Free Republic

Two Additional Hybrid Electric 'Crusher' Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicles Powered by UQM(R) Propulsion Systems and Generators Begin Field Testing and Evaluation Thursday March 16, 8:30 am ET FREDERICK, Colo., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UQM Technologies, Inc. (Amex: UQM - News), a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced today that two additional hybrid electric "Crusher" unmanned ground combat vehicles powered by UQM® high torque propulsion systems and generators have begun field testing and evaluation by the U.S. Army. The 6.5 ton "Crusher" vehicles -- as this new generation of the older "Spinner" vehicle is dubbed -- is being developed and built...

April 8, 2006 Robots are on the march again into the last bastion of labour intensive industry - farming and horticulture. Researchers from Warwick HRI (the University of Warwick's horticultural arm), and its manufacturing engineering section, Warwick Manufacturing Group, are working on a suite of robots and automated systems which could transform farming and horticulture over the next decade. One of the best ideas we’ve seen in a long time is this inflatable conveyor belt developed for UK-based agricultural machinery company Aeropick. Due to an ingenious wheeled and inflatable system, up to 100 metres of powered conveyor belt can be...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – Exploration of space now and in the future depends on both human and robotic skills. However, according to a leading scientist, there is need to fortify and rebalance the funding between the two. The long-standing argument regarding the merits of machinery over flesh and blood exploration was aired here at the 22nd National Space Symposium (NSS), staged by The Space Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group conducts the annual symposium, being held April 3-6 at The Broadmoor Hotel. Moderating a special session on autonomous and crewed space exploits, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, Rose Center for...

Aging Japan builds robot to look after elderly Tue Mar 14, 12:34 PM ET TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese-led research team said it had made a seeing, hearing and smelling robot that can carry human beings and is aimed at helping care for the country's growing number of elderly. Government-backed research institute Riken said the 158-centimeter (five-foot) RI-MAN humanoid can already carry a doll weighing 12 kilograms (26 pounds) and could be capable of bearing 70 kilograms within five years. "We're hoping that through future study it will eventually be able to care for elderly people or work in rehabilitation,"...

A nimble, four-legged robot is so surefooted it can recover its balance even after being given a hefty kick. The machine, which moves like a cross between a goat and a pantomime horse, is being developed as a robotic pack mule for the US military. BigDog is described by its developers Boston Dynamics as “the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth”. The company have released a new video of the robot negotiating steep slopes, crossing rocky ground and dealing with the sharp kick. View the impressive clip here (28MB Windows media file). “Internal force sensors detect the ground variations and...

Les Freres finally transforms Ibsen's classic into something well-made.A robot. Half a dozen of them. Live onstage.Les Freres Corbusier continues its irreverent massacre of historical icons and academic esoterica by taking on famed playwright Henrik Ibsen, the well-made play, and contemporary issues in robotics.

INGAPORE--(MARKET WIRE)--Feb 20, 2006 -- Metal Storm Limited (Metal Storm) (NasdaqSC:MTSX - News) (Australia:MST.AX - News) and Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (EOS) (Australia:EOS.AX - News) today announced the unveiling of the Redback Weapon System prototype at the Asian Aerospace and Asian Defense Technology Exhibitions in Singapore. Source: Metal Storm Limited (click to enlarge) Redback(TM) is the first weapon system prototype to be produced from the collaboration between Metal Storm and EOS under a Teaming Agreement signed by the two companies in November 2005 to co-develop and market new weapon systems combining the unique features and benefits of EOS' combat-proven...

The old “humans vs. robots” debate is very familiar to newspaper editorial writers: robots are better than humans, therefore robots should be in space and humans should not. But there is a new humans vs. robots debate that is being overlooked. The outcome of this new debate will have a decisive influence on space policy. The old humans vs. robots debate is about the merits of human spaceflight. Everyone agrees that robots should be in space, so the only contentious issue is whether humans should be up there: pro-human-spaceflight vs. anti-human-spaceflight. This is where the new debate comes in. The...

Hollywood's problems at the box office last year may come down not so much to quality (or the lack thereof), as many have supposed, but to taste. There are plenty of talented craftsman in Hollywood, but—and this will come as no surprise—the prevailing tastes in Hollywood may not match those of the general movie-going public. Just look at the films that people actually went to see last year, and compare that list to what Hollywood is now recognizing as 2005's best. The 15 top-grossing films released in 2005, in descending order, were: Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith; Harry...

KUWAIT today held the first regional camel race using robots as riders after child jockeys were banned from the lucrative sport following criticism by human rights groups. Teams from the six Gulf Arab states participated in the race held on the dusty tracks of a racing club outside the capital Kuwait City. "We hope this sport, which is part of our cultural heritage, will be spared from suspicion,"said Kuwait's Energy Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah who opened the five-day championship. The remote-operated robots are shaped like small boys. Rights groups said thousands of boys, some as young as four, worked...

