China Automates, Robots Replace Workers

Global Exchange, in the Toronto Globe and Mail

Foxconn looks to a robotic future

Kathrin Hille

The Financial Times

Posted on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 8:36AM EDT

Kathrin Hille is an FT correspondent in Beijing

Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer by revenue, plans to have as many robots as workers in its China factories within three years, according to Terry Gou, chairman and chief executive.

Foxconn, China’s biggest employer, produced Apple’s iPad and other electronic gadgets. The group currently employs one million workers but has just 10,000 robots on its production lines.

Mr. Gou outlined the company’s ambitious automation plans at a Foxconn gathering late last week in Shenzhen, a coastal manufacturing centre in southern China. According to people who attended the function, the chief executive said the group would have up to 300,000 robots next year and one million by 2013, highlighting the drastic changes China-based manufacturers are making as competition for labour increases.

“This is part of a broad automation push among China-based manufacturers,” said Alvin Kwock, head of hardware technology research at JPMorgan. “It signals that the cost of labour is no longer lower than the cost of capital.”

Salaries for migrant workers, the mainstay of Foxconn’s China work force rose 30-40 per cent last year and are expected to increase by another 20-30 per cent annually until at least 2013, according to Dong Tao, chief regional economist at Credit Suisse.

Last year, a series of worker suicides at Foxconn’s Shenzhen factories preceded an outbreak of larger scale industrial unrest at Japanese automotive components factories across southern China. The Foxconn deaths were a tragic expression of young workers’ frustration with chronically low wages, and also the often robotic nature of their work.

Foxconn declined to confirm the figures Mr. Gou cited in his speech, but stressed it wants employees to move “higher up the value chain beyond basic manufacturing work”.

Many local governments are hoping that Foxconn will create large-scale employment in their backyards, and the group is building several large new factories in inland cities where labour costs are lower.

Analysts, however, believe the group’s automation plans were likely to be an important part of its inland expansion strategy. “Foxconn has been comparatively slow when it comes to automation,” said Mr. Kwock. “Automating an old factory is difficult because you then have to redesign the floor plan, so you want to introduce automation as part of a new plant.”

In Chengdu, where one of the group’s large new factories is located, government officials say Foxconn is expected to employ 100,000 workers by the end of the year and eventually reach a headcount of 300,000.

Automation and Robotics News Returns: Tony Zaragoza’s Popular Feature After A 90 Day Hiatus!

Federation News, July 20, 1957, p 4

The debate about the effects of automation and even robotics is not new.  As an example of this, note the article here, reprinted from the Federation News, the newspaper of the Chicago Federation of Labor.  The date is July 20, 1957.

Automation and Robotics News returns!  To read this on the web, please click on one of the links below:
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TERROR, MILITARY, POLICING, SURVEILLANCE

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/aeryon-scout-quadrotor-spies-on-bad-guys-from-above>Aeryon Scout Quadrotor Spies On Bad Guys From Above

Erico Guizzo  /  Fri, May 06, 2011

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/quadrotor>Quadrotors are literally taking off. Just this year we’ve seen a <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/diy/top-10-robotic-kinect-hacks>quadrotor carrying a Kinect sensor, a <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/diy/cutest-quadcopter-ever-sounds-like-a-swarm-of-angry-bees>mini quadrotor DIY project, and even a <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-software/quadrotors-demonstrate-mad-cooperative-juggling-skills>quadrotor that juggles. But quadrotors are also flying out of the laboratory and finding “professional” applications — like spying on bad guys from above.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/boeing-phantom-ray-ucav-makes-first-flight>Boeing Phantom Ray UCAS Makes First Flight

Evan Ackerman  /  Wed, May 04, 2011

It was barely two months ago that Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) made <http://www.botjunkie.com/2011/02/07/robot-fighter-jet-makes-first-flight/>its first autonomous flight. On April 27, Boeing’s Phantom Ray followed suit on its first flight, maneuvering at 7,500 feet at speeds of over 175 knots. The test flight, which lasted just under 20 minutes, was followed by a perfect autonomous landing.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/new-recon-scout-throwbot-can-climb-ship-hulls-spy-on-pirates>New Recon Scout Throwable Robot Can Climb Ship Hulls, Spy on Pirates

Evan Ackerman  /  Tue, May 03, 2011

We’re already familiar with ReconRobotic’s line of <http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/10/31/recon-scout-surveillance-bot/>throwable surveillance robots, and they’ve just announced a new model, pictured above. Or rather, they’ve announced an entirely new capability for the little robot: it can now drive straight up vertical metal surfaces with the aid of some magical magnetic wheels, check it out.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/x47b-will-do-it-all-with-a-mouse-click>X-47B Robot Aircraft Will Do It All With a Mouse Click

Evan Ackerman  /  Tue, April 12, 2011

All those Predators and Reapers flying around in Afghanistan and elsewhere may be called “unmanned drones,” but they’re human-in-the-loop systems, reliant (more or less) on a human pilot in a trailer somewhere. While they often have the capacity to return to a specific point if <http://www.botjunkie.com/2010/08/27/firescout-loses-comm-link-wanders-over-washington-dc/>contact is lost, it <http://www.botjunkie.com/2009/01/16/irish-uav-gets-lost-tries-to-make-it-home-from-africa-fails/>doesn’t always go well, and sometimes it <http://www.botjunkie.com/2009/09/15/air-force-has-no-mercy-on-wayward-drones/>goes very badly.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/festo-launches-incredibly-lifelike-smartbird>Festo Launches SmartBird Robotic Seagull

Evan Ackerman  /  Thu, March 24, 2011

Festo has a fairly fascinating, frankly fantastical, and frequently full-on fabulous history with the robotic systems that they develop in partnership with universities and research groups as part of their Bionic Learning Network. In the past, we’ve seen <http://www.botjunkie.com/2009/04/24/video-friday-festo-bionics/>flying penguins and <http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/05/02/video-friday-festo-airjelly/>jellyfish, as well as bio-inspired manipulators like <http://www.botjunkie.com/2010/04/16/festo-tentacle-arm-actually-elephants-trunk/>this one. Today, Festo has unveiled their 2011 Bionic Learning Network projects, the most awesome of which is definitely SmartBird.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/firstlook-irobot-new-throwable-baby-surveillance-bot>FirstLook: iRobot’s New Throwable Baby Surveillance Bot

Evan Ackerman  /  Wed, March 23, 2011

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/irobot>iRobot has just introduced the 110 FirstLook, a very small and lightweight robot designed to be used for scouting and surveillance when you don’t have access to its big brother, the <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/packbot>Packbot. FirstLook is 25 centimeters (10 inches) long, 23 cm (9 in) wide, and only 10 cm (4 in) high. It weighs less than 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds). Onboard, it has four separate cameras, one on each side, allowing the operator to see in every direction at once, with IR illuminators for night vision.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/lockheed-martins-spybot-knows-how-not-to-be-seen>Lockheed Martin’s Spybot Knows How Not to Be Seen

Evan Ackerman  /  Wed, March 23, 2011

There are some basic rules that both humans and robots should be aware of when it comes to not being seen, and <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifmRgQX82O4>Monty Python only <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifmRgQX82O4>scratched blew up the surface. Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Laboratory has been developing a robot designed to operate around humans without being detected, and not just by being small and quiet: it listens for humans, guesses where they might be looking, and then finds itself a nice dark hiding place when it needs to. Lockheed’s robot is equipped with a 3D laser scanner that allows it to build detailed maps of its surroundings. It also has an array of acoustic sensors, which allow it to localize footsteps and voices. It can then combine the locations of humans with its 3D map to guess what areas the humans might be able to see, and then does its best to stay hidden. Keeping to the shadows, the robot always maintains an escape route, and if it senses a human approaching, it will look for the deepest darkest corner it can find and then hold its virtual breath until the danger has passed.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/no-the-navy-is-not-trying-to-start-the-robot-apocalypse>Navy Wants Robot Swarm That Can Autonomously Build Stuff, Apocalypse Unlikely

Evan Ackerman  /  Tue, March 08, 2011

Back in July of 2009, we got our first look at <http://www.botjunkie.com/2009/07/02/aerovironment-nav-flies-like-a-hummingbird-will-look-like-one-too/>AeroVironment’s excessively hummingbirdish nano air vehicle (NAV) as it went through tethered and untethered tests. The more capable Phase II version that DARPA asked for is now complete, and is demonstrating controlled indoor and outdoor flight, endurance flights, and precision hovering.

