BBC News reports on new efforts to integrate robot-assisted training into the rehabilitation process for stroke victims. "The whole concept is revolutionising the practice of rehabilitation medicine by applying robotics that can assist and enhance recovery," explains Dr. Hermano Igo Krebs.
In a piece for New Scientist about teaching robots to communicate like humans, Aviva Rutkin highlights how researchers from MIT developed a new approach to communicating with a robot called inverse semantics. Using this approach, “the robot tries to choose the right words by looking at its environment,” Rutkin writes.
Professor John Leonard speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek about Google’s new Auto Android and how it compares with the company’s driverless car project. Leonard sees the two projects as part of an overall effort to dramatically transform transportation in our everyday lives.
Michael Farrell of The Boston Globe reports on a robotic ankle created by Professor Hugh Herr’s startup, BiOM. “The BiOM ankle is programmed to replicate all the natural functionality of the foot and ankle,” writes Farrell.
Timothy Aeppel writes for The Wall Street Journal about Professor Erik Brynjolfsson’s belief that advances in automation have the same transformative impact on the economy as inventions of the past. “For the first time in history, we can talk to machines and they talk back to us,” says Brynjolfsson.
Wired reporter Liat Clark writes about how researchers from MIT, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a self-assembling lamp at the IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation.
Boston Magazine reporter Steve Annear writes about Prof. Harry Asada’s Supernumerary Robotic Limbs. When strapped to a person’s shoulder’s the device, “operates autonomously to help conquer things like securing a ceiling panel or holding open a door,” Annear explains.
IEEE Spectrum reporter Evan Ackerman writes about the robotic limbs developed by the MIT d'Arbeloff Laboratory. The Supernumerary Robotic Limbs are designed to assist in tasks where an extra hand is needed and function like an extension of the wearer’s own body, Ackerman explains.
“When it comes out of the 3D printer, the robot is just a sheet made of a polymer called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. The sheet is sandwiched between two rigid polyester films. Slits cut into the films affect how the PVC sheet will fold when it is heated,” writes UPI reporter Brooks Hays of new work with self-assembling robots.
New Scientist writer Aviva Rutkin reports that MIT researchers have developed a new process in which flat cut-outs are able to self-assemble into robots when heated. "What we would like is to provide design tools that allow people who are not experts to create their own machines," explains Prof. Daniela Rus.
In a piece for Wired, Olivia Solon writes about how Professor Daniela Rus’ research group has developed, “a system of 2D patterns cut into plastic that can self-fold under heat into 3D shapes.”
Adam Waytz and Michael Norton write for The Wall Street Journal about their research that indicates that people prefer to interact with robots that can convey emotion. Waytz and Norton cite the MIT Media Lab’s Nexi as an example of a robot that effectively conveys feelings.
Forbes reporter Jasper Hamill describes a new technique developed by Prof. Daniela Rus that allows robots to self-assemble when heated. “The components can be produced simply by heating up the plastic, which is cleverly designed so it folds itself into the right form,” writes Hamill.
“Eventually she can see a world where people can use an algorithm to analyze an image, create blueprints and print out fully functional robots. This could be a big deal in manufacturing, health care and, yes, toys,” writes NBC News writer Keith Wagstaff of Professor Daniela Rus’ work with self-assembling robots.
Writing for Reuters, Mark Miller explores how robots may soon be used to care for aging members of the population. Miller highlights Professor Cynthia Breazeal’s work developing robots that can make social and emotional connections to people.