On-demand robot delivery now available in Pleasanton, CA at Lucky California flagship store
SAN FRANCISCO (February, 2022) – Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, is now delivering groceries in the San Francisco Bay Area. Starship is expanding its partnership with The Save Mart Companies for the exclusive launch of an on-demand grocery delivery service at its Lucky California flagship store in Pleasanton, CA. Lucky is the first grocery store in the San Francisco Bay Area to partner with Starship.
Starship and The Save Mart Companies first partnered in September 2020, when the Save Mart flagship store in Modesto became the first grocery store in the U.S. to offer Starship robot delivery service. Since its launch, that store has expanded its delivery area to serve over 55,000 households. In Pleasanton, the service is launching to thousands of residents, with the delivery area expected to grow rapidly in the coming months, similar to Modesto.
“We are very pleased to bring the benefits of autonomous delivery to Pleasanton, in partnership with Lucky California,” said Ryan Tuohy, SVP of Sales and Business Development at Starship Technologies. “Since launching our service in Modesto in 2020, we’ve been excited to see the extremely positive reaction to the robots and how they were embraced as part of the local community. We think the residents of Pleasanton will appreciate the convenience and positive environmental impact of autonomous delivery and we fully expect the service area to quickly expand to more households.”
The robots, each of which can carry up to 20 pounds of groceries – the equivalent of about three shopping bags – provide a convenient, energy-efficient, and low-cost delivery alternative to driving to the Lucky California store, allowing shoppers to browse thousands of items via the secure Starship app for on-demand delivery straight to their home.
The robots travel autonomously – crossing streets, climbing curbs and traversing sidewalks – to provide on-demand delivery to shoppers. They often become local celebrities as community members share their robot selfies and “love notes” on social media.
“Since the debut of our contactless delivery service at the Save Mart flagship store, feedback from the Modesto community has been incredibly positive,” said Barbara Walker, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for The Save Mart Companies. “We are thrilled to expand this service to Lucky California in Pleasanton and offer a safe and efficient grocery delivery solution, along with some joyful entertainment, especially as the service area progressively expands over time..”
The Starship Food Delivery app is available for download on iOS and Android. To get started, customers choose from a range of their favorite groceries and drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. When an order is submitted, Lucky California team members gather the delivery items and carefully place them in a clean robot. Every robot’s interior and exterior is sanitized before each order. The customer can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, the customer receives an alert, and can then meet the robot and unlock it through the app.
Starship already offers its services in many parts of the EU, UK and the US in cities, university campuses and industrial campuses, with further expansion planned in the near future. Starship is able to do L4 deliveries everywhere it operates – entire cities and campuses. The robots have been operating at L4 since 2018. On a daily basis Starship robots will complete numerous deliveries in a row 100% autonomously, including road crossings. This is why the cost of a Starship delivery is now lower than the human equivalent, which is believed to be a world first for any robot delivery company, whereas most others are still majority human controlled and in pilot mode.
Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its zero-emission robots make more than 100,000 road crossings every day and have completed more than 2.5 million commercial deliveries and travelled more than 3 million miles (5 million+ kms) globally, more than any other autonomous delivery provider.
Sophie writes on behalf of Panda Security covering cybersecurity and online safety best practices for consumers and families. Specifically, she is interested in removing the barriers of complicated cybersecurity topics and teaching data security in a way that is accessible to all. Her most recent piece is on the evolution of robotic dogs and where they're headed next.
Robots have been a point of fascination and study for centuries as researchers and inventors have sought to explore the potential for automated technology. While there’s a long history of the development and creation of autonomous machines, mobile, quadrupedal robots — or four-legged robotic dogs — have seen a significant boom in the last few decades.
The development of quadrupedal robots stems from the necessity of mobile robots in exploring dangerous or unstructured terrains. Compared to other mobile robots (like wheeled or bipedal/two-legged robots), quadrupedal robots are a superior locomotion system in terms of stability, control and speed.
