Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, researchers have developed a new type of soft robot that is capable of moving more quickly on a solid surfaces or in the water than previous generations of soft robots. The new soft robotics are also capable of grabbing objects delicately — or with sufficient strength to lift heavy objects. “Cheetahs are the fastest creatures on land, and they derive their speed and power from the flexing of their spines,” says Jie Yin, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina…
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Meet Chirag Chopra, the Delhi developer whose biggest Possession is a game on Apple Arcade !!
“In my childhood, we weren’t financially strong. But then things started changing when we started buying sometimes useful, sometimes luxury objects. That’s where the name ‘Possessions’ comes from…our possessions tells us what we are.” Chirag Chopra, the 27-year-old founder of Lucid Labs, the only Indian developer to make it to Apple Arcade, is a matter of fact on why his game is called Possessions. The word ‘Possession’ has deep philosophical meaning, says Chopra, adding he decided to name the game thus because it tells us how successful or financially independent we…
Read MoreTracing app challenge, Innovation Awards and more: best of the week’s news !!
In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, South Korea had the worst outbreak outside China of Covid-19. The government seized data and immediately put together and implemented a test-and-trace system. This country of 51 million people has recorded 273 deaths to date, with only a couple in the last five days. The UK has a population of nearly 67 million – 31% more than South Korea – and has a recorded a death toll of 40,000 (although there are another 20,000 over the seasonal average that are unaccounted for)…
Read MoreTech walks the ramp in fashion makeover !!
The phone’s has been ringing off the hook for Meghna Saraogi, cofounder of Styledotme, a tech solution that caters primarily to jewellery companies. Most of her clients, sixth or seventh-generation jewellers, have traditionally been secretive about jewellery catalogues. But Covid-19 has changed everything. “It’s much easier to sanitise an iPad on which people can virtually try on jewellery rather than every single piece after it’s tried on. Contactless selection and try-ons will be the next big thing,” said Saraogi, whose client list includes big names such as Tanishq and Hazoorilal Jewellers….
Read MoreGovernment issues draft rules for manufacturing, using drones !!
The Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday issued draft rules for making and using drones in the country, proposing that an authorised manufacturer or importer can sell its devices only to an individual or entity approved by the aviation regulator DGCA. The draft rules have been issued at a time when the use of drones has increased due to a coronavirus lockdown, for purposes like surveillance, disinfection & videography. The rules said each drone importer, manufacturer, trader, owner and operator will need to take the approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation….
Read MoreRenewable electricity costs plummet, rendering coal uneconomical !!
The cost of electricity generated from renewables plunged in 2019, making fossil fuel plants increasingly uneconomically, a report has claimed. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said that more than half of the renewable capacity added in 2019 achieved lower power costs than the cheapest new coal plants. On average, new solar and onshore wind power cost less than keeping many existing coal plants in operation and auction results show this trend accelerating. IRENA said this “reinforced” the case to phase-out coal entirely. Next year, up to 1,200 Gigawatts (GW)…
Read MoreResearchers Enhance Naural Movement in Robotics Using AI !!
Reliable environmental is in context prediction is critical for wearable Robotics solutions, such as prosthetics, to assist with the terrain-adaptive locomotion. This is because lower-limb robotic prosthetics need to be execute different behaviors depending on where the user is walking and what the terrain is like. “The framework we’ve created allows the AI in Robotic prostheses to predict the type of terrain users will be stepping on, quantify the uncertainties associated with that prediction, and then incorporate that uncertainty into its decision-making,” said Edgar Lobaton, co-author of the team’s paper and…
Read MoreA Robot Walks Into a Bar, Helps Make a Cocktail !!
One Robot makes cocktails from 25 bottles hanging upside-down from the ceiling, another carves perfect ice balls in the fraction of the time it takes a human with a knife and an ice pick. Robo-bartenders are shaking up South Korea’s cafe and bar culture as the country transitions from intensive to make social distancing to what the government calls “distancing in daily life.” And they look snazzy doing it too. In a tailored vest and bow tie, six-foot-tall Cabo narrates his actions as he carves ice for a whisky on…
Read MoreRobot enforces health measures as South Korea relaxes social distancing!!
The robot was jointly developed by SK Telecom and industrial automation specialist Omron Electronics in South Korea. It is intended to help enforce remaining public health measures to help prevent the transmission of Covid-19, such as temperature checks & enhanced hygiene. The upright white robot is equipped with cameras and an LED screen to show thermal images and transmits data in a real-time over SK Telecom’s 5G network. In a demonstration at the headquarters of SK Telecom, the robot greeted visitors, dispensed hand sanitiser and disinfected its surroundings using disinfectant…
Read MoreSalto Jumping Robot Masters Pinpoint Landings!!
One of the things that we love about the UC Berkeley’s Salto jumping robot is just how much better it gets, year after year. And these changes aren’t just incremental—the little robot’s capabilities seem to improve by leaps and bounds, as it were. The latest upgrade, presented at Virtual ICRA 2020 this week, it is particularly impressive, since Salto has learned how to very precisely stop jumping exactly where you want it to. As far as we know, the best way of getting Salto to stop jumping without destroying itself has been for someone with exceptional…
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