithms for programming. They automatically follow a pre-programmed route and alert a person when it detects movements or other programmed conditions. The robot works according to the instructions given by the operator. Military robots also contain a camera for providing a view of an emergency. These robots are frequently used to defuse mines and "improvised explosive devices."

Military robots also scan barcodes of stored inventory as they pass on their route and report any missing items. The system also includes video screens, force sensors, and special grippers for detection. Bundeswehr, Predator, and Teodor are some popular military robots.

The Robotics Research Corporation is working on many research projects. Researchers claim that military robots are for the betterment of mankind, and the mission is to bring intelligent machines into society. The United States' armed forces used robots in the frontlines of Iraq War.

10 Million Job Shortage by 2015: Time to Build Robots Now

2007-10-24T04:16:00.000-07:00

Why is research and development in artificial intelligence and robotics so very important in the present period? Well because we are about to hit the end of an era as all these Baby Boomers retire and leave the work force. Many will be living well into their 100 year birthdays and beyond. These folks will be needing things, services and have demands and desires and yet they will not be producing. To make the issues worse industry predicts a job shortage of 10-million people by 2015. Do you doubt these figures?

Well you should not as there are already severe shortages in trucking, air traffic controllers, auto mechanics and so many other industries and their sub-sectors. It is going to get worse and even if the US populations wells to 420,000,000 people by 2025 remaining in the number three most populated country spot, we will still have the job shortage issues. Especially in those industry specialties where experience and know how is needed. Who will run things in our civilization and work our high-tech industries.

With a looming issue of a 10 Million Job Shortage by 2015, it maybe time to get busy and start building Build Robots Now. Because someone will have to do all this work and they will have to be very good at what they do. Can we produce the 10 million customized robots to fill these job niches in the future to save our civilization? Consider this in 2006.

Think Tank Input - It is Not What You Think

2007-10-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how Think Tanks are able to come up with some of the ideas and innovations that they do? Well, it is not what you think. The members come from various backgrounds with only some commonality. Their best chance for a revolutionary break through is to have massive input from experiences, education, observations, dialogues, research and reading.

Let us take a day in the life of the Online Think Tank and consider some of the books they reviewed and topics discussed to get the group humming and ready to win. Below is today's book list and we shall dissect them and what was entered into an on-going dialogue.

"Viruses, Plagues and History" by Michael B. A. Oldstone - 1998. The book discusses Smallpox, Measles, Influenza, Laasa, Hanta, HIV- AIDS, Polo, Yellow Fever, BSE, CJD, and Ebola viruses. The book discussed; H1N1, H2N2, H3N2 and the re-emergence of the H1N1 Russian Flu. It paints a grim look into the future as the World comes closer together and although not mentioned specifically makes one realize the dangers of mutations and evolutions of the HIV-AIDS virus and the Bird Flu H5N1 virus. Chronic Waste disease is also an issues as well as such things as possibilities of human assisted bio-weaponized viruses, such as a Flu mixed with an Ebola strain. Not very pleasant to think about, but very important to watch closely.

The Online Think Tank has been working with various ways to protect the United States in the event of such a Biological Situation causing a catastrophe. How real is this situation - very real and it is important to consider, as our entire civilization and society could one day in the future be at risk.

"Communion - A True Story" by Whitley Strieber, 1987. The UFO field is often poo' poo'ed by academia and folks like Whitely Strieber have been ridiculed, but why? We all know there are anomalies in the life experience and many cannot be explained away so easily. Religion tries to explain away phenomena, so does science, yet we know that are both are proximities or partial guess and only bathed in limited observation and truth. So, why give Whitley Strieber a hard time for his claimed experiences, as it is nothing more than a competing explanation, no worse than many religions. Indeed science itself is constantly revising its theories and explanations.

It is somewhat ego-centric to think that there is no life other intelligent life in the Universe and arrogant to think that human beings are at the top of the top of the food chain in that regard. If we think on the reality of Drake's Equation and listen to the words of such folks as Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan or Steven Hawking, then it would be hard to deny. Whether Communion is real, based on a perceived experience or complete Science Fiction really makes no difference, these thoughts and concepts must be discussed and considered.

