The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Robot Surgery, Thy Name is DaVinci

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by Steven Wasick on March 16th, 2010
da vinci surgical robot

It looks like a Star Wars torture device, but the DaVinci is a world class surgical robot.

Robotic surgery is experiencing explosive growth in America’s operating rooms, and the unquestioned industry leader in this field is the DaVinci robot, made by Intuitive Surgical. How pervasive has this robot become? Put it this way, only 14% of prostate surgeries in the US last year took place not using the DaVinci. It has grown from 210 systems seven years ago to 1,395 today. Although typically used for smaller surgeries like prostate removal and hysterectomies, it was recently used for a kidney transplant, and more complicated procedures are expected in the future. The DaVinci is really just the first wave of robotic surgery as technology continues to push clumsy human hands out of the operating room.

Although the business end bears a disquieting resemblance to the torture probe in Star Wars, robot surgery is pretty amazing to watch. There’s a  TED talk about the DaVinci from a year ago; it’s worth looking at again (after the jump).

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Eye Popping Pics of Cyborg Animals from Photoshop Contest

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by Aaron Saenz on March 15th, 2010
awesome pics of robot animals

Worth1000's robot animal Photoshop contest gives new meaning to "iron horse".

The Internet loves animals, and it loves photoshop. Worth1000.com decided to harness that double love and start a Photoshop contest to see who could create the coolest robotic animals on the web. Artists took pictures of real animals and filled them with images of gears, wires, and electronic gizmos. The results look pretty amazing. There are cybernetic reptiles, android mammals, and even a robot chicken. Take a good look at some of these cool robot-animal pics below; we’ve got tons and there are many more on the Worth1000 website.

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Russia Is Making Flying Saucers. DUN-DUN-DUN!

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by Aaron Saenz on March 10th, 2010
russian flying saucer

Russian company Locomo Sky is in the process of building a fleet of cargo hauling aerostat aircraft that resemble UFOs. Conspiracy theorists everywhere are salivating with anticipation.

Russia’s latest endeavor to produce commercial grade lighter-than-air aircraft seems a little strange. The “aerostatic thermoballasted vehicle” from Locomo Sky looks like something straight out of a 1950s UFO movie. The flying saucer shape isn’t just for show though, it helps the aerostat travel through the air with a minimum loss of energy to air resistance. According to their press release, Locomo Sky has started building a construction facility in the Ulyanovsk region of Russia to create a fleet of the aircraft. These airships, more commonly called Locomoskayners, are already used in geographical surveys. That version of the craft has a 1000kg (2200 lbs) carrying capacity with a crew of 2-8. Locomo Sky is hoping to build a huge version of the Locomoskayner that would have a 600 metric ton capacity or even carry 11,000 people. The company presented this idea recently to President Dmitry Medvedev, reportedly with good results. With millions already invested, it seems possible that Russian skies may be filled with flying saucers hauling cargo very soon. It sounds too wacky to be true, but it is. Check out a simulation video of the large Locomoskayner in action after the break.

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Kevin Warwick, Once a Cyborg, Now Prophet of the Man-Machine Future

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by Aaron Saenz on March 9th, 2010
kevin warwick former cyborg

In 2002, Warwick had his nervous system wired so that he could remotely control a robotic hand.

He has used his mind to control a robotic hand, he has sent his thoughts across the Atlantic and clenched a mechanical fist, and he has even felt, in his own neurons, the signals from his wife’s nerves. Kevin Warwick is a professor at Reading University in England, a pioneer in cybernetics and a former cyborg. In 1998, doors would open and lights would follow his passing due to an electronic chip in his body. In 2002 a 100 electrode array was wired into the nervous system of his arm so that he could remotely control an artificial hand. Now, Silicon.com has a wonderful nine minute interview with Warwick, exploring his work and what the future holds for man and machine. According to the former cyborg, the two will become one. He’s already putting animal brain cells in robots as a control system! Watch the video in its entirety below, and get ready to meet the man who thinks he has experienced the future of humanity and returned to tell the tale.

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MeBot, the Telepresence Robot With Body Language (Video)

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by Aaron Saenz on March 5th, 2010
mebot telerobot

MeBot is the first telerobot with moving limbs. Animatronics plus telepresence equals acceptance.

It may not make sense to your binary minds, robots, but humans talk with their hands. Thankfully, engineers at the Personal Robotics Group at MIT Media Lab have developed MeBot, the first telepresence robot with a head and arms that move. Operators sit in front of a camera and a special sensor tracks their head orientation. A screen on the robot shows the person’s face and moves on a “neck” to mimic his or her pose. MeBot’s arms are moved using a controller that resembles the bot’s actual limbs. It’s a pretty cool setup, and it makes a difference. Psych experiments performed by the developers showed that humans responded better to a telerobot with a dynamically moving body. That makes sense, and MeBot’s simple innovation of adding body language could help make telepresence an accepted way to cooperate with colleagues over long distances. Check out the robot in action in the clip from MIT below. That little bot is adorable! How could you not want to work with it?

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BeBionic Artificial Hand and Wrist – Now With Kung-Fu Grip! (video)

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by Aaron Saenz on February 25th, 2010
BeBionic artificial hand and wrist

The BeBionic hand comes close to the real thing. It has four different kinds of grips and a silicone skin.

Judging by the latest promo videos, the BeBionic hand is out to kick more butt than…well, an artificial foot. Full of heavy rock licks, the BeBionic demo shows off the four grips (key, pinch, finger, and power) of its newest prosthetic hand and wrist. The system senses muscle signals on the skin of your residual limb to control its movements, a technique known in the field as myo-electric sensing. To match that life-like motion with a life-like appearance BeBionic also comes with a silicone covering in one of 19 possible shades of human skin and with customized finger nails. Produced by RSL Steeper, the BeBionic hand and wrist are set to debut (with pricing and availability details) in May at the Orthopadie Technik in Leipzig, Germany. You can check them out now in the videos below. Where’s the “rock-on” gesture grip when you need it?

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