Google’s self-driving car seems like a cool gadget on one hand, and it is, but I think many people don’t see the real benefit to this sort of technology. I think that self-driving cars hold the biggest potential benefit for people that can’t drive on their own for a multitude of reasons. Recently, a man named Steve Mahan, who happens to be blind, got to go for a ride in Google self-driving car. He said, “Where this would change my life is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things.”

This technology could really change lives for many people and I’m glad several states are working to approve the operation of these vehicles on public streets. Check out the video above to see Steve during his test drive – and a stop by Taco Bell for lunch.

[via LA Times]

The Truss Robot uses a gear system to maneuver along each truss, and can even move from one truss section to another on its own. It can move vertically or horizontally and can make 90 degree turns with ease. It can even flip itself over while riding on a beam, like some sort of robot gymnast. The robot can be programmed to grip onto the end of an adjacent beam which needs to be moved, unscrew it, and replace it into another location. You can get a better idea of how the Truss Robot works in the video below:

In theory, robots like these could be used to handle complex construction and assembly tasks which might be difficult for humans and traditional construction equipment. The truss robot was developed by Franz Nigl and Jeremy Blum under the direction of Dr. Hod Lipson.

Nevada has now approved the regulations that will govern the requirements for companies to test driverless cars on state roads within Nevada. The regulations also outline the license requirements for people and companies to operate the cars. The vision of Nevada is that someday taxis may not need drivers. That would certainly ensure that passengers aren’t getting ripped off by human drivers. If you’ve ever been in a Vegas cab, you know what I’m talking about. Another potential benefit for autonomous cars would be for those that can’t drive themselves due to medical conditions or physical disabilities. A car that needed no driver and still allow these people to be mobile and free would be fantastic.

Some of the basic components of the regulations include a $1 million to $3 million bond that would have to be put up to conduct testing in Nevada, depending on the number cars the company wants to test. Those wanting to test driverless vehicles in the state would also need to layout specific intentions and capabilities such as the ability to operate in fog, rain, snow. The cars would also need data collectors to capture and store sensitive data at least 30 seconds before a collision. That sort of data would help determine if the vehicle was at fault in the event of an accident.

[via DelawareOnline]

I prefer to be in control of my own car, so I don’t want this kind of stuff to be mandatory, but I vote we come up with some sort of idiot test and should you actually be an idiot you’re would be forced to have a highly-automated motor vehicle. BMWs idea isn’t like the fully-autonomous Google cars that drive with no human interaction, though. With BMW’s system, at any point along the way, you can take control and drive normally, but the car can handle many driving situations all on its own.

Built into a modified BMW Series 5, highly-automated mode is more along the lines of a fancy cruise control system that has radar, sonar, ultrasound, and other sensors built that can recognize when another vehicle is ahead of you and pass the other vehicle safely. The car will also recognize speed limits and not exceed that speed. Check out the video above to see highly-automated mode in action.

At this point, BMW has no plans to commercialize this capability, but will use the learnings from their research to help develop other improvements for vehicle safety systems.

[via Yahoo News]

Each precision flying ‘bot is capable of perfectly balancing itself, but their true power is in their ability to fly in formations, and even adjust to new 3-dimensional patterns on the fly and avoid obstacles autonomously. But enough talk – seeing 20 of these nano-quadrotors in action it is truly a sight to behold:

The way they all buzz around together, they’re reminiscent of an 1980s arcade shooter, aren’t they? I’m totally thinking Galaxian or Galaga. While each one is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, I still wouldn’t want to run into this swarm in a dark alley. There is serious power in numbers. We can only hope they don’t start adding weapons to them any time soon – and they don’t connect to Skynet.

The team programmed a group of their versatile flying quadrocopters to construct a 19+ foot-tall structure autonomously, with no human involvement whatsoever. Just a roomful of bricks, and a small army of flying robots.

While they still don’t know how to apply mortar between bricks, the system proves that robots can work in concert to build precise structures, without incident or error. And given physical limitations of the ‘bots, these small flying machines are only lifting lightweight (appx. 1 lb.) foam “bricks” for their building.

For the foreseeable future, these flying robots won’t be stealing any construction jobs, but it is possible that similar technology could someday improve worksite safety, leaving some of the more difficult and dangerous tasks to robots, or robotic assistants. If nothing else, they could probably beat us at a game of foam brick Tetris.

