Medical Robots

Medical robots are one of the most helpful applications of robots. They are used in various medical practices, including difficult and precise surgical procedures. They are also used to assist patients in recovery and in the performance of routine tasks for patient care.

Medical robots have computer-integrated technology and are comprised of complicated programming languages, controllers, and advanced sensors. They also possess powerful control units, a programming terminal, and process-oriented software for various medical applications.

Medical robots are used for training surgeons and providing in-depth knowledge to students. These robots provide standardized operation, which reduces the time required to perform any medical operation. They provide positional certainty and confined movement, which can lead to improved post-operative outcomes. The major potential advantages of medical robots are precision and miniaturization in medical operations. Further advantages are articulation beyond normal manipulation and three-dimensional magnification.

Doctors can view the patient, ask questions, read patient records, view X-rays, and test results using these robots. Although the robot does not physically examine the patient it, allows face-to-face contact between the doctor and patient with the help of a screen attached to it. They are also used inward rounds when doctors are away from patients, which allow patients to establish direct contact with doctors.

Research is going on in the field of medical robotics that will create new robotic technologies and benefit the healthcare industry. The use of WiFi technology in the medical robots allows a medical expert to visually examine and communicate with a patient from anywhere in the world.

There are many doctors, who are using medical robotic technologies in their regular clinical practice. Doctors believe that it is a revolutionary concept, which opens new avenues for telemedicine research and integrates technology with healthcare while establishing necessary interface between patients, clinicians, and teaching staff.

Technology in the Year 2020

Imagine this for a second. The year is 2020 and you walk into an office, similar yet different to the one you may be in right now. Structurally, the features are similar to your 2009 office, there's a desk, a chair and a window with a view. Yet, there are noticeable differences. Gone is your clunky PC. The telephone is also nowhere to be seen. Books? Nope. Newspapers? Magazines? Nope. Nope. Instead, using a wearable device on your finger, you conjure up a hologram of a blank screen above your desk.

"Computer on," you state. Appearing before you is a virtual computer. You use voice demand technology to bring up documents, email your friends, write reports and check stocks on the internet. Then you decide to read a copy of the January 2020 issue of Exec Digital and relax. Welcome to the not so distant future.

WEARABLE COMPUTER

The above scenario is an idealistic view of the future created from the mind of a 23-year old science-fiction fan (yours truly). While predicting future technology is never an exact science, I went to the minds of people who might have an idea of what technology might look like in 10 years.

While my potential technology may be a bit idyllic, it is not far off from MIT's Wear Ur World. The WUW is a perfect example of potential future technology, very much inspiring my own tale. Developed by the MIT Media Lab and simply known as 'Sixth Sense', the wearer uses a small projector, a webcam and a mobile phone, ultimately allowing you to turn any flat surface into a computer.

Using hand gestures, it can do anything from tell the time to make a phone call. (For example, drawing a circle will prompt the WUW to show a clock). To get an idea of WUW, just imagine Tom Cruise using the Standard User Interface in Minority Report. Of course, WUW is a bit more high-tech than Cruise's SUI.

Smaller, faster and much more efficient is very much the ideal of tomorrow's computers, as is mobility. A number of industry experts say the idea of increased mobility technology is nearly certain in 10 years. A report from Pew Internet Research polling 1,000 technology execs indicates by the year 2020, mobile technology will be our main access for the internet. Furthermore, the same experts say most communications appliances will come with voice-demand technology.

CARS

Smaller and faster machines with increased mobility and efficiency aren't just the themes for future computers. Those qualities represent the cars of 2020 as well. Mitchell Joachim, co-founder and partner of Terreform 1, the New York based ecological non-profit design collaborative, designed a car for urban societies conceptualising this very thought. Joachim designed the City Car and Stackable Car as transports strictly for the city.

