"Robot That Moves Like a Person"

The first machine to move in a biologically accurate way.

—Theresa Klein, an engineer at Orbital Sciences Corporation, created Achilles while she was a graduate student at the University of Arizona

"Our robot, named Achilles, is the first to walk in a biologically accurate way. That means it doesn’t just move like a person, but also sends commands to the legs like the human nervous system does.
Each leg has eight muscles—Kevlar straps attached to a motor on one end and to the plastic skeleton on the other. As the motor turns, it pulls the strap, mimicking the way our muscles contract. Some of Achilles’ muscles extend from the hip or thigh to the lower leg so they can project forces all the way down the limb. This allows us to put most of the motors in the hips and thighs. Placing them up high keeps the lower leg light, so that it can swing quickly like a human’s lower leg.

In people, neurons in the spinal column send out rhythmic signals that control our legs. It’s like a metronome, and sensory feedback from the legs alters the pace. Your brain can step in to make corrections, but it doesn’t explicitly control every muscle, which is essentially why you can walk without thinking about it. For our robot, a computer program running off an external PC controls movement in a similar way. With each step, the computer sends a signal to flex one hip muscle and extend the other. The computer changes the timing of those signals based on feedback from the legs’ load and angle sensors. A similar control system handles the lower muscles.

Modeling human movement has applications outside of robotics. It could also help us understand how people recover after spinal-cord injuries, for example. But our robot is still a very simplified model—it has no torso and can’t handle complex terrain. Initially, we also had a problem with its feet slipping. We thought about different types of rubber to give its feet more grip but eventually realized a solution already exists. Now, the robot wears a pair of Keds.” -Theresa Klein

 

These Beautiful Nano-Rainbows Could Make Better TVs

It's difficult to manage color when you get to the nanoscale, but researchers from King's College London have found a way to trap light on nanostructures. Based on the shape of the structure, they can capture a rainbow created on gold film that's 100 times smaller than a human hair. Unlike a real rainbow, then, researchers can manipulate the structure to control where the colors show up. 

Jean-Sebastien Bouillard, a co-author of the study, wrote this in a statement:- "The effects demonstrated here will be important to provide 'colour' sensitivity in infrared imaging systems for security and product control. It will also enable the construction of microscale spectrometers for sensing applications."

So this type of research could eventually help us improve a bunch of tools that deal with light, from TV to solar cells.

 Until that happens, enjoy the beautiful results. 

Media Cup

The Media Cup is an ordinary coffee cup augmented with sensing, processing and communication capabilities (integrated in the cup's bottom), to collect and communicate general context information in a given environment. It is an example how to equip everyday objects with computing and communication capabilities. With the MediaCup setup (consisting of several cups and other equipment) we explore the added value of computerized everyday objects. The MediaCup demonstrator is used since Sept., 1999 in an everyday setup (used by non-experts also). 

The MediaCup is original designed an research artifact, but today turns out to be a good demonstration example to explain the principles and use of the research area "ubiquitous computing" in general.

The bottom of the MediaCup is made of rubber, that can be separated from the rest of the Cup. The electronic of the MediaCup is integrated into this rubber bottom; this electronic can be taken away before putting the cup into the dishwasher. To supply the cup with energy a wireless energy recharge system is used that transfer energy to the integrated rechargeable battery system. To recharge the MediaCup, the Cup is placed to a special sauce; a 15 minute recharging cycle allows to run the MediaCup for about 10 hours.
The electronic in the cup senses how the cup is used (e.g. if some one drinks out of the cup) and the temperature. This information is then communicated to other computerized objects in the room (e.g. a coffee machine or a Web server). Programs running on these objects use this data to support the human using these systems.

Hardware  The MediaCup hardware environment consists of the MediaCup, an IrDA compatible infrared network and and a wireless recharging unit to supply MediaCups with energy. MediaCup-electronic complete electronics integrated into the rubber bottom of the cup collects sensor data: acceleration, movement, temperature evaluates sensor data, knows about its state. E.g. the MediaCup knows if someone drinks, if someone plays with the cup or if the cup stands on the desk behaves according to knowledge about its state, e.g. powers down; communicates state to backbone network used in the TecO lab as everyday cups, no special knowledge or behaviour needed unobtrusive wireless recharing communication through infrared (IrDA encoding) either with backbone infrared network or with Laptop or PC with IrDA interface unpersonalized because cup electronics change at every cup "washing interval" but: every cup contains a unique IPv4 adress Microprocessor: Arizona Microchip PIC16F84 at 4 MHz (V1.2) or 1 MHz (V1.3) Communication: IR-LED: Siemens SFH409-s (V1.2), H-P HSDL 4420 (V1.3) Temperature Chip: Dallas Semiconductor DS1621 Acceleration: ADXL202AQC (V1.2), 1 button & 3 ball switches (V1.3) Power: Lithium (V1.2) lifetime: 2-3 weeks; 2F Panasonic GoldCap 5.5V (V1.3) lifetime: min. 6 hours, average 10 hours Recharging: Wireless (V1.3) via induction; recharging time max. 15 min Power consumption: normal:<2mA, sleep: 1µA  Infrared Network and CAN node (IrC R(2)) builds the wireless communication backbone for MediaCups receives IrDA encoded IR signals and transmits them allows IrDA capable devices (PDAs, Laptops, etc.) to communicate e.g. to surf the Web network nodes are interconnected through a CAN bus very low cost, easy to set up, self healing backbone communication wired through twisted pair cable (TP4) containing data & power lines CAN network is connected to the backbone network (e.g. ethernet/Internet) through a PC (either through a CAN card or via serial communication) every CAN node knows about his location allows a 1.5x1.5m^2 IR footprint and a max. range of 2 m IR operates at 19200 bit/s CAN throughput depend on network size Wireless Recharger allows to wireless recharge MediaCups uses induction (ultrasonic frequency) operates at 18 V almost as small as a saucer replaces "normal" cup saucers, providing an unobrusive way to reload cups