The capabilities of quadrupedal robots are being explored in a variety of fields, from construction and entertainment to space exploration and military operations. Today, modern robotic dogs can be purchased by businesses and developers to complete tasks and explore environments deemed too dangerous for humans. Read on for the evolution of robotic dogs and where they might be headed in the future.
1966: Phony Pony
Although it technically mirrored the form of a horse, the Phony Pony was the first autonomous quadrupedal robot to emerge in the U.S. that set the precedent for robotic dogs of the future. Equipped with electrical motors, the Pony Pony had two degrees of freedom, or joints, in each leg (the hip and the knee) and one adaptive joint in the frontal plane. The hip and knee joints were identical, allowing for both forward and backward walking movements.
The Phony Pony was capable of crawling, walking and trotting, albeit at a very slow speed. Thanks to its spring-restrained “pelvic” structure, it was able to maintain static vertical stability during movement. Since the Phony Pony was developed before the advent of microprocessors, it could only be controlled through cables connected to a remote computer in an adjacent building.
Developer: Frank and McGhee
Use: Initial research and development of autonomous quadrupeds
1999: AIBO
In the late 1990s, Sony’s AIBO — one of the most iconic and advanced entertainment robotic dogs — hit the market. While the AIBO (Artificial Intelligence RoBOt) was constructed for entertainment purposes, its machinery is still highly complex.
Developed with touch, hearing, sight and balancing capabilities, it can respond to voice commands, shake hands, walk and chase a ball. It can also express six “emotions”: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, dislike and surprise. Its emotional state is expressed through tail wagging, eye color changes and body movements, as well as through a series of sounds including barks, whines and growls. Today, the AIBO has been used across many research groups for the purpose of testing artificial intelligence and sensory integration techniques.
Developer: Sony
Use: Toys and entertainment
2005: BigDog
Boston Dynamics has become a leader in the world of robotics, specifically in their development of canine-inspired quadrupeds. Their first robotic dog, coined BigDog, arrived in 2005. Measuring three by two feet and weighing in at 240 pounds, BigDog was designed to support soldiers in the military. It can carry 340 pounds, climb up and down 35-degree inclines and successfully hike over rough terrains.
Each of BigDog’s legs has a passive linear pneumatic compliance — a system that controls contact forces between a robot and a rigid environment — and three active joints in the knees and hips. The robot is powered by a one-cylinder go-kart engine, and its dynamic regulating system allows it to maintain balance. Its movement sensors embrace joint position, joint force, ground contact, ground load and a stereo vision system.
In 2012, developers were still working to refine BigDog’s capabilities before plans to officially deploy it to military squads. However, the project was discontinued in 2015 after concluding its gas-powered engine was too noisy to be used in combat.
Developer: Boston Dynamics
Use: Assist soldiers in unsafe terrains
2009: LittleDog
Four years after BigDog came LittleDog, Boston Dynamics’ smallest quadrupedal robot to date. LittleDog was developed specifically for research purposes to be used by third parties investigating quadrupedal locomotion.
Each of LittleDog’s legs are powered by three electric motors fueled by lithium polymer batteries and have a maximum operation time of thirty minutes. LittleDog maintains a large range of motion and is capable of climbing, crawling and walking across rocky terrains. A PC-level computer placed on top of LittleDog is responsible for its movement sensors, controls and communications. It can be controlled remotely and includes data-logging support for data analysis purposes.
Developer: Boston Dynamics
Use: Research on locomotion in quadrupeds
2011: AlphaDog Proto
Continuing their efforts to develop military-grade robots, Boston Dynamics released AlphaDog Proto in 2011. Powered by a hydraulic actuation system, AlphaDog Proto is designed to support soldiers in carrying heavy gear across rocky terrains. It’s capable of carrying up to 400 pounds for as far as 20 miles, all within the span of 24 hours, without needing to refuel.
AlphaDog Proto is equipped with a GPS navigation and computer vision system that allows it to follow soldiers while carrying their gear. Thanks to an internal combustion engine, AlphaDog Proto proved to be quieter than its predecessor BigDog, making it more suitable for field missions.