"One concept of the car was soft body, where it could adhere to gentle congestion. You wouldn't move in a shiny, precious metal box. It'd be more human like, you'd move in flocks or herds where it's okay to scuff against neighbour. We also thought of stackable cars that stand up and interlock in oddly directional ways. There's also a Hondagreat social aspect to the City Car. It doesn't tell you things like miles per hour. You don't need to know that in the city," says Joachim.

Designer Stefan Mathys led a team of visionaries to design a similar type car. The City Transport Cell, is a battery driven, zero emission car, which can easily navigate an urban society. It was built specifically for the year 2020 and comes with removable parts. It should be noted, most of these cars are the size of go carts.

ROBOTICS

In every futuristic vision, there are always robots present. From the Jetsons to Terminator, robots have always been a part of our foreseen future. Therefore, no technology in 2020 article would be complete without a mention of robotics. A few years back, the Japanese Ministry of Trade and Industry (METI) set out a plan to introduce intelligent robots by the year 2015.

The Japanese Robot Association came out with a report indicating robots of all kinds would be present in the home and office by the year 2020. The Japanese, the leader in robotic technology, have predicted robots will be used to assist humans with everyday tasks and keep them company. They'll also be used for labor purposes. By 2020, robots may even be set into outer space to explore the moon and beyond. The Japanese government has developed a programme to achieve this very goal.

Car Technology - Latest and Future Trends

The rate at which technology advances in the world presently is amazing. The good thing is that it takes us all in its stride as it moves. For this reason, cars are not left behind. Car technology has taken new dimensions over the years. Each year, something new and different turns up. Some of these new car features are yet to hit the market. This piece contains some of the proposed advancements that will leave car users drooling.

Humans are incomplete and imperfect. Thus, we tend to be less conservative even in the face of depleting resources. When driving our cars for example, we could turn off our air conditioners to conserve fuel. However, we would rather leave the conditioner on than roll down the windows. This is because we 'feel cool' with the windows rolled up and the chill filling up all the spaces in our car.

Technology has introduced the economy mode in cars. This innovation allows the vehicle to make the decisions that affect its use and conservation of its features. When activated, it would simply determine what features are essential at any point in time. 

It could choose to turn off the air conditioner or the cruise control, depending on the prevailing circumstances. This saves fuel and ensures the longevity of the vehicle. These adjustments are made automatically. This technology has been test-run in many hybrids and it has been successful to say the least.

There is also the black box technology for cars on the horizon. If air planes can have them, why can't cars? The black box has been very important in retrieving information from planes especially when mishaps occur. The fact that it might allow people intrude into the privacy of the car owner is still being debated. At present, General Motors and Ford are making use of them in their new model vehicles. They have been renamed "recorders". These "recorders" store vital information about the speed the car was moving and the places it had visited amongst others. They also aid insurance companies in the event of an accident.

Great Security Option for SmartPhone Users - IRIS Recognition Application

A new smartphone with iris recognition has developed by Japan. Paynter-Krigman Professor in Engineering Science Stephanie Schuckers, who is the director for the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR), said the iris recognition systems in the Fujitsu smartphone are offering people more options to safeguard their electronic devices. The application, convenience, price and cultural assumptions related to each system can influence personal choice.

Iris recognition systems use near-infrared lights to analyze the pattern of the muscles in the iris, not the color of the iris. Near-infrared lights are used in many technologies, including security systems, and are not dangerous to the user in this application. The iris recognition technology has improved in recent decades, the reliability of the biometric depends on the system itself and the sophistication of the software. Iris recognition is very high quality like a fingerprint, but no biometric--an iris or a fingerprint-is perfect. And this technology should be available in the United States in the near future.

Robotic Arm Technology Has Rapidly Improved

Cybernetics professor Kevin Warwick professes to be the "first Cyborg." Project Cyborg began in August of 1998, when Warwick implanted a computer chip into his left arm, which later allowed him to open doors, move a robotic hand and operate an electronic wheelchair. The implant also allowed him to tap into the Internet at Columbia University in New York and control a robotic arm at the University of Reading in the UK.

