Video Friday is your weekly selection of great robotics videos, collected by your friends on IEEE Spectrum robotics. We’re also posting a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.
IROS 2022: October 23–27, 2022, KYOTO, JAPAN
ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals: November 4-5, 2022, LOS ANGELES
CoRL 2022: 14–18 December 2022, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Enjoy today’s videos!
Until robots reach 100% autonomy (HA), humans will need to intervene from time to time, and Contoro is developing an intuitive, remote human intervention system.
[ Contoro ]
Thank you Youngmok!
A year-long update of our ongoing project with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and RMUS Canada to investigate the capabilities of the Boston Dynamics Spot robot for autonomous inspection and first response in the energy sector. Highlights of the project’s first year, featuring the work of Ph.D. student Christopher Baird, include autonomous elevator driving and autonomous door opening (including card access doors power of attorney) as part of Autowalks, as well as stand-alone firefighting.
[ MARS Lab ]
Teams involved in DARPA’s Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) program have experience under their belts and will focus on even more challenging off-road landscapes in Camp Roberts, Calif., September 15-27. The program aims to give unmanned combat vehicles off-road autonomy while moving at speeds that keep pace with those driven by people in realistic situations.
[ DARPA ]
Tool use has long been a feature of human intelligence, as well as a practical problem to solve for a wide range of robotic applications. But machines still struggle to exert the right amount of force to control tools that aren’t rigidly attached to their hands. To manipulate said tools more robustly, researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), in collaboration with the Toyota Research Institute (TRI), designed a system capable of grabbing tools and apply the appropriate amount of force for a given task. , like wiping up a liquid or writing a word with a pen.
[ MIT ]
Cornell researchers have installed electronic “brains” on solar-powered robots ranging in size from 100 to 250 micrometers, so that the tiny robots can walk autonomously without being controlled from the outside.
[ Cornell ]
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed flexible devices containing algae that glow in the dark when subjected to mechanical stresses, such as being crushed, stretched, twisted or bent. The devices require no electronics to power up, making them an ideal choice for building soft robots that explore deep seas and other dark environments, the researchers said.
[ UCSD ]
Thank you Lizel!
Our robotaxi is designed to withstand a range of temperatures to ensure that the vehicle, and most importantly, its drivers, never get too hot or too cold…no matter the weather. Learn more about our thermal tests in the latest episode of Putting Zoox to the test.
[ Zoox ]
Thanks Whitney!
Skydio drones will do a great job of keeping you in the frame no matter what.
[ Skydio ]
With the accelerated urbanization in the world, the development and utilization of underground space is important for economic and social development, and the survival of people’s lives is important to all of us. The Huzhou Research Institute of Zhejiang University has assembled a team of robots to lead an adventure of exploring an unknown underground environment in the Yellow Dragon Cave. DEEP Robotics participates in this party of passionate robots and tries their hand at underground challenges, also teams up with the drone team (air-to-ground robot) to seek new collaborations.
[ Deep Robotics ]
The title of this video is “Ion Propulsion Drone Proves Commercial Viability”, but that seems like a huge leap from a 4.5 minute flight to the 15 minute flight with a large payload that would be needed for delivery of the last kilometer.
[ Undefined Technologies ]
Welcome to this week’s edition of “How Much Can You Cram Onto a Husky?”
[ Clearpath ]
In the Nanocopter AI Challenge, the teams demonstrated the AI they developed for Bitcraze AB’s Crazyflie nanocopters to avoid vision-based obstacles at increasing speeds. The drones flew through our “Cyberzoo”, dodging a series of obstacles, from walls to poles and artificial plants. Drones were primarily scored on how far they traveled in the time limit, but could earn extra points by flying through gates as well.
[ IMAV ]
Watch this drone deliver six eggs to an empty field!
Sorry, I shouldn’t be so sarcastic, but I’m still not sold on the urban drone grocery delivery thing.
[ Wing ]
Flexiv is pleased to announce the release of its ROS 2 driver to provide a better robot development experience for customers.
[ Flexiv ]
Northrop Grumman has been at the forefront of new underwater capabilities for more than 50 years. Manta Ray, a new unmanned underwater vehicle, which takes its name from the huge “winged” fish, will have to be able to carry out long-duration and long-range missions in oceanic environments without the need for a human logistical support on site. unique but important mission needed to deal with the complex nature of submarine warfare.
[ Northrop Grumman ]
Unique footage of drones that aren’t afraid to get a little wet.
[ Blastr ]
People tend to trust sophisticated computing devices too much, especially those powered by AI. As these systems become more fully interactive with humans when performing daily activities, ethical considerations in deploying these systems need to be more carefully considered. In this talk, we will discuss various forms of human overconfidence in these intelligent machines and possible ways to mitigate the impact of biases in our interactions with them.
[ Columbia ]
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s success in landing the low-cost Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997 was seen as proof that spacecraft could be built more often and for far less money – a dramatic cultural shift that NASA called “Faster, Better, Cheaper”. JPL’s next challenge was to fly two missions to Mars for the price of the single Pathfinder mission. Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander both reached the launch pad, on time and on budget, but were lost upon arrival on Mars, resulting in one of the most difficult times in the world. history of JPL. “The Breaking Pointtells the story of the demise of these two missions and the abrupt end of NASA’s “Faster, Better, Cheaper” era.
[ JPL ]
