Archive for the ‘robots’ Category

Exoskeleton for grannies

Friday, August 8th, 2008
Finding ways to assist and care for the growing elderly population in many developed countries is a growing problem. One challenge is to work out how to improve the strength and utility of ageing limbs.

Yoshiyuki Sankai at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo, has developed an exoskeleton for a single arm that can do just that.

The device consists of a tabard worn over the shoulders with a motorised exoskeleton for one arm attached. The exoskeleton senses the angle, torque and nerve impulses in the arm and then assists the user to move his or her shoulder and elbow joints accordingly.

Read the full arm exoskeleton patent application.

Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant

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Wireless robot sub recharger

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are becoming more sophisticated and are revolutionising oceanography.

But powering them is problematic. Having the robots feed on plankton is one idea, but simply having them recharge underwater without human input would cut the costs of attending boats and crew, and is a more near-term solution.

In principle, a docking AUV could recharge its batteries, download the data it has collected during its mission, and upload new mission plans all at once.

But conventional electrical contacts are fraught with problems underwater, says a team funded by the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Virginia, US. Saltwater can corrode metal contacts, and growths of algae and other marine life can appear on exposed metal in just 10 days.

So Robert Coulson and colleagues have designed a wireless energy transfer system – a strong magnetic field made by the docking station induces a current in a part of the AUV to charge its batteries. The dock could be installed in a remote area costly to reach by ship.

Read the full wireless underwater robot recharger patent application.

Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant

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Plasma-powered flying saucer

Friday, May 9th, 2008
Pass a current or magnetic field through a conducting fluid and it will generate a force.

Numerous aerospace engineers have tried and failed to exploit this phenomenon, known as magnetohydrodynamics, as an exotic form of propulsion for aircraft. But perhaps attempts so far have all been too big.

A very small design could have a better chance of taking off, says Subrata Roy, an aerospace engineer at the University of Florida, Gainesville, US.

With a span of less than 15 centimetres, his aircraft qualifies as a micro air vehicle (MAV), but it has an unconventional design to say the least. It is a saucer shape covered with electrodes that ionise air to create a plasma. This plasma is then accelerated by an electric field to push air around and generate lift.

Roy says the machine can be filled with helium to reduce its weight, and is efficient enough to be powered by onboard batteries. Its ability to hover and generate lift electronically means that it is particularly robust against gusts of wind that send other MAVs off course, says Roy.
All he needs to do now is build one and get it flying. Like other MAVs, the primary application would probably be surveillance, but a plasma flying saucer would make a great toy too.

Read the full wingless hovering micro-flyer patent application.

Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant

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