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Posted in: SERVO Blog

Bovine Backscratcher

April 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

Apparently, cows have very itchy backs, and that condition makes them extremely unhappy. Unhappy cows produce less milk, so this is a problem. Fortunately, the Luna robotic backscratcher saves the day.

Posted on 04/17 at 5:26 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

Mind Over Multiple Matters

April 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

Most of us find it challenging enough just to operate a single drone using a joystick controller. However, Prof. Panagiotis Artemiadis, director of Arizona State’s Human-Oriented Robotics and Control Lab is convinced that it is feasible to control multiple drones simultaneously, and use only brain waves.

Posted on 04/17 at 5:12 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

Bye-Bye Selfie Sticks

April 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

For those who are so deeply into self-documentation that a simple selfie stick just doesn’t do it anymore, Zero Zero Robotics has unveiled the Hover Camera which tracks your face and body to keep you in the picture, while snapping 13 MP photos or capturing 4K video of whatever events you think will fascinate the rest of the world.

Posted on 04/17 at 4:46 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

Fish-Zapping ROV

April 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

In case you haven’t heard, we have a serious problem with lionfish. To combat the problem, more than a dozen partners have joined together to form Robots in Service of the Environment. Their solution is the Harvester lionfish hunter which is sort of a combination bug zapper and underwater Roomba.

Posted on 04/17 at 4:28 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

Passenger Drone Takes Off

March 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

The Cormorant, a passenger-carrying drone intended both for evacuating people from hostile environments and providing safe access for military forces in dangerous places, made its first solo flight late last year, and it was deemed a success despite some unresolved conflicts with data sent by onboard sensors.

Posted on 03/17 at 3:28 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

Bot Smashes Rubik’s Record

March 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

The current human record by Feliks Zemdegs of 4.73 seconds has been smashed by a robot known as the “Sub1 Reloaded,” which solved the puzzle in a mere 637 milliseconds and 21 moves.

Posted on 03/17 at 2:18 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

LOCUST Swarm Coming

March 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

Another insect-inspired concept is the Low Cost UAV Swarming Technology. According to ONR officials, LOCUST can launch swarming UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to autonomously overwhelm an adversary.

Posted on 03/17 at 2:08 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

Sucking Up Flies

March 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

Robotic technology offers a new prospect for automated experiments and enables fly researchers to do several things they couldn’t do previously.

Posted on 03/17 at 12:11 pm



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LIDAR-on-a-Chip Developed

February 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

Some folks at MIT’s Photonic Microsystems Group are developing a LIDAR-on-a-chip system that is smaller than a dime, employs no moving parts, and can be mass produced in standard CMOS foundries for as little as $10 each.

Posted on 02/17 at 1:30 pm



Posted in: SERVO Blog

Patching Pinholes with SPIDERs

February 17  Jeff Eckert, Jenn Eckert

Lockheed has developed “Self-Propelled Instruments for Damage Evaluation and Repair” (SPIDERs) to inspect the helium envelope of its new hybrid airship for pinholes. Five or six of the maintenance bots can locate the holes and apply patches in roughly half the time of humans.

Posted on 02/17 at 11:52 am