Saturday, August 8, 2009

Robotics green Trend: A Q&A


Concerns about the natural state of our planet have never been higher. Manufacturers are putting a considerable amount of thought into how to lower their impact on the natural environment while still supplying the goods that people and industry require. Investing in robotics is among one of several strategies that business are using in their efforts to “go green.”

Going green, diminishing the repercussions of the production process on the Earth, has inexorably become a trend. “Many manufacturers have not yet recognized the role that robotics can play in conservation,” says, John Burg, President of Ellison Technologies Automation (Council Bluffs, Iowa). Smart players in industry will adapt to this new reality sooner rather than later.

Companies that are going green will have a chance to discuss environmentally friendly manufacturing, among other topics, at the 2009 International Robot, Vision & Motion Control Show and Conference to be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois, June 9-11, 2009.

What green technology trends do you see now and in the near future?

Material removal tasks on a wind turbine in progress, courtesy KMT Robotic Solutions Inc.“When robots make the manufacturing process more efficient, robots make it greener,” asserts Roberta Zald, Market Planning and Communications Director at KMT Robotic Solutions Inc. (Auburn Hills, Michigan). “The push to make cars and planes lighter and more fuel efficient is a green trend. This push is driving aerospace and automotive companies to use more composite materials and carbon fiber to reduce weight.” Opportunities for robotics will come in handling and trimming these new materials, Zald believes.

“Robotics help reduce scrap during a trimming work cell’s initial set-up. With computer numerical controlled machines (CNC), multiple parts are often needed to set up the machine to come up with the first good part. Using robotics leads to faster and more efficient changeovers to new part runs,” she adds.

Zald points out another facet of robotic applications that can be considered green: Removing operators from dangerous environments that could impact their health. Robots in applications such as trimming, sanding and painting help keep operators safe while controlling waste so they do not negatively impact the operator’s health or the environment.

Sharing the belief that robotics can play a role in greening up of automotive production is Greg Hollows, Director of Machine Vision Products with Edmund Optics Inc. (Barrington, New Jersey). “The automotive industry is trying to be more green by producing more fuel efficient vehicles. Vision-guided robotics can help.” Hollows’ caveat is the automotive sector is not spending cash at the moment, but he expects investment in green technology to increase in the coming years.

The trend toward thinking green is more of a philosophy than a standard in manufacturing, posits
David Arceneaux, Operations Assistant Division Manager at Stäubli Corp. (Duncan, South Carolina) “Companies are developing manufacturing systems utilizing robotics which helps promote green design and sustainable production strategies. Companies are recycling, using alternative power, and utilizing robotics where they have not before,” says Arceneaux.

Arceneaux’s colleague at Stäubli, Chad Henry, concurs. Henry, Stäubli’s Applications Engineering Manager, contends, “Robotics can be part of an overall green strategy through redeploying equipment or developing new processes. For example, robotics can be part of a ‘lights out’ process.” The “lights out” concept that Henry refers to is the idea that robots do not need much artificial light to function if a work cell operates without humans. Lights-out production translates into less energy use, the epitome of the current green trend.

Automatic vacuum management saves energy by minimizing compressed air consumption in sealed systems, courtesy PIAB Vacuum Products.To go lights-out, integrators must incorporate the correct vision equipment for the application, maintains Henry. “Vision systems do not need much ambient light to function. While vision-enabled robotics cannot operate in complete darkness, they use much less light than if people were working in that environment,” Henry says. “A vision system only uses the amount of light it needs to accomplish the task.”

If a work cell is not using vision, the robot does not need electric light but is using sensors and other inputs to manage its processes and how to react to specific situations, says Henry.

Andrew Lovell, Applications Engineer with PIAB Vacuum Products (Hingham, Massachusetts) also sees reduced energy requirements through robotic-based manufacturing. “The movement of a robot can be very precisely controlled to eliminate wasted movement, when compared to manual assembly. The operator might leave the vacuum pump on when it is not needed.” Lovell agrees with Stäubli’s Chad Henry in his belief that robotics facilitate “lights-out” production. “In many applications, robots can operate in the dark. Robots do not require the same environment as a human does to function in.”

How is the trend toward green manufacturing impacting your company and the way you do business?

“The design of robotic work cells and their components are an important part of the trends toward green production,” says John Mazurkiewicz, Product Marketing Manager Servos and Motion Control at Baldor Electric Co. (Fort Smith, Arkansas). “Engineers designing work cells with absolute feedback devices such as servo motors is a green trend. When used with robotics, servo motors allow for tasks to be done faster with less energy.”

New stainless steel servo motor, courtesy Baldor Electric Co.Mazurkiewicz proclaims that absolute feedback devices save time, energy, materials and money. To illustrate, Mazurkiewicz says, “If a work cell looses power with traditional feedback devices like an incremental motor, operators have to go back to the work cell’s point of reference and begin the task over again. If an absolute feedback device looses power then regains power, operators only need to read it to know exactly where the robot is in its process.”

Mazurkiewicz goes on to say that the trend toward absolute devices will decrease machine downtime and improve productivity. “Most green trends typically take place first in Europe, where they are willing to try new technologies. In North America, we are more concerned with cost-savings.” Eventually, design engineers in North America look at green trends while reducing costs.

“Few companies are interested in conservation for conservation’s sake, but they are interested in going green if it offers a return on investment. New work cells that are more environmentally friendly and conserve energy would also save a lot of money,” observes Ellison’s John Burg.