<http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20022009-1.html>Japan unveils flying surveillance robot

Monday, November 08, 2010 Posted by Tim Hornyak

Japan’s military is working on a compact spy drone that can fly like a helicopter.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/teeny-tiny-drone-fires-teeny-tiny-missile-gulp/>Teeny-Tiny Drone Fires Teeny-Tiny Missile (Gulp)

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/spencer_ackerman/>Spencer     Ackerman, May 20, 2011

TAMPA, Florida — Never let it be said that small isn’t powerful. A Northern California company has just built commandos perhaps the smallest drone that can kill you. Underscoring the point, it’s even painted camouflage, like Stallone in Rambo.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/handheld-spy-drone/>Handheld Spy Drone Too Wimpy for Iraq’s Marines

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/spencer_ackerman/>Spencer     Ackerman, May 12, 2011

When Marine companies in Iraq first got hold of the tiny spy plane known as the Raven in 2008, it seemed like a perfect fit. Iraq was a decentralized fight — a hundred tiny wars inside a single big one. So it made sense that platoon and company leaders would want an overhead view of their private war zone.

Turns out the tiny spy drone was a little too flimsy and too precious — with too weak a battery –  to get excited about. The Raven was “valuable,” a study later concluded, but it wasn’t a game changer.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/first-drone-strikes-since-bin-laden-raid-hit-pakistan-yemen/>First Drone Strikes Since bin Laden Raid Hit Pakistan, Yemen

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/spencer_ackerman/>Spencer     Ackerman, May 6, 2011

Just four days after the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden — and seized more than 100 discs, drives and computers from the al-Qaida hideout — the U.S. restarted its drone attacks on Pakistan. Then, mere hours earlier, drones hit Yemen for the first time in nearly nine years. Could this be the first result of intel taken from bin Laden’s thumb drives?

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/04/crop-duster-drones/>Drones Spray, Track the Unwilling in Air Force Plan

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/adamrawnsley/>Adam     Rawnsley, April 28, 2011

Here’s how the U.S. Air Force wants to hunt the next generation of its enemies: A tiny drone sneaks up to a suspect, paints him with an unnoticed powder or goo that allows American forces to follow him everywhere he goes — until they train a missile on him.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/04/the-robot-war-over-libya-has-already-begun/>Pentagon: Robot War Over Libya Begins in 3, 2, 1 …

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/spencer_ackerman/>Spencer     Ackerman, April 21, 2011

Moammar Gadhafi’s forces are killing Libyan civilians and pushing back rebel forces, NATO air strikes be damned. So it’s time to send in the drones.

Thursday marks the end of <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/gates-welcome-to-the-end-of-u-s-combat-in-libya/>the end of U.S. strike missions in Libya. In a press conference, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. James Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that armed Predator drones have been approved for use in Libya. They flew for the first time on Thursday, but “the weather wasn’t good enough, so we had to bring them back,” Cartwright said.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/04/drone-reportedly-kills-two-u-s-troops-in-friendly-fire-incident/>Did a Predator Just Kill Two U.S. Troops?

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/adamrawnsley/>Adam     Rawnsley, April 11, 2011

An American drone apparently killed two U.S. troops in Afghanistan last week in what may be a first-of-its-kind case of friendly fire.

NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski writes that the strike killed a Marine Staff Sergeant and Navy corpsman while they were <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42537620/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/>reinforcing Marines under fire from the Taliban in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The Marines reportedly saw the troops headed towards them through a Predator’s infrared camera, could not distinguish them from attacking Taliban and ordered in the Predator-borne Hellfire missile airstrike that killed the two men.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/04/navy-wants-doc-bots-robo-ambulances/>Navy Wants Doc-Bots, Robo-Ambulances

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/adamrawnsley/>Adam     Rawnsley, April 6, 2011

Not all of the military’s robot research goes into creating unfeeling killing machines. Some of them are here to heal, like the Navy’s plan to create a medical robot to treat troops carried by drones.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/u-s-drones-are-now-sniffing-mexican-drugs/>U.S. Drones Are Now Sniffing Mexican Drugs

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/spencer_ackerman/>Spencer     Ackerman, March 16, 2011

Next, the <http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/01/pl_narcoscorridos/>narcocorridos will sing about the pilotless planes above the heads of their patrons. It used to be that the Department of Homeland Security flew drones over the U.S.-Mexican border to watch for illegal immigrants. That proliferation of military technology to a civilian mission isn’t without its share of malfunctions: Not only did the <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/border-drone-breaks-comms-with-pilot-flights-suspended/>communications systems fritz out occasionally, but on at least one occasion, a small <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/12/invasion-of-the-mexican-drones/>drone owned by the Mexican government crashed into an El Paso backyard.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02/drones-set-to-invade-u-s-national-parks/>Drones Set to Invade National, State Parks

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/richardwheeler/>Richard     Wheeler, February 28, 2011

When I was a kid going to summer camp in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, I counted myself lucky if I saw a black bear once or twice in a season. But campers may soon be able to regularly see something bigger and badder when climbing the High Peaks: <http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Big-eye-has-Adirondack-sights-1010129.php>Reaper drones flown by the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing based in Syracuse, New York.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02/cash-for-drones-levels-off-in-pentagons-new-budget/>Is the Pentagon’s Drone Spending Spree Over?

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/spencer_ackerman/>Spencer     Ackerman, February 14, 2011

If you manufacture unmanned spy planes, you might have expected more money out of the defense budget request unveiled today. The Pentagon is asking for barely more money in fiscal 2012 than Congress is currently providing it: $4.8 billion, despite what comptroller Robert Hale called an “insatiable demand” among the services for spy gear.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02/behind-the-drones-lots-of-bureaucracy/>CIA Lawyer: How I Issued Drone ‘Death Warrants’

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/spencer_ackerman/>Spencer     Ackerman, February 14, 2011

You can expect to see at least two people inside the secret bunkers in Virginia where the CIA pilots its lethal drones over Pakistan. One controls the distant drone, his hand on a joystick, ready to fire off a missile at a target below. Another is a CIA lawyer, watching to ensure that the operator is within his rights to attack his target. Call it a “punctilious” method to avoid civilian casualties and legal hot water, as one of those lawyers recently did — or call it the bureaucratization of a shadow war.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02/theres-no-hiding-from-new-breath-detecting-robot/>There’s No Hiding from New Breath-Detecting Robot

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/davidaxe/>David     Axe, February 7, 2011

America’s robots make deadly weapons. But there are countermeasures to even the most fearsome bot now in service. To avoid detection by aerial drones, Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have begun <http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=35636&tx_ttnews[backPid]=412&no_cache=1>traveling in smaller groups. In his <http://www.amazon.com/WAR-Sebastian-Junger/dp/0446556246>excellent book <http://www.amazon.com/WAR-Sebastian-Junger/dp/0446556246>War, Sebastian Junger even describes Afghan fighters covering themselves with blankets on sun-warmed rocks to erase their infrared signatures, confounding the drones’ IR sensors.

<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02/1-in-50-troops-robots/>One in 50 Troops in Afghanistan Is a Robot

By     <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/author/davidaxe/>David     Axe, February 7, 2011

There are <http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=7c996cd7-cbb4-4018-baf8-8825eada7aa2&ID=300>more than 2,000 ground robots fighting alongside flesh-and-blood forces in Afghanistan, according to Lt. Col. Dave Thompson, the Marine Corps’ top robot-handler. If his figures are right, it means one in 50 U.S. troops in Afghanistan isn’t even a human being. And America’s swelling ranks of groundbot warriors are being used in new, unexpected, life-saving ways.