"The Power to Get What You Want Out of Life" by Frank A. Kostyu - 1964. Many people consider this book a classic motivational book, one of the first big ones and I tend to agree with this. Dreaming and believing to achieve is a main point of the book and emerges in the introduction and first chapter as central considerations to those who wish to succeed and fulfill their desires. Imagination, visual imagery and will are parts of this central theme, coupled with a positive mental attitude. The book discussing decision making, how to get things done, controlling emotions, as well as using anger, humor and laughter to get there quickly.

It seems so often many give up their life experience and focus thru various efforts of social engineering, religion, politics, and or trickery. Often those in a leadership position use tactics, which are against the best interests of the individual to get them to perform or move their line of thinking and direction. It is important to understand what you want and strive to secure it while making sure no one else is damaged by your pursuits.

"The Limits - A Search for New Values" by Maxine Schnall - 1981. This is also considered a classic and discusses getting value out of your life experience at work, home, volunteerism, relationships, family, school, etc. The book takes us thru the cultural norms of American Society in the Depression 1930s, Patriotic 40s, Togetherness 50s, Revolutionary 60, Me Generation 70s and leaves us with advice going forward.

Twenty-six years later we see our Information age speeding up our society to the point that people are over stressed, upset often and have a tough time finding value in their lives. Maybe this book needs to be updated, re-written and re-introduced to bookstores across the nation. What say you? The Online Think Tank believes this ought to be a future project.

"The Mars Pathfinder - Approach to Faster-Better-Cheaper, an employee handbook on innovation" by Pritchett and Associates - 1998. This book with full illustrations was written for NASA and JPL. The incredible successes of robotics, Mars missions and recent innovations shows that mankind really can do something. The book speaks to disciplined creativity and how to increase innovation without stifling individual thought - also it talks about planning, improvising, believing with the NASA "Can Do!" attitude.

For those who doubt the robotic future in human societies, think again, as our robots are cruising on other worlds right now, and we are not. Many still wonder where our Flying Cars are and the Artificial Intelligent Androids that will help us around the house and be our old-age nurses. The fact is that what is going on in robotic research now has huge prospects for the future, so do not discount that reality, it cometh.

"How to Become an Expert - 6 Steps to being an Authority on Any Subject" by Stephen J. Spignesi - 2000. An instant expert is someone who is able to learn a great deal in a very short time about a particular subject. The author points to the importance of such skills such as writing a Book, Magazine Article, Term Paper or delivering a speech. As an Online Writer, I am somewhat concerned with this because being book smart is not the same as actual experience and observation. Having both of course is the best option. Having had time to experience and reflect and think is too an important part of the "expert" title. The author is quick to note that "instant expert" is somewhat of a misnomer, and would prefer the concept of full-force study without wasting time. A six step process is offered in the Introduction:

1. Immersion

2. Notes

3. Review and Think

4. Make Outlines or Table of Contents

5. Chapter by Chapter working thru it

6. Review and Polish Contents.

Get your facts straight first and then you can tell anyone you please is one very interesting comment in the book and it is thus all about credibility. When immersing yourself in information be sure to look into any of the books that keep popping up as references or websites that are sited. Look up the background of all the authors that are cited in bibliographies, research papers and google all information in the field to make sure you did not miss anything.

Indeed, myself I always do this automatically and therefore agree with such advice, it works, sometimes it takes 50-100 websites with 250 pages of additional text and leads to 20 more 30-50 page research papers but it is all worth it.

This book also states that when reviewing and thinking you must think of hundreds of related subjects or topics related to the area you are trying to become an expert in. Think of lots of ideas, not just a few and eventually focus on only a few later when trying to innovate in that particular endeavor, industry or field of knowledge. And isn't it fitting that those in the Online Think Tank agree with this comment wholeheartedly? Sincerely, Lance.

Electronic Optical Sensors for Truck Wash Robotics Considered

2007-10-23T00:46:00.000-07:00

There is a huge problem in the truck washing industry right now and that is the labor shortage. Truck washes cannot afford to hire illegal aliens because they might be caught and shut down. And truck drivers tend to not like illegal aliens because they are upset that Mexican truck drivers are taking their business away and costing truckers their jobs, therefore will immediately turn them in.

