EE Times – E-textiles, robot ‘skin’ among advances at IEDM

HANCOCK, N.H. — The upcoming International Electron Devices Meeting will explore the range of potential applications for crystalline organic semiconductors.

The technology occupies an intriguing niche between high-performance silicon and low-end amorphous silicon or polymer electronics. Like polymers, crystalline organic compounds are carbon-based and thus easy to work with. But like crystalline silicon and other inorganic semiconductors, they have better performance than amorphous compounds, making them attractive for a wider number of applications.

The most prominent application to have emerged thus far is the flat-panel display, where organic light-emitting diodes offer low-cost processing on a variety of substrates. But other application areas, such as radio-frequency ID tags, have yielded some promising developments.

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In another exotic application, arrays of pentacene organic transistors have been built into a flexible sheet to create a pressure-sensitive “skin” for robots at the Quantum Phase Electronics Center of the University of Tokyo. The sensor arrays are built layer by layer on polyimide films. The design could be realized with large-area printing technology to create low-cost, flexible membranes that could imbue robots with a sense of touch similar to that of the human hand, making them much more dextrous than in the past, the researchers said.

Gizmo :: Adult-sized, His and Hers home robots

Looking for some entertaining, hassle free housemates whose personality you can program yourself? These interactive, remote controlled, multifunctional robots were designed and built by International Robotics and feature on-board computers that can be fully programmed for communication or automated ‘performance’ sequences.

The adult-sized pair are part of the 2003 Christmas Book from Dallas based specialty retailer Neiman Marcus.

The ‘His’ Robot is designed to respond empathetically to humans and features programmable technology that will help him evolve his personality to suit your preferences and input.

The ‘Her’ Robot has a multicolour moving message display that can be re-programmed from a laptop.

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Animalistic robots ready to unleash

Photo by Robbin Cresswell

Chris Prahacs walks a Robotic Hexapod, a biologically inspired robot with six rotating legs, over a pile of rocks during the Lackland Force Protection Battlelab Exposition last month at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The 30-pound roach-like robot also swims.

(This is the final installment of a three part series examining how animal and insect research is helping to protect humans.)

Defense Advanced Research Project Agency researchers have studied many animal characteristics over the years. Scientists have longed to better understand how nocturnal animals function and whether the capabilities certain species possess might have practical applications for the military.

For example, the agency is intrigued by a dolphin’s ability to sleep portions of its brain, while other parts remain awake to keep it from drowning. Military officials have a constant eye on the research in hopes of applying this technique in some capacity to soldiers. Battlefield fatigue has become and will continue to be major military obstacle in war.

The agency has also looked into the unique characteristics of animals and insects other than dolphins. Researchers want to better understand how certain species can walk on walls, traverse rocky terrain and even slither.

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The Korea Herald : The Nation’s No.1 English Newspaper

Fledgling robot industry aims to fly high

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Will the day really come when ‘intelligent’ robots take over mundane household chores and give people more leisure time?

Dreams come true?

There is no definition yet of the intelligent service robot. But according to the preliminary definition by the International Federation of Robotics, an industry group concerned with commercial robots, it is ‘a robot which operates semi or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well-being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations.’

Lim Young-mo, a senior researcher at the private Samsung Economic Research Institute said, “While most industrial robots performed repeated tasks at factories, service robots have intelligence and move on their own to help people with household chores and office work. Service robots are expected to create a mass market as large as the markets for personal computers or automobiles.”

While no robots like Andrew are available to consumers yet, experts predict that home robots will become popular in coming years, taking care of a variety of household chores.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Research Institute projected that household robots would begin to penetrate the market in earnest in 2010 and that each household would own at least one robot by 2020.

But different agencies have different forecasts about how big the service robot market will grow in the future.

According to the International Federation of Robotics the global market for intelligent service robots is expected to grow to $2.2 billion in 2005 from $400 million this year. By 2010, the market is forecast to reach $24.3 billion worldwide, according to the organization.

The Japan Machinery Federation predicts the market will expand to $20 billion in 2010, while Korea’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy estimates it at $70 billion.

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The Korea Herald : The Nation’s No.1 English Newspaper Seoul to coordinate robot R&Dplans

The Korean government will draw up a comprehensive plan to promote the nation’s robotics industry this year, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced yesterday.

The Science Ministry will also coordinate the research and development plans separately developed by various ministries.

It will form a special committee of experts soon to spearhead the project. The panel will be in charge of choosing competitive fields of the robot industry and setting up development programs, a ministry official explained.

FOXNews.com Neiman’s Noel: A $400,000 Pair of Robots

NEW YORK — For the couple who have everything, here’s a Christmas gift straight from ‘The Jetsons’: His-and-hers robots that can answer the door, help with the groceries and even read bedtime stories to the kids.

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The robots – she’s in green and appears to be wearing a dress, while he’s in silver and has a bigger computer – can be programmed to do many household chores.

He can answer the door, take out the garbage and walk the dog. She can carry groceries into the house, help put away laundry and read bedtime stories to the kids.

They can reverse roles, but only the female robot can leave messages. A display ticker across her chest.

The Wichita Eagle | 10/01/2003 | Really, who doesn’t need a hip-hop dancing robot?

DALLAS – Neiman Marcus unveiled its 77th annual Christmas catalog Tuesday, proving that not every retailer is worried about stocking enough bargains for the holiday season to attract price-conscious consumers.

Neiman’s ‘ultimate fantasy gift’ this year is his and hers adult-size robots, designed and built by International Robotics.

His Robot, says the company, ‘is designed to respond empathetically to humans and features programmable technology that will help him evolve his personality to suit your preferences and input.’ Her Robot has a moving message display that can be reprogrammed using a laptop computer.

The opera-singing, hip-hop-dancing robots are priced at $400,000 a pair.

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Globetechnology Robots to visit Ontario Science Centre

TORONTO, Oct. 1 — Visitors to the Ontario Science Centre will be able to see leading-edge robot demonstrations and join competitors from across Canada and the United States in robot games while winners of an on-line contest will be able to participate in exclusive family-oriented robot-building workshops. The creations — from industry, education and private groups — will be part of the year-round robotic programming offered at the Science Centre. The show begins with Say Hello to ASIMO, (Saturday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 12), with the world’s most advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), developed by Honda.

The largest robot competition in Canada will take place Nov. 15 and 16 as more than 150 teams from across Canada and the United States compete in several categories of robotic competitions in which home-built robots will battle, race or even create their own art.

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ajc.com | News | Robot vacuum cleans, empties and recharges without human intervention

FRANKFURT, Germany — Let’s face it: you have to be just a little lazy to use a $1,500 robot to vacuum a one-bedroom apartment.

But how sweet it is to stroll barefoot across spotlessly clean wood floors, without having lifted a finger — or, to be more precise, having lifted a finger just once, to turn on the RoboCleaner RC3000.

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You’re all clear, virtually, says Dr Robot – www.smh.com.au

A US hospital has taken on a 1.5-metre tall interactive robot as a new staff member. It is designed to give patients remote access to their doctors.

Dr Robot looks like an oversized vacuum cleaner and has a video screen for a head.

It has infrared sensors, a movable video screen, a zoom video camera, a microphone and a speaker.

Doctors can examine patients through it from hundreds of kilometres away, using a joystick and internet connection.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is using the robot to determine if patients would rather see a different doctor when their own is not available, or use the robot to consult remotely with their regular physician appearing live on its monitor.

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