Robotics
Business
Web
Biomedical
Other
Robotics
- TR35: Andrea Thomaz
Robots that learn new skills the way people do. [print-special section]
- Helping Robots Get a Grip
- A new approach lets dexterous robotic hands grasp easily.
- Cutting-Edge Robots Show Off in Japan
- ICRA 2009 will showcase everything from tree-climbing machines to robots that politely ask for directions.
- Making Robots Give the Right Glances
- By mimicking nonverbal actions, robots could become better assistants.
- A Step Toward Robo-Science
- Robots capable of making simple scientific discoveries could transform drug testing.
- Machines for Living
- Holly Yanco, SM ’94, PhD ’00, develops robots to help people in the home and in the field. [print-MIT alum profile]
- The Year in Robotics
- Advances in robotics for personal assistance, medicine, and the military in 2008.
- Voyage of the Bacteria Bots
- Self-propelled microbots navigate through blood vessels.
- Robot Mimics a Canine Helper
- A robot inspired by helper dogs could assist the disabled and the elderly.
- Building a Self-Assembling Stomach-Bot
- Modules that self-assemble inside the stomach could perform more-sophisticated diagnosis and treatment.
- Controlling a Gut Bot’s Position
- A swallowable robot can be stuck and unstuck to a spot on command.
- A Robot That Learns to Use Tools
- By shoving objects around on a table, UMan figures out how they work.
- The Flight of Dragonfly Robots
- Researchers are testing whether robotic dragonflies could be agile and elusive fliers.
- A Robotic Helping Hand
- Georgia Tech’s prototype robot responds to instructions given with an ordinary laser pointer.
- Snakelike Robots for Heart Surgery
- More-flexible robots could allow for less-invasive operations.
Blogs
- Robots ‘Evolve’ the Ability to Deceive
- An experiment shows how “deceptive” behavior can emerge from simple rules.
- Modeling Sneaky Robots
- Researchers create a stealth-mode behavior.
- Recycling Robot Shows Clutter-Sorting Skills
- A new vision system can identify objects within clutter.
- Robot Plays Follows the Leader
- Image-recognition software and an infrared camera let this robot follow people in different environments.
- Tiny Machine Commands a Swarm of Bacteria
- The bacteria propel the machine in different directions.
- Precision Control of Micro Machines
- Researchers demonstrate a new way to refine magnetic control of tiny robotic pushers.
- Teleoperated Design Revealed for Assistant Robots
- A system lets users manage a team of robots through cloud computing.
- Robots Get Down to Business
- At a conference in Boston, companies demonstrate robots for education, bomb disposal, agriculture, and more.
- A Robot That Knows When to Back Off
- A modified Roomba tries to detect, and avoid, stressed-out users.
- iRobot Cofounder Developing UAVs for Search and Rescue
- Helen Greiner’s stealth-mode robotics company will focus on emergency response.
- Robot Scientist Designs Its Own Experiments
- A robotic system can design and carry out experiments on its own.
- A Robot Music Instructor
- A clever flute-playing robot can teach beginners and play in a band.
- Sticky Space Spider
- A robotic insect is designed to explore rough, alien terrain.
- What Do Wheelchairs and Video Games Have in Common?
- Professor develops a more intuitive robotic assistant.
- Biomedical Robots Galore
- Scientists from across the world gathered for the IEEE BioRob 2008 Conference.
- Robotic Device Takes Stunning Panorama of the Inauguration
- Pick out individual faces in this 1,474-megapixel image of the 2009 ceremonies.
- Cheaper Robot Rehabilitation
- A modified 3-D game controller helps improve fine motor control.
- How to Make UAVs Fully Autonomous
- A smarter vision system could help robotic aircraft detect airborne obstacles.
- Robotic “Spiderman” Device Unveiled
- A new grappling hook could let robots swing from tree to tree.
- A Robot That’s Learning to Smile
- The UCSD robot watches itself to learn how to pull new facial expressions.
- A Soldier’s (Robotic) Best Friend
- BigDog could save lives in the field.
Business
Social Games that Sway
With the rise of social networks, game designers are finding new paths to desired outcomes.
Augmented Reality Lacks Bite for Marketers
Companies are experimenting with adding AR layers to real-world scenes. So far, it’s not doing much to boost business.
Keeping the Personal Touch without Getting on a Plane
Companies are turning to high-end communication systems to reduce their carbon footprints and travel expenses.
Preventing Customers from Getting Stressed Out
Measuring people’s physical reactions helps companies improve the user experience.
Crowds of Workers, on Demand
Companies are turning to crowdsourcing middlemen to make “good” crowds.