Nevertheless the real truth is that there is a shortage of 185,000 truck drivers expected by the end of 2008. The labor shortage in the United States for quality labor to work in truck washes is also very hard to get considering the unemployment rate currently in the United States of America is only 4.7%. Therefore is necessary for robotic truck washes to do the work rather than human beings.

Robotics is the answer to the unemployment issue, however the robotics currently in the industry are unable to clean the truck more than about 90%, the last 10% needs to be done by humans because someone has to get between all the spaces where the rollover truck washes cannot get to. Consider trying to soap around all the windows, handles, smokestack and fuel tanks; thus you can see the problem.

Optical flow sensors and other sensors that are used in robotics need to be used in the truck wash tunnels to ensure that the truck is washed 100%. This will take some reengineering in the industry although it is the only way the truck washes will ever be able to compete with human labor and quality.

Robotic Arms and Robotics

2007-10-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

The word robot comes from the Czech word "robota", meaning "forced labor." The stuff of science fiction robotics in the 21st century is different than your parents or your grandparents’ ideas of robotics. What used to be thought of as futuristic improbability is now becoming a reality.

There are, theoretically, three Laws of Robotics. The Laws of Robotics were developed by a small group of scientists who believe that robotics is the wave of the future. The first law, referred to as law zero, is that a robot may not injure humanity, or, though inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. The second law states that a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate a higher order law. This law was created so that mankind would seek not to create robots that would harm people. The third law is that a robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with a higher order law. And finally the final law is that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with a higher order law. These were used in a recent Hollywood movie however many people don’t know that the Laws of Robotics actually exists.

According to The Robot Institute of America a robot is a “reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks." This is a scientific sounding description however most people just think of robots as machine that mimic their counterparts. In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which performs automated tasks.

The most developed robot in practical use today is the robotic arm and it is seen in applications throughout the world. We use robotic arms to carry out dangerous work such as when dealing with hazardous materials. We use robotic arms to carry out work in outer space where man can not survive and we use robotic arms to do work in the medical field such as conducting experiments without exposing the researcher.

Some of the most advanced robotic arms have such amenities as a rotating base, pivoting shoulder, pivoting elbow, rotating wrist and gripper fingers. All of these amenities allow the robotic arm to do work that closely resembles what a man can do only without the risk.

Academia Robotics Programs Need to Press On

2007-10-18T23:40:00.002-07:00

Career Opportunities in Robotics

2007-10-18T23:40:00.001-07:00

IT Philosophy 404

2007-10-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

In the not so far-off future information technology systems thanks to rapidly advancing artificial intelligence programs will be able to run entire companies based on the data coming in from the various outlets, factories, distribution points and sales in the marketplace. Additionally these artificially intelligent corporate executives will be able to scan the Internet, the competition and the changing demographics and 100% of the world's demographic regions to make their decision.

These information technology systems with artificial intelligence will all be connected in a net centric way and they will be able to take hundreds of thousands or more, perhaps even millions of points of data and use that to make decisions, which are best for the shareholder, quarterly profits and future viability of the corporation as it keeps expanding.

These information technology systems when connected to an artificially intelligent brain will literally be able to replace the corporate executives and eliminate many of the problems that we find in humans with greed, ego and fear that is caused through change management. Organizational capital will not be a problem anymore because organizational capital will be replaced by hardware and software expenditures in artificial intelligence. In other words you will be able to buy organizational capital and hook it to your information technology system.

Am I scaring you so far; are our computers going to take over the world? Well, eventually it makes sense to have corporations run by computers rather than humans and in a way many of the factory workers who have been laid off by robotics who now have no job, because robotics are said to be more efficient, will now get to laugh last as the corporate executives get the axe.

If corporations are being run by artificially intelligent computers that are hooked to information technology systems then it makes sense that eventually our government will also be run by the same. And although this is just a futurist thought, you can also assume if the IT systems are programmed properly there will be no more corruption in government, as it will run as smooth as possible and sufficiently calm the taxpayers from their distrust in government waste. The importance will be that those who program it will indeed do so in a responsible manner. Perhaps you might consider this in 2006.