Another one of the experiments tested telepathic communication between two individuals by way of implants. In the 70s, researchers felt that robotic arms would be a vital asset to the workplace. Little did they know, humans would consider fusing themselves with this technology to become super-human cyborgs!

Starting in 1975, robotic arms have been used for industrial purposes. In some cases, they do the work more quickly, more accurately and more efficiently than human workers ever could. Yet in other instances, they simply perform work that is too monotonous, dangerous or undesirable for men and women.

In the US auto industry, for example, there is one robotic arm for every ten workers. Industrial robots lift heavy objects, handle chemicals, and paint and assemble parts. Rather than replace jobs, the robotic system is intended to free up more creative, fulfilling work for people instead. After all, the Czech word "robota" translates to "drudgery work."

Using a modified robotic arm, Dr. Alon Wolf and Dr. Howie Choset have developed a machine that can perform minimally-invasive surgery with great accuracy. The invention is called the "CardioARM" and has been designed for abdominal surgery, heart bypass surgery and mouth surgery, but can also be used to perform a laparoscopy, colonoscopy, and arthroscopy.

The CardioARM is operated by a joystick and can navigate through the body to the problem areas. The flexible tele-operated probe is programmed to remember pathways and it can take tools into regions that surgeons would otherwise have to slice into. "Tools in operation rooms are not flexible. The CardioARM is flexible enough for remote and hard to reach anatomies," explains Dr. Wolf. "The heart is a good example... now we don't have to cut the person open."

Robotic arm technology has rapidly improved over the span of just thirty years. But what is the end goal of robotics technology? Is it to build robots that can work as our slaves? Is it to find minimally-invasive, infallible methods of performing surgery? Is it to treat injuries? Is it to teach? Or is it to become super-humans? There are a number of ways to approach this science, making it impossible to tell just what the future of robotic development holds.

The Many Uses of Robotics Technology

Robotic vehicles can do the jobs that are too dangerous, boring, or disgusting for people. Unmanned vehicles can plunge to the deepest parts of the ocean, the farthest corners of the galaxy, into the wells of a volcano, and inside combat areas which would be too perilous for vehicles driven by human beings. This technology won't replace drivers; it will help the current workforce with robots that will drive anywhere in the world under any conditions.

The US Army isn't a stranger to robotic vehicles. Military insiders say that a lot of their success is from small reconnaissance or tactical planes that are unmanned. The planes can fly for miles and miles from remote locations, while reporting video and photos back to the military stations. They will follow targets and hit them with extreme accuracy. One great benefit is that no US soldiers are put in danger, and the terrorists won't see or hear it coming. American soldiers use robotics technology to command drones in the Middle East.

A lot of effort is also being put into the development of robotic vehicles for a wide range of civilian applications. Synthetic Aperture Sonar is helping robots capture brand new images of deep sea beds. Farmers can use these to monitor their crops, and forest rangers can keep track of trees and wildlife in remote places in their parks. There are vehicles that can ride the surface of the water to monitor coastlines, and there are underwater devices used to recover old shipwrecks and unaccounted for lobster traps that threaten endangered marine animals.

The newest robotic vehicles will probably surprise you. Seven hundred ton Caterpillar trucks are currently being prepared by scientists that will allow trucks to transport 240 ton loads from mining productions. Automated trucks are supposed to be available in five to ten years, and they will save a lot of time and money. This new robotic innovation will be really popular due to a shortage of drivers.

Wireless Charging

Place a laptop on a table, and it will automatically start charging. No wires needed, no need to carry a power bank. That's how Intel views wireless charging for laptops, which could become a realism next year. Intel wants to make wireless chargers as easy to find as a Wi-Fi signal, and wants to bring the technology to coffee cafes, restaurants, airports and other public places so laptops can be recharged without power adapters. The first laptops with wireless charging could come out next year, and Intel has shown a few prototypes laptop being recharged on a table.

