We’ve been trying to build flapping-wing robots for hundreds of years. And now, ornithopters are finally being developed, and may be used mostly for military purposes, says Hank Green of the SciShow.
Piezoelectrics make those little bugs possible, and also enhances the ability of robot arms to feel, in other news from The International Journal of Robotics.
“Will computers replace teachers? Dear god I hope so,” says Katherine Mangu-Ward, managing editor of Reason magazine. At Reason Weekend 2013, Mangu-Ward discusses the future of education, how technology can change the classroom for the better and why she loves computers more than people.
Robots will not only be more prevalent in the future, but also likely smarter than human beings. Economic professor Jim Miller looks at the future of artificial intelligence in an interview with John Stossel. H/T LibertyPen
Even if Obamacare diminishes the quality of health care in America — and that appears likely — there might be one silver lining to reverse the degradation. The FDA has approved RP-VITA, the first robotic doctors, for deployment to hospitals beginning this spring. The RP-VITA can navigate the hospital on its own, and provide doctors with vital signs and other information from a distance in real time.
Usually, women dress for success or to attract. A new robotic spider dress designed by Anouk Wipprecht aims to repel and repulse. The dress is equipped with motion sensors. When someone gets close to a woman, the robotic spiders on her shoulders get agitated and begin to flail. Back off, Will Robinson! H/T My Disguises
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has unveiled its new robot carriers. These mechanical mules can follow soldiers through rugged terrain, packing gear, supplies and weaponry. The carriers can interpret visual and verbal commands to sidestep obstacles and stay on the right track. In military jargon, the mules are known as the Legged Squad Support System, shortened to the acronym LS3. H/T iOwntheWorld
Robot chefs that make sliced noodles have become a common sight in Beijing restaurants and noodle bars. The Chinese restaurateur who developed the robots says they are extremely efficient and also less costly than paying for human help to make noodles. The robots sell for the equivalent of about $2,000 US dollars. Wonder how long before we see robot chefs in the United States? And will they look like Fembots, Autobots or Decepticons? H/T Geek Press
Meanwhile, in Tokyo’s Red Light District, the Japanese have opened the ultimate robot restaurant — with bikini-clad girls strutting their stuff and riding around on giant robots, also wearing bikinis, in a cabaret act that took three years and $125 million to create.