Join a Think Tank or Sink in Rank

2007-10-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

One important factor to consider in a Think Tank is what is happening in the present and the present perception of such events in the media. Often we hear people state as fact something they heard or saw in the news media. Yet, folks so far removed from the situation have no real clue as to what actually happened in real life. They often assume that what's reported is the reality without questions.

To fully understand the impact it is often necessary to sift thru events and news to find out what is real. Let's take a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor "Iraq's Maliki inks Syrian border pact - The prime minister is under growing pressure from the US to show some progress in Baghdad" by Hugh Naylor; and dissect it. First, off peace between neighbors is important and yet can anyone really trust Syria to uphold an agreement?

During the same week Saudi Arabia blamed Syria for allowing weapons and insurgents into Iraq from their country and other intelligence has reported that Syrian guards had assisted in getting insurgents into Iraq to destabilize and kill US Troops. Iran although full of denials is training insurgents, arming them and members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard is playing a big role in it all both in Afghanistan and Iraq - Isn't this all a bunch of déjà poo? Haven't we all stepped in this Bull before, as one of these nations has promised during negotiation something that they do not honor and actually go and do the opposite with?

Just because the rhetoric changes or even the buzz words that are used, we still have the basic predicament. For instance let's discuss some of the latest newly invented words that were recently listed in the Associated Press:

Blamestorming: A group process where participants analyze a failed project and look for scapegoats other than themselves. (new word, same human primate politics games which have been going on for 10,000 years - heck, even chimpanzees do this.)

BMWs: Bitchers, Moaners and Whiners. (Some folks specialize in complaining and no matter how great something is, they will find or invent some problem with it.)

Clockroaches: Employees who spend most of their day watching the clock -- instead of doing their jobs. (Sound familiar - perhaps the reason we have unions - to justify this activity.)

Plutoed: To be unceremoniously dumped or relegated to a lower position without an adequate reason or explanation. (After Pluto was dumped, as it did not fit the new definition of a Planet - Convenient indeed, although not so great for the odd man out.)

Adminisphere: The upper levels of management where big, impractical, and counterproductive decisions are made. (The definition of a committee or what happens when lawyers spend their time coming up with new definitions. Ivory Tower syndrome has now been redefined).

Ringtone rage: The violent response by cube mates after hearing your annoying cell phone ringtone for the 15th time. (Disruptive bells and whistles, are making us nuts and destroying the peace, as if it ever really existed at all?).

Still in all these new ways to describe the same old thing in the fog of the mass media hysteria, inciting the populous of the world to take a stand against this thing or that other thing, one has to ask, hell - I have to ask; is it really doing any good? Speaking of good, just because you think you are doing good does not necessarily mean the "Ends" will be good for all concerned? For instance consider this article in the Associated Press: "Is the Western World's gifts to Africa helping poverty?"

Good question because if you bring in food shipments, which are hijacked prior to delivery then, the guerillas sell the food to the intended recipients, steal the truck and then use the money and the truck to assist in buying weapons and transporting 10-year old soldiers to kill innocent civilians with AK-47s. In that case are we really helping anyone with all our money - how can you have liberty, democracy and freedom with that going on and what about smaller issues and freedom? For instance this article by Anita Chang:

BEIJING — Blog service providers in China are "encouraged" to register users with their real names and contact information, according to a new government document that tones down an earlier proposal banning anonymous online blogging. At least 10 major Chinese blog service providers have agreed to sign the "self-discipline pledge" issued by the Internet Society of China, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

Online bulletin boards and blogs are the only forum for most Chinese to express opinions before a large audience in a society where all media are state-controlled.

China has the world's second-biggest population of Internet users after the United States, with 137 million people online. It also has 30 million registered bloggers, and more than 100 million Chinese Internet users visit blogs regularly, according to the ISC. The group is under the Ministry of Information Industry.

The guidelines, issued Tuesday and effective immediately, "encouraged" real-name registration of users, according to a copy posted on the Internet group's website.

Are these policies to make Blogs more polite or to quell opinion against the Chinese Government so they can crack down on free-speech and make some Bloggers disappear? We know that China is very worried about the Internet and their control over their huge population base. If the citizens there do not have a clear view of the real world, then they are denied information, which might allow them to reach their full potential and to demand honesty and integrity from their government.