INDUSTRY

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/abb-factory-robot-frida>ABB’s FRIDA Offers Glimpse of Future Factory Robots

Erico Guizzo  /  Tue, April 19, 2011

Its name is FRIDA, and it’s a creation of ABB, the Swiss power and automation giant, which introduced it early this month at the Hannover trade show, Europe’s largest industrial fair. Designed for assembly applications, FRIDA is capable of using its human-like arms to grasp and manipulate electronic components and other small parts. The machine is a <http://www.abb.com/cawp/abbzh254/8657f5e05ede6ac5c1257861002c8ed2.aspx>concept robot that ABB created to show off its vision for a new kind of industrial robot.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/f16-demolition-robot>F16 Demolition Robot Cuts Through Concrete Like Butter

Erico Guizzo  /  Fri, February 25, 2011

Need to destroy something? Get a F16. No, not that <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon>F16. The F16 demolition robot from Stanley Hydraulic Tools. Unveiled this month, this electrically-driven hydraulic monster comes with five different attachments: shear, breaker, grapple, drop hammer, and our favorite, a concrete-cracking claw. Sure, it’s more of a remote-controlled shrunk excavator than a robot. But who cares? It can tear down walls and cut steel like butter. Can we bring this guy to <http://www.robogames.net/>RoboGames?

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/pi4-workerbot-is-one-happy-factory-bot>With Two Arms and a Smile, Pi4 Workerbot Is One Happy Factory Bot

POSTED BY: Samuel Bouchard  /  Thu, February 03, 2011

Is this robot the factory worker of the future?

The pi4 Workerbot is a new industrial robot capable of using its two arms to perform a variety of handling, assembly, and inspection tasks. It’s designed to work alongside human workers –  and the robot’s LCD face even displays a broad smile when things are running smoothly.

<http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110512-712074.html>ABB Very Optimistic On China In 2011 – CEO
Wall Street Journal – <http://www.google.com/search?start=160&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1174&bih=607&tbm=nws&q=author:%22John+Revill%22&ei=YQDbTYPoHNPPiAKIuoSCCA&ved=0CDEQ1AcoADABOKAB>John Revill – May 12, 2011

“We started very strongly in China in the first quarter, both power businesses and automation were strong last year and that continued,” said Hogan at ABB’s …

<http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/90492/Frost_and_Sullivan_Conceives_the_Future_of_Manufacturing__The_Automation_Way/>Frost & Sullivan Conceives the Future of Manufacturing – The …

Newswire Today (press release) – May 11, 2011

What part will factory automation play in keeping businesses competitive? How can companies leverage such Mega Trends to stay on top of their game? …

<http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/5/prweb8462007.htm>Ford Employs a Robot Named Ruth

PR Web (press release) – 2 days ago

The sales team at Maritime Ford – the premiere Ford dealer in Manitowoc – is excited about the new robots that Ford is using to make better vehicles that …

<http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-News/Automated-Assembly-Lines-from-KUKA-Systems-Outfit-Canada%C2%B9s-Largest-Solar-Panel-Plant/content_id/2792>Automated Assembly Lines from KUKA Systems Outfit Canada¹s Largest Solar Panel Plant

05/20/2011 KUKA Systems North America has made a successful entry into the burgeoning Canadian solar panel manufacturing sector, demonstrating in the …

<http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-News/Let-The-Sparks-Fly50-Years-of-Robotic-Automation-and-the-Future-of-American-Industry/content_id/2685>Let The Sparks Fly…50 Years of Robotic Automation and the Future of American Industry

04/11/2011

AWS National Robotic Welding Conference & Exhibition 2011
Overcoming Obstacles to Automation Through Innovation
Sponsored by the American Welding Society
May 23-25, 2011, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Event is designed to benefit anyone considering the use of robots in arc welding applications, or currently using robots and looking to expand or optimize their use.

“Let The Sparks Fly…50 Years of Robotic Automation and the Future of American Industry”
May 24, 2011, 7:00 – 9:30 Dinner and Keynote Presentation
By: Dean Elkins – Senior General Manager
Motoman Robotics, Chairman RIA
As a special feature the keynote speaker will be Dean Elkins, the Chairman of the Robotic Industries Association, and Senior General Manager at Motoman Robotics who will give a presentation about the way in which robots have been assimilated into the American manufacturing market space, making American companies more productive while lower costs, increasing flexibility, and improving a company’s chances of competing in the global market place. Scholarships will be awarded to students during the keynote dinner.

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION

<http://robots.net/article/3115.html>Prospero, an Autonomous Micro Planter

28 Feb 2011 at 20:33 UTC by <http://robots.net/person/John_RobotsPodcast/>John_RobotsPodcast

<http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/showthread.php?t=4669>A forum post on TrossenRobotics.com shows what’s called a an Autonomous Micro Planter (AMP), a small, six-legged robot named Prospero, that’s capable of drilling seed holes and depositing seeds in them. The forum post includes two YouTube videos and several photos. <http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/member.php?u=5016>The author of the post, David Dorhout, describes this category of machine as the first of four steps, saying The other three steps involve autonomous robots that tend the crops, harvest them, and finally one robot that can plant, tend, and harvest–autonomously transitioning from one phase to another. Prospero was designed for a contest sponsored by <http://www.schmartboard.com/>SchmartBoard and <http://blog.schmartboard.com/>placed first in the Parallax MCU segment (there were also TI and MicroChip MCU segments). The forum post links to <http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2458&d=1297742204>a PDF which explains the project in detail, including source code.

<http://robots.net/article/3097.html>Robotic farms – Hortiplan mobile gully system

Posted 1 Feb 2011 at 13:44 UTC by <http://robots.net/person/mwaibel/>mwaibel

<http://robotpig.net/>I.K.Erripis from the <http://www.robotspodcast.com/>Robots Podcast has sent some pointers on how robotics in agriculture is revolutionizing the way our food is produced. Greenhouses are transformed by robot applications and many companies apply advanced technology in order to improve production and the product. One of them is shown in a video recently posted by our friends over at the <http://singularityhub.com/2011/01/31/automation-domination-robotic-farm-for-hydroponic-lettuce-in-belgium-video/>Singularity Hub and reposted above. It shows that Belgian company <http://www.hortiplan.com/>Hortiplan won’t just sell you one or several robots to operate your greenhouse. Instead, Hortiplan will convert it into one huge robot. Their <http://www.hortiplan.com/site/index.php?menu=3>mobile gully system (MGS) is an integrated installation that automatically moves the plants through four stages, a nursery, a centralized planting area, an automated growing field and finally to the centralized harvest area. The plants are handled in and out of gullies and they grow through a <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_film_technique>”Nutrient Film Technique” (NFT) recirculating water system, where water with nutrients flows continuously through the plants. There are multiple benefits of this system: Production is increased, the requirements for human labor are reduced and the installation saves time and space for a given yield. The plants, (e.g., lettuce) are also picked up with their roots attached and by being alive they remain fresh for a longer time.