Developer: Boston Dynamics
Use: Assist soldiers in carrying heavy gear over unsafe terrains
2012: Legged Squad Support System (LS3)
Boston Dynamics’ development of the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) came soon after the creation of BigDog in their efforts to continue refining their quadrupedal robots for soldiers and Marines. LS3 was capable of operating in hot, cold, wet and otherwise unfavorable conditions. It contained a stereo vision system with a pair of stereo cameras, which were mounted inside the robot’s head. This operated in conjunction with a light-detecting and ranging unit that allowed it to follow a soldier’s lead and record feedback obtained from the camera.
Compared to BigDog, LS3 was around 10 times quieter at certain times and had an increased walking speed of one to three miles per hour, increased jogging speed of five miles per hour and the ability to run across flat surfaces at seven miles per hour. It was also capable of responding to ten voice commands, which was a more efficient function for soldiers who would be too preoccupied with a mission to use manual controls.
Five years into development, LS3 had successfully been refined enough to be able to operate with Marines in a realistic combat exercise and was used to resupply combat squads in locations that were difficult for squad vehicles to reach. By 2015, however, the LS3 was shelved due to noise and repair limitations. While the Marines were ultimately unable to use the LS3 in service, it provided valuable research insights in the field of autonomous technology.
Developer: Boston Dynamics
Use: Assist soldiers in carrying heavy gear over unsafe terrains
2016: Spot
Spot is Boston Dynamics’ next creation in their line of quadrupedal robots, designed in an effort to move away from developing quadrupeds strictly for military use and instead move into more commercial use. Spot is significantly smaller than their previous models, weighing just 160 pounds. Spot is capable of exploring rocky terrains, avoiding objects in its path during travel and climbing stairs and hills.
Spot’s hardware is equipped with powerful control boards and five sensor units on all sides of its body that allow it to navigate an area autonomously from any angle. Twelve custom motors power Spot’s legs, gaining speed of up to five feet per second and operating for up to 90 minutes. Its sensors are able to capture spherical images and also allow for mobile manipulation for tasks such as opening doors and grasping objects. Spot’s control methods are far more advanced than Boston Dynamics’ earlier robots, allowing for autonomous control in a wider variety of situations.
Developer: Boston Dynamics
Use: Documenting construction process and monitoring remote high-risk environments
2016: ANYmal
While Boston Dynamics had been the main leader in quadrupedal robots since the early 2000s, Swiss robotics company ANYbotics came out with its own iteration of the robotic dog in 2016. Positioned as an end-to-end robotic inspection solution, ANYmal was developed for industrial use, specifically the inspection of unsafe environments like energy and industrial plants.
ANYmal is mounted with a variety of laser inspection sensors to provide visual, thermal and acoustic readings. Equipped with an on-board camera, it’s capable of remote panning and tilting settings to adjust views of the inspection site. ANYmal is capable of autonomously perceiving its environment, planning its navigation path and selecting proper footholds during travel. It can even walk up stairs and fit into difficult-to-reach areas that traditional wheeled robots can’t.
ANYmal has undergone a handful of development iterations since 2016 and is available for purchase as of 2021. ANYbotics is currently working on an upgraded version of the robot suitable for potentially explosive environments.
Developer: ETH Zurich and ANYbotics
Use: Remote inspection of unsafe environments
2021: Vision 60
One of the latest developments in quadrupedal robots is Ghost Robotics’ Vision 60 robotic dog, which has recently been tested at the U.S. Air Force’s Scott Air Force Base in Illinois as part of its one-year pilot testing program. Built to mitigate risks faced by Air Force pilots, Vision 60 features a rifle mounted on its back contained in a gun pod and is equipped with sensors that allow it to operate in a wide variety of unstable terrains. It’s also capable of thermal imaging, infrared configuration and high-definition video streaming.
