ROBOTS

by:Tyler Micheal Esguerra J.r.

ROBOT ARM

THE ROBOTIC ARM IS A REVELUTIONARY IDEA. Flesh Based Arms are so 2008In the future every home will have a sophisticated robot arm. You know... to do the dishes, walk the dog, and assemble Lego

kits for us. But waiting for the future always takes so long, which is why we recommend you pick up this fine Edge Robotic Arm Kit right now. With a bit of tinkering, and no soldering you'll have a passable replacement for your own meaty appendage. Five axes of robotic movement are at your command with the wired remote. Command the gripper to open and close, wrist motion

of 120 degrees, an extensive elbow range of 300 degrees, base rotation of 270 degrees, base motion of 180 degrees, vertical reach of 15 inches, horizontal reach of 12.6 inches, and lifting capacity of 100g. whew! An LED spotlight on the gripper

illuminates your work. Soon you'll be creating your own tiny union-free automobile assembly line.Important Note

You need to assemble the Edge Robotic Arm Kit. No soldering is required, but you will need to be able to follow directions carefully. Assembly time is about 2 hours.

THE FLYBOT.

"Micro aerial vehicles" - no larger than a common house fly - are currently being developed by the US military and could enter mass production later this decade. These machines could be used in spying missions, recording and

transmitting audio-visual information. An individual robot would serve as a literal "fly on the wall" - equipped with miniature cameras, microphones, modem and GPS. Many terrorist cells could be infiltrated thanks to this radical

new technology.

Now that the paranoid sci-fi stuff is out of the way, HAL is actually in impressive bit of technology. The battery-powered suit picks up on the wearer’s muscle impulses to predict movements and provide support. HAL is the first such device to receive this kind of

certification.HAL can also be used to aid in jobs that require regular heavy lifting. Workers cleaning up the Fukushima nuclear plant employed an earlier version to help support the heavy equipment they wore for protection against radiation. Robotic suits have also started showing up in hospitals and retirement homes, where workers need to be able to pick up and securely hold patients. Seemingly in

preparation for the release of director Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, the world has decided it’s about damn time human’s had real-life wearable robot suits. And late last month we got one step closer to making this a reality. A Japanese robot suit was awarded a global safety certificate

12 Advances In Medical RoboticsRobots play a critical -- and growing -- role in modern medicine, from training the next generation of doctors, dentists, and nurses, to comforting and protecting elderly patients in the early stages of dementia. Using robots, medical professionals

can make smaller incisions for shorter surgeries, reducing hospital stays and improving patients' prognoses and saving costs. As robots become even smaller and developers continue to further integrate the devices with artificial intelligence,

the medical community will continuously expand the ways in which it uses this technology to save patients, improve quality of life and prevent health problems. At the other end of the spectrum, medical schools are turning to robots that

mimic live patients' feelings of pain or discomfort to help the next wave of doctors and dentists prepare to treat real people. Of course, dummies and cadavers are not new to medical students, but by giving students access to sensitive

patients, healthcare educators hope to hone the bedside manners of soon-to-be doctors and dentists.

RIBAWith the face of a friendly teddy bear and the arm-power of a forklift, RIBA -- Robot for Interactive Body

Assistance -- is designed to lift people who are too weak or ill to sit, walk, or stand by themselves. The robot, which is expected to begin testing in 2011, can lift people of up to 135 pounds, although inventor Toshiharu Mukai and the development team intend to increase the weight limit when the device is tested at Japanese nursing homes. There are 454 sensors built into RIBA's arms, along with a motor for lifting people, and a soft

urethane foam skin for comfort. The robot responds to commands, and is trained to recognize both faces and voices, according to its developers. Prospective markets could include nursing homes, long- and short-

term care facilities, and hospitals, especially when the robot is able to lift heavier weights

GeminoidThe University of Tokyo Hospital is using Geminoid, a female-looking robot, in patient-

communication trials. Developed by Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University, ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories, in conjunction with Kokoro, a Tokyo-based

entertainment firm, Geminoid can move its eyes, shoulders, mouth, and head. The robot includes a camera and face-tracking software, but cannot walk. The robots are expected to sell

for about $110,000, according to reports. They are intended to comfort patients, reducing blood pressure, stress, and other conditions associated with pre- and post-surgery and hospital stays.

LokomatAfter suffering a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, or other harm to the central nervous system, people may lose their ability to walk and turn to intensive gait rehabilitation. Robot-based technologies such as

Sensory Motor Systems Lab's Lokomat are designed to combine medical and engineering approaches to help patients regain mobility faster, with less pain. Developed at the Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich, the Lokomat uses a robot to automate treadmill training, affording patients longer and more frequent sessions and resulting in a faster and improved return to mobility, according to professor Robert Riener. The robot intelligently adapts its behavior to the patient's individual capabilities. Improved pelvis and hip actuation and control can make walking

with the Lokomat more natural, and virtual training environments can increase patients' motivation and engagement, he said.

ParoThe National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Kimura Clinic and Brain Functions Laboratory in

Japan developed Paro, a therapeutic seal robot for individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other cognition disorders. Robot therapy has been implemented at various facilities for the elderly, such as adult day care facilities and

nursing homes, in addition to pediatric units in Japan, which like many nations is grappling with an aging population.In Japan, it is predicted that 26% of the population will be over 65 years of age by 2015, dramatically increasing costs. Private and

government agencies are looking at ways in which robotics can delay cognitive problems to improve quality of life, reduce expenses and cut reliance on the social infrastructure by enabling people to live at home longer, with less need for health and social services. One half of one study group saw cognitive improvement, and AIST reports many nursing homes -- which first

received Paro in 2003 -- continue to use the seals, which respond with movement and sound to human interaction