DuoSkin | Temporary Tattoo to Control Connected Interfaces

Microsoft Research and MIT Media Lab recently introduced a new product called DuoSkin. DuoSkin is basically a temporary tattoo that will allow you to control connected interfaces. For example, you can use it to control a game or even your smartphone. Additionally, you can use DuoSkin as an NFC tag, which you can easily use with your smartphone.

For more information: DuoSkin

Support Group for Bots: Coping with Humans

IBM Watson is a cognitive system that''s ushering in the new era of cognitive business. Recently, a group of battered science fiction bots spoke about their yen to take over the world and their dislike for working with humans. Unlike them, Watson works with humans to out-think competitors, challenges, limits.

Robots in our Brains

Google's Director of Engineering, Ray Kurzweil, predicts that humans will be hybrid robots by 2030.

That is when nanobots will be implanted into our brains so we can expand our intelligence by directly tapping into the Internet.

Hybrid robots, we understand that.

"Luke Arm" Receives FDA Approval

After nearly eight years of development and testing, this robotic arm for amputees has been approved for commercialization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The "Luke Arm," whose official name is DEKA Arm System, is one of the most advanced robotic prostheses ever built. Its creators nicknamed it the "Luke Arm," after Luke Skywalker’s ultra-advanced bionic limb.

What makes the DEKA Arm unique is that it can carry out multiple, simultaneous powered movements, and its wrist and fingers can adjust its positions to perform six different user-selectable grips. In addition, force sensors let the robotic hand precisely control its grasp.

via IEEE SPECTRUM

Holovision: Life Size Hologram

via KICKSTARTER

DARPA Robotic Challenge

The DARPA Robotic Challenge will focus on developing robots that can operate in rough terrain and austere conditions, using aids (vehicles and hand tools) commonly available in populated areas. Specifically, proving that the following capabilities can be accomplished:

1. Compatibility with environments engineered for humans (even if they are degraded)
2. Ability to use a diverse assortment of tools engineered for humans (from screwdrivers to vehicles)
3. Ability to be supervised by humans who have had little to no robotics training.

Supervised autonomy is critical, as it allows simple tasks to be performed by the robot without full-time operator intervention. This will be especially important in unreliable communications environments.

DARPA-Developed Tools:
DRC Simulator: To facilitate robot software development, DARPA is developing an open source simulation tool: the DRC Simulator. The Simulator will be populated with models of robots, robot components, and field environments and will be made available to organizations skilled in robotic software development. This simulator will help to expand the supplier base for ground robot systems (both hardware and software), increase capabilities, and in the future will help lower acquisition costs.

Atlas: The most successful teams (Track B and C) in the Virtual Robotics Challenge will be given a humanoid robot called Atlas. Atlas is one of many robots being developed to complete the physical tasks planned for the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials and Finals events, and requires software expertise to program the robot to accomplish the objectives.

Robot Touch Screen

Microsoft Research's prototype of a haptic feedback touch screen called TouchMover.

Researchers uploaded a full set of MRI brain scans and demoed how doctors might scroll through them and annotate specific slides. And with some additional programming, the researchers could also make the TouchMover provide haptic feedback based on the material properties and texture of the skull bone and pulpy brain tissue, making the screen feel like palpating an actual brain.

BlabDroids

BlabDroids, (little robot cameras), filming their own documentary, asking questions of whoever decides to pick them up and chat with them:

Digits: A Wrist-Worn Gloveless Sensor

From Oct. 7 to 10 in Cambridge, Mass., Microsoft researchers attending UIST 2012; the 25th Association for Computing Machinery Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology; will be sharing projects and ideas with an international gathering of scientists and practitioners focused on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

Microsoft Research’s work in "HCI" helps the company achieve its long-term vision of creating intuitive interfaces that not only revolutionize interactions between humans and computers, but that also empower people from of all walks of life. Digits is one of several research projects presented during UIST 2012 that help further this vision.

Mobility always has been one of the research team’s goals. To enable ubiquitous 3-D spatial interaction anywhere, Digits had to be lightweight, consume little power, and have the potential to be as small and comfortable as a watch. At the same time, Digits had to deliver superior gesture sensing and “understand” the human hand, from wrist orientation to the angle of each finger joint, so that interaction would not be limited to 3-D points in space. Digits had to understand what the hand is trying to express, even while inside a pocket.

Digits is meant to be a general-purpose interaction platform, and to prove the utility of the technology, both the Digits technical paper being presented during UIST 2012 and an accompanying video present interactive scenarios using Digits in a variety of applications, with particular emphasis on mobile scenarios, where it can interact with mobile phones and tablets.

via Microsoft Research