Northeastern puts NASA’s Valkyrie space robots through its paces, TechCrunch (video) Keith’s update: At one point in this video Valkyrie stumbles and requires the cables to catch her – unlike the Boston Dynamics robots that can do just about anything and retain perfect balance and run around, jump, etc. But yes, I said “her”. Despite NASA JSC PAO’s reversal and subsequent stern denial about this NOT being a female-inspired robot, […]
#NASA's @nasavalkyrie can't walk unless it is held up by cables & it breaks a lot. Meanwhile over at @BostonDynamics https://t.co/9ujoiVv4n2 — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) March 3, 2017 “Handle is a research robot that stands 6.5 ft tall, travels at 9 mph and jumps 4?feet vertically. It uses electric power to operate both electric and hydraulic actuators, with a range of about 15 miles on one battery charge. ?Handle uses […]
Military pushes for emergency robots as skeptics worry about lethal uses, Washington Post “Most of the [DARPA Robotics Challenge] entrants resemble humans, with two arms and two legs, and could be cast in Hollywood’s next futuristic blockbuster. But there is also “CHIMP,” developed by Carnegie Mellon University, a squat, long-armed machine that uses wheeled treads to get around. Another, named “RoboSimian,” is a four-legged “ape-like” creature developed by NASA that, […]
ATLAS robot gets closer to walking like a human, TechGenMag “When Boston Dynamics first revealed their ATLAS robot on July 11, 2013, the bipedal humanoid robot was a clunky, slow moving contraption tethered to a jumble of cords that performed a variety of controlled tasks awkwardly. Still, we were all impressed by the ATLAS robot’s humanlike legs and frame that no doubt offered a tantalizing glimpse into the near future of robotics. Fast […]
What Happened to NASA’s Valkyrie Robot at the DRC Trials, and What’s Next, IEEE “At the DRC Trials, Valkyrie experienced a “networking issue” that prevented the team from scoring any points. In the garage before the DRC Trials began, everything worked fine. But on the course itself, the JSC Team “could not communicate with the robot at all.” They would later discover the culprit: a network traffic shaping tool that […]
JPL’s RoboSimian “Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., was the place to be late last month for an unusual two-day competition: the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials. But if you went expecting high-octane cars zooming around the track at blazing speed, you might have been disappointed. The 16 robots participating in the challenge moved more like the tortoise than the hare, as they performed such tasks as opening doors or climbing a […]
Reader note:“I was at the DRC all week. NASA showed up with the most awesome/expensive looking tracker/trailer. It had a custom paint job, new custom “pelican” cases for all equipment, a fold out tent on the side, and a $15K Cadillac golf cart (image). The team, if you view their videos had 50+ workers, a high-bay work area, a specialize sewing team and a seemingly unlimited tax payer funded budget. […]
Handicapping the 2013 DARPA Robotics Challenge, Gizmodo “NASA JSC Team Valkyrie (7/1): Johnson Space Center has a 20-year legacy in humanoid robot development, and the six-foot-two, 286 lb Valkyrie, “inspired by a female first responder wearing body armor” brings 44 degrees of American freedom to the fight. Team Valkyrie is playing the long game, claiming they’re focused on next year’s final challenge rather than victory today. Is it sandbagging? We’ll […]