Burg turns his attention to the use of coolants in robotic material and machining applications. “Coolants have been used for over a century to help increase tool life or reduce tool wear. The impact of coolants is not environmentally friendly, but producers of coolants are doing a lot of work to reduce that impact.” Burg adds, “Many material removal end-users are looking at how to dramatically reduce coolant use in their machining process. Reducing coolant use translates into not having to reclaim, reuse or dispose it.” Reducing, reusing and recycling are at the heart of going green.

What are the benefits of going green for your company and the environment?

Robotic handling of solar panels, courtesy of FANUC Robotics America Inc.“Going green helps FANUC re-imagine and reinvent our products and helps us stay nimble with the solutions we provide to support emerging green markets,” contends Christopher Blanchette, National Distribution Sales Account Manager with FANUC Robotics America Inc. (Rochester Hills, Michigan) “Going green provides a cleaner and more healthy environment for a sustainable future, which is a social aspect.“

Blanchette says that until recently, “The trend toward green manufacturing has been slow due to insufficient social pressure put on businesses to really push cost-competitive, environmentally friendly technologies.”

Taking a different tack, Greg Hollows says, “The benefits of going green for Edmund include the variety of opportunities to make a difference in the world and to provide for our employees. Making a dedicated effort to meet the need for green technologies allows Edmund to keep people employed in these uncertain economic times.”

Hollows continues, “Corporations need to be more responsible for what we have been given in the world. Edmund Optics believes we have a corporate responsibility to focus on green technologies and do what we can to help them in the marketplace.”

Likewise, Dan Shumaker, Market Research Manager at Motoman Inc. (West Carrollton, Ohio) sees the benefits of going green in manufacturing. “Going green presents potential new opportunities for growth for Motoman, both in terms of new products and marketing programs.” Shumaker proposes that, “Many green technologies will continue to experience strong growth, including wind power, solar power, fuel cells, and other technologies that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Companies will continue to investigate methods for increasing productivity to accelerate cost parity with conventional sources of electricity in order to drive alternative energy adoption.”

“Robotic automation can be utilized at many steps in the manufacturing process, particularly in welding and material handling, as many of Motoman’s current customers in the renewable energy field have already discovered. We expect this trend to continue as Motoman serves the needs of solar, wind and other green industries,” Shumaker adds.

Seeing Green
The 2009 International Robot, Vision & Motion Control Show and Conference affords attendees an opportunity to look and learn about green technologies and other advances in manufacturing.

One session, “Robots and Vision in a Green Manufacturing World,” looks at how robotics can help fabricate green technologies, particularly alternative energy sources such as wind turbines, solar panels and fuel cells. This session is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

PIAB will be among the businesses that will have a demonstration at the show. Andrew Lovell gives a brief description of what his company will have in store for visitors. “PIAB’s demonstrations will highlight the benefits of optimized robotic system design, and the effects on energy and performance. PIAB also will be spotlighting a new friction suction cup design, which has greater holding power with oily sheet metal.” Lovell says these new suction cups reduce the energy needed to handle oil-coated sheet metal in a manufacturing environment. “PIAB’s new suction cups perform at a high level for longer periods of time, keeping replacement costs to a minimum and reducing the waste associated with discarding old cups.”

The benefits of attending the Robot, Vision & Motion Control Show are numerous. Greg Hollows of Edmund Optics says, “We attend the show because it is an educational experience, and attending allows us to help people who want to use machine vision. Many potential end-users of machine vision do not understand its nuances and capabilities or how to mix and match products correctly to meet their needs.” Hollows says that users of machine vision need to understand how it functions to be confident that it will work.

Hollows cites another reason to attend the show saying, “Due to instability in the automotive sector, we want a chance to get feedback and find out what is happening on the ground level. Because economic events are happening so fast, we sometimes find difficulty getting enough detailed information of what is happening in the automotive sector.”

Hollows concludes stressing, “Edmund Optics has a feel for what is happening in the automotive industry, but talking directly to people is better. We want to understand what is gong on so that we can develop new products or go in a different direction to effectively meet our customer’s needs.”

Baldor’s John Mazurkiewicz states his company will debut some new products at the show. “Baldor recently introduced smaller motors, motors with stainless steel gear-heads, and a line of stainless steel servo motors. Because only a handful of companies offer stainless steel servo motors, we have found a market for such products in robotic food handling applications.” Baldor will demonstrate their stainless steel servos, which can withstand wash-down pressures of 1,500 pounds per square inch. Mazurkiewicz says the characteristics of stainless steel are different from an iron or steel housing surrounding the motor, both magnetically and thermally.

Go Green, Stay Green
The direction toward green manufacturing will prove to be a long-term trend. “Because the trend toward green manufacturing is emerging so rapidly, flexible robots are an excellent tool for manufacturing. Having robots as part of the production process, even in the early stages of development or refinement, helps reduce the time to market of green products,” says Christopher Blanchette of FANUC.

FANUC Robotics Introduces World’s Strongest, Super Heavy-Duty Robot


FANUC Robotics America Inc. introduced the new M-2000iA/1200 super heavy-duty robot, able to lift parts weighing up to 1350 kg (3,000 lbs) at the 2009 International Robots & Vision Motion Control Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago) IL, June 9-11, booth #1411.