Winning the War Before You Start - Using Technology to Play it Smart

Proper use of robotic technology solves many problems in our military. It is often estimated that for every soldier or airmen on the frontline or participating in the tip of the sword there are 20-25 military personal behind them through-out the command and control and logistical supply chain. Military robotics is clearly an issue of efficiency and productivity - delivering more for less and with pin-point accuracy. Robotics and the Future Fighting Force roadmaps are dead on target and it is not by accident.

Less than 1% of all the humans who have ever lived have died in war. Although we hear more about the deaths in war today due to the far-reaching and often biased media the truth is that major fighting is concluded quite quickly with much less collateral damage thanks to smart munitions. This does not make armed conflict less devastating for those involved, yet it must be considered when discussing the reality of war technology. Indeed, just because allied forces can fight with unheard of precision does not mean the enemy will not attack pure civilian soft targets to promote their will or radical notions.

There is and has always been a good bit of the gross national product of any nation, spent on its military, as it is important to protect all they are and all they have built. Wouldn't you? Indeed and so we all do, both friend and foe. Due to the huge amount of expenditures there are always many companies and entrepreneurs willing and ready to work on research and development of war toys. Yet, the business of war is not a game and the stakes are very high - self preservation of a nation being amongst the top rationals.

Robotic Technology on, above and below the battle field have come a long way in the last couple of decades and yet this is only the beginning. Coming soon will be many new applications such as robotic units to pick up the wounded and take them to military medical facilities. There will also be MAVs or Micro-Air Vehicles perhaps capable of swarming like insects. Bird size MAVs are already nearly ready for service. Fully autonomous perimeter security mobile robots with weapons attached are already being deployed. Underwater Unmanned Vehicles are also in production with some units already in the water.

Self Powered Video Camera can Run Without an Outward Power Supply

A video camera that is the first to be absolutely self-powered, it can produce an image each second, endlessly, of a bright indoor scene has invented by a research team led by Shree K. Nayar, T.C. Chang Professor of Computer Science at Columbia Engineering . They created a pixel that can not only measure incident light but also convert the incident light into electric power.

The camera does not have a battery but instead a supercap, which is charged to start the camera but is recharged using just energy harvested from the pixels. For a scene that is roughly 300 lux in brightness the camera can produce an image per second, endlessly. K. Nayar leads the Computer Vision Laboratory at Columbia Engineering. He reports that in the last year only, almost two billion cameras of different types were sold worldwide. Digital imaging is expected to implement many emerging fields along with wearable devices, sensor networks, smart environments, personalised medicine, and the Internet of Things. A camera that can function as an untethered device forever without any outward power supply would be especially useful.

                At the heart of any digital camera is an image sensor, a chip with millions of pixels. The key enabling device in a pixel is the photodiode, which produces an electric current when exposed to light. This mechanism enables each pixel to measure the intensity of light falling on it. The same photodiode is also used in solar panels to convert incident light to electric power. The photodiode in a camera pixel is used in the photoconductive mode, while in a solar cell it is used in the photovoltaic model.

QLED'S Stepping Forward to Meet Attractive Technology on Wearable Devices

An ultra-thin wearable quantum dot light emitting diodes (QLEDs) has developed by the scientific team, from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Seoul National University. The electronic tattoo is based on current quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED) technology. Colloidal quantum dot (QLED's) have attracted great attention as next generation displays.

The quantum dots (QDs) have rare properties such as the color tunability, photo/air stability, and are printability on different substrates. The device is paper thin and can be applied to human skin like a sticker. The team developed the high performance red, green, and blue QLED array, whose resolutions approach 2,500 pixels per inch. This resolution is far superior to other light emitting devices and displays on the market today including ones used in the latest smartphones.

