Month: October 2015

Posted on

Tiny ‘Tractor Beam’ Moves Objects With Acoustic Holograms

It’s a classic science fiction scene: A large vessel moves near a smaller one, captures it in a so-called tractor beam, and pulls it inside.
Now imagine bringing that technology to life, but instead of moving meddlesome space ships, terrestrial tractor beams would perform touchless assembly, microsurgery or deliver drugs directly to the body part that needs them. You may not have to imagine for long: A British research team is making early strides toward developing small-scale tractor bea

from Discover Magazine http://ift.tt/1OVAIhT
via IFTTT

Posted on

Tesla will build China’s Model 3 in China

Filed under: , , , , ,

Elon Musk says producing Tesla models in China will cut prices by a third relative to shipping vehicles from the US.

Continue reading Tesla will build China’s Model 3 in China

Tesla will build China’s Model 3 in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Oct 2015 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

from Autoblog http://ift.tt/1LV6dGl
via IFTTT questions to ask

Posted on

Eye-tracking robot arm lets you paint while you eat

The Imperial College's eye-tracking robot painter arm

One day, you might not have to even touch a canvas to make a masterpiece. Scientists from Imperial College London have developed a system that lets you paint hands-free through a combination of eye tracking and a robotic arm. All you do is adjust your gaze and blink at the right times — you can even munch on breakfast while you’re in mid-oeuvre. The technology is crude at the moment, but it should eventually become intuitive enough that you can focus on perfecting your style, rather than mastering the basics.

Source: Reuters

from Engadget http://ift.tt/1jI2kKA
via IFTTT Armenia

Posted on

Why Self-Driving Cars Must Be Programmed to Kill

Self-driving cars are already cruising the streets. But before they can become widespread, carmakers must solve an impossible ethical dilemma of algorithmic morality.

When it comes to automotive technology, self-driving cars are all the rage. Standard features on many ordinary cars include intelligent cruise control, parallel parking programs, and even automatic overtaking—features that allow you to sit back, albeit a little uneasily, and let a computer do the driving.

from New on MIT Technology Review http://ift.tt/1RYqifI
via IFTTT

Posted on

Four-legged bot uses drone sidekick to avoid rough terrain

Even with a sure-stepping robot like DARPA’s Big Dog, there is still plenty of terrain that today’s packbots simply can’t handle. That’s why a team of researchers from ETH Zurich’s Autonomous Systems Lab has devised a way to ensure these robots never get bogged down by impassible terrain: pair that packbot with a forward-scouting UAV.

The mechanical pair are designed to cooperate with one another to map and navigate changing terrain. The UAV first flies ahead and creates a rough map of the area, including relative elevations. It then shares that data with the walking robot, which determines the most efficient route to take. The packbot also employs a laser rangefinder to continually update its elevation map and ensure that every step it takes is sure-footed. The team’s study, "Collaborative Navigation for Flying and Walking Robots" is currently under peer review ahead of the 2016 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

Source: ETH Zurich (YouTube)

from Engadget http://ift.tt/1VBZzGb
via IFTTT