The Wave Gliders also are able to convert the up and down motion of the waves into energy for propulsion. Solar panels collect energy for on-board measurement equipment. All of the Wave Gliders are heading to Hawaii, where they’ll split up. Two will be heading for Japan and two will be going for Australia. In total, the four gliders will travel a combined 34,000 nautical miles during their 300 day journey.

The ‘bots are currently streaming data thanks to their on-board instruments in real-time, via the Iridium satellite network. Check out the data they’ve collected here.

Liquid Robots sells these ‘bots for about $200,000 (USD) to off-shore drilling companies to collect oceanographic data. Will these sort of autonomous oceanic drones be used for exploration and security in the future? Most likely. Hopefully they won’t rebel and try and take over the world.

[IEEE Spectrum via Make:]

I’ve read about robotic blimp drones before, for military usage and in science-fiction, but it’s somewhat odd to see the concept used like this. The blimp also keeps track of the weather and other data so that you can remember everything about the environment when you later view the footage on your favorite social networking site.

The SEED can also act as a personal navigation device, projecting directions to a location of choice, and then guiding you along the route.

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I’m sure that parts of this concept will be made or already exist, albeit for military purposes, in order to create a low-cost flying drone. Actually, you could probably SEED a theater of war with these to get full sensor coverage. It would probably be much cheaper than deploying satellites.

[via Yanko Design]

The search giant has created some awesome tech that allows the fleet of autonomous vehicles to drive and navigate without needing any input from a person. Google has been backing a bill in Nevada that has now been passed. The bill in question is Assembly Bill No 511 and it makes operating Google’s (and presumably other) driverless vehicles on Nevada state roads legal.

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That means drivers in Nevada may soon be passed by cars with no driver on their way to work. I bet most people will never notice since they are too busy reading, eating or texting anyway. The tech sounds cool, but I would like to see just how well it works and responds to random and unexpected emergencies like a deer or child suddenly running out in front of the car.

[via inhabitat]

The robot was designed to operate in disaster areas. It can climb down stairs, get over uneven ground, open doors and pick up objects. The Helios IX uses tracks but also its arms when it’s moving. It can be remote-controlled, but it can also operate semi-autonomously.

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The Helios IX is supposed to be water, dust, and radiation-proof, meaning that it will work well in all kinds of disaster or dangerous situations where humans can’t go. Without a doubt, Japan needs more of these robots now!

[via CrunchGear]

Kairos Autonomi showed off the Pronto4′s capabilities at the recently held Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International demonstration. The kit was installed on a pickup truck “fitted with a heavy weapon”, and it went through a maze, following waypoints. The folks at Popular Mechanics were kind enough to share the fun of seeing a vehicle drive itself:

The vehicle is steered by a ring of actuators, while the transmission and throttle are “controlled by lines from a main box”.  Like most of the awesome tech we’ve featured here, the Pronto4 is primarily for the military, so they can conduct night missions more easily, or allow one soldier to man the weapons while the vehicle takes care of the driving. Or they could install the kit for vehicles on patrol, and even put it on an expendable car for target practice.

So if you’re thinking of saving up to get your own Pronto4 so your vehicle can also be your designated driver, you’re out of luck. The kit isn’t sold to the public. Not yet anyway. Man, I can think of a dozen pranks that you can pull off with this kit. Viva technology!

It was made by David Cook (not the American Idol winner, though, it’s a different David Cook.) The process of making this bot is detailed, and I do mean detailed, on his website Robot Room.

You can see a really quick video of this robot vs. a block of wood (?!?!?!) below:

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Of course, the sadist in me wants to flip those pencils around and sharpen them to a point to make it a more stabby robot, but that would be more offensive than defensive, I suppose.

[via Make:]

According to Autonomous, Chaos is made for challenging jobs like explosive disposal, search and rescue, hauling gear and “other dull, dirty or dangerous tasks.” The robots self-correcting track system allow it to cover environments ranging from stairs, to gravel and rubble piles, to steep piles of debris.

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Since the robot also may be used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, it’s designed to produce virtually no motor or gear noise. The compact ‘bot weighs in at 120 pounds, and is designed for quick, modular repair and assembly in the field. The robot is designed to be able to carry additional payloads such as sensors and robotic arms.

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Chaos is designed to be controlled by a remote operator using their customizable Mobi remote control unit. The remote is a sophisticated, tablet PC-based device, with interchangeable controllers, such as joysticks, switches or scroll wheels. It’s designed to handle adverse environmental conditions such as wind, rain, dust and extreme temperatures.