“The M-2000iA/1200 has the highest payload and the strongest wrist compared to all other electric six-axis robots available today,” said Ian Orr, product manager, FANUC Robotics. “It can support a 1350 kg payload with a 0.6 m offset from the faceplate and full articulated motion at the wrist. One M-2000iA/1200 robot can handle a super heavy part, which previously required dual robots, conveyors, lifts and other fixed automation.”

The new M-2000iA/1200 is the second in FANUC Robotics’ line of heavy-duty robots designed to handle truck, tractor, and automotive frames, and other large castings. The M-2000iA/900L robot, offering a 900 kg payload (1,984 lbs) was introduced at IMTS 2008. The rigid arm design of the M-2000iA/900L has a vertical lifting stroke of 6.2 m for transferring extremely heavy items such as a car body.

At the show, the new M-2000iA/1200 equipped with iRVision® 2D error proofing and Dual Check Safety (DCS) Speed and Position Check Software will demonstrate its high capacity payload and wrist by loading and unloading a machine tool bed weighing 1350 kg into a machine tool. The robot will transfer the machine tool bed in front of a 2D camera, and iRVision error proofing inspects the part for proper machining of T-Slot guideways that hold tools.

The M-2000iA/1200, like all FANUC robots, operates with the company’s latest R-30iA controller with integrated intelligent functions such as vision and force sensing.

M-2000iA - key features and benefits:

* M-2000iA/900L standard payload is 900kg
* M-2000iA/1200 standard payload is 1200 kg with a1350 kg payload option
* Vertical lifting stroke of 6.2 m (M-2000iA/900L)
* Rigid arm offers stable transferring of heavy payloads
* Strongest wrist in the world handles super heavy products with stability
* Wrist is IP67 protected for operation in harsh environments
* Built-in vision and force sensing
* Reduces costs associated with fixed automation

Integrated (built-in) Vision
The FANUC iRVision system is a ready-to-use robotic vision package, available on all FANUC robots, requiring only a camera and cable – no additional processing hardware. It has a 2D robot guidance tool to accomplish part location, error proofing, and other operations that normally require special sensors or custom fixtures. For robotic vision processes that exceed the capability of 2D vision systems, FANUC Robotics offers an integrated 3D vision system.

Dual Check Safety (DCS) Speed and Position Check Software
Prior to the application of safety rated robot software, all safeguarding of the robot needed to be external, either as a safety rated limit switch or cam system, safety rated area scanners, or other devices to limit robot travel or enhance protection. DCS safety rated robot software allows the safety design of the robot system to use the robot itself for some of the safety functions.

The most significant benefit of DCS Speed and Position Check is in applications where the travel of the robot needs to be restricted due to floor space or process limits that are less than the full reach of the robot. Restricting the robot motion in Cartesian space means the robot can be restrained to exactly the area in which it works; something that is not possible with the current systems that limit robot motion externally using limit switches.

“By moving some of the safety functions to within the robot, customers will realize significant savings in floor space, flexibility in system layout, reduced hardware costs, and improved reliability,” said Claude Dinsmoor, general manager, controller product development, FANUC Robotics.

In addition, safe "zones" can be enabled and disabled from an external source such as a safety PLC. Designing a system with multiple zones means an operator can safely enter and leave the workspace of the robot.

“This streamlines the design of robot cells because it prevents the robot from entering the load area when an operator is present,” added Dinsmoor. This type of application is possible with existing technology, but it is typically difficult to setup, expensive to implement, and requires more floor space than a system using DCS.”

Automated guided vehicle for industries

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) increase efficiency and reduce costs by helping to automate a manufacturing facility or warehouse.

AGVs can carry loads or tow objects behind them in trailers to which they can autonomously attach. The trailers can be used to move raw materials or finished product. The AGV can also store objects on a bed. The objects can be placed on a set of motorized rollers (conveyor) and then pushed off by reversing them. Some AGVs use fork lifts to lift objects for storage. AGVs are employed in nearly every industry, including, pulp, paper, metals, newspaper, and general manufacturing. Transporting materials such as food, linen or medicine in hospitals is also done.

An AGV can also be called a laser guided vehicle (LGV) or self-guided vehicle (SGV). In Germany the technology is also called Fahrerlose Transportsysteme (FTS) and in Sweden förarlösa truckar. Lower cost versions of AGVs are often called Automated Guided Carts (AGCs) and are usually guided by magnetic tape. AGCs are available in a variety of models and can be used to move products on an assembly line, transport goods throughout a plant or warehouse, and deliver loads to and from stretch wrappers and roller conveyors.

The first AGV was brought to market in the 1950s, by Barrett Electronics of Northbrook, Illinois, and at the time it was simply a tow truck that followed a wire in the floor instead of a rail. Over the years the technology has become more sophisticated and today automated vehicles are mainly Laser navigated e.g. LGV (Laser Guided Vehicle). In an automated process, LGVs are programmed to communicate (via an offboard server) with other robots to ensure product is moved smoothly through the warehouse, whether it is being stored for future use or sent directly to shipping areas. Today, the AGV plays an important role in the design of new factories and warehouses, safely moving goods to their rightful destinations.

In the late 20th century AGVs took on new rolls as ports began turning to this technology to move ISO shipping containers. The Port of Rotterdam employs well over 100 AGVs.

AGV applications are seemingly endless as capacities can range from just a few pounds to hundreds of tons.

