Tag: robot

Forerunner K2 humanoid robot can carry 33 lb in each dexterous hand

[ad_1]

China’s Kepler took its Forerunner humanoid robot to CES 2024 back in January, taking aim at Tesla’s Optimus in the process. The company has since been in talks with target customers and has now announced a follow-up that’s “tailored for commercial applications.”

The original Forerunner – now called the K1 – was built around proprietary AI brains and came with 8-hour battery endurance. It featured in-house roller-screw actuators in the arms and legs and custom rotary actuators for the waist and shoulder joints. And it could work with total payloads of up to 25 kg (55 lb), with sensor-packed human-like hands for grasping objects.

Despite its sequential name, Shanghai Kepler Robotics says that the new Forerunner K2 actually represents the fifth generation model. As you might expect, the latest humanoid has been treated to “extensive software and hardware enhancements.”

Introducing Kepler Forerunner K2

On the hardware front, the K2 is reported to have 52 degrees of freedom throughout the body. The bot features a rotating and tilting head module, and its arms and legs now benefit from improved rigidity, and are easier to manufacture and maintain.

The “rope-driven” five-digit hands each support up 11 degrees of active and passive freedom, and each “tactile manipulator” can heft up to 15 kg (33 lb). Every fingertip is home to a sensor array boasting 96 contact points.

The humanoid now benefits from a star-shaped wiring layout for easier upgrades and maintenance. The 2.33-kWh battery is the same as before, for per-charge operation of up to 8 hours – with support for direct and automated charging.

The Forerunner K2’s 2.33-kWh battery pack is reckoned good for a full 8-hour shift before needing a recharge
Shanghai Kepler Robotics Co., Ltd.

Kepler reports that the humanoid’s vision system and navigation software have been significantly improved to better take in its location and surroundings in real-time, and react rapidly to changes in complex environments.

The K2 has “nearly mastered” specific tasks autonomously thanks to a mix of embodied intelligence software, imitation and reinforcement learning, and a cloud-based cognitive model. Algorithms relating to human-robot interactions and data transmission have been improved so that the K2 can “effectively cooperate with human operators.” And stability while mobile plus walking speeds have been boosted thanks to tweaks in gait planning and control algorithms.

The Forerunner K2 can learn skills by imitation and reinforcement models
Shanghai Kepler Robotics Co., Ltd.

Noting that humanoids are already entering the workplace, and that Tesla is looking to deploy thousands of Optimus robot workers to its production lines as early as next year, Kepler has also outlined a path to commercialization for its Forerunner models.

The K2 was developed after consultation with almost 50 target customers and is pitched as “an ideal solution for a range of domains, including intelligent manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, high-risk operations, and research and education.”

The company is already evaluating its performance at a number of customer facilities, where it’s been tasked with materials handling, sample processing, patrol/inspection, collection and quality control. This testing phase will be followed by more widespread deployment. After which comes “generalization in vertical scenarios, and ultimately universal application across all scenarios.”

The Forerunner K2 was officially launched at the Gitex Global 2024 expo in Dubai earlier this month. You can see humanoid highlights from the show in the video below.

Kepler K2 Debuts at GITEX GLOBAL 2024

Source: Kepler

[ad_2]

Source link

October 27, 2024
Grain-sized soft robot delivers medications, guided by magnetic fields

[ad_1]

If you’re ever faced with trying to pick up a grain of rice with a pair of chopsticks, spare a thought for the scientists behind this latest innovation, which has been called “a medical breakthrough on the verge of happening.” They’ve painstakingly built a soft robot with the capacity to carry different types of drugs through the body. It’s the size of a grain of rice, and can be driven to various internal targets via magnetic fields.

Researchers in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have built on earlier work to create a grain-sized soft robot that can enter the body and be controlled by magnetic fields to travel to a specific target. Once there, it can quickly or slowly release the medication it has stored in its tiny frame.

Delivering #medical drugs into the human body with a robot the size of a rice grain

While this kind of small-scale biotechnology is not novel, the fact it has four compartments that can carry and release different medications is.

“In this work, we have proposed a millimeter-scale soft robot, which can be actuated by alternating magnetic fields to dispense four types of drugs with reprogrammable drug-dispensing sequence and dosage,” MAE lead investigator, Assistant Professor Lum Guo Zhan, told New Atlas. “This drug-dispensing functionality is unprecedented for small-scale robots because the majority of such existing robots can at most transport one type of drug. While there exist rare miniature robots that can carry multiple drugs, such robots are unable to change their drug-dispensing sequence and dosage. These robots can’t transport more than three types of drugs, selectively dispense their drugs, maintain their mobility, or release their drugs at multiple sites.

“In comparison, our soft robot has great potential to enable advanced targeted combination therapy, where four types of drugs must be delivered to various disease sites, each with a specific sequence and dosage of drugs.”

