Robot to read human thoughts

fMRI allows robot to read human thoughts remotely

The fMRI, known as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a machine that can perform unbelievable things like recording videos of your dreams, enlightening innovative skills during sleeping, etc. Now,Israeli researchers have used it in controlling a robot remotely through human thoughts.
The fMRI is capable of calculating theactivities of brain instantaneously by recognizing the blood flow changes. As it can sense changes, it has the potential to distinguish between the human thoughts like turn right, turn left, walk forward, etc. This is what the Israel researchers implemented on their experiment.
The fMRI machine reads the human thoughts in real time with the help of a distantly alarming degree of accuracy. The main advantage of this technology is that it doesn’t require moretraining like other brain-controlling methods. All you want to do is just think an image of a robot performing a work, and fMRI will capture those thoughts and make the robot to carry on the same.


A researcher at Israel thinks turn right or turn left or walk forward inside the fMRI machine, and these different thoughts are read and performed by a robot present thousand kilometers away from France. This astonishing performance is shown in the below video:

 CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

New face cloning method for robots

Disney invents a new face cloning method for robots

For long years, the robotics researchers have succeeded in developing humanoid robots, but failed in bringing the natural human faces and expressions. Therefore, Disney’s researchers at Switzerland have come out with a ‘face cloning’ technique, which provides the most realistic facial expressions to the animatronic robots.

This technique uses 3D Motion Capture Technology for scanning the person’s facial expressions. The scanned image is developed as a digital mesh, and later designed as an optimized model of the robot head. This results in describing various movements of robot, and sets the best points to place the artificial skin.

Disney’s research team has used silicone rubber skin with various thicknesses at specified areas. This helps the skin to make more realistic forms. The right position for placing the skin in the robot head is guided by the digital model. It also helps the head to move at least stretch and ensures the elongation of skin only happens at the thickest area.

A three-dimensional silicon mold is prepared after completing the design of skin and head. The resulting molded skin is then fixed to the motorized metal and plastic head. At last, the effort of all these processes brings a realistic human head for animatronic robots.

The cloned face is fairly larger when compared with the unique face. It is differed because to provide control for the robot’s movements. The researchers believe in bringing out a multi-layered skin in their next development, which could have high flexibility to control various movements.

Let us hope for the best, and wish the Disney research team to bring out their best in the near future.

 You can watch the process of Disney’s face cloning in the below video:

First female android

Alissa – Russia’s first female android

In this modern world, Android has been expected to be the future of robotics, and Neurobotics and Russia 2045 movement also expects the same to happen by 2045. A little impact of it is shown from the development of Alissa, which is considered as the Russia’s first realistic female android head. It was developed by Dmitry Itskov, and recently revealed by Russia 2045 movement.

A nice looking picture of Alissa is shown in the above image, and it looks realistic to a certain extent. The silicone mask has been developed by Neurobotics with eight points of articulationrather than 30 points (common on other android heads). These eight points are added only for the movement of the eyes and mouth.

Alissa has a wheel base at its bottom for mobility, and its head is located to a mannequin. The expressions of the face i.e. eyes and mouth are controlled by a standard game pad. It also has a basic Artificial Intelligence, which helps it to match the movement of mouth according to thewords spoken by a speech synthesizer.

Alissa is capable of streaming a video feed with the cameras placed at its eyeballs. The operator can use Skype for chatting with others in the Telepresence mode. It is still under early stages, and the company experiments the movement of robot base using operator thoughts with the help of EEG (Electroencephalography).

The below video shows you some of the mouth movements of Alissa:

Strong Limbed SCHAFT Robot

Strong Limbed SCHAFT Robot gets displayed

Is it possible to develop a robot with superhuman strength? Most of them will say yes, but it is not that much easy as we see in Hollywood films. To create a high-powered robot requires powerful electric motors, which are lacking for long years. Even Honda’s ASIMO is capable of picking up a few kilograms. It is estimated that adult robots have got one-tenth of strength than the average person.
SCHAFT Inc., a Japanese company has come out with its patented new actuator, which can make muscles of robots much stronger. They used a biped robot named HRP3L from Kawada Industries to test their Urata Leg. The Urata Leg incorporated a high-output capacitor powered water cooled motor system instead of standard servos. An inclusion of advanced bipedal control algorithms along with this system helped the robot to uphold its balanced when kicked.
A high voltage and high current liquid-cooled motor driver acts as the heart of this system, which is powered by a capacitor. The capacitor has the capability to supply the current, fast and consistent than the batteries. As a result, the electric motor gets the ability to provide high torque and high speed to the arm.
SCAFT Inc. will display their innovative motors in the DARPA Challenge. The company will start marketing their compact and powerful robot’s arm.