The technique is easily extensible over large area. Devices are flexible states and thereby built on the unconventional curvilinear substrates along with surfaces of numerous objects. Further mechanical deformations, such as stretching or wrinkling, are also adopted in this technology, which enables QLEDs on the human skin. This discovery highlights modern possibilities for integrating high-definition full color displays in wearable electronics.

Brand-New Wi-Fi Antenna Increases Wireless Coverage

Researchers at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia have achieved in using ionised gas in a everyday fluorescent light tube as an antenna for a Wi-Fi Internet router.

Wi-Fi routers are originally two-way radios that connect digital devices to the Internet, But in many buildings, apartments, public places providing complete coverage is a challenge. Radio "dead spots" can occur in areas where solid walls or appliances block a router's signal totally, or reduce it to become so weak that a portable Wi-Fi device, such as a mobile or tablet, cannot connect accurately. When electricity flows through the argon-mercury vapour in a fluorescent tube, it forms an ionised gas or plasma. Plasma has conducting properties comparable to a common metal radio antenna. This allows an attached router to send and receive radio signals through the light tube on the standard 2.4-gigahertz Wi-Fi frequency in exactly the same way it does through a normal antenna. The router's radio waves can ionise the gas in the tube, so it acts as an antenna even if the light is on or off.

Latest LED Technology Boosts WiFi Bandwidth

Oregon State University researchers have invented a new technology that can boost the bandwidth of WiFi systems by 10 times, using LED lights to transmit data or information.

The technology could be combined with current WiFi systems to lower bandwidth problems in crowded locations, such as airport terminals or coffee shops, and in homes where several people have numerous WiFi devices. Professionals say that new advances in LED technology have made it possible to modulate the LED light more rapidly, opening the possibility of using light for wireless transmission in a "free space" optical communication system.

"In addition to improving the experience for users, the two big advantages of this system are that it uses inexpensive components, and it integrates with existing WiFi systems," said Thinh Nguyen, an OSU associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Nguyen worked with Alan Wang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, to build the first model.

The model WiFO, uses LEDs that are beyond the visual spectrum for humans and creates an invisible cone of light about one meter square in which the data can be received. To address the issue of a small area of usability, the researchers created a hybrid system that can switch between several LED transmitters installed on a ceiling, and the existing WiFi system. "I believe the WiFO system could be easily transformed into a marketable product, and we are currently looking for a company that is interested in further developing and licensing the technology," Nguyen said.

The system can possibly send data at up to 100 megabits per second. Although some current WiFi systems have similar bandwidth, It has to be divided by the number of devices, so each user might be receiving just 5 to 10 megabits per second, because the hybrid system could deliver 50-100 megabits to each user.

In a home where telephones, tablets, computers, gaming systems, and televisions may all be connected to the internet, Boosted bandwidth would wipe out problems like video streaming that interrupts and buffers. The receivers are small photodiodes that cost less than a dollar each and could be connected through a USB port for current systems, or incorporated into the next generation of laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

3D Printer Brings Out Realistic Model of a Cancerous Tumor

A three-dimensional model of a cancerous tumour has successfully created by an international scientific team using a 3D printer. Their model could ultimately help discover new drugs and cast new light on how tumours develop, grow and spread.

The Era of the Robotic Vehicles Has Arrived

From robotic construction trucks to robotic submarines, the world of robotic vehicles is being employed to revolutionize our lives. Traditionally associated with the military, robotic planes, submarines, tanks, trucks, cars, mechanical bugs and other types of mobile robots are being developed for civilian use as well. Futuristic advancements are no longer a matter of "How," but more so a matter of "When," as to when the technology will be affordable enough for average citizens.

"The good thing about this system is you don't have to send a marine out and risk that life," Captain James Lee said of his bomb-disassembling and reconnaissance mission robotic vehicles. The machines may cost $100,000 a piece, but they're fairly durable, especially considering that duct tape and common materials can be used to patch them. The Packbot Scout Robot (developed by Robotic Systems JPO) quickly takes apart a bomb, saving an entire Humvee full of soldiers.

