Robotic indoor gardens are not particularly new. They can grow food all year long but are not economically efficient. Iron Ox is taking it to the next level though. It is using robots and AI for harvesting and transporting plants. Angus, a 1000-pound robot, uses sensors and cameras to scan and take care of the vegetables.
Robots are already being used in certain restaurants to take orders and server customers. This video from New China TV shows a bunch of cute new robot waiters that can serve customers their food fast. People can order their food online or by scanning the QR code on the table.
When the dish is prepared, a robot waiter carries it to the customer in about 40 seconds. It has a camera underneath to read QR codes and move along a pre-defined path.
[HT]
Meet the Skinbot: a tiny bipedal robot that craws your body and scans your skin with a microscope. Its suction-cup feet are inspired by leeches. The robot uses a microscope to perform close-up skin examinations.
Robots are going to do many things for us in the future, including tidying up our homes in the future. PFN’s Autonomous Tidying-up Robot System uses deep learning to keep a cluttered room tidy. The robot can recognize objects and understand spoken language. It can plan its movement, follow instructions, and quickly grasp and move objects.
Before we send rovers to Mars and other planets, we will have to test them properly challenging conditions here. This video from German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence shows the SherpaTT robot being tested in the desert of Utah. This hybrid walking and driving rover can negotiate irregular terrain.
The rover weighs 150kg and can be equipped with modular payload items to take on a variety of tasks. As you can see, the robot can keep its body level during drives through rough terrain.
[Source]
Here is another self-balancing robot that you can build and program to learn robotics and coding. The T-Bot can be programmed using Python and C++. You can easily put it together and control it from your Android device or PC.
Here are a bunch of small drones that can be programmed to sculpt 3D models. Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab is behind Griddrones. These can be dragged out of a 2D grid to create physical 3D models. The 3D pixels can be programmed using a smartphone app to learn how far they have to move when a neighboring drone is pulled up and down.
Here is a cute unicorn that your kids can put together and program with Blockly. The UnicornBot Kit from UBTECH comes with 440 snap-together parts. It has 360-degree animated building instructions. Users can not only change the color of the horn but get to create new actions with pose, record, and play.
Robots are playing bigger roles in hospitals. They can take on repetitive tasks and free up staff to take on more important tasks. Fraunhofer IPA has developed two solutions for inpatient care as a part of the SeRoDi project. The intelligent care cart can provide laundry and dressing materials. It navigates autonomously but can be summoned via a smartphone.
A robotic service assistant was also developed to navigate autonomously, recognize people and offer them drinks. More info is available here.