<http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/518043-Nestle_identifies_its_future_automation_strategies.php>Nestlé identifies its future automation strategies

Packaging Digest – <http://www.google.com/search?start=190&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1174&bih=607&tbm=nws&q=author:%22Lisa+McTigue+Pierce%22&ei=wADbTaTGOdPViAKj5PWBCA&ved=0CFgQ1AcoADAHOL4B>Lisa McTigue Pierce – May 4, 2011

Nestlé’s automation strategy historically was based on process control. This is where Nestlé and other companies in the CPG segment own the technology and …

<http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-News/Robots-for-Food-and-Drink/content_id/2736>Robots for Food and Drink

04/21/2011

In the food and beverage industry, those who most efficiently pack and ship specialty orders win. In this blog about robots for food and beverage applications, RIA examines some of the drivers and considerations for choosing robots for food and beverage applications. Click here for the blog: <http://roboticsonline.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/robots-for-food-and-drink/>Robots for Food and Drink

SERVICE SECTOR

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/robodynamics-luna-fully-programmable-adult-size-personal-robot>Mystery Robot Revealed: RoboDynamics Luna Is Fully Programmable Adult-Size Personal Robot

Evan Ackerman & Erico Guizzo  /  Wed, May 11, 2011

That <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/mystery-robot-to-be-unveiled-may-11>mystery robot that we’ve been teased about for months now, originally rumored to be something developed by either Apple or Google, is in fact a project by a company called RoboDynamics. It’s called Luna, it’s a personal robot designed for people to use at home, it’s fully programmable, and will start shipping later this year.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/review-irobot-scooba-230>Review: iRobot Scooba 230

Evan Ackerman  /  Thu, March 24, 2011

We’re totally stoked about iRobot’s new <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/irobot-scooba-230-how-it-works>Scooba 230 floor cleaning robot, largely because it’s something entirely new from <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/irobot>iRobot, a company that we’ve <http://www.botjunkie.com/2010/10/13/new-roomba-572-pet-series-is-nothing-new/>gently chided in the past for making only incremental and cosmetic improvements to their consumer products over the last few years.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/expliner-robot-inspects-high-voltage-lines>Watch This Robot Crawl on a High-Voltage Power Line

POSTED BY: Erico Guizzo  /  Fri, February 04, 2011

Inspection of high-voltage power lines is costly, difficult, and a dangerous job even for skilled workers. Which means it’s the <http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/industrial-robots/robotic-tightrope-walkers-for-highvoltage-lines/0>perfect job for a robot.

<http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-20031853-250.html>For better service, automate the waiters

Monday, February 14, 2011 Posted by Rafe Needleman

Storific lets you order food from your table, but the Paris-based start-up needs a more coherent sales strategy.

<http://www.npr.org/2011/05/13/136282554/the-rise-of-the-robo-waiter>The Rise Of The Robo-Waiter

NPR – <http://www.google.com/search?start=20&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1174&bih=607&tbm=nws&q=author:%22Patrick+Winn%22&ei=GQHbTdCuJIj4rQflqdTrDg&ved=0CCcQ1AcoADAAOBQ>Patrick Winn – May 13, 2011

Are robot waiters in our future in the US? Here, a robot holds a tray of food at a restaurant in Bangkok. Are robot waiters in our future in …

<http://robotics.tmcnet.com/topics/robotics/articles/178115-robot-move-luggage-guests-new-times-square-hotel.htm>Robot to Move Luggage for Guests in New Times Square Hotel

When the “Yotel” opens up in Times Square in New York City it will offer its guests automated robots to handle their luggage.

<http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-Feature-Article/Service-Robots-and-their-Rapid-Rise-in-Multiple-Markets/content_id/2608>Service Robots and their Rapid Rise in Multiple Markets

by Adil Shafi, President

Posted: 02/28/2011 Industrial robots are characterized by their use in factories. Almost always they work in a fixed area or move …

PACKING AND SHIPPING

<http://www.robots.com/blog.php?tag=520>Industrial Robots Evolve to Meet Warehouse Challenges

April 25, 2011

Until recently, industrial robots have been relative strangers to the warehouse distribution industry. But <http://www.robots.com/arrivals.php>new developments in robot technology, specifically robotic software, vision systems, sensors, and <http://www.robots.com/faq.php?question=end+of+arm+tooling>EOAT, have brought about a new era.
Thanks to these advancements, robots are now capable of offering distribution companies much more intelligent and flexible solutions. The warehousing industry has been quick to embrace the new and improved <http://www.robots.com/robot-education.php>robotic <http://www.robots.com/robot-education.php>technology. According to a <http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-News/Robotic-Warehousing:-A-New-Market-Opportunity-for-Robot-Manufacturers-and-Integrators/content_id/2574>study by Paul Kellet, RIA Market Analysis Director, warehouse distribution is one of the most promising emerging markets for industrial robots.

<http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-90867.htm>Manufacturing Journalist TR Cutler Looks at How Hybrid Forklifts …
SBWire (press release) – May 3, 2011

In the current issue of Automation.com, manufacturing journalist TR Cutler noted, “Discrete manufacturers face increased global competition, …

<http://www.packagingeurope.com/Packaging-Europe-News/41052/ITW-Warehouse-Automation-Launched-at-Interpack-in-Dusseldorf.html>ITW Warehouse Automation Launched at Interpack in Dusseldorf
Packaging Europe – May 18, 2011

ITW Warehouse Automation will supply fully- integrated warehouse automation solutions across the Globe. The rising costs of labor and fuel, …

ENERGY

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/earth-day-5-robots-that-can-help-make-the-planet-greener>Earth Day: 5 Robots That Can Help Make the Planet Greener

Erico Guizzo  /  Fri, April 22, 2011

Today is <http://www.google.com/search?q=Earth+Day&ct=earthday11_hp&oi=ddle>Earth Day, and one of my coworkers was telling me about all the little things we can do to help preserve the <http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/storm-takes-aim.html>beautiful place we all live in. That got me thinking, naturally, on things that robots could do to help preserve the planet. Let’s not be disingenuous: robots, like all technologies, are not a panacea. More automation could mean less carbon emissions and less waste, but it could also mean the opposite — it all depends on how we use it. Below I’m listing five robotic technologies that could potentially help to make the planet greener. If you have more robots to add to the list, or if you disagree that robots are Earth-friendly creations, leave a comment below.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/robots-enter-fukushima-reactors-detect-high-radiation>Robots Enter Fukushima Reactors, Detect High Radiation

Erico Guizzo  /  Mon, April 18, 2011

The Associated Press is <http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ig4Uyj36-7ftfYkiaqUlVNN_CrtQ?docId=dc4ef5ca5b404767bc97ab669500b8bd>reporting that two PackBot ground robots from iRobot have entered Unit 1 and Unit 3 of the crippled <http://spectrum.ieee.org/static/japans-earthquake-and-nuclear-emergency>Fukushima nuclear power plant and performed readings of temperature, oxygen levels, and radioactivity.

<http://www.robots.com/blog.php?tag=517>Robots Critical to Survival of Alternative Energy Industry

April 18, 2011

As alternative methods of producing energy become increasingly sought-after, production must keep pace. For alternative energy industries to survive and thrive, they must increase their reliance on the <http://www.robots.com/robots.php>industrial robot.

<http://news.cnet.com/2300-11128_3-10006590.html>E-waste outfit automates to ramp up (photos) Slideshow

Thursday, February 10, 2011 Posted by Martin LaMonica

An electronics waste center in Ontario, Canada, uses a high level of automation to handle an expected higher rate of volume.

<http://news.cnet.com/one-day-a-robot-may-ask-paper-or-plastic/8301-17938_105-20062461-1.html>One day a robot may ask, ‘Paper or plastic?’

Friday, May 13, 2011 Posted by Christopher MacManus

Researchers from Stanford University create an autonomous checkout clerk capable of scanning and bagging your items in real time.

JOB DISPLACEMENT

<http://news.cnet.com/mcdonalds-hires-7000-touch-screen-cashiers/8301-17938_105-20063732-1.html>McDonald’s hires 7,000 touch-screen cashiers

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 Posted by Amanda Kooser

Would you like some microchips with that burger? McDonald’s Europe strikes another blow against human interaction by installing 7,000 touch-screen computers to take your order and money.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/aerospace/robotic-exploration/how-china-plans-to-send-robots-to-the-moon>How China Plans To Send Robots To the Moon

Evan Ackerman  /  Mon, May 09, 2011

Despite the fact that the moon is so close (cosmically speaking), we haven’t really interacted much with the lunar surface since the late ’70s. We’ve taken pictures of it and crashed the occasional spacecraft into it, but in general the moon has been bypassed for sexier planets like <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/Mars>Mars.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/nevada-bill-would-provide-tentative-roadmap-for-autonomous-vehicles>Nevada Bill Would Provide Tentative Roadmap for Autonomous Vehicles

Evan Ackerman  /  Fri, April 29, 2011

Right now, we have cars that that will automatically keep you in your lane while adjusting your speed so that you don’t run into anyone in front of you. You can go out and buy one. It’s not just that the technology exists to allow our cars to do our driving for us, at least on highways… The technology is in some consumer cars already. So why aren’t cars driving us around yet? A big (possibly the biggest) issue is legal: there’s simply no precedent that’s been established for, and let’s be blunt, who gets to sue who when something goes wrong. And something will, at some point, inevitably go wrong, and when it does, what happens next could decide the how the next decade of autonomous vehicles plays out.