The Dragon Eye and Raven B unmanned aircraft patrols the battlefields, even in adverse weather conditions. The Stalker (developed by Lockheed Martin) is especially keen for silent night operations, while the Golden Eye can hover for three hours, assessing the scene. The unmanned Predator drone is one of the most highly-touted autonomous robots used by the US military today.

Civilian robotic vehicles are also being developed for a number of uses. Sonar robotics technology is capturing never-before-seen images of deep sea beds with the Synthetic Aperture Sonar. Farmers use these vehicles to check on their crops. Forest rangers count trees and monitor wildlife in remote regions of their parks. Surface water vehicles are skimming the coasts, while underwater devices are recovering old shipwrecks and AWOL lobster traps that have fallen loose, thus threatening endangered marine animals.

You may not know it, but automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are transporting materials all around warehouses and hospitals at this very moment. The early robotic vehicles were easy to make, researchers say, but they were fairly limited in their paths and found it difficult to adapt to changes in their environments.

The interim robotics automation could scan bar code grid lines on the floor or use laser technology to maneuver around, although tall obstacles still blocked the way and routine maintenance was high. New robotic vehicles are trained to circumnavigate around any obstacle, whether it is a pallet or a person. They use 3-D scanners, maps and other complex systems. In the future, people are expected to work alongside robots much more frequently.

Drone Technology

Drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), also known as drones, have no human aviator onboard, and instead are either controlled by a person on the ground or apart via a computer program. These stealth craft are becoming more and more famous, not just for war and military purposes, but also for everything from wildlife and atmospheric research to emergency relief and sports photography. Drones are becoming the eyes and ears of scientists by surveying the ground for archaeological sites, signs of illegal hunting and crop damage, and even zipping inside hurricanes to study the wild storms. You can even rent a personal drone to soar above the horizon and snap a photo or video. Our news and features will cover developments in drone technologies, innovative uses for drones and how drone use will impact society.

The use of drones has developed quickly in recent years because dissimilar manned aircraft they can stay above for many hours they are much low-cost than military aircraft and they are flown remotely so there is no danger to the flight crew. Zephyr a British drone under development has just cracked the world record by flying for above 82 hours nonstop.

OLED VS LED & LCD

OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode. OLEDs are solid-state devices composed of thin films of organic molecules that create light with the application of electricity. OLEDs can grant brighter, crisper displays on electronic devices and use lower capacity than regular light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or liquid crystal displays (LCDs) used today.

LED stands for light-emitting diode. LEDs are nearly small compared to compact fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs, but they can get hugely bright. Anyhow, LEDs aren’t small suitable to be used as the pixels of a television, they are too huge for that. That’s why LEDs are only used as the backlight for LCD televisions.

LCD stands for liquid-crystal display. LCD displays utilise two sheets of polarising material with a liquid crystal solution between them. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to adjust so that light cannot pass through them. Each crystal, therefore, is like a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking the light.

Resolution:

Champion - OLED & LCD

OLED and LCD are extensively available in Ultra HD 4K design. In OLED's there is only one model of 1080P but for LCD's there are so many.

Black Level:

Champion - OLED

OLED is the champion here because of its intelligence  to turn off individual pixels completely. It can produce exactly perfect black. The better LCDs have local dimming, where sections of the screen can dim independently of others. This isn't quite as good as per-pixel control because the black parts still aren't absolute but it's better than nothing.

Brightness:

Champion - LCD & LED

When it comes to brightness, LED TVs have a modest asset. LEDs are just really good at getting extremely bright. OLED TVs can get bright, too, but cranking OLED pixels to maximum brightness for extended periods not only reduces that pixel’s lifespan, but the pixel also takes a little while to return to total black.

Contrast Ratio:

Champion - OLED

Contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest and the darkest a TV can be. OLED is the champion here because it can get nearly as bright as LCD, plus it can produce complete black with no blooming. It has the best contrast ratio of any modern display.