Water jet cutting machine

In the battle to reduce costs, engineering and manufacturing departments are constantly on the lookout for an edge. The waterjet process provides many unique capabilities and advantages that can prove very effective in the cost battle. Learning more about the waterjet technology will give you an opportunity to put these cost-cutting capabilities to work.

Beyond cost cutting, the waterjet process is recognized as the most versatile and fastest growing process in the world (per Frost & Sullivan and the Market Intelligence Research Corporation). Waterjets are used in high production applications across the globe. They compliment other technologies such as milling, laser, EDM, plasma and routers. No noxious gases or liquids are used in waterjet cutting, and waterjets do not create hazardous materials or vapors. No heat effected zones or mechanical stresses are left on a waterjet cut surface. It is truly a versatile, productive, cold cutting process.

The waterjet has shown that it can do things that other technologies simply cannot. From cutting whisper thin details in stone, glass and metals; to rapid hole drilling of titanium; to cutting of food, to the killing of pathogens in beverages and dips, the waterjet has proven itself unique.

The water jet cutting machine u can take as your final year engg. project if you r in mechanical/mechatronic branch and this only machine in which you can say that "WHAT YOU CAN DRAW WE CAN CUT IT"

Thursday, August 6, 2009

FANUC Robots Assemble An Army of Terminators in Terminator Salvation


FANUC Robotics America, Inc., the world’s leading supplier of industrial robots, has a starring role assembling an army of Terminators in Warner Brothers’ Terminator Salvation.

FANUC Robots assemble terminators in Terminator Salvation“We provided a total of 18 FANUC robots including eight M-710iC/50, six M-10iA and four M-410iB robots for the production,” said Jonathan Perez, district manager at FANUC Robotics’ West facility in Orange County, CA.

Perez and other FANUC engineers provided technical support on the movie’s SKYNET set where FANUC robots welded Terminators on a moving hanging conveyor, and painted completed human-like Terminators at the end of the production line.

“The FANUC models had a refined clean-room look that worked perfectly for our sophisticated laboratory set, where the T-800 Terminator of the future is assembled. I could see them at work in an application that was meant to be an assembly line for the most technologically advanced Terminator models,” said Victor Zolfo, Terminator Salvations’ Academy Award-winning set decorator.

“Our experience with FANUC was excellent from start to finish - everything we were promised and shown by Jonathan Perez was delivered and functioned as promised. On a movie set there are always last minute adjustments and tweaking required, and the technicians were very cooperative and helpful on a daily basis, added Zolfo.

FANUC Robots have appeared in a wide variety of entertainment productions, including an ad to promote the third season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. The ad, called "Factory Perfection", was filmed at FANUC Robotics’ West facility features dancing from Super Cr3w and swaying from the robots.

According to Zolfo, the crew was impressed with the FANUC robots and the way they were seamlessly integrated into the story. “I have heard many critics praise the strong production value of the film and I believe the incorporation of functioning robotics really helped to sell the fantasy. I was very pleased overall with our relationship with FANUC and hope to be able to partner with the company again.”

FANUC Robotics America, Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures industrial robots and robotic systems for a wide range of applications including arc and spot welding, material handling (machine tending, picking, packing, palletizing), material removal, assembly, paint finishing and dispensing. The company also provides application-specific software, controls, vision products, and complete support services. After 27 years of success, FANUC Robotics maintains its position as the leading robotics company in the Americas. A subsidiary of FANUC LTD in Japan, the company is headquartered in Detroit, and has facilities in Chicago; Los Angeles; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati and Toledo, Ohio; Toronto; Montreal; Aguascalientes, Mexico; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Over 200,000 FANUC robots are installed worldwide. Contact FANUC Robotics at www.fanucrobotics.com, or 1-800-iQ-ROBOT, option 5.

Top Ten Reasons to Buy an Industrial Robot Today


1. Industrial robots are at the heart of lean manufacturing - Robot installations are at the heart of lean manufacturing operations. Industrial robots reduce operating costs, perfect quality and productivity, i.e. optimized cycle times and throughput, are environmentally friendly by reducing scrap, exhaust and energy, have protected employees from dangerous tasks, can easily adapt to multiple jobs and add flexibility to future product lines.

This brief summary of the “Top Ten” reasons to buy an industrial robot today is intended to give you some incentive to investigate the feasibility of enhancing your operation with industrial robots. An economic recovery will happen. When it does, will you have positioned your company to take full advantage?

2. Supply and Demand - Everyone is working off their inventories, including automation suppliers. Robots are large, complicated machines, requiring special castings, mechanics, motors and electronics. If you wait for the economy to fully recover the demand for robots will be up while supplies will be limited. The result will be long lead times on all automation equipment and components. Don’t wait for a full economic recovery.

3. Ease of introducing new equipment when not operating at full capacity - Installing a new robot system and incorporating it into your day to day operations takes time. Employees need to be trained on how to operate it, how to program it, perform maintenance on it and, of course, learn new safety skills. If you’re operating at full capacity, you may not be able to afford the time to install automation. Do it now while production is slower, to get ready for the surge.

4. Banks are Lending - You may think that you cannot afford a robot because banks are not lending, but that’s simply untrue. In an MSN News article published February 12, 2009, Bank of America chairman and CEO Ken Lewis said, “We are still lending, and we are lending far more because of the TARP program." He told lawmakers that his company extended more than $115 billion in new credit to consumers and businesses during the fourth quarter (of 2008). Moreover, robot manufactures, such as ABB, Inc., are willing to work with you on extended payment terms to help you get what you need into your plant, now.