BUSINESS OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

<http://www.robots.com/blog.php?tag=508>2010 a Record Year for North American Robot Industry

February 10, 2011

2010 statistics released by the <http://www.robots.com/robots.php>Robotics Industries Association (RIA) underscore the reality that more and more companies both in North America and abroad are realizing their need for <http://www.robots.com/robotics.php?page=industrial+automation>industrial automation. Last year alone, combined robot orders totaled 29,034. Their total value is $1.839 billion. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/the-global-robotics-brain-project>The Global Robotics Brain Project

Samuel Bouchard  /  Tue, March 29, 2011

Because in his brain resides a database with more than 36,000 robotics companies, robotics labs, robotics projects, robotics researchers, and robotics publications, all categorized, tagged, and linked. No, not in the brain inside his head. We’re talking about the Global Robotics Brain, a project that the man, Wolfgang Heller, started to keep track of the robotsphere. Inspired by Google’s <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank>PageRank, Heller, a business intelligence consultant from Sweden, asked himself: Could he use a similar approach to draw a map of interactions between the different robotics players and identify who is doing the most relevant work? What trends are emerging?

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-software/robots-are-the-next-revolution-so-why-isnt-anyone-acting-like-it>Robots Are the Next Revolution, So Why Isn’t Anyone Acting Like It?

Paul Miller  /  Mon, March 28, 2011

Back in 2006, when Bill Gates was making his tear-filled transition from the PC industry into a tear-filled career as a philanthropist, he penned an editorial on robotics that became a rallying cry for… no one. Titled “<http://www.cs.virginia.edu/%7Erobins/A_Robot_in_Every_Home.pdf>A Robot in Every Home,” Bill Gates highlighted the obvious parallels between the pre-Microsoft PC industry and the pre-anybody personal robotics industry. Industrial use, research work, and a fringe garage hobby. That was the state of the computer industry before Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and that’s more or less the state of the robotics industry now, five years after Bill’s editorial.

<http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-News/Robot-Orders-Surge-31-in-First-Quarter-of-2011/content_id/2750>Robot Orders Surge 31% in First Quarter of 2011

05/03/2011

North American robotics companies enjoyed their best opening quarter since 2007, according to new statistics released by Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the industry’s trade group. A total of 4,021 robots valued at $263.5 million were ordered by North American manufacturing companies through March, an increase of 31% in units and 27% in dollars.

RESEARCH AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS

ICRA 2011 Expo Gallery

Evan Ackerman  /  Mon, May 23, 2011

While most of <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/icra>ICRA was devoted to research presentations, there was a lively expo floor stuffed with robots that would be from all corners of the globe, if a globe had any corners. We’re nowhere near finished with our coverage of the research, but for today, enjoy this gallery of pics from the expo.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/highspeed-robot-hands-fold-a-towel-in-04-second>High-Speed Robot Hands Fold a Towel in 0.4 Second

Evan Ackerman  /  Thu, May 19, 2011

Remember those <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/high-speed-robot-hands-easily-outpace-humans>crazy fast robotic hands that can dribble a ball in the blink of an eye? A research group from the University of Tokyo has been teaching them to fold towels (very small towels) at blistering speed, poking some fun at Berkeley’s PR2 and its rather more, um, <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/pr2-does-the-impossible-folds-towels>sedate pace.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/treebot-learns-to-autonomously-climb-trees>Treebot Learns to Autonomously Climb Trees

Evan Ackerman  /  Wed, May 18, 2011

This is Treebot. As you might expect, Treebot was designed to do one thing: climb trees. It is by no means the first robot able to do this, but its arboreal predecessors (<http://www.botjunkie.com/2009/05/13/rise-v3-scrambles-up-telephone-poles-faster-than-ever/>RiSE and <http://www.botjunkie.com/2010/08/30/trees-are-no-protection-from-snakebots/>Modsnake and <http://www.botjunkie.com/2007/08/12/packbot-griffon-takes-to-air-lands-in-tree/>accidentally PackBot are just a few) weren’t autonomous and didn’t have the skills necessary to negotiate the complex network of branches that you tend to find on trees worth climbing.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/diy/this-begging-robot-can-have-all-my-money>This Begging Robot Can Have All My Money

Evan Ackerman  /  Fri, April 22, 2011

Seriously, how could you walk past this adorable little robot and not give it everything you have in your pockets? This is DONA, an “Urban Donation Motivating Robot,” which wanders around public spaces and proceeds to look cute until people <http://www.botjunkie.com/2009/04/27/short-on-change-build-a-beggarbot/>give it money. ‘Cause, you know, robots have to make ends meet too. And from the looks of it, it totally works.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/geminoid-robots-and-human-originals-get-together>Geminoid Robots and Human Originals Get Together

Erico Guizzo  /  Mon, April 04, 2011

The ultrarealistic androids, each a copy of a real person, met on March 30 at Japan’s <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/atr>ATR laboratory, near Kyoto. Attending were <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/geminoid+f>Geminoid F, <http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/humanoids/hiroshi-ishiguro-the-man-who-made-a-copy-of-himself>Geminoid HI-1, and <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/latest-geminoid-is-disturbingly-realistic>Geminoid DK, as well as their respective originals: a twentysomething woman (<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/040310-geminoid-f-hiroshi-ishiguro-unveils-new-smiling-female-android>whose identity remains a secret), Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University, and Prof. Henrik Scharfe of Aalborg University, in Denmark [photo above].

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/0211-top-10-robot-videos>Top 10 Robot Videos of the Month

Evan Ackerman  /  Tue, March 15, 2011

February was a big month for robots, but then, from our perspective, every month is a big month for robots. Robonaut finally made it to the ISS, and Watson proved that humans are doomed at Jeopardy, more or less. And did we mention a bomb-disposal bot dropped a real grenade on live TV [image above]? Oops.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/medical-robots/stochastic-robots-assemble-and-disassemble-themselves>Stochastic Robots Assemble and Disassemble Themselves

Evan Ackerman  /  Tue, February 22, 2011

“Stochastic” is another way of saying random, and stochastic robots are robots that harness the powers of randomness <http://www.botjunkie.com/2007/11/15/stochastic-self-reconfigurable-modular-robots-build-themselves-at-random/>to construct themselves. It’s a fairly simple idea that can result in fairly complex objects: you’ve got some number of different modules, which can come together to form a robot. Instead of putting the modules together and building the robot directly, you instead just toss all of the modules and shake it really really hard. As the modules randomly run into each other, each is programed to latch on if it happens to bump into a module that it’s supposed to be next to in the final design. And if you do this for long enough, eventually you’ll end up with a fully assembled robot. Or that’s the basic idea, anyway.

<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/0111-top-10-robot-videos>Top 10 Robot Videos of the Month

Erico Guizzo  /  Tue, February 08, 2011

Robotics is off to a good start this year. In January, there was <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/ces>CES, with lots of <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/best-robots-of-ces>cool new robot products and demos, and we’ve also seen plenty of robot hacks using Microsoft’s <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/Kinect>Kinect 3D sensor, which is creating quite a stir. But there was much more, of course, so it’s time to review the most striking, stunning, and strange robot videos of January.

<http://news.cnet.com/pr2-robot-learns-to-read-follows-words-anywhere/8301-17938_105-20065448-1.html>PR2 robot learns to read, follows words anywhere

Monday, May 23, 2011 by Tim Hornyak

At the University of Pennsylvania, Willow Garage’s polymath PR2 robot is reading everything in sight, including T-shirts and coffee labels.

