* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Robots

Blobrana · L

So What Exactly Is a 'Killer Robot'?

For as long as we've been able to make robots, we've been worried about them killing us.
In 1942, Isaac Asimov published a short story called Runaround that both coined the term "robotics" and introduced the idea of robots killing humans. Last week, one company set out to assure people that it, too, was worried about this potential threat.
Clearpath Robotics announced that it would take a stand against killer robots.
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Blobrana · L

Thousand-strong robot swarm throws shapes, slowly

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Blobrana · L

Hitchhiking robot charms its way across Canada

Blobrana · L

Robots inspired by origami fold themselves into motion

Researchers in the US have developed self-folding robots that are able to take shape and crawl without human intervention.
The robots are inspired by the ancient Japanese art of origami.
They are made from flat layers of material; some of these are rigid and hold their shape, while others are made of a heat-shrinking polymer.
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Blobrana · L

Farnborough: Europe's combat drone challenge

Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, is easily BAE Systems's spookiest-looking aircraft.
Taranis is designed to be the prototype for a combat drone - capable of carrying out long-range strikes in hostile territory
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Blobrana · L

UN mulls ethics of 'killer robots'

So-called killer robots are due to be discussed at the UN Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva.
A report presented to the meeting will call for a moratorium on their use while the ethical questions they raise are debated.
The robots are machines programmed in advance to take out people or targets, which - unlike drones - operate autonomously on the battlefield.
They are being developed by the US, UK and Israel, but have not yet been used.
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Blobrana · L

Robot ants: mini-machines mimic insect colony

Scientists in the US have built and tested robotic ants that they say behave just like a real ant colony.
The robots do not resemble their insect counterparts; they are tiny cubes equipped with two watch motors to power the wheels that enable them to move.
But their collective behaviour is remarkably ant-like.
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Blobrana · L

Tiny Robots Reveal Ant Behaviour

A team of scientists at New Jersey Institute of Technology's Swarm Lab have developed tiny robots called Alice to help them understand the behaviour of ant colonies.
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Blobrana · L

Robot Spheres in zero-gravity action.

A squadron of mini satellites on the International Space Station will wake up this Friday to obey remote commands from students across Europe. Watch a live broadcast from space as teams make the droids compete in a space game called RetroSpheres.
Up until now the students have run their code in a virtual world, but this Friday the high-school finals will be held using the real thing: robotic droids on the International Space Station.
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