(MSN News, February 12, 2009, “We are still lending, assert CEOs of top US banks”)


5. Integrator Capacity is Limited – Systems integrators have vertical market expertise, and there is not an excess of capacity in key disciplines. If you wait until the recovery begins, all the integrators will be busy installing systems for your competitors and you will be at the back of the queue.

6. Taking business back from competitors – With the economy slowed and production in many factories at a standstill, now is the time to begin a strategy to take business back from your competitors. Meet with a robotic industry engineering consultant who can design a solution to automate your factory which will reduce costs while increasing productivity and throughput. When the economy improves, you will be able to produce a better product at a quicker rate, thus improving customer satisfaction and allowing you to take business back from your competitors.


7. Robots are affordable. When industrial robots first appeared in the marketplace they were expensive, as generally is any new piece of technology. However, costs have been pushed down with mass production. Prices for industrial robots have never been better. Today's prices for your products are the new floor as well. Manufactured products aren't like oil, where the price constantly goes up and down. Today's new low is tomorrow's baseline price for your product - automate to reduce costs and maintain margin.

8. Automated Competitors will take market share - The companies with the best, leaned-out automated manufacturing processes are the ones who are better positioned to respond to the quickly changing demands of customers. An automated, flexible manufacturing process is able to change product mix, and product make-up “on the fly.” The companies employing this strategy are your competitors.

9. Your competition is investing in automation - If you think your competitors are not investing in automation, think again. Who is investing in automation? The best run companies, looking to not just survive the economy, but thrive in it.

10. Lowest cost / highest quality wins market share. The economic pressures on companies and consumers are forcing everyone to carefully consider their purchases. Gone are the days of “throw away” products. People are demanding both low cost and high quality. Automation, especially the flexibility offered by robotic automation is a great way to achieve both.

Autonomous Surgical Robot Detects Shrapnel



The successful proof-of-feasibility experiments lead the researchers to believe that in the future, such a robot could not only help treat shrapnel injuries on the battlefield, but might also be used for such medical procedures as placing and removing radioactive “seeds” used in the treatment of prostate and other cancers.

In their latest experiments, the engineers started with a rudimentary tabletop robot whose “eyes” are a novel 3-D ultrasound technology developed at Duke. An artificial intelligence program served as the robot’s “brain” by taking the real-time 3-D information, processing it and giving the robot specific commands to perform. In their simulations, the researchers used tiny (2 millimeter) pieces of needle because, like shrapnel, they are subject to magnetism.

“We attached an electromagnet to our 3-D probe, which caused the shrapnel to vibrate just enough that its motion could be detected,” said A.J. Rogers, who just completed an undergraduate degree in bioengineering at Duke. “Once the shrapnel’s coordinates were established by the computer, it successfully guided a needle to the site of the shrapnel.”

By proving that the robot could guide a needle to an exact location, it would simply be a matter of replacing the needle probe with a tiny tool, such as a grabber, the researchers said.

Rogers worked in the laboratory of Stephen Smith, director of the Duke University Ultrasound Transducer Group and senior member of the research team. The results of the experiments were published early online in the July issue of the journal IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

Since the researchers achieved positive results using a rudimentary robot and a basic artificial intelligence program, they are encouraged that simple and reasonably safe procedures will become routine in the near future as robot and artificial intelligence technology improves.

“We showed that in principle, the system works,” Smith said. “It can be very difficult using conventional means to detect small pieces of shrapnel, especially in the field. The military has an extensive program of exploring the use of surgical robots in the field, and this advance could play a role.”

In addition to its applications recovering the radioactive seeds used in treating prostate cancer, Smith said the system could also prove useful in removing foreign, metallic objects from the eye.

Advances in ultrasound technology have made these latest experiments possible, the researchers said, by generating detailed, 3-D moving images in real-time. The Duke team has a long track record of modifying traditional 2-D ultrasound – like that used to image babies in utero – into the more advanced 3-D scans. Since inventing the technique in 1991, the team has shown its utility by developing specialized catheters and endoscopes for real-time imaging of blood vessels in the heart and brain.

In the latest experiments, the robot successfully performed its main task: locating a tiny piece of metal in a water bath, then directing a needle on the end of the robotic arm to it. The researchers had previously used this approach to detect micro-calcifications in simulated breast tissue. In the latest experiments, Rogers added an electromagnet to the end of the transducer, or wand, the device that sends out and receives the ultrasonic waves.

“The movement caused by the electromagnet on the shrapnel was not visible to the human eye,” Rogers said. “However, on the 3-D color Doppler system, the moving shrapnel stood out plainly as bright red.”

The robot used in these experiments is a tabletop version capable of moving in three axes. For the next series of tests, the Duke researchers plan to use a robotic arm with six-axis capability.

The research in Smith’s lab is supported by the National Institutes of Health. Duke’s Ned Light was also part of the research team.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Robots And Beyond



Amid a sick economy and bitter wars over resources, Dean Kamen dreams of a world in which we exchange ideas, invest in the future and benefit from each other's creations.

To realize this dream, Kamen--an inventor perhaps best known for the Segway--founded FIRST. Short for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology," FIRST, founded 20 years ago, is a series of competitions intended to inspire youth to pursue careers as scientists, engineers and big thinkers by making math and science cool.