<http://www.roboticstrends.com/security_defense_robotics/article/autonomous_robots_explore_and_map_buildings>Autonomous Robots Explore and Map Buildings

There isn’t a radio-control handset in sight as several small robots roll briskly up the hallways of an office building. Working by themselves and communicating only with one another, the vehicles divide up a variety of exploration tasks – and within minutes have transmitted a detailed floor map to humans stationed nearby.

.

__,_._,___

How Uprisings In Egypt And Tunisia Fit In With Global Capitalism

[This perceptive analysis places the Middle Eastern uprisings in the context of a global economic crisis, a global shift in productive forces, and the attempts of global capital to protect private, corporate property.  -- Lew Rosenbaum]

From the Editors: Middle East Upheaval Signals New Era
Rally,Comrades Jan/Feb/March 2011 (forthcoming)

Global capitalism in the age of electronics and the attendant neoliberal policies have created a huge and widening gap between wealth and poverty across the world. Repression of all opposition to neocolonial states whose political systems serve global capitalism has for decades succeeded in maintaining the status quo.

The current crisis of global capitalism – a consequence of the transformation from production based on electro-mechanics to one based on electronics – is threatening the capitalist relations of production based on the exploitation of wage labor. The capitalists in the advanced countries are squeezing their own workers in an effort to escape the crisis. However, the devastation brought about by neoliberal policies on workers in the neocolonies has been much more severe.

The social revolutions that have recently occurred in Latin American countries (e.g Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador) are a consequence of this world economic transformation that is taking place before our eyes. The Tunisian and Egyptian upheavals that overthrew two vicious dictators who were allied with global capitalism and neoliberal policies through the U.S. imperial project, are but the two most recent examples of the same process.

The main features of the Latin American political transformation are rather clear. They are anti-imperialist, but not anti-capitalist. These are nationalist regimes that are trying to solve economic, social, and political contradictions within global capitalism.

The participation of all sectors of society in the Tunisian and Egyptian upheavals indicates the nationalist character of those upheavals. They also have a pan-Arab nationalist character that has no counterpart in the Latin American examples (i.e., no Pan-Latin American character to the extent of the Pan-Arab). This is critical, especially as the upheavals spread to other parts of the Arab world.

This stage of the revolutionary process is different from the previous stage where colonies fought against direct colonialism under the leadership of the national bourgeoisie. The revolutions against direct colonialism fitted the needs of global capital so long as a national bourgeoisie dependent on neo-imperialism led them.

Even though this stage of the revolutionary process has begun as all-class nationalism, it cannot be sustained under conditions of crisis in global capitalism caused by the epoch-making transformations in production.

The outstanding feature of the struggle today is that there is no longer two paths. No matter the ideological veneers – that struggle must turn against private property and for some form of communist reconstruction.

This is the reason we see the idea presented by the ruling class that what is needed is to get rid of the dictators and corruption and everything will be all right. This is the reason why the “liberal” wing of the national bourgeoisie suddenly appears on the stage in every neocolony.

An entire new epoch is emerging. Today, the bellies are the determining factor. The polarization of wealth and poverty is creating tensions that have inevitably broken the chain at its weakest links (e.g. Tunisia and Egypt).

Given all the general factors – liberation with capitalism simply won’t work as a base for social liberation. Since there is no going back, the emerging of class interests will compel the process to move to the next stage – direct struggle against private property in the form of nationalization (the reversal of privatization) and ultimately, the distribution of the social product according to need, regardless of ability to pay for the necessities of life.

Humanity is living through dangerous times. It is a time when revolutionaries fully expect the capitalists to fight to the death for the survival of private property in one form or another. The danger lies in that revolutionary parties over the past half-century (with few exceptions) have been devastated. They have been physically liquidated or made peace with the class enemy. They have been replaced by “civil society” organizations who advocate peaceful change within the system while vehemently opposing a communist resolution to the crisis that humanity is facing. That solution is the public ownership of the means of production and distribution according to need.

The proletariat, the large mass of humanity, is facing a vicious enemy with no organization and program that is capable of carrying the revolutionary process to its conclusion. What is required of revolutionaries is to determine the line of march and build organizations capable of seeing that revolutionary process reaches its ultimate conclusion.

For the first time an objective communist class is forming to become the foundation for a communist political movement. Globalization creates this new class everywhere. Global unity is the condition of its national emancipation. The League extends its hand of comradeship around the globe.

Here are a few selections from Rally, Comrades! that give perspective on the world events unfolding today.

• Global Shifts: The Middle East in US Geopolitical Strategy, Rally, Comrades!, November/December 2010
• International Polarization Accelerates as World Experiences Unprecedented Destruction of Wealth, Rally, Comrades! November/December 2008
• “On the Edge of History”, Rally, Comrades, August 2008

For more information on Rally Comrades! or the League of Revolutionaries for a New America, click here:

Automation and Robotics News – Jan 30, 2011

[Along with the usual excitement about drone technology and war making, this issue of Automation and Robotics News brings insightful articles about robot job displacement including replacement of entire occupations.  There should be no wonder why Egyptian workers with diplomas cannot find jobs . .

By Larry McCormack, The (Nashville) Tennessean James Scott says the printing industry "is flooded with people looking for jobs."

.and what does that say about the future in the US?  Check out the worker replacement guide below to find out  — Lew Rosenbaum]

Automation and Robotics News–Jan 30, 2011
Tony Zaragoza

Archives: http://academic.evergreen.edu/z/zaragozt/arnews.htm

TERROR, MILITARY, POLICING, SURVEILLANCE

Stats Back Al-Qaida Claim of Drone Pain
Spencer Ackerman, January 27, 2011

Is the U.S. drone war in Pakistan putting the squeeze on al-Qaida’s safe havens? It’s not a question that lends itself to easy answers, given the difficulties of reporting from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas where al-Qaida’s top leaders are believed to be. But a new statistical analysis by researchers at Harvard finds that the deadly robots overhead are reaping modest “counterterrorism dividends” — something that al-Qaida itself is complaining about.

Even DHS Is Freaked Out by Spy Drones Over America

Spencer Ackerman January 26, 2011

Police departments around the country are warming up to unmanned spy planes. But don’t expect the Department of Homeland Security to catch drone fever anytime soon. It’s too controversial for an agency already getting hammered for naked scanners and junk-touching.

Return of The ‘Beast of Kandahar’ Stealth Drone
Spencer Ackerman, January 25, 2011

It returns from the skies! Back in 2009, the Air Force confirmed that it had a mysterious stealth drone, the Lockheed RQ-170, flying over Kandahar in Afghanistan — the subject of much online speculation and grainy photography. Now, after something of a lull,  the Secret Projects forum has new pics of the drone that Ares aviation ace Bill Sweetman dubbed “The Beast of Kandahar.”

Will Israel Sell Russia Its Prized Monster Drone?

Spencer Ackerman, January 18, 2011

Israel and Russia: once Cold War enemies, now partners-in-drone. Only the Russians want Israel to let the Kremlin in on its most powerful unmanned spy plane.

INDUSTRY

Fanuc Bets Future on ‘Cranes With Brains,’ Inaba Says

BusinessWeek - Jason Clenfield - Jan 17, 2011

Inaba built Fanuc into an automation empire over three decades, focusing on making the controls that run more than half of the world’s computerized tools. …

Robots Dominate Manufacturing – Take a Look Inside the Making of a Memory Card …

Singularity Hub - Aaron Saenz - Jan 20, 2011

Watching these slick industrial robots do their thing is something else. You have to check out the video below and see what I mean. …

Little Helper Robot Wants to Be Big Help on Factory Floor

POSTED BY: Samuel Bouchard  /  Wed, January 05, 2011

The manufacturing industry in many countries, facing labor shortages and pressed to become ever more efficient, can certainly use a little help. Or how about a Little Helper?