Vision 60 can carry a maximum of 31 pounds and can travel at up to 5.24 feet per second. It’s considered a semi-autonomous robot due to its accompanying rifle; while it can accurately line up with a target on its own, it can’t open fire without a human operator (in accordance with the U.S. military’s autonomous systems policy prohibiting automatic target engagement).
Developer: Ghost Robotics
Use: Military and Homeland Security operations
2021: CyberDog
With more companies embracing the development of quadrupeds, Xiaomi Global followed suit and released their version named CyberDog. CyberDog is an experimental, open-source robot promoted as both a human-friendly companion and an asset by law enforcement and military. CyberDog is sleeker and smaller than its other robotic dog predecessors, carrying a payload of just 6.6 pounds and running over 10 feet per second.
CyberDog is equipped with multiple cameras and image sensors located across its body, including touch sensors and an ultra-wide fisheye lens. CyberDog can hold 128 gigabytes of storage and is powered by Nvidia’s Jetson Xavier AI platform to perform real-time analyses of its surroundings, create navigation paths, plot its destination and avoid obstacles. CyberDog can also perform backflips and respond to voice commands thanks to its six microphones.
By making CyberDog an open-source project, Xiaomi hopes to expand its reach into the future of robot development and innovation. Its open-source nature is meant to encourage robotics enthusiasts to try their hand at writing code for CyberDog, giving the project more exposure and bolstering Xiaomi’s reputation in the robotics community.
Developer: Xiaomi Global
Use: An open-source platform for developers to build upon
While the market for quadrupedal robots is still in its early stages, interest is steadily growing in a wide range of industries. As for fears of robots pushing out the need for traditionally human-led jobs, these machines are more intended to support humans alongside their jobs rather than replace them outright.
On the other hand, privacy concerns associated with robots aren’t to be ignored. As with any tech-enabled device, hacking is always possible, especially for open-source robotic models that can put users’ personal information at risk. This applies not only to the quadrupeds discussed above, but to more common commercial robotic systems like baby monitors, security systems and other WiFi-connected devices. It’s important to ensure your home network system is as strong and secure as possible with a home antivirus platform.
Mit dem Baukasten Robotics Smarttech (249,90 Euro, erhältlich ab August) steigt fischertechnik in die nächste Dimension der fahrbaren Roboter ein. Mit neuen Bauteilen lassen sich verschiedene Omniwheels-Fahrzeuge konstruieren, die sich in sämtliche Richtungen bewegen können. Auch weitere Modelle, wie ein Tanzroboter, lassen sich mit dem Baukasten für Robotics-Einsteiger bauen und programmieren. Im Baukasten enthalten sind der TXT Controller und die Software ROBO Pro.
Der Baukasten Robotics Smarttech ermöglicht einen Einblick in die Zukunft autonom fahrender Fahrzeuge. Der enthaltene RGB-Gestensensor erkennt Gesten in vier verschiedenen Richtungen, misst RGB-Farbwerte und Umgebungshelligkeit, kann als Näherungssensor eingesetzt werden und misst hierbei Abstände von bis zu 15 Zentimetern. Zusammen mit dem IR-Spursensor und dem Taster lassen sich so verschiedene spannende Fahrroboter bauen und programmieren, die darauf warten, von jungen Tüftlern und Entwicklern auf Erkundungstour geschickt zu werden.
Die Fahrzeuge sind mit einem komplett neuen Räderkonzept ausgestattet, wie es in der mobilen Robotik vorkommt. Die Omniwheels – oder Allseitenräder – ermöglichen ein platzsparendes Rangieren, indem die Fahrzeige seitlich oder diagonal fahren. Außerdem können sich die Fahrzeuge sogar auf der Stelle drehen. fischertechnik entwickelte hierfür extra belastbare, qualitativ hochwertige Bauteile, um die Funktionalität der vielseitigen Fahrzeuge gewährleisten zu können.
Ein weiteres attraktives Modell ist der Tanzroboter, der – einmal zusammengebaut und programmiert – lustige Bewegungen und Drehungen vollziehen kann.
