THE ROBOTS
TELEROBOTS
· Deep sea diving robot to
check and maintain oil rigs
A research team at University College London, UK, are testing a hydraulic robot that can search for signs of decay and perform welding on oil rigs. The 2.5m (8-ft 2 in) long robot is Flown by humans on the surface who watch a virtual model of the robot on a computer screen. The robot has three legs with suction feet to latch onto a surface.
· Professor plans to control
fish with electric shocks
Prof. Jens Balchen from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, is experimenting with controlling fish by attaching remote controlled rucksacks to them. He hopes to control fish using ultrasound and direct their swimming by administering mild electric shocks to one side of their heads. Prof. Balchen aims to use his creatures to carry cameras and search for leaks in underwater gas and oil pipelines.
SEMI
AUTONOMOUS
· The robots which can decide
which way to walk
Research into robots that perform their jobs untended has already produced robotic lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners. Japanese company Honda is working with the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology in Japan to create a humanoid robot. The 1.82 m (6-ft) P2 is able to push trolleys, tighten bolts and climb stairs. P2 also uses its artificial intelligence to decide how to circumvent obstacles.
· Roving waiters automate
the Yo Sushi restaurant
In Yo Sushi, a Japanese restaurant in London, UK, the menus are colors-coded and meals picked up by customers from a conveyer belt. Robotic trolleys with drinks rove the restaurant human waiters attend to special requests and the final payment.
· Inspection robot that
can crawl like a worm
Denso, a leading Japanese car parts manufacturer, has created a prototype inspection robot which, by expanding and contracting, can crawl like a worm through very small pipes. Eventually, the inspection robot will look for cracks in chemical and power plants.
ROBOTIC
SYSTEMS
· The robot nurses which
can closely monitor patients
Scientists at the University of Tokyo are building a prototype nursing room. Pressure sensors in the bed’s mattress and a floor that relays information to a central computer tell a human nurse or career whether a patient has fallen, or has not been moving enough in bed and risks getting bedsores.
· Robots of the future could
rebuild themselves
Joe Michael of Robodyne Cybernetics in London, UK, envisions robots of the future being able to build themselves and change shape in order to perform different duties. Michael also sees future machines in space, where the adaptable robots could negotiate difficult terrain and help build space stations.