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION

Robots: Harvest Automation

Robotspodcast.com, January 14th, 2011

In today’s episode we look at a new market in robotics with huge potential, agriculture. With us, <http://www.harvestautomation.com/About.html>Joe Jones, co-founder of Harvest Automation and father of the Roomba.

SERVICE SECTOR

Digging through a high-tech recycling center

January 24, 2011, Martin LaMonica

A waste recycling center uses a series of machines to automatically sort material to enable single-stream recycling for consumers.

Teasdale Quality Foods Achieves Significant Savings by Automating Invoice…

Business Wire (press release) - Jan 25, 2011

Teasdale’s implementation of the EZCM accounts payable automation solution was so successful that, within months, order entries and accounts receivable were …

‘Go to’ clouds of the future, part 1

January 03, 2011, James Urquhart

Two companies will play major roles in the cloud computing transformation in the next decade, and who they are might surprise you–as well as how they will do it.

Robot puts ill teen back in classroom

Chicago Sun-Times - Jan 21, 2011

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — A Texas school district here has teamed up with a communications company to allow a homebound student to attend class via robot.

Restaurant robot delivers the future of food service

DVICE -Adario Strange - Jan 25, 2011

The MK Robot Project produced the robot to assist waiters with an eye towards total autonomy in the future. Although slow and still in need of human …

Robot glider to investigate Australia floodwaters

msnbc.com - Jan 24, 2011

A gliding robot is set to cruise over a stretch of Australian coast that has been devastated by the recent flooding. The glider will be on a reconnaissance …

12 Advances In Medical Robotics

Looking to make an informed robot-buying decision? Here are some options for assisting (or replacing) your employees.

InformationWeek - Jan 29, 2011

Japan, which has a large elderly population, has developed a number of robot-based technologies that appear to help slow down the advent of dementia, …

Robots to fix parking problems in Abu Dhabi

The National - Jan 23, 2011

The “valet” is a mechanical robot, it promises to park or retrieve your car inside 50 seconds – and best of all, parking will be free.

With Home Carpeting Conquered, Robots Eye the Office

Jack Loftus, 1/16/11

The Roomba has conquered the home. No more vacuuming! Now robots must tackle mail delivery and coffee-making tasks in the office. Enter the coldly-named humanoid bot HRP-4. It doesn’t surf the net. It doesn’t gossip. It simply serves.

Sushi Restaurant Uses Sushi Robots and Control Centers to Cut Costs

Casey Chan

Kura, a sushi chain, focuses on efficiency and turning a profit. So much so that they’ve eschewed traditional sushi chefs for sushi robots, a large staff of waiters for conveyor belts and restaurant managers for a control center with video link.

PACKING AND SHIPPING

Adept introduces packaging robot platform

Vision Systems Design - Jan 6, 2011

Built on the USDA-accepted Adept Quattro s650HS robot, the Adept PAC is the first robotic packaging platform designed from the ground up to address the …

ENERGY

Move Over, WALL-E: Puttering Along Power Lines

New York Times (blog) - Matthew L. Wald - Jan 12, 2011

Electric Power Research Institute A prototype of the robot that would monitor transmission lines for problems.

JOB DISPLACEMENT

Tense time for workers, as career paths fade away

USA Today - Rick Hampson - Jan 12, 2011

•Globalization and automation may export or eliminate not only jobs, but entire occupations — ways of life, really. The Labor Department predicts that …

The Robot Economy is Here by Derek Thompson

The Atlantic (blog) - Derek Thompson - Jan 18, 2011

Entrepreneur Marshall Brain–that’s his real name–says robots will become widely available by 2030 and could eventually take nearly half of all jobs in the …

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Automation Touted As Way To Help Fix Immigration System

National Journal - Aliya Sternstein - Jan 13, 2011

Nextgov.com reports that the government can fix the immigration system without legislation, by automating visa processing and by …

Barcelona Seeks Technologies for Automation of Urban Services

TMC Net -Calvin Azuri - Jan 24, 2011

The city of Barcelona invites international solutions providers and research centers who can materialize its automation goals through sensors and other …

The Killer Robot Caucus

01/25/11 WSJ Washington Wire

Members of Congress love their drones, but they want to give all robots their due. So the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Caucus…

BUSINESS OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

Robotics Industry Is Optimistic in 2011

by Bennett Brumson, Contributing Editor

Posted: 01/11/2011 As the global economy emerges from the Great Recession of 2008-2009, business activity is slowly picking up….

RESEARCH AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Japanese Robot Cargo Ship En Route to Space Station

Space.com - Jan 24, 2011

An unmanned Japanese cargo spaceship is closing in on the International Space Station, on track to link up with the orbiting lab Thursday (Jan. 27).

Seoul To Spend US$89.5 Million On Robot Pilot Projects

Bernama - Jan 26, 2011

SEOUL, Jan 27 (Bernama) — The government will spend 100 billion won (US$89.5 million) on robot-related pilot projects to bolster growth of the cutting edge …

After 50 Years Robots Have New Horizons

by Bennett Brumson, Contributing Editor

Posted: 01/11/2011 Advancements in safety systems, end-effectors and sensors are rapidly bringing robotics into new applications…

Building a Super Robust Robot Hand

Erico Guizzo  /  Tue, January 25, 2011

German researchers have built an anthropomorphic robot hand that can endure collisions with hard objects and even strikes from a hammer without breaking into pieces. In designing the new hand system, researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, part of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), focused on robustness. They may have just built the toughest robot hand yet. The DLR hand has the shape and size of a human hand, with five articulated fingers powered by a web of 38 tendons, each connected to an individual motor on the forearm.

Cloud Robotics: Connected to the Cloud, Robots Get Smarter

Erico Guizzo  /  Mon, January 24, 2011

Connected to the Cloud, Robots Get Smarter

In the first “Matrix” movie, there’s a scene where Neo points to a helicopter on a rooftop and asks Trinity, “Can you fly that thing?” Her answer: “Not yet.” Then she gets a “pilot program” uploaded to her brain and they fly away. For us humans, with our non-upgradeable, offline meat brains, the possibility of acquiring new skills by connecting our heads to a computer network is still science fiction. Not so for robots. Several research groups are exploring the idea of robots that rely on cloud-computing infrastructure to access vast amounts of processing power and data. This approach, which some are calling “cloud robotics,” would allow robots to offload compute-intensive tasks like image processing and voice recognition and even download new skills instantly, Matrix-style. Imagine a robot that finds an object that it’s never seen or used before—say, a plastic cup. The robot could simply send an image of the cup to the cloud and receive back the object’s name, a 3-D model, and instructions on how to use it, says James Kuffner, a professor at Carnegie Mellon currently working at Google.

Top 20 Robot Videos of 2010

Erico Guizzo  /  Tue, January 11, 2011

Last year was an incredible time for robotics, and to recap the best robot moments of 2010 we decided to compile a list of our favorite videos. Check out below our selection — going from No. 20 to the No. 1 — and let us know what you think.

The Best Robots of CES 2011

One of the best robots of 2010

Erico Guizzo  /  Tue, January 11, 2011

Robots made a big appearance at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There were home robots, robotic pets, humanoids, telepresence systems, and even a little robot to massage people’s backs. Check out the highlights

Myth Of American Primacy: How Does The US Compare With Other Countries?

 

Just How Exceptional is the US?

The Myth of American Primacy

By DAVID ROSEN

The New Year season is a good time to reflect on the U.S.’s true standing in the world.

Politicians of every stripe ceaselessly repeat the well-worn clichés about America’s uniqueness and prowess at 4th of July, Memorial Day, election campaign and other patriotic celebrations.

But how exceptional are we?

The following list of some 35 categories compares our standing to other nations.

Sadly, the five categories in which America ranks #1 are Military Expenditure, Incarceration, Marriage, Cosmetic Procedures and Obesity.