Bevor diese anspruchsvolleren Modelle gebaut werden, können sich Anfänger an einfachen Konstruktionen versuchen. Das Demo-Modell erklärt das Grundprinzip, wie Motor und Taster programmiert und gesteuert werden können. Per Knopfdruck läuft der Motor für eine zuvor definierte Zeit, währenddessen bewegt sich eine Drehschreibe mit einer Grafik, die eine optische Täuschung hervorruft. Erfahrene Konstrukteure wagen sich an einen fahrbaren Roboter, mit dem verschiedene Fahraufgaben programmiert werden können.
Insgesamt können mit dem Baukasten neun verschiedene Robotics-Modelle gebaut und programmiert werden. Der Baukasten ist für Kinder ab 10 Jahren geeignet.
Sebastian from Robots-Blog was able to do a short interview with Annelie Harz from Wandelbots. Learn in the interview what Wandelbots is and why programming might soon become obsolete.
Robots-Blog: Who are you and what is your job at Wandelbots?
Annelie: My name is Annelie and I work as a marketing manager at Wandelbots.
Robots Blog: Which robot from science, movies or TV is your favorite?
Annelie: Wall-E, actually. A little robot that does good things and is just adorable.
Robots Blog: What is Wandelbots and where does the name come from?
Annelie: The name describes the CHANGE (german: „Wandel“) of RoBOTics. Because that is exactly what we do. We enable everyone to handle robots, which today is only reserved for a small circle of experts. Our long-term company vision is: „Every robot in every company and every home runs on Wandelbots“. And that promises big change on a wide variety of levels – starting for us with industry.
Robots Blog: Who is your product aimed at and what do I need for it?
Annelie: Our product is currently aimed at customers from industry. Here, our software – Wandelbots Teaching – can help with programming various applications such as welding or gluing without having to write a line of code. It is designed to be so simple and intuitive that really anyone can work with it to teach a robot a desired result. This works through the interaction of an app and an input device, the TracePen. This takes the form of a large pen with which users can draw a desired path for the robot on the component. But we also work together with educational institutions. They are the ones who train the next generation of robot experts. And in the long term, we are convinced – and this is already part of our vision – that robots will also find their way into private life as little helpers.
Robots-Blog: What feature is particularly worth mentioning?/What can’t anyone else do?
Annelie: Our product works robot manufacturer independent. In robotics, each manufacturer has developed its own proprietary programming language over the years. This makes communication between humans and machines very difficult. We, on the other hand, want to create a tool that allows any human to work with any robot – completely independent of programming language and manufacturer. Robotics should be fun for the user of our product. Thanks to the high usability and the operation of our app via iPad, this is already possible today. And over the next time, application-specific editions will be added to our platform – currently, for example, we are working on an app version for robot welding.
Robots Blog: Do I still need to learn programming at all?
Annelie: No. As I just explained, with this so-called no-code technology, you don’t need to learn programming anymore. It is simple, intuitive and user-friendly, even for laymen. Of course, you always need to have some basic understanding of robotics, especially for safety reasons. You should never underestimate the dangers posed by robots, which is why our product always works according to the respective manufacturer-specific safety specifications.
Annelie: Of course, shortly after entering the market, we first want to make robotics in the industry, for example the automotive sector, more flexible and easier. To do this, we are gradually integrating the largest robot brands into our platform. We will certainly also integrate smaller robot brands that cover one or more niches. Or – even better – thanks to our Robot Integration Software Development Kit, robot manufacturers will soon be able to do it themselves.
Robots Blog: How much does your product cost?
Annelie: Our product is offered via a licensing model as a subscription, as is common in the Software as a Service business, or also classically for purchase. The current prices for the different editions can be found on our website (and you will certainly find more exciting content there)
The following video has been uploaded to YouTube by tech vision. I think it has all the information you need about Boston Dynamics robots and is therefore a must-see.
