This week in Robotics

Welcome to a new series of mine - I really do not want my blog to die, so resurrection is in order! I hope to post once a week (on a friday) on some of the more interesting articles in robotics. This is to keep my interest and research alert!

As for me, I am currently picking up the pieces of my PhD. I've had quite a rough time getting back into the habit after trying to leave the field - so I am a year behind where I should be, now that I am here. Don't get me wrong - I love robots and I love MRDS - lets just say my exodus was more locale oriented... BRING ON THE BOTS!

• Car manufacturer Dodge is trying to dodge the future saying autonomous vehicles take the fun out of driving. Evan Ackerman disagrees [REF], saying that for most of us, driving is a chore. I for one welcome our new robotic overlords [:)]


• The University of Cincinnati is developing nano-tech that may be able to hinder the reproduction of cancer using RNA nano-bots [REF]


• New military robots:
  
  
  
  1. The Boeing Phantom ray is capable of quite a lot, and is completely autonomous, I'm told [REF]. While this is not the first Unmanned Combat Air System, it is far better than it's predecessor, whose creators where just happy it didn't crash [REF]
     
  2. A spy robot that climbs walls. Even better - just throw it at the wall! [REF]
     
  
  
• Festo, a European robotics company have developed a robotic seagull. This natural immitation is a great leap forward in understanding the actual flight of birds. [REF]
  


• James Floyd Kelly is leaving thenxtstep - a great blog about lego nxt. [REF]. Wishing him well.