Google’s Ultra-Real-Time Messaging Tool Lives On
The company halted its work on Wave, but aspects of its radical approach to communication have been reincarnated for business collaboration.
Web and Communications
- The Evolution of Retweeting
- Formalizing the retweet may change people’s behavior.
- Rogue Pharmacies Dominate Bing’s Ads
- Illegitimate pharmacies account for 90 percent of drug ads on Microsoft’s Bing, according to a new report.
- Search Spammers Hacking More Websites
- The head of Google’s Web-spam-fighting team warns that spammers are increasingly attacking websites.
- TR35: Shahram Izadi
- An intuitive 3-D interface helps people manage layers of data. [print-special section]
- Open-Source Data Glove
- AcceleGlove can be programmed for many applications. [print-Hack]
- Cell Phones That Listen and Learn
- New software tracks a user’s behavior by monitoring everyday sounds.
- Faster Internet on the Road
- A new system boosts mobile uploads from vehicles.
- Second Skin Captures Motion
- A new system could make special effects more affordable.
- A Mobile Mesh Network Goes Nuclear
- Backpacks that detect nuclear material form a wireless mesh network.
- Popularity Poll Ranks Startups
- Measuring online buzz could help investors, a company claims.
- Moore’s Law
- The computer chip has evolved from a simple integrated circuit to a microprocessor with millions of transistors. [print-Photo Essay]
Blogs
- Illegitimate Pharmaceutical Ads Prolific on Yahoo
- The majority of the search engine’s drug ads are from rogue online pharmacies, according to researchers.
- DNA Origami for Faster, Smaller Computer Chips
- Using DNA structures, researchers may be able to construct tinier, cheaper chips.
- China Relents on Censorship Software
- Green Dam won’t be enforced on private computers.
- Mesh Network Monitors Volcanoes
- Sensors dropped onto Mount St. Helens relayed data after forming an ad-hoc network.
- A Clever Use for Baby Snapshots
- Constant logging could help spot problems in kids.
- The Stranger Side of CHI 2009
- Some of the odder inventions demoed at the Computer-Human Interaction Conference.
- Mapping Disasters in 3-D
- Software based on PhotoSynth can model the scene of a disaster.
Biomedical
- How’s My Sleep?
- A survey of the latest technology designed to help track sleep.
- Advances in Management Technology for Diabetes
- From personal reminders to digital doctors, the technology for managing diabetes is taking off.
- Artificial Protein Mimics Blood
- A man-made protein that carries oxygen could lead to artificial blood.
- Stretched Nerve ‘Bridges’ Trigger Repair
- The tissue creates a scaffold for nerve tissue regeneration.
- TR10: Paper Diagnostics
- George Whitesides has created a cheap, easy-to-use diagnostic test out of paper. [print]
- Detecting Brain Chemicals
- A new device could help with deep brain stimulation.
- Diagnosing Disease with Paper and Tape
- By adding tape, researchers can make more-complex tests that are portable and cheap.
- Wireless Detectors for Dementia
- Researchers hope that radio transmitters can warn of cognitive decline earlier.
- Lab-on-a-Chip Made of Paper
- Paper-based microfluidic devices could yield cheap, disposable diagnostic tests.
- Breath Analyzer Monitors Drug Compliance
- A new device could lead to better clinical trials.
- A Faster Way to Detect Heart Attacks
- A diagnostic chip tests saliva to determine if someone is having a heart attack.
- Striped Camouflage
- Researchers find stealthy way to enter cells. [print]
- Clothes That Monitor Health
- A new patch tracks electrolyte levels in sweat.
Blogs
- Testing for Malaria On-the-Go
- A small, rugged device is reliable even in harsh conditions.
Other
- Gecko Tape That Lets Go
- Special tips on gecko hairs can grip and release.
- Fuel-Cell Power-Up
- A new process increases the energy output of methanol fuel cells by 50 percent. [print-Demo]
- Microbes for Off-the-Grid Electricity
- A new company is bringing microbial fuel cells to Africa.
- Nature’s Photonic Crystal
- Scientists find an elusive diamond structure in a Brazilian beetle.
- MIT’s Solar Pioneer
- Spying on the sun’s “marvelous beasts.” [print]
Blogs
- Beetles Use Nanostructures for Color
- Tiny structures in beetle exoskeletons reflect luminescent green.
- A Dirt-Bag Fuel Cell
- A simple microbial fuel cell could offer reliable power in the developing world.
- Phoenix Landing
- Mars spacecraft successfully reaches red planet’s arctic.
Kristina Grifantini 