500 ROBOTS is a 1 to 1 reproduction of a sketchbook that artist GABO began filling in May 2020 and finally completed in September 2020. The entire book was done straight to ink, meaning that he had little to no plan on what was going to be drawn! A lot of what you’ll find in this book will be robot sketches, but also includes a mess of random sci-fi mechanics and even a few mini-comics! The last two pages of the book explain some of the tools and techniques used while making it. Each page also includes annotations on the sides and bottom explaining my process and thoughts! This 52-page perfect-bound book is full color and measures 6″ x 4.5″.
Approximately $5M in Department of Defense funding dedicated to projects that advance the use of robotics to respond to current and future pandemics
September, 2020 – The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is pleased to announce the selection of nine technical projects that will be led by members of its national consortium to help with COVID-19 recovery. Special funding for this project call was provided by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
The ARM Institute is the nation’s leading collaborative partnership focused on industrial robotics and workforce innovation. ARM and its 260+ member organizations from industry, academia and government advance transformative robotic technologies and education for both commercial and defense industrial base needs to grow U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and supply chain resilience.
These projects address the needs of the manufacturing industry and the Department of Defense (DoD) in response to the national emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific applications of the selected projects have been identified by the Department of Defense as areas of urgency, such as diagnostics, medical care, medical countermeasures, non-medical personal protective equipment (PPE), and other supplies. The projects are explicitly linked to COVID-19 mitigation, demonstrating an ability for the United States and the Department of Defense to prevent, prepare for, and respond to this and future pandemics.
“The selection of these 9 projects shows that the ARM member ecosystem is joining the fight against this pandemic by developing robotic–related capabilities to assist DoD and commercial Industries,” said Dr. Greg Hudas, the DoD Program Manager for the ARM Institute.
ARM plans to award close to $5M in funding, for a total contributed investment of approximately $8M across these 9 projects, briefly described below:
Project Title: Autonomous Robotic Spraying and Disinfection in Warehouses & Shipyards
Principal Investigator: Siemens Corporation Corporate Technologies
Project Team: FedEx Corporation, Yaskawa Motoman
Description: Logistics and support operations have played a vital role in supporting the nation by supplying medical supplies and essential goods to millions of Americans. To control the spread of COVID-19 in these facilities, more frequent and reliable disinfection is required. This project will develop an autonomous warehouse disinfection system that can automatically navigate, locate, and disinfect heavily touched surfaces and potentially contaminated areas. This process will minimize the human role in potentially harmful disinfecting procedures while reducing costs.
Project Title: Automation of Characterization and Evaluation (ACE) in PPE Manufacturing
Principal Investigator: Northeastern University
Project Team: Merrow Manufacturing
Description: The quality assurance procedures for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as facemasks, is labor intensive and time consuming. Sample testing of PPE has become a priority not only in manufacturing plants but also at medical centers. The national labs providing validation testing for PPE are reporting lead times up to 75 days due to lack of qualified technicians and overwhelming volume of new requests. This project aims to develop a robotic system to automate the quality assurance tests for PPE inspection, thus improving the performance, productivity, and efficiency of PPE manufacturing in the United States.
Project Title: Built-By-Bot: Customized Mask Assembly using Robots
Principal Investigator: Siemens Corporation Corporate Technologies
Project Team: Henderson Sewing Machine Corporation, Sewbo Inc, Bluewater Defense, Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC)
Description: The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has identified cloth masks as playing a vital role in slowing the spread of COVID-19, but the supply has not been able to keep up with the demand. Robotic sewing presents a technical challenge because it requires the manipulation of flexible materials, fine motor control, and precise part recognition. This project will build upon the outputs from other ARM projects to automate the robotic production of cloth face masks for personal protective equipment (PPE).
Project Title: Mobile Autonomous Industrial Disinfector (MAID)
Principal Investigator: Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories
Project Team: GrayMatter Robotics, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Lockheed Martin Rotary Mission Systems
Description: Due to the rapid transmutability of COVID-19, frequent surface disinfection is required for businesses and workspaces to operate safely. The current method of manual cleaning is not ideal because it puts another person into the space who could get sick or transmit the virus. This project will develop an autonomous mobile robot with a mounted collaborative multi-axis robotic arm capable of manipulating both a disinfection system and a sensor suite. The system will identify areas that need disinfecting, execute the disinfecting process, and keep records of the cleaning tasks completed.