Price:

Champion - LED & LCD

At present OLED's are more costlier than the LCD's and LED's. And it take some time for price reduction.

Power Consumption:

Champion - LCD & LED

LCD's and LED's are some what better power consumption than the OLED's. OLED's are also better for power consumption.

Size & Weight:

Champion - OLED

OLED panels are awfully thin and they require no backlight. As such, OLED TV’s tend to be lighter than LED/LCD TVs and considerably thinner. They also require less power, making them more efficient.  

Response Time:

Champion - OLED

While LED/LCD TVs have improved greatly over the past few years, OLED simply blows them out of the water in terms of response time. In fact, OLED currently offers the fastest response time of any TV technology in use today, making it a clear winner in this regard. 

Google Self-Driving Car

Manufacturer - Google
Type - Self-Driving

Google make known a brand new self-driving car prototype on Tuesday. The first company to build a car with no a steering wheel, accelerator or brake pedal.

It is the first genuinely driverless electric car prototype built by Google to test the next stage of its five-year-old self-driving car project. Unlike previous models, these cars won't have human drivers keep track of them at all times. Google said the cars can detect objects up to 200 yards away in all directions and adjust their speed, turns and braking accordingly. The cars' speed for now has been exceed at 25 mph, allowing engineers to minimise the risk of crashes during testing. It operates in and around California, primarily around the Mountain View area where Google has its headquarters. 

It ferries two people from one place to another without any user interaction. The car is summoned by a smartphone for pick up at the user’s location with the destination set. There is no steering wheel or manual control, simply a start button and a big red emergency stop button. In front of the passengers there is a small screen showing the weather, the current speed and a small countdown animation to launch. Once the journey is done, the small screen displays a message to remind you to take your personal belongings – reinforcing that this is not aiming to be a substitute for your personal car at the moment, but more as a replacement for the taxi without the human driver.

It is powered by an electric motor with around a 100 mile range, the car uses a combination of sensors and software to locate itself in the real world combined with highly accurate digital maps. A GPS is used, just like the satellite navigation systems in most cars, to get a rough location of the car, at which point radar, lasers and cameras take over to monitor the world around the car, 360-degrees. The software can recognise objects, people, cars, road marking, signs and traffic lights, obeying the rules of the road and allowing for multiple unpredictable hazards, including cyclists. It can even detect road works and safely navigate around them.

One of the biggest hold-ups to the improvement of the technology onto the open road of Britain, the US, Australia and the rest of the world will be legislation. Google says the cars should be road-ready by early next year, but that testing would take more than two years. At that point the technology will be ready for the next stage, which is likely to be greater pilot testing. Current expectations are that these self-driving cars are at least five years away from being mature enough to create a real, non-prototype product, but it may be far longer until you can buy or hire one for personal use.

VARIOUS PROJECTS ABOUT HUMANOID ROBOT AROUND THE WORLD

A humanoid robot is a robot with its overall presence based on that of the human body, allowing interaction with made-for-human tools or environments. Basically humanoid robots have a torso with a head, two arms and two legs, Even if some forms of humanoid robots may model only part of the body, for example, from the waist up. Some humanoid robots may also have a 'face', with 'eyes' and 'mouth'. Androids are humanoid robots built to theory of art resemble a human.

ASIMO

Manufacturer - Honda

Type - Humanoid

Height - 4'3 tall

Weight - 53.97kg

Released - 2000

Website - asimo.honda.com

ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) is a humanoid robot. ASIMO is the culmination of two decades of humanoid robotics research by Honda engineers. It has the ability to that can climb stairs, recognise faces, and maintain a conversation with someone. ASIMO has the ability to walk over uneven surfaces and run at 9 km an hour.