NTU Assistant Professor Lum Guo Zhan and co-author Yang Zilin controlling the miniature robots using magnetic fields
NTU Singapore

If this sounds somewhat like a sci-fi plot, you’d be right – the team was initially inspired by the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, and we highly recommend watching the trailer here.

“What was a scenario in a sci-fi movie is now becoming closer to reality with our lab’s innovation,” said Lum. “Traditional methods of drug delivery like oral administration and injections will seem comparatively inefficient when stacked up against sending a tiny robot through the body to deliver the drug exactly where it is needed.”

Previously, the team had created a small robot that could ‘swim’ through openings and hold onto small objects, also controlled by magnets. But the new development, featuring a tiny bot made out of magnetic microparticles and polymer, is a huge step forward in biocompatible personalized and targeted drug delivery.

The grain-sized robot was created using smart magnetic composite materials that are non-toxic to humans and can transport up to four different drugs
NTU Singapore

This tiny robot is the first of its kind to show both biocompatibility and efficacy in the controlled release of various medications at different sites. This has the potential to be a game-changing way to deliver therapeutics.

“As a doctor who performs minimally invasive procedures, we currently use a catheter and a wire to move through blood vessels to treat problems,” said Dr. Yeo Leong Litt Leonard, a surgeon at the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, at the National University Hospital and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, who was not involved in the research. “But I can foresee it will not be long before this is superseded by tiny robots that can autonomously swim through the body to reach places we can’t get to with our tools. These robots could stay in place and release medication over time, which would be much safer than leaving a catheter or stent inside the body for a long time. This is a medical breakthrough on the verge of happening.”

Lum, who has been working on small-scale robots for 11 years, also believes that this new technology has the potential to change the face of invasive medical procedures and provide more targeted and effective treatment.

The robot, yet to undergo clinical testing, has so far demonstrated it can navigate through various liquid viscosity that mimics the environment it would face in a human body. In lab tests, it was able to navigate to four different regions, at a speed of between 0.30 mm and 16.5 mm per second, to release a specific drug at each spot. What’s more, the engineers were able to manipulate the device to slowly release a drug over eight hours, and they believe the robot has the potential to offer both immediate and sustained medication delivery, tailored to the patient’s needs.

“The roadmap towards realizing this goal is to first evaluate the performance of robots further with organ-on-chip devices and eventually conduct animal trials,” Lum added. “We can perhaps complete this stage of research within the next two to five years’ time.”

The NTU research team is now looking at developing even smaller soft robots, which could be used to cross the blood-brain barrier for tumors and also treat bladder and colorectal cancers. And once the device has done its job, it can be safely removed from the body – by simply steering it back the way it entered.

“We aim to let our robot reverse its trajectory and exit through its entry point after it has performed the required treatments,” Lum explained. “Since our small-scale robot can exploit its size to non-invasively access the human body via natural openings or via pinholes, they will be able to exit via these openings too.”

“In these experiments, we showed that 98.791-99.633% of the anonymous human dermal fibroblast cells (ATCC) remained viable after they have interacted with the smart magnetic composites of our robot,” he added. “Since these viability rates are higher than 98% and they are similar to the viability rate of a control group which is evaluated to be 99.688%, such results suggest that our smart magnetic composites do not cause observable cell damage or death, and they are indeed very biocompatible.”

And, we had to ask: Does working on this sort of scientific research require both patience and steady hands? As expected, the answer is a resounding yes.

“Indeed, we require very steady hands when we construct and test these robots,” Lum said. “As these robots are very small, we also use microscopes and high-resolution cameras to observe them during the experiments. Nonetheless, the thought that these robots have the potential to eventually transform a wide range of treatments in the future, strongly motivates me and my team to push the boundary of this technology.”

The study was published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Source: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

[ad_2]

Source link

October 25, 2024
Crop-spraying robot is designed to reduce emissions and use less herbicide

[ad_1]

The spraying of orchards and vineyards certainly isn’t an eco-friendly process, with tractors spewing exhaust as they douse crops in herbicides and pesticides. That’s one of the main reasons the electric, autonomous Prospr robot was created.

Manufactured by New Zealand agritech company Robotics Plus, the all-wheel-drive robotic vehicle was unveiled last September at the FIRA agricultural robotics show in California. It’s now in commercial use in New Zealand, Australia and the US.

Among other features, the robot sports a refillable spray tank, multiple spray fans, a diesel generator, a battery pack, and four knobby-tired wheels which are each independently driven by their own electric motor.

For relatively short spray jobs, Prospr can operate on battery power alone. The generator kicks in for longer jobs, producing electricity that reportedly allows the bot to work all day long without recharging or refueling. As a result, Prospr is claimed to use up to 72% less fuel than a traditional diesel tractor performing the same task.