Kamen calls FIRST the "NCAA of smarts" and uses robot competitions to prove to kids that engineering is rewarding and just as fun as any high school sport. And unlike most high school sports, FIRST provides students with a very real look into a promising future as an engineer.

In Pictures: Making A Robot

Video: Rocking Robots

The 2TrainRobotics team from New York City's Morris High School demonstrates the power of FIRST. Morris High is located in the South Bronx, one of the poorest school districts in the U.S. Almost every day after school from September through April, students on the robot team travel an hour by train and bus to the Columbia University campus in upper Manhattan. Several Columbia students act as mentors, dedicating their time and energy to help the students not only build the robot, but also fill out college applications and help with their homework.

The competition has grown exponentially. During its first year, in 1989, FIRST attracted sponsorships from companies that included General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ), DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ), Delphi (other-otc: DPHI.PK - news - people ) and Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ). Since then the list of sponsors has grown to thousands of organizations, including the Girl Scouts of America, UPS (nyse: UPS - news - people ) and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.


In 1992 everyone who knew about FIRST could fit into a high school gym. Five years later, there was no venue left in the state of New Hampshire big enough to host the event.

So Kamen took the event to Disney (nyse: DIS - news - people ), which hosted the event at Epcot Center in Florida. FIRST eventually outgrew Epcot, and Houston's Astrodome offered to host. It's gotten so big that this year the national championships will be held at Atlanta's Georgia Dome­--a site large enough to hold 10,600 teams from 42 countries and the 75,000 mentor volunteers who will accompany them.

"We wouldn't have had this growth if we didn't clearly demonstrate the impact we have on the kids, mentors and parents," Kamen says. "Everyone involved with FIRST stays with it because they get more out of it than they put into it. The companies realize they are creating the next generation of their workforce and their customers. The schools realize they are leveraging the entire education system. The parents love seeing their kids passionate about things that have context to their career choices. The kids have their perspective changed on what is possible."

Teams of students ages nine and up participate in three levels of competitions: the FIRST Lego League (ages 9 through 14), the FIRST Tech Challenge (ages 13 through 16) and, for the high school students, the FIRST Robotics Competition.

Says FIRST President Paul Gudonis: "FIRST isn't about just building robots, but developing life skills." In Warren, Ohio, a town with a 50% high school graduation rate, 100% of the FIRST students graduate and go on to college, Gudonis says. In Washington, D.C., a 16-year-old FIRST student is expecting to be granted his first patent this month related to encrypting Internet communication. In Rochester, N.Y., a FIRST team collected 70,000 bottles and cans to pay its registration fee to be a part of the competition.

Many companies, including Johnson & Johnson (nyse: JNJ - news - people ), offer internships to FIRST students. GM, a founding sponsor and partner with FIRST for over a decade, has spent $135,000 a year to support FIRST programs in struggling inner-city districts.

Does Kamen follow any of the teams? "Do we follow them? No! We [DEKA Research, Kamen's company] hire them. They follow us," Kamen says. "In the last half dozen years, most of the kids we've hired out of colleges like Caltech, Stanford, MIT and Virginia Tech are FIRST alums."

Currently, FIRST is only in 8% of the 25,000 high schools in the U.S. In five years, Kamen wants FIRST to be in every school in the country. Within 20 years, he has an even more audacious goal: He wants the FIRST robotics competition to be the dominant sport of the 21st century.

The National Science Foundation says science, technology, engineering and math-related industries were responsible for nearly 50% of U.S. economic growth over the last 50 years, yet only 5% of the nation's workforce is employed in these fields.

Even in the middle of a recession and mounting unemployment, there are significant vacancies at some of the largest engineering companies in the U.S. For example, says FIRST's Gudonis, BAE Systems (other-otc: BAESF.PK - news - people ), a global defense security and aerospace systems company, is trying to hire 200 engineering professionals in the U.S. Recently, 1,500 people showed up at a job fair, but the company only hired 50 because it couldn't find the technical talent it needs. FIRST creates a talent pipeline for companies like BAE systems; the company sponsors and mentors some 100 FIRST teams across the country.

About ROOMBA


iRobot's automated vacuum cleaner is probably the most successful consumer robot of all time - more than 2.5 million of them have been sold worldwide since 2002.

Many owners find themselves warming to their cleaners, even naming them or dressing them up. Roboticists hoping to make robots easier to get along with are studying Roomba users to pick up tips.

Robotic Tomato Garden Shows


In 1972 sci-fi movie Silent Running, the lone human guardian of the last remaining Earth plants in the solar system teams up with three gardening robots to save them from destruction.

Automating plant cultivation and harvesting is an active area of robotics today, as this robotic tomato garden shows

Raibert 3D Hopper (selected 2008)


Roboticist Marc Raibert realised that for robots to move efficiently they need to move like animals - and that natural grace relies as much on being out of balance as being in balance. Read more about the hopper and see video of it in action.

His one legged hopper stayed upright by constantly rescuing itself from falling over, showing that machines can dynamically balance just like animals do.

Raibert went on to found Boston Dynamics, a US firm that has built a pioneering "robotic pack mule" that walks much like a real one.

Unimate (selected 2003)


The world's first industrial robot clocked on in a General Motors factory in 1961 to weld auto bodies, following instructions stored on a magnetic drum.

It was designed by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger, who were inspired by science fiction.

Asimo (selected 2004)

Honda first introduced Asimo to the world in 2000, and have continually improved their humanoid ever since. Those upgrades have seen Asimo become able to run and work as a receptionist.

