August 25, 2006
New Robot Review
Forbes magazine this week present their 8th annual review of robots - a review of technology innovators to watch. According to the article, they are on the move--leaping, flying, rolling and climbing. More importantly, they are figuring out how to get here on their own. The group of scientists, entrepreneurs and researchers fuse advances in biomechanics, software, sensor technology, materials science and computing to create new generations of robotic assistants.
Learning has been key, both for robots and for their designers and making them more independent is the goal. Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the US Defense Department have been leaders in moving the field of robotics forward.
The winning robots for 2006 include:
Digital Tools:
BYOB: Build Your Own Bot Article
In pictures:
A History of Robotics
Meet the current robot winners
Taking Robots on the Road
This year the NOVA series on PBS produced a documentary about the DARPA Grand Challenge an intense vehicle race over desert roads that would herald a new era of vehicles that drive themselves.