Project Title: Rapid PPE Production through Automation & Robotics (RAPPAR)
Principal Investigator: Siemens Corporation Corporate Technologies
Description: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the global health care supply chain. At the beginning of the pandemic, U.S manufactures were unable to meet the significant demand for Personal Protective Equipment, resulting in shortfalls and long lead times. This project will improve existing automated mask production in the US by including robotic automatic visual inspection, picking-and-sorting, and end-of-line packing and palletizing.
Project Title: Autonomous Mobile Capability for Room Disinfecting Robots
Principal Investigator: QinetiQ North America
Project Team: MassRobotics
Description: Schools, offices, military bases, and manufacturing floors need to be disinfected between shifts to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The Decon–X (DX1) disinfecting system has proven its effectiveness in Europe, but currently lacks the mobility and autonomy to disinfect spaces without an operator. An automated solution is required to ensure workers return to a COVID-free environment each day. This project is aimed at adding mobile autonomous capabilities to the DX1 room disinfection system to automate the consecutive treatment of multiple rooms and spaces within workplaces. The addition of mobility and autonomous navigation to the DX1 will enable the robot to move from room to room and perform a series of treatments with little to no human intervention.
Description:While many tests for COVID-19 have been developed, the U.S still has not reached the scale necessary for effective management and control. COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests have long turnaround times (2-3 days for lab results). Rapid development of COVID-19 Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) tests would dramatically aid the United States’ efforts towards large-scale testing for current and future pandemics. LFA test strip evaluation requires at least two technicians – one to run the assay and one to interpret results using analyzers that image and quantify individual strips. This project will develop a solution utilizing advanced vision systems and flexible robots to accelerate LFA test development by automating LFA test-strip evaluation.
Project Title: Swarm Robotics for Large Structure Manufacturing
Principal Investigator: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Project Team: Air Structures American Technologies Inc
Description: COVID-19 has highlighted the urgent need to rapidly deploy negative pressure spaces. These air supported structures are rapidly deployable with performance advantages over traditional tents, and are ideal for use as expeditionary hospitals, quarantine facilities, housing, and other disaster relief or military applications. Production of these structures is labor-intensive but can be expedited with the development of robotic technology to aid manufacturing personnel with moving and manipulating heavy, flexible materials. This project aims to solve the problem of moving and manipulating a large, heavy, flexible material over a large area by developing a fleet of self-aware, human-directed robotic platforms to take on the hard work of moving the material around the production floor. This manufacturing technology will help team member Air Structures American Technology Inc (ASATI) produce a “hospital in a shipping container” that can be set up in a parking lot with a crew of 8-10 and a forklift in only 72 hours. ASATI will be able to reduce cost and manufacturing lead times of these critical structures through the implementation of this development.
Project Title: Robotic Application of Anti-Microbial Copper Coatings
Principal Investigator: Siemens Corporation Corporate Technologies
Project Team: VRC Metals System
Description: Copper-coated surfaces rapidly kill coronaviruses like COVID-19, but these have not been widely manufactured due to low demand. However, the pandemic has highlighted the need for self-disinfecting surfaces. Robotic cold spraying of copper will enable rapid production to meet the new demand. Wide adoption of copper-coated surfaces will reduce the spread of COVID-19 without the need for frequent cleaning. The robotic application of copper coating will improve the manufacturability of these parts. This project will develop a robotic anti-microbial copper application system (cold spray), integrating a scanner and developing an automated path generation and QA tools to apply the copper coating to components like a doorknob, hospital bench, cart, handrail, etc.