TOKYO - Though his movement is a bit stiff, slow and voice monotonous, he willingly turns on the television with a chest-mounted remote control, and brings a can of drink for you. Within years, a humanoid robot HRP-2 — currently under development by a Japanese national technology institute — could be a little domestic helper. The robots — named Promet — are being developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and can run errands. They are designed to respond to verbal instructions and are capable of capturing three-dimensional images of objects and locating them through an...

Japanese beer maker Asahi plans to give away 5000 personal bartending bots, each of which can store up to six cans of beer in a refrigerated compartment within its belly. At the push of a button the simple robots will open a can and pour the chilled contents into a glass for a thirsty owner. To win one of the beer-bots, in a promotion for the company's new low malt beer, contestants must collect 36 tokens found on the specially marked beers. But the competition, starting in February, is only open to those in Japan. Some robotics experts see...

Beer Pouring Robot, Finally! READ MORE: Gadgets, Japan Only, beer This is it, it has finally happened. I think I can confidently say that regardless of anything else posted here, nothing will ever top this gadget. This is Asahi, a beer pouring robot from Japan. It can refrigerate up to six cans of beer, two mugs, and with a simple push of a button it will pour a beer into the mug with perfect head every time. It gets even better too, this thing is free! Kind of. You have to collect 36 seals found on specially marked Asahi beer,...

Japanese beer maker Asahi plans to give away 5000 personal bartending bots, each of which can store up to six cans of beer in a refrigerated compartment within its belly. At the push of a button the simple robots will open a can and pour the chilled contents into a glass for a thirsty owner.To win one of the beer-bots, in a promotion for the company's new low malt beer, contestants must collect 36 tokens found on the specially marked beers. But the competition, starting in February, is only open to those in Japan.Some robotics experts see the promotion as...

WARPLANES: Pilots Surrender to UAVs January 17, 2006: The U.S. Department of Defense has decided to make the next generation heavy bomber an unmanned aircraft. The Department of Defense also wants the new aircraft in service by the end of the next decade, some twenty years ahead of schedule. At the same time, the current combat UAV program (J-UCAS, run by the air force and navy) is to be changed as well. The current X45 project will be split up, with the air force and navy allowed to develop a shorter range combat aircraft to suit their particular needs. These...

HER name is MARIE, and her impressive set of skills comes in handy in a nursing home. MARIE can walk around under her own power. She can distinguish among similar-looking objects, such as different bottles of medicine, and has a delicate enough touch to work with frail patients. MARIE can interpret a range of facial expressions and gestures, and respond in ways that suggest compassion. Although her language skills are not ideal, she can recognise speech and respond clearly. Above all, she is inexpensive . Unfortunately for MARIE, however, she has one glaring trait that makes it hard for Japanese...

Pearl the personal-assistant robot walks, talks and even blinks her eyes. She has ears, eyebrows and even lips of a kind on her mobile "face." To an infirm person living alone, this high-tech metal device that can dispense advice and even guide movements around the house is a substitute for an increasingly rare -- and expensive -- flesh-and-bones home health care worker. By providing visual and auditory reminders on when to take medicine or even go to the bathroom, Pearl can help a fragile senior maintain his or her independence outside an assisted living facility. The robot has a laser...

TOKYO, Japan, December 13, 2005– Honda Motor Co., Ltd. debuted a new ASIMO humanoid robot which features the ability to pursue key tasks in a real-life environment such as an office and an advanced level of physical capabilities. Compared to the previous model, the new ASIMO achieves the enhanced ability to act in sync with people – for example, walking with a person while holding hands. A new function to carry objects using a cart was also added. Further, the development of a “total control system” enables ASIMO to automatically perform the tasks of a receptionist or information guide...

“War of the Worlds”Aladdin Radio Theater of the AirCBS, Sunday October 30, 1938Radioplay First Draft ANNOUNCERThe Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Aladdin Theatre on the Air in "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells. Brought to you Aladdin long-leaf Persian cigarettes, for that rich long-lasting poppy flavor of the Casbah. (MUSIC: ALADDIN THEATRE MUSICAL THEME, "THE SNAKE CHARMER") ANNOUNCERLadies and gentlemen, the director of the Aladdin Theatre and star of these broadcasts, Orson Welles. ORSON WELLESWe know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was...

roundupDriverless cars made history in the Mojave Desert on Saturday by crossing the finish line of an almost 132-mile race sponsored the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the research and development unit of the U.S. Department of Defense. Stanford wins $2 million in robotic car race The team's robotic car "Stanley" drove autonomously across 131.6 miles in the Mojave Desert in six hours and 53 minutes. October 9, 2005 Photos: Robotic racers Images of contestants and winners at the 132-mile race across the desert sands--sans drivers. October 9, 2005 Driverless robots reach milestone in DARPA race Stanford University makes robotics...