A regenerative braking system helps extend Prospr’s battery range
Robotics Plus

Guided by GPS, the robot makes its way up and down rows of vines or trees, spraying the crops along either side of itself as it goes. It utilizes a combination of LiDAR sensors and cameras to detect and identify any obstacles in its path, slowing down or stopping as necessary.

Prospr additionally has a pressure-sensitive front bumper, which triggers the bot to stop if it encounters significant resistance. If all else fails, there’s also an on-vehicle emergency stop button.

At the end of each row, a patented steering mechanism allows the robot to swivel on its rear axle, thus reducing its turning radius so it can go straight down the next row.

Unlike a conventional tractor, Prospr has no hydraulic, gearbox or differential fluids that need to be changed
Robotics Plus

Users can swap in different numbers and types of spray fans as needed, plus they can program the robot to apply different amounts of herbicide or pesticide in different areas of the orchard/vineyard, in order to minimize the amount of chemicals used. They can also monitor the progress of multiple Prosprs via a control panel on their laptop or tablet, even taking manual remote control if necessary.

If you want to see the robot for yourself, it’s making a return visit to the FIRA show this week in Sacramento. Its capabilities are demonstrated in the following video.

And no, Prospr isn’t the only vineyard- or orchard-tending bot in existence. While a number of such devices are currently in development, the Slovenian-designed Slopehelper and the hulking Herbicide GUSS are both already commercially available.

Robotics Plus Prospr

Source: Robotics Plus

[ad_2]

Source link

October 23, 2024
Best robot vacuums 2024: Our top 5 picks, tested

[ad_1]

How we tested

I have been testing popular robot vacuums in the various apartments I’ve lived in since 2020. My hands-on analyses of robot vacuums have included everything from budget models under $200 that just cover just the basics to $1,800 premium models that mop, empty themselves, wash and dry their own mopping pads, and identify small, tricky obstacles that more basic models can’t see.

In 2024 so far, botvacs I’ve had my hands on include the Roborock Qrevo Master, Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Eufy X10 Pro Omni, Shark Matrix RV2300, Shark Detect Pro, Roomba Combo j9+, Roomba Combo j5+, Narwal Freo X Ultra, and Yeedi M12 Pro+. I am also currently working with the Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot + AutoWash Dock and Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 with NeverTouch Pro Base.

For now, I’m opting to leave the Yeedi M12 Pro+ off of our recommendation list. Which is a bummer because on paper, it sounds like a high-end self-cleaning station in a cheap vacuum’s body. In particular, my jaw was on the floor after seeing self-washing and drying mopping pads and the 11,000 Pa of suction power (a number that beats even the 10,000 Pa of the $1,799.99 Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra) in a machine selling for less than $1,000 — or less than $700 on sale.

Unfortunately, the list of premium features hasn’t really rendered a premium experience. While its vacuuming performance on dry debris like rice, kitty litter, and hair on multiple carpet piles, hardwood, and tile has been sufficient, I’m not necessarily getting “most powerful suction money can buy” vibes. The ultra-low price point also starts to make a little more sense when I have to rescue the bot from being stuck on a rug, just to notice how plastic-y the design feels. In terms of mopping (past a mopping pad completely falling off), the performance was fine, but nothing amazing. Between mediocrely satisfactory cleaning, overall flimsiness, and unreliable obstacle avoidance technology that kept running right over my phone charger, I’m sticking to recommending the $799.99 Eufy X10 Pro Omni as the best budget robot vacuum with a full-fledged self-cleaning station.

How I assess a robot vacuum’s performance

My testing grounds mostly include apartments (but occasionally my parents’ large single-story home) with a combination of hardwood, tile, and laminate floors, plus several different rugs. As for the cleanliness status of the floors being tackled, the vacuums are sent over both fresh messes like purposefully spilled dry debris like food crumbs or rice, and to test the mopping skills of the hybrid vacuums, intentionally spilled ranch or almond milk. The efficiency of these robot vacuum cleaners is also put to the test against the more perpetual grime that naturally builds up in our homes over time, like matted-down cat hair from one short-haired and one long-haired cat, and shoe stains near the front door.

Besides technical cleaning performance, I’m looking for robot vacuums that offer a true hands-off cleaning experience. Success depends on how seamlessly each bot navigates around walls, furniture, and small obstacles, how accurately it maps the layout of the rooms, and how well it maintains itself through features like automatic emptying. For more advanced hybrid robot vacuums and mops, that also include automatic water tank filling and automatic washing and drying of mopping pads.

Finally, I can’t not simply consider the overall bang for your buck for each robot vacuum. Are its features on paper and actual cleaning competence worth the price tag, and how practical is that cost for the average household?

[ad_2]

Source link

October 23, 2024
Seoul Robot & AI Museum / Melike Altınışık Architects
[ad_1]
© Namsun Lee, MAA