Super-realistic Japanese robots are working in medical settings, as receptionists in offices, and as greeters in retail stores. They’re working on creating robots that can provide companionship to the elderly and therapy to infants. They can also work as TV anchors and as nurses, with a high level of customer satisfaction. These humanoid robots have… Read more »
How far is industrial motion control technology from a shared, collaborative platform that allows everyone to collaborate smoothly and turbo-boost new technologies? Here’s one way you can tell. Pick a term: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Industrial Internet Industry 4.0 They mean the same thing. In each case, we’re talking about increasing communication among machines… Read more »
Necrobotics is an odd new idea in robotics. This is not necrobiosis, which refers to the natural death of cells, but “necro” meaning death plus “botics” meaning robots. Robots made from dead creatures. In particular, spiders. Researchers at Rice came up with the term. They repurposed dead spiders as robot grippers. Why spiders? Spiders have… Read more »
Labor shortages are pushing companies into increased automation, which we’d say is a good thing. But we are also seeing increasing child labor violations in the United States, which is clearly a very bad thing. In 2021, the Department of Labor found 2,819 cases of children employed illegally, fining companies nearly $3.4 million. They’ve seen… Read more »