Asimos are loaned to researchers around the world to use as a platform for robotics and artificial intelligence research. Examples include enabling the humanoid to understand multiple humans speaking at once and teaching it how to jaywalk

Shakey (selected 2004)

Christened after its faltering motion, Shakey was built in 1966 and during the next 12 years marked several milestones in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Shakey could receive instructions in normal language, not requiring step-by-step orders or technical wording. For example, the robot could be told to "push the block off the platform" and would calculate the various actions needed to make that possible, for example moving and navigating obstacles.

Gort (selected in 2006)

In the 1951 movie The Day The Earth Stood Still eight-foot high Gort was the bodyguard of an alien who came to deliver our planet an ultimatum - peacefully join other space-faring races or be destroyed.

Gort was inducted into the Hall of Fame for its lasting influence on the perception of robots, and inspiring the contemplation of how they may be used to effect both war and peace.

(selected 2006) Aibo

Robot dog Aibo was launched in 1999 and after several different models was discontinued in 2006. In that time Aibo become a popular research platform, providing a way for researchers to test ideas about curiosity and learning and have their ideas do battle directly in the Robot World Cup. One team even had their Aibo learn how to swim.

R2D2 and C3PO (selected 2003 and 2004)

Nervous humanoid C3PO was selected for being the character from the Star Wars films "most like us". Wherever he appears in the plot C3PO is working to bridge the gap between humans and machines, the judges noted.

Tying to teach robots to get along with humans better is one of the fastest moving areas of research today.

Six-axis robots evolve into snakes

Snake robots incorporate an additional degree of freedom, endowing the individual arm model with seven axes and two dual-arm versions with 13 axes each.The traditional six-axis industrial robot, which has been used for decades to automate welding, handling, machining, painting and many other tasks, has undergone a radical redesign with the launch by Motoman of three new robots, nicknamed 'snake'. Ideal for automating repetitive and laborious assembly operations in manufacturing lines where much...

* Snake robots incorporate an additional degree of freedom, endowing the individual arm model with seven axes and two dual-arm versions with 13 axes each.
* The traditional six-axis industrial robot, which has been used for decades to automate welding, handling, machining, painting and many other tasks, has undergone a radical redesign with the launch by Motoman of three new robots, nicknamed 'snake'.
* Ideal for automating repetitive and laborious assembly operations in manufacturing lines where much of the work is still done manually, the all-electric robots are uncannily human-like in their sise and movement.
* The result is better access to tight spaces than is possible using six-axis robots and greater flexibility when performing the required tasks.
* The two arms on the DA models are capable of co-ordinated motion, allowing the actions of a person to be simulated with remarkable precision.
* The same controller is used as for the rest of the Motoman industrial robot range.
* Designated NX100, it is the product of more than 12 years' development and, with its ability to synchronise the movement of 36 axes, is more than capable of controlling snake robots and their peripherals.
* The Japanese manufacturer, Yaskawa, which manufactures Motoman robots, was the first to use its own products to assemble robots and already has some of the new models fitted with vision systems in its factories.
* Motoman/Yaskawa is the world's largest robot producer, with a monthly output of 1800 units, and offers the widest range with payloads ranging from 3 to 500kg.
* It also manufactures servo-powered positioners, simplifying integration and giving the customer a single source of supply and responsibility.

Baseball-playing robots creating by Japanese professor

TOKYO (AP) — Look out Ichiro Suzuki (FSY) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (FSY). A pair of baseball-playing robots that can pitch and hit with incredible results have been developed in Japan. The pitching robot, with its three-fingered hand, can throw 90% of its pitches in the strike zone, won't need any relief from the bullpen and never asks for a pay raise.

The batting robot, which has a sensor to determine if pitches are strikes or balls, hits balls in the strike zone almost 100% of the time, doesn't swing at pitches outside the strike zone, and is guaranteed to pass all drug tests.

The two robots were created by University of Tokyo professor Masatoshi Ishikawa.

"The demand level of the robotics technology of each robot is very high," Ishikawa said. "What was difficult was to create a mechanism to satisfy such a high level of demand."

The pitching robot throws a plastic foam ball at 25 miles per hour, but Ishikawa is hoping to increase the speed to 93 mph and make it able to throw off-speed pitches like curves and sliders.

Ishikawa is also working on getting the batting robot to be able to hit to all parts of the field.

The robots don't resemble humans but instead the type of robots on a car assembly line.

Japan boasts one of the leading robotics industries in the world, and the government is pushing to develop the industry as a road to growth. Automaker Honda has developed the child-sized Asimo, which can walk and talk.

Five Years of Science and Discovery near Mars Rovers

NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity may still have big achievements ahead as they approach the fifth anniversaries of their memorable landings on Mars.

Of the hundreds of engineers and scientists who cheered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 3, 2004, when Spirit landed safely, and 21 days later when Opportunity followed suit, none predicted the team would still be operating both rovers in 2009.

“The American taxpayer was told three months for each rover was the prime mission plan,” said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The twins have worked almost 20 times that long. That’s an extraordinary return of investment in these challenging budgetary times.”

The rovers have made important discoveries about wet and violent environments on ancient Mars. They also have returned a quarter-million images, driven more than 21 kilometers (13 miles), climbed a mountain, descended into craters, struggled with sand traps and aging hardware, survived dust storms, and relayed more than 36 gigabytes of data via NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. To date, the rovers remain operational for new campaigns the team has planned for them.