ABOUT ARM PROJECTS
ARM receives funding from the United States Department of Defense and other government agencies to manage programs that develop, demonstrate, and accelerate the early adoption of novel robotic technology and workforce development solutions to:
Assert U.S. leadership in advanced robotics for manufacturing
Empower American workers to be cost-competitive with low-wage workers abroad
Lower the technical, operational, and economic barriers to adopt robotics technologies
Aid in the creation of new jobs to secure U.S. national prosperity.
ARM works collaboratively with the government and Institute members to identify areas of need in robotics and workforce development. ARM projects require at least one industry organization participant on each project to ensure that the outputs are relevant, applicable, and impactful. The projects are selected by a team of ARM members and partners spanning government, industry, and academia. Only ARM members can participate in projects. Email [email protected] to learn about membership.
ARM Institute Annual Member Meeting
Join us October 13-15, 2020 for our Annual Member Meeting! Registration is free and open to ARM Members only. The Annual ARM Member Meeting is our cornerstone event and brings together representatives from across 260 member organizations for three days of high-energy engagement and information sharing. Spanning industry, government, and academia, our event highlights important solutions in robotics and workforce development to strengthen U.S. manufacturing for the defense and commercial industrial bases. Email [email protected] for more information.
New LEGO® Star Wars™ BOOST Droid Commander set lets fans build, code and play with three iconic Star Wars droids – whether they’re a young Padawan or Jedi Master
May 4, 2019: Today, the LEGO Group unveils the latest addition to its much-loved Star Wars™ range – and it’s something even Yoda’s Force sense didn’t see coming. The new LEGO Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander set offers all the creativity and coding fun of LEGO® BOOST alongside the chance to build three of the film franchise’s most iconic droids: R2-D2; the Gonk Droid; and the Mouse Droid.
It’s the first time the intuitive drag-and-drop LEGO BOOST coding technology has been used in a LEGO licensing product. With the technology overhauled to match the LEGO Star Wars galaxy, the result is a whole new play experience in which kids and parents can team up to build, code and play with the droids, then create their own Star Wars stories and battlegrounds with inspiration from 40+ interactive missions. What’s more, every time they play with this LEGO Star Wars brick galaxy of lovable droids, they will also be honing their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) skills, which are ever more important for children in today’s digital world.
Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer, LEGO Group, said: “We’ve been fuelling the imagination of young Padawans and Jedi Masters for twenty years and wanted to take the Force to a new level. By introducing LEGO BOOST and creative coding into the LEGO Star Wars galaxy, kids now have the chance to develop essential 21st century skills while immersing themselves in the amazing world of Droid Commanders. Our children are the problem solvers of tomorrow and STEAM skills will be essential to help them conquer the challenges of the future.”
The LEGO Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander set is the latest example of how the LEGO Group is using product innovation to help boys and girls gain vital STEAM skills like creativity, critical-thinking, problem-solving and communication – all while enjoying the thrill of playing with their favourite LEGO Star Wars characters.
Launching globally September 1, 2019 just in time to mark the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, all three droids (R2-D2, Gonk Droid and Mouse Droid) included in the set are great fun to build, code and play with, and completely customisable for every child.
The set includes a color & distance sensor, interactive motor, Bluetooth (Move Hub) and 1,177 pieces – enough to build all three lovable R2-D2 robot, Gonk Droid and Mouse Droid, each coming with their own personalities, skills, and authentic Star Wars sounds and music. It will be age graded 8+ and the recommended retail price will be $199,99/€199,99.
R2-D2 measures over 7” (20cm) high and 5” (14cm) wide. LEGO® Gonk Droid measures over 7” (18cm) high, 3” (9cm) wide and 6” (16cm) long. LEGO Mouse Droid measures over 5” (14cm) high, 3” (9cm) wide and 6” (17cm) long.
Free LEGO® BOOST Star Wars™ app is available for selected iOS, Android and Fire smart devices. Using the app, young commanders can build the droids, insert the Bluetooth-controlled Move Hub into the droid they want to see solve each of the 40+ missions, and bring it to life using the intuitive drag-and-drop coding environment.
About the LEGO Group: The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.
The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”.
Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 140 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com
