Meet the Tamiya Microcomputer robot: a programmable micro:bit robot that can teach you a thing or two about technology. It comes with 130-type motors and has an ultrasonic sensor to get around obstacles. You can program it with the MakeCode editor.
Meet the FLIR Scorpion: a rugged mobile robot that can fit in a rucksack and take on challenging terrain. The robot can climb, descent stairs and take on rocks and sand. It has a manipulator with max payload of 15lb.
Plenty of companies are working on robots that will work alongside humans. Researchers are now planning to use AI to improve human-robot interactions in collaborative robots. They are proposing a method in which the robot meets the human halfway “classifying the human’s grasp of the object and quickly planning a trajectory accordingly to take the object from the human’s hand according to their intent.”
Meet the Walk Car: a portable scooter that you can take with you around to give you a comfortable ride. This 4-wheel self-balancing scooter can reach speeds up to 10km/h. It can handle users up to 100kg.
Plenty of drones are capable of withstanding mild winds. Things get a bit more complicated in extreme weather though. Getting autonomous drones to learn how to move on a moving platform in turbulent wind conditions comes with unique challenges. AerospaceControlsLab has shared a video that shows how drones can be enhanced with a vision system to tackle the problem better.
In the past few years, we have covered plenty of awesome underwater robots here. The SherpaUW is also worth a look. It is a hybrid walking and driving rover with 4 x 5 DOF legs and a 6 DOF manipulation arm. The joints are all sealed for secure operation under water while the arm is pressure compensated.
Robot vacuums and mops are getting smarter all the time. Take the DEEBOT OZMO T8 AIVI for instance: a robot vacuum/mop with faster obstacle recognition and more accurate mapping. It runs for over 3 hours to handle large homes.
There is no better way to learn about robots than building your own. These Youbionic 3D Printed Robotic Arms can be made with a 3D printer and Arduino. You can buy the files necessary and bring your own servomotors and other parts.
As we are dealing with an unprecedented lockdown due to COVID-19, plenty of businesses are showcasing their disinfecting and medical robots that can help stem the tide against the spread of this virus. This video shows Milagrow’s outdoor disinfection robots in action.
