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Welcome to Cyber Dump number 60, your look at what's happening in this insane age of technology that we live in. All source links are below.
DRONES
The Open Source Robotics Foundation recently announced the Open Vision Computer, which is a vision guided system that allows drones to autonomously explore environments at pretty high speeds. They've put the source code and PCB designs on github which is cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMxgNf8cXkI
https://osrf.github.io/ovc/
https://github.com/osrf/ovc
In other drone news, a new burger delivery service has started in Iceland, which drops off your food by drone. Iceland's probably a perfect place for testing services like this, since it's so small. What's also cool is that delivery only costs $7, and orders can be fulfilled in literally 5 minutes.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/drones/are-delivery-drones-commercially-viable-iceland-is-about-to-find-out
https://www.aha.is/en/drone-delivery
Delft University in Holland has revealed the DelFly Nimble, a tiny flying robot, which mimics insect anatomy to create a super aerobatically capable mini beast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEhu-FePBC0
ROBOTICS
ETH Zurich have been working on a new version of their ANYmal robots, which it much more capable, having both wheels for rolling, and legs for walking and climbing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGLUsyx9Vvc
Toshiba have also introduced a new object picking robot, which can automatically recognize, pick and pack differently shaped objects, without ever seeing them, or having to learn their shapes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAvaedx5pig
CARIS Lab at the University of British Columbia have been developing a navigation system for robots in pedestrian heavy environments. It uses group surfing to follow people on the way to it's destination, basically outsourcing the object avoidance etc to the humans.
It reminds me of the little sanitation bots from Maniac Netflix series. Definitely check that out by the way if you haven't yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHhtYIkdxiw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zucJcaBnxWU
EXOSKELETONS
Researchers at the Wyss Insitute have developed a multijoint exoskeleton, for use by soldiers, firefighters, and other rescue workers. The system fits underneath a regular backpack, meaning users can still carry a full load. Testing indicates that the exoskeleton reduces the metabolic cost of walking by about 15%, which could be very useful in challenging environments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eab7y4z8I4M
https://wyss.harvard.edu/multi-joint-personalized-soft-exosuit-breaks-new-ground/
3D PRINTING
Nanyang Technology University in Singapore released a paper the other day, detailing their printing-while-moving 3D printing platform. The prototype shows the printer extruding cement, whilst moving along the floor. The eventual goal for the technique is for large scale printing, such as building construction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIbY00iTFwY
https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.07940
In other 3D printing news, scientists at the University of Minnesota have fully 3D printed an array of light receptors on a half dome glass surface, in a technique which they say could eventually lead to printable bionic eyes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2_zhpXZkS0
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adma.201803980
And as a sign of where personal 3D printing could be going, Mosaic launched the Palette Pro 2, a device which enables single extruder 3D printers to print in multiple colors and materials at once. The software automatically creates a multicolor profile for prints, then the device hardware turns the different filaments into a single strand of multicolor filament.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbFTxfx6TQE
https://www.3ders.org/articles/20180822-mosaic-manufacturing-launches-palette-2-for-multi-color-multi-material-3d-printing.html
VIRTUAL REALITY
Just over a week ago Oculus announced the Quest stand alone VR headset, which has hand tracking and 6 degrees of freedom built in, without the need for an external computer or tracking lights. Tested made a pretty in depth video if you want to learn more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAngb0wRZJM
Alaska Airlines has also began testing virtual reality as an add-on for first class customers recently, giving them access to a simpler snapdragon based headset that can run basic 2D and 3D video VR experiences. I can't imagine experiencing turbulence whilst in VR will feel good.
https://vrscout.com/news/alaska-airlines-first-class-vr/
And finally, HaptX released the development kit for their haptic VR glove. Described as an industrial-grade tool, these gloves are designed for training and simulation in work environments. I can't wait to see this kind of tech get smaller and become more ubiquitous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQw4GmFGVg
haptx.com
SUPPORT NODE
Alright that's it for this week. If you'd like to support NODE, check out the new shop, and pick up some unique stuff. More products will be added shortly. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next video.
https://N-O-D-E.shop
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BY NODE