Do you have a clear view of the World, do you ever wonder how clear it really could be? Well how about the New Visualization System at UC San Diego? Source: KurzweilAI.net August 23, 2007.

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have constructed the highest-resolution computer display in the world -- with a screen resolution up to 220 million pixels.

Robotic Welding Comes of Age

2007-10-12T03:23:00.000-07:00

Robotic welding has come of age in the past few years. In advances in computer technology and robotics, simple, repetitive tasks in manufacturing are often performed by robotic welding devices, with a resulting savings in labor and an improvement in safety, since there is less human interaction and less chance for human error.

Trade shows and conventions for the fabrication industry and welding trades often feature robotic welding devices these days. Demonstrations at the trade shows give examples of robotic welding machines doing graceful and complex maneuvers, demonstrating speed and flexibility possible with robots today that were not possible a generation ago.

Industrial robots are used in welding, painting, ironing, assembly, palletizing, pick and place, inspection, and testing of products. Robots have proven themselves to be valuable resources in manufacturing applications in all of these areas.

Any welding task is suitable for automation if the task is repetitive. From a practical, financial standpoint however the number of pieces that need to be welded must be of sufficient quantity to allow a continuous flow, to justify the initial expense of setting up robotic welding machinery. In such instances an automatic welding gun can be placed in a static position or if needed on a curved track to achieve a circular weld. In this type of situation, a work piece can be rotated past the welding gun.

The major manufacturers in three basic sizes offer robotic welding arms. These include a tabletop size with a six-pound payload, a medium sized model with a 13.2 pound payload and larger machines with a 22.2 pound payload. While these robotic welding machines are available new, many used and reconditioned models are also available and popular.

Where robotic welding machines, and industrial robots in general came from is of interest. The first industrial robot, used for simple tasks, was invented in 1962. In 1969 a Stanford University professor developed the Stanford arm, an articulated robot that widened the potential of robots, making robotic welding possible and feasible. By the 1970’s industrial robots were firmly rooted in most industries and robotic welding’s strong points had become obvious to industry. Soon large companies like General Electric and General Motors were manufacturing robots, and several companies n the U.S. stated specifically to manufacture them and market them to industry, including Automatix and Adept Technology, Inc, while Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired Animation, the grandmaster of industrial robotics. Many Japanese companies also entered the arena.

Today’s popularity of industrial robots, and in particular of robotic welding devices is due to the fact that these machines save man hours, allowing skilled human technicians, including welders, to concentrate on more complicated tasks worthy of their skills and training. Simple and repetitive tasks that would be a waste of a skilled welder’s time are generally handled by robotic welding machines with cost savings in the millions every year, benefiting the companies and stockholders.

2006 Trends in Robotic Transportation

2007-10-12T03:21:00.000-07:00

In 2005 we saw some new innovations in robotics used in transportation. We saw disputes erupt with Rail Road Unions over locomotives, which do not need conductors. We have seen more and more telematic type information and communication, which flows between over the road trucks and dispatchers via satellite. We have seen new mechanisms that dispatchers can use to track shipments within meters of their location, even completely shut down trucks, which have been hijacked.

Then we watched the DARPA Grand Challenge with driverless totally autonomous vehicles navigate steep cliffs, tunnels and treacherous desert roads full of obstacles on a course over 200 miles long and still average speeds of nearly 35 mph. In 2005 we saw ads on Television for new cars which can avoid collisions, detect stopped traffic ahead, even tug on the shoulder harness and let of the gas, nudge the steering will, while checking the next lane for traffic in the case of a slower vehicle in your lane.

In 2006 we will see the military seek assistance with linking up entire convoys of vehicles with no drivers in any of the vehicles. We will see automotive engineers talk about programmable GPS systems which will not only show you your destination on a map, but drive you there, find a parking spot and parallel park your car, without running a red light, breaking the speed limit or flipping off other drivers along the way, while you read your newspaper, watch the news and take a few phone calls. Think I am kidding, I am not, this is the next step and in 2006 this is what the automotive engineers will be working on, so think about it, as in four or five years it will be a reality.