cilinc.net » imitation

robot operated by chaos

maz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:08:00 +0000

The AMOS-WD06 is a biologically inspired six-legged walking machine that is able to adapt it’s behavior self-organized. The learning machanism is based on the chaos theory.

18 sensors drive 18 motors by means of a simple neural control circuit, thereby generating 11 basic behavioural patterns (for example, orienting, taxis, self-protection and various gaits) and their combinations. The control signal quickly and reversibly adapts to new situations and also enables learning and synaptic long-term storage of behaviourally useful motor responses. (Nature Physics)

Thanks to my friend Thomas for pointing me to this interesting aproach of modular neural control (via heise).
Surfing the edge of chaos is – at least imho mostly – a good driver for innovation.

through the eyes of a dragonfly

maz — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:24:08 +0000

Flapping its little wings 30 times per second
made of PET film, balsa wood and carbon
built by a research team from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands
with a total weight of 3.07 grams
equipped with a camera

It’s the world’s smallest camera plane – the DelFly Micro (found at technovelgy)!

Maybe James Bond should ask Q for that!

artificial skin from the conveyor belt

maz — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:54:01 +0000

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is now able to produce affordable synthetic skin with a new automation process.

credit: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

It’s an ”almost perfect copy of the human skin,” says Professor Heike Mertsching, one of the coordinators of Fraunhofer’s Automated Tissue Engineering on Demand project.
That system, to be made commercially available by the end of 2010, is expected to produce about 5000 skin “equivalents” per month, each with a diameter of roughly one centimeter, at an estimated cost of about €35 (US $49) per piece. (via iee spectrum)

Luckily my body is currently able to produce natural skin for free
To be honest: this could be a really great success for future transplantations because reportedly the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will be capable of producing synthetic skin with blood vessels by 2013.

R2-D2 arouses childhood memories

maz — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:09:41 +0000

A new DVD projector from Nikko was presented at the CES. It supports nearly all formats, has an integrated speaker system, an iPod docking station, numerous audio and video ins and outs, a card reader and a lot more such gimmicks. That’s all fine, but there is one thing that coaxes a smile out of me: the projector looks like the famous Star Wars robot R2-D2!

Credit: Nikko Home Electronics

And there is one additional thing that turns my legs to jelly: the remote control is designed as Millenium Falcon!

Credit: netzwelt

If you are a Stars Wars fan too, you’ll really enjoy Nikko’s R2-D2 website!

frog robot

maz — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:30:49 +0000

Engineers at the University of Tokyo built a robot that can leap like a frog. They describe it as follows: Mowgli’s artificial musculoskeletal system consists of six McKibben pneumatic muscle actuators including bi-articular muscle and two legs with hip, knee, and ankle joints. Mowgli can reach jump heights of more than 50% of its body height and can land softly.

[youtube Cgo7RZZqrXM nolink]

Astonishing!