OK, we have that out of the way ... ;)
Posted on 02/24/2010 10:39:29 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced a major new initiative to create robotic autonomous manipulators that mimic the human hands, an agency program manager said.
For the past several decades, the research agency and the robotics community have concentrated their efforts on programming ground robots to get from point A to point B, said Robert Mandelbaum, a DARPA program manager who focuses on robotics and autonomous systems. That challenge has for the most part been tackled, he said.
The autonomous robotics manipulation program will take on a new goal, creating an inexpensive hand-like device that is as adaptable as a human appendage.
“We are looking for software that can span a variety of spaces. We’re not looking for any particular application,” he said at an Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference.
In other words, for any single task, engineers can design a robotic tool that can do better than a hand. For example, for putting in a screw, they would simply design an arm with a screwdriver on the end.
“We want general adaptability. We want a hand that can do multiple tasks,” Mandelbaum said.
There are myriad possible applications including counter-mine, the ability to remove rubble in search-and-rescue missions, weapons support, explosive ordnance disposal, casualty care and prostheses. They are also needed in extreme environments such as space, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaldefensemagazine.org ...
OK, we have that out of the way ... ;)
Yep. Our generation will probably see the first fully functioning autonomous robots, and we all know what that could mean.
We’re gonna need bigger guns...
I like the idea of my appendages replaced with robotic parts.
>>I like the idea of my appendages replaced with robotic parts.<<
I dunno. I sort of like some of my appendages as they are...
And bring a new meaning to, is that a gun in your pocket or you just happy today.
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