Robonaut’s dexterous hands rely on tendon-driven fingers to grasp objects much like our own hands do. You probably noticed that the robot has a perfectly toned upper body with brawny biceps and six-pack abs. But if you’re working alongside this burly bot (hello ISS crew!), fear not: Robonaut has fully compliant arms and even a built-in emergen... continue reading
Straight from Japan comes this robot called “Metallic Vaio 2012,” which has a style of locomotion that we’ve never seen before. Instead of using arms or legs, it’s got a sort of combination of both: two long tentacles made out of chains of servos that it uses to crawl around and rapidly somersault from place to place. This robot was built (or... continue reading
The crazier parts of the scientific community have long declared anything that can walk on water to be possessed by black magic, lizards and bugs included. But black magic or no, roboticists at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China have managed to make it work on a robotic insect that, in addition to walking on water, can also_jump_. Mo... continue reading
Algorithms enable robot to navigate and view propellers and other complex structures. For years, the U.S. Navy has employed human divers, equipped with sonar cameras, to search for underwater mines attached to ship hulls. The Navy has also trained dolphins and sea lions to search for bombs on and around vessels. While animals can cover a larg... continue reading
Technology Robotix Society held a workshop-cum exhibition at the Ranchi Science Centre on 4th March, which was the first such event for Ranchi. In it, we were able to showcase the various domains that we are currently exploring in the field of robotics. The event was extensively publicised and covered by local newspapers, as well as mentioned in... continue reading
They say robots will one day serve mankind - in which case you can consider this an entrée. For if you pay a visit to this restaurant, in downtown Harbin, China, you will find 18 robots - from a waitress to a cooker to an usher - ready to ensure your dining experience is perfect. The restaurant has 18 types of robots, each gliding out of the k... continue reading
Spain has designed the world’s first robot with its own “conscience” and “life”, which will “entertain, teach and be a companion” to humans who purchase it. The AISoy 1 is the first social android developed by Spanish firm AISoy Robotics, which is now bringing its creation out of the laboratory. Diego Garcia, one of the “fathers” of the robot... continue reading
COMPUTER virus destroyed your hard drive? Don’t worry, some day bacteria might build you a bigger and better one. Hard drives store data on discs coated with a metallic film divided into tiny magnetic regions, each of which stores a single bit - the more regions you can squeeze on to a disc, the bigger the capacity. Now, a team at the Univers... continue reading
There is nothing quite like helping someone to make their first robot, and observing their jubilation when it is pulled off without many glitches. Some of us had that experience at the hands-on workshop we organized at the Bengal College of Engineering and Technology, Durgapur, on the 7th and the 8th of April. Over that weekend, we oversaw the s... continue reading
Technology Robotix Society, IIT Kharagpur, has always endeavoured to not just encourage students to actively pursue robotics as a hobby and beyond, but also empower them to do the same. That is why so many of our workshops inside and outside campus involve direct hands-on involvement and exposure to working with robots. Keeping this vision in mi... continue reading