Wired reporter Katie Collins writes that MIT researchers have developed a robot with a unique balance-feedback interface that allows a human operator to control the balance and movements of the robot. Collins explains that the reason the robot’s “reflexes are so ‘human’ is because he is, in fact, mimicking precisely the actions of that person.”
MIT researchers have developed a new human-robot interface that could prove useful in disaster response, reports Keith Wagstaff for NBC News. Wagstaff explains that if the robot’s “human operator grabs a power tool, it will do the same -- an ability that could prove useful in the aftermath of an earthquake or nuclear meltdown.”
Thomas Tamblyn of The Huffington Post writes about a new video showing MIT’s Atlas robot carrying a metal frame. Tamblyn writes that the video demonstrates an advancement by MIT researchers, “who have been trying to juggle the complexities of making a robot walk while still dragging a weighted object in one hand.”
Thor Benson writes for United Press International about a new video of MIT’s Atlas robot that shows the robot moving objects of different weights while maintaining balance. A team of MIT researchers is competing with the Atlas robot in the DARPA Robotics Challenge.
Hiawatha Bray of The Boston Globe reports on research underway at MIT to develop robots that will be able to take the place of human first responders in disaster relief operations.
TIME reporter Doug Aamoth writes about the MIT DARPA Robotics Challenge team’s work with the Atlas robot built by Boston Dynamics. Aamoth reports that the team has been developing code that allows the robot to move faster and be more autonomous.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers reporter Nancy S. Giges features research by MIT Professor Thomas Peacock that could help predict where ocean pollutants will come ashore. Peacock’s research could be useful in coordinating better disaster response, according to Giges.