CHARLI

Manufacturer - Virginia Tech Engineering Students

Type - Humanoid

Height - 4'7 tall

Weight - 12.24kg

Released - 2010

CHARLI (Cognitive Humanoid Autonomous Robot with Learning Intelligence) is the first atomise, autonomous, full-sized, walking, humanoid robot with four moving limbs and a head, built in the United States. CHARLI can talk and is learning to play soccer at the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMela) at Virginia Tech.

NASH

Manufacturer - Associate Professor Xie Ming

Type - Humanoid

Height - 1.8m tall
Operating Time - 2 Hours

NASH STANDS FOR NTU(Nanyang Technological University) ADVANCED SMART HUMANOID. NASH  is able to gesture, walk, climb stairs, follow verbal instructions and recognise objects such as apples and cups. It can easily carry up to 40kg worth of weight on its torso, and it can able to hold up to 10kg per arm.

RIBA-II

Developed by - RIKEN and TOKAI Rubber Industries

Type - Humanoid

Height - 137cm tall

Weight - 230kg
Length and Width - 103cm long and 82cm wide

RIBA-II, the new version of nursing-care assistant robot RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance). Each arm has 7 degrees of freedom, its neck has 3 DOFs, its waist has 2 DOFs, with 3 DOFs more thanks to its omnidirectional base. A new version of the robot is even better at picking up and carrying disabled patients of up to 80kg, which is 19kg more than the first RIBA could handle. Moreover the robot can to lift a patient from a floor thanks to introduction of a powerful new joint that lets RIBA-II bend deeply at the waist. It can then transfer the patient to a wheelchair (and back again). 

PI4_Workerbot

Manufacturer - Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK, Berlin

Type - Humanoid

The PI4_Workerbot can study new tasks without needing to be programmed line by line. PI4_workerbot has two 7 degree of freedom arms, which allow it to move an item from one hand to another, which is useful when examining the entire surface. It can hold an egg without cracking it. Its head is implemented with three cameras: a 3D camera observes its surroundings, while the other two can be used for detailed inspection tasks. It can also show various emotional expressions on face.

LUNA

Manufacturer - RoboDynamics

Type - Humanoid

Height - 157cm tall

Weight - 30kg

Luna introduced by RoboDynamics, world's first personal robot designed for mainstream consumer adoption. Luna is the first robot to feature a native App Store, standard PC architecture, an open Linux based operating system, touch screen display, Wi-Fi, and multiple tactically located standard USB based expansion ports for infinite expandability. it has equipped with camera, microphone, speakers and 8 inches touch screen for holding live video conversations. If we charge once it can move on a stable wheeled base and can operate for 4 hours. It has prime sense 3D sensor, with this LUNA can capable to  navigation and obstacle avoidance.

CIROS 3.0

Type - Humanoid

Height - 160cm tall

Weight - 150kg

Degrees of Freedom - Waist: 1 DOF / Manipulator: 7 DOF x 2 / Pan-Tilt : 2 DOF
Hand : 4 DOF x 2  / Mobile : 2 DOF

CIROS stands for Center for Intelligent Robotics. The household service robot CIROS is intended to help out around the home by performing simple duties. Also CIROS is able to recognise common objects as well as kitchen appliances like microwaves, sinks, refrigerators, and dishwashers, and can move intelligently through its environment. The robot's head contains stereoscopic cameras and a 3D IR sensor, which it uses to recognise objects. Moreover, robust speech recognition is made possible with a 12-piece microphone array. It can detect and avoid obstacles in its vicinity thanks to a pair of laser range finders and six ultrasonic sensors in its body. 

SDA5D

Manufacturer - Yaskawa Motoman

Payload - 5 kg/arm

New Motoman SDA5D robot has 15 axes of motion i.e 7 axes per arm, plus a single axis for base rotation. Internally routed cables and hoses reduce interference and maintenance, and also make programming easier. Both robot arms can work together on one task to double the payload or handle heavy, unwieldy parts, trays or pallets.  It can hold a part with one arm while performing operations on the part with the other arm, and can also transfer a part from one arm to the other with no need to set the part down.