FEED | Digital Culture – Simple Minds Day 1
The robots arrive in the mail, two small Ziploc bags full of electronic parts. I tell myself that they will be more impressive when assembled. Still, they are clearly not the domestic robots of my dreams. After reading the instruction manual, my worst suspicions are confirmed. These creatures will not be able to wash my windows or mix my drinks. I am not to leave small children in their care nor will they walk the dog. Instead, like some sort of loopy New Agers, they are guided by three imperatives: “Go to the light! Avoid the darkness! Let nothing stand in your way!” That is to say that the manual promises only that my completed robots will be light-seeking and obstacle-avoiding and won’t require batteries.

http://www.ctnews3d.com/zzz/59.html Researchers from the University of California are developing ‘smart dust’; tiny electronic devices designed to capture large amounts of information about their surroundings while literally floating on air. This ‘dust’ will be designed to perform functions such as monitor the environment for light, sound, temperature, chemical composition, and a wide range of other information. This data could then be beamed back to a remote base station.
The smart dust concept involves packing advanced sensors, tiny computers, and wireless communicators onto minuscule ‘motes’ of silicon, which will be able to drift on the wind. These motes are made using the same photolithography techniques used to make computer chips. They are made with sensors that can be programmed to look for specific information, a computer that can store the information and sort out which data is worth reporting, and a communicator that enables the mote to be ‘interrogated’ by the base unit. Their power source is currently dependent on solar cells, but they may be fitted with lithium batteries in the future, so they can function at night.
At the moment, the smallest prototype mote is 62 cubic millimeters. However, by July in 2001, the researchers expect to reduce its size to only 1 cubic millimeter. A problem they are faced with is the power requirements of the sensors, computer, and transmitter. The motes need to be able to run on ultra low power. […]

Scientists working for NASA continue inventing strange and unusual mechanisms. The device I want to describe this week is called mesicopter. The name resembles the word “helicopter” and in fact a mesicopter is a kind of helicopter, but a very small one. The prefix “mesi” implies a design of intermediate scale, between microscopic systems and more conventionally-sized devices. Hence the meso-scale systems are the systems on the scale of one to ten centimeters.
Take a look at the photo, the mesicopter is no exclusion. It is much smaller than any helicopter ever created, but at the same time it is still visible with the naked eye, so it exactly fits into the size range. Each rotor of this mesicopter is only 1.5 cm in diameter and the total weight of the whole device is 3 g. The mesicopter pictured below can lift itself and fly for 30 minutes. With reduced endurance the device would be capable of lifting a 1 g payload. I took this information from a very outdated PDF file, so I think more advanced mesicopters with increased endurance and payload capability are available now.
The main goal of the mesicopters will be collecting various data using very small imaging sensors (CCD and CMOS), MEMS temperature and pressure sensors, and other miniature science payloads currently under development. Then this data will be transmitted to the base using an optical communication system. This was the only possible choice. When using radio frequencies the antenna size is constrained by t

Test screens plastics for use in efficient LEDs Test screens plastics for use in efficient LEDs
By R. Colin Johnson
EE Times
(01/30/01, 11:54 a.m. EST)
SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah researchers have devised a test that lets engineers screen potential polymer materials to predict their efficiency as light-emitting diodes before they are fabricated into plastic LEDs. The test could speed high-efficiency plastic LED development, enable brighter LEDs and lengthen the battery life of portable devices using them.

:: ROBODEX 2000 :: ¦BANDAI CO.,LTD.
http://www.roboken.channel.or.jp
WonderBorg
Robot is autonomous, walking insect shaped robot that can be easily programmed through WonderSwan. Based on the program, Robot move by its own decision, understanding the circumstances using 7 sensors.
http://www.swan.channel.or.jp/borg/
BN-1- An exhibition for reference –
BN-1 uses Light sensors and infra-red rays to sense objects. Its also equipped with a touch sensor. PC programming changes its character.

Nanodot | Biped robots from Sony, Honda at Robodex 2000 Waldemar Perez writes “The latest developments in Robotics are truly impressive! This article found in EETimes shows some of the models presented at Robodex 2000. We are only years or months away from watching widespread robot use in entertainment and specialized tasks that are dangerous to humans. Labor unions should be worried in my opinion. Verbal command computers are not far away and robots could take over many human tasks for a fraction of the cost. Check out the Honda website for the latest Quick Time movies of the Honda prototype tightening nuts shaking hands, walking and standing.”