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Showing posts from March 7, 2013

German robots could team up to explore lunar craters

While Japan is gearing up to send  a miniature humanoid robot  to the International Space Station, the DFKI Robotics Innovation Center and the ZARM (Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity) are working on a pair of robots that may one day help explore craters on the Moon in search of water ice. The RIMRES (Reconfigurable Integrated Multi Robot Exploration System) project combines a six-legged robot that can be picked up and moved with a faster wheeled transporter. View all The SHERPA rover, a 2.4-meter (7.8-foot) long, 200-kg (440-pound) transporter moves using a hybrid wheel-leg system with adaptive suspension. It is therefore able to quickly move over bumpy terrain on its wheels, but can lift each of its four legs independently to climb over boulders or free itself should it become stuck. Its primary duty is to transport a scout robot to and from lunar craters, which it can lift and carry under its belly or with a 1.8-meter (5.9-foot) long arm. The CREX (

MYO armband delivers one-armed gesture control

Over the last five years, the touchscreen has supplanted the mouse and keyboard as the primary way that many of us interact with computers. But will multitouch enjoy a 30-year reign like its predecessor? Or will a newcomer swoop in and steal its crown? One up-and-comer, Thalmic Labs, hopes that the next ruler will be 3D gesture control. Like  Microsoft Kinect  and the upcoming  Leap Motion , MYO lets you control a computer with  Minority Report -like gestures. But unlike those devices, which rely on optical sensors, MYO employs a combination of motion sensing and muscular activity. The actual MYO device is an armband. When worn, it senses gestures, and sends the corresponding signal (via Bluetooth 4.0) to a paired device. The company claims that the muscular detection (via proprietary sensors) “can sense changes in gesture down to the individual finger.” Uses In the company’s promo video (which you can watch below) we see people controlling iTunes tracks, playing  Mass Ef

Thimble Bioelectronics developing wearable pain relief patch

Imagine if you could treat pain the same way you treat a cut: throw a bandage on it and let it heal. Thimble Bioelectronics is working on a patch based on Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) that's designed to provide this type of portable pain relief. TENS is a type of treatment that uses low voltage electrical stimulation to alleviate certain types of pain. The treatment is typically performed via a small machine, but Thimble Bioelectronics is busy designing a wearable application of the technology designed to adhere to the problem area and provide TENS treatment for the pain. Details of the exact form the TENS patch will take haven't yet been revealed, but the company says it will include integrated Bluetooth connectivity that works with an accompanying smartphone app for pain tracking and management. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Thimble Bioelelectrics CEO and primary founder Shaun Rahimi began work on the device when dealing