“These rovers are incredibly resilient considering the extreme environment the hardware experiences every day,” said John Callas, JPL project manager for Spirit and Opportunity. “We realize that a major rover component on either vehicle could fail at any time and end a mission with no advance notice, but on the other hand, we could accomplish the equivalent duration of four more prime missions on each rover in the year ahead.”

Occasional cleaning of dust from the rovers’ solar panels by Martian wind has provided unanticipated aid to the vehicles’ longevity. However, it is unreliable aid. Spirit has not had a good cleaning for more than 18 months. Dust-coated solar panels barely provided enough power for Spirit to survive its third southern-hemisphere winter, which ended in December.

“This last winter was a squeaker for Spirit,” Callas said. “We just made it through.”
With Spirit’s energy rising for spring and summer, the team plans to drive the rover to a pair of destinations about 183 meters (200 yards) south of the site where Spirit spent most of 2008. One is a mound that might yield support for an interpretation that a plateau Spirit has studied since 2006, called Home Plate, is a remnant of a once more-extensive sheet of explosive volcanic material. The other destination is a house-size pit called Goddard.

“Goddard doesn’t look like an impact crater,” said Steve Squyres of Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y. Squyres is principal investigator for the rover science instruments. “We suspect it might be a volcanic explosion crater, and that’s something we haven’t seen before.”

A light-toned ring around the inside of the pit might add information about a nearby patch of bright, silica-rich soil that Squyres counts as Spirit’s most important discovery so far. Spirit churned up the silica in mid-2007 with an immobile wheel that the rover has dragged like an anchor since it quit working in 2006. The silica was likely produced in an environment of hot springs or steam vents.

For Opportunity, the next major destination is Endeavour Crater. It is approximately 22 kilometers (14 miles) in diameter, more than 20 times larger than another impact crater, Victoria, where Opportunity spent most of the past two years. Although Endeavour is about 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Victoria, it is considerably farther as the rover drives on a route evading major obstacles.

Since climbing out of Victoria four months ago, Opportunity has driven more than a mile of its route toward Endeavour and stopped to inspect the first of several loose rocks the team plans to examine along the way. High-resolution images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which reached Mars in 2006, are helping the team plot routes around potential sand traps that were not previously discernable from orbit.

“We keep setting the bar higher for what these rovers can do,” said Frank Hartman, a JPL rover driver. “Once it seemed like a crazy idea to go to Endeavour, but now we’re doing it.”

Squyres said, “The journeys have been motivated by science, but have led to something else important. This has turned into humanity’s first overland expedition on another planet. When people look back on this period of Mars exploration decades from now, Spirit and Opportunity may be considered most significant not for the science they accomplished, but for the first time we truly went exploring across the surface of Mars.”

New Lunar Electric Rover (LER) of NASA

Next Generation Rover For Lunar Exploration Driving New Tech Here On Earth

In the year 2020, NASA will be back on the moon. This time NASA will explore thousands of miles of the moon’s surface with individual missions lasting six months or longer. Just as we did during the Apollo program, NASA will be developing new concepts and technologies – concepts and technologies that will also benefit life on Earth.

During the 2008 Desert RATS tests at Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona, engineers, geologists and astronauts came together to test NASA's new NASA's Lunar Electric Rover. Image Credit: Regan Geeseman

One concept that is in NASA’s current plans is a Lunar Electric Rover. This small pressurized rover is about the size of a pickup truck (with 12 wheels) and can house two astronauts for up to 14 days with sleeping and sanitary facilities. It is designed to require little or no maintenance, be able to travel thousands of miles climbing over rocks and up 40 degree slopes during its ten year life exploring the harsh surface of the moon. The rover frame was developed in conjunction with an off-road race truck team and was field tested in the desert Southwest with 140 km of driving on rough lava.

The view from cockpit and the ability to "kneel" make it easy for astronauts to get close to objects they want to examine without having to leave the cabin. Its wheels can move sideways in a "crabbing" motion, one of many features that make it skilled at scrambling over rough terrain. The crab style steering allows the vehicle to turn on a dime with a zero turning radius and drive in any combination of forward and sideways.

Astronauts can work in shirtsleeves in the safety of the rover's cabin, and when they need to, or want to for exploration missions, they can quickly enter and exit their spacesuits through suitports. These suitports on the rover's aft bulkhead keep the astronauts' suits outside, allowing a spacewalk to start in ten minutes and keeping moon dust out of the cabin. By removing the cabin, the chassis can be used to carry payloads or allows astronauts to drive it in spacesuits. This capability also affords reusability and redundancy for long term, robust operations.

T-800 Terminator

The cyborg assassin was portrayed in human guise by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the low-budget 1984 movie The Terminator, which spawned a series of sequels and still shapes how people think about robots today.

Such is the sway of science fiction like the Terminator series that some roboticists are studying how fictional depictions of robots influence opinions of the real thing to help improve their designs.

Surgical System of robotics

This robot translates a surgeon's movements down to a tiny scale to allow minimally invasive procedures, such as heart valve repair. More than 200 are now in use worldwide.

Researchers are now working on getting computers to independently manipulate Da Vinci systems without a surgeon operating the controls.
The Robot Hall of Fame honours real and fictional robots that have marked or inspired technical breakthroughs in the field. An international jury of of researchers, writers and designers has been adding to the list since 2003.

This year, five new robots have been selected. Click through the images to see them all