Read on …

U.S. Ranked #1

Military Expenditures (2008)

#1 — U.S. = $663.2 billion (4% of GDP)
#2 — China = $98.8 billion (2% of GDP)

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database (2009)

Military Expenditure per GDP (2005)

#1 — Omar = 11.4%
#25 — U.S. = 4.2%

Source: CIA Factbook

Incarceration Rate

#1 — U.S. = 756 per 100,000 (1,613,740 in 2009)
#2 — Russia = 629 per 100,000 (86,9814 in 2006)

Source: King’s College London International Centre for Prison Studies: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics

Marriage Rate (“crude,” 2007)

#1 — U.S. = 7.4 per 1,000
#7 — Denmark = 6.7 per 1,000

Source: National Healthy Marriage Resource Center

Cosmetic Surgical Procedures (2009)

#1 — U.S. = 1.5 mil
#2 — Brazil = 1.0 million

Source: ISAPS

Obesity Rate

#1 — U.S. = 34% (2008)
#2 — Mexico = 30% (2006)

Source: OECD

Happiness

#1 — Costa Rica = 76.1
#114 — U.S. = 30.7

Source: Happy Planet Index 2.0

Satisfaction with Life Index (2006)

#1 — Denmark = 273.4
#23 — U.S. = 246.7

Source: Adrian White, “A Global Projection of Subjective Well-being: A Challenge To Positive Psychology?”

Subjective Well-Being (2007)

#1 — Denmark = 4.24
#16 — U.S. = 3.55

Source: World Values Surveys

National Economy

Gross Domestic Product (2009)

#1 — European Union = $14.4 trillion
#2 — U.S. = $14.1 trillion

Source: CIA Factbook

Per Capita GDP

#1 — Lichtenstein = $122,100 (2007)
#11 — U.S. = $46,000 (2009)

Source: CIA Factbook

Human Poverty Index (2007-2008, lowest)

#1 — Sweden = 6.3
#17 — U.S. = 15.4

Source: Human Development Index

Current Account Balance (2009)

#1 — China = $297.1 billion
#190 — U.S. = ($378.4 billion)

Source: CIA Factbook

Competitive Economy

#1 — Switzerland
#4 — U.S.

Source: World Economic Forum

Digital Economy

#1 — Sweden
#3 — U.S.

Source: Economist Intelligence Group’s “e-readiness”

Information Technology

#1 — Sweden
#4 — U.S.

Source: World Economic Forum

Environmental Impact

Renewable Electricity Production (2009)

#1 — China = 682.1
#3 — U.S. = 413.2

Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy, June 2009

Environmental Impact (worst to best)

#1 — Brazil
#2 — U.S.

Source: University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute in Australia

CO-2 Emissions (Climate Change Performance Index, of 56 countries, 2008, best to worst)

#2 — Germany = 3.0% share
#55 — U.S. = 21.4% share

Source: Germanwatch

Wellness

Life Expectancy

#1 — Japan = 82.6 years
#38 — U.S. = 78.2 years

Source: United Nations (2005-2010)

Infant mortality (to 1,000 live births, 2009)

#1 — Iceland = 2.9
#33 — U.S. = 6.3

Source: UN Population Division

National Health Systems

#1 — France
#37 — U.S.

Source: World Health Organization

Health Care Expenditures (% of GDP, 2006)

#1 — France = 11.0%
#37 — U.S. = 15.8%

Source: OECD

Overweight Rate

#1 — Mexico = 70% (2006)
#2 — U.S. = 68% (2008)

Source: OECD

Domestic Life

Divorce Rate (of marriages, 2002)

#1 — Sweden = 54.9%
#7 — U.S. = 45.7%

Source: Americans for Divorce Reform

Cohabitation Rate (20 year-old plus, 2007)

#1 — France = 14.4%
#6 — U.S. = 5.5%

Source: National Healthy Marriage Resource Center

Non-Married Childbirths (2007, US and Europe)

#1 — Sweden = 54.7%
#6 — U.S. Denmark = 38.5%

Source: National Healthy Marriage Resource Center

Motherhood Ranking (best to worst)

#1 — Norway
#28 — U.S.

Source: Save the Children “Mothers Index”

Gender Gap (narrowest to widest)

#1 — Iceland
#19 — U.S.

Source: World Economic Forum

Education

Secondary School Graduates (2008)

#1 — S. Korea = 93%
#18 — U.S.= 73%

Source: OECD

College Graduates (25-34) (2007)

#1 — Canada = 55.8%
#12 — U.S. = 40.3%

Source: the College Board

Reading

#1 — Korea = 539
#15 — U.S. = 500

China was divided into three regions (Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao) and Shanghai and Hong Kong out-performed the U.S).

Source: OECD PISA

Science Education

#1 — Finland = 554
#20 — U.S. = 502

China was divided into three regions (Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao) and each out-performed the U.S.

Source: OECD PISA

Math Education

#1 — Singapore = 562
#28— U.S. = 487

China was divided into three regions (Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao) and each out-performed the U.S.

Source: OECD PISA

Telecommunications Services

Internet Users (2008)

#1 — China = 298 million
#2 — U.S. = 231 million

Source: CIA Factbook

Wired Broadband (2010)

#1 — Netherlands = 37.8 per 100 (6.2 mil subscribers)
#14 — U.S. = 27.1 per 100 (183.3 mil subscribers)

Source: OCED

Wireless Broadband (2010)

#1 — Korea = 95.0 per 100 (146.3 mil subscribers)
#9 — U.S. = 44.4 per 100 (136.3 mil subscribers)

Source: OCED

Broadband Data Rate (downsteam)

#1 — Korea = 36.9 Mb/s
#31 — U.S. = 9.9 Mb/s

Source: Speedtest

Broadband Data Rate (upsteam)

#1 — Korea = 20.3 Mb/s
#33 — U.S. = 2.5 Mb/s

Source: Speedtest

Please add you own categories and circulate.

David Rosen is the author of “Sex Scandals America: Politics & the Ritual of Public Shaming” (Key, 2009). He can be reached at drosen@ix.netcom.com.

 

Robotics Meets Theatre — New Garage Theater Production of Heddatron

[What happens when a pregnant Ypsilanti housewife is captured by renegade robots, taken to a South American jungle, and compelled to perform Ibsen's Hedda Gabler in a company of robot actors?  What seems to be a farce transcends the farcical, or so reviews of other productions have indicated.  We are NOT posting this to complain that robots are taking living actors' jobs.  Nor are we posting this to complain about the descent of theater below suspension of disbelief.  Instead, this is an aspect of performance that is actually imitating life, needs to be taken seriously in this regard.  At CL&AF we are interested in robotics precisely because it represents a generalized elimination of what was once socially necessary but is now becoming unnecessary human labor.  Behind Paul LaFargue's challenging The Right To Be Lazy has always been the challenge to debilitating work, the opportunity to free up human creative labor to confront the difficulties of survival such as how to educate appropriately, how to adapt to our changing environment so as not to destroy ourselves and so many of our fellow creatures.  And while Heddatron may not pose this question directly,  in our opinion it is built into the fabric of the play itself when ChiBots and others are actually building robot actors, ad did Le Freres Corbusier in New York 5 years ago (NYT review is here).   The play opens at Steppenwolf's Garage Theatre Feb. 16, 2011. -- Lew Rosenbaum]

Sideshow Theatre Company presents

Heddatron

By Elizabeth Meriwether
Directed by Jonathan L. Green 

A Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative
In the Garage Theatre
Wed. February 16, 2011 — Sun. April 24, 2011

Sideshow Theatre Company’s Heddatron is a part of the 2nd Annual Garage Rep.

Tickets go on sale January 7th

Overview

A book falls from the sky and a depressed Michigonian housewife is kidnapped by a clan of renegade robots, whisked away to the jungles of South America, and forced to perform the title role in a mechanical version of Hedda Gabler. As a documentarian searches for the truth about the abduction and the woman’s family mounts a search party, Ibsen himself enters the picture to defend his well-made play. Sideshow is partnering with robotics experts across Chicago to present a cast of human actors and functioning robots in this bizarre and savagely funny Chicago premiere.

Sideshow Theatre Company’s Heddatron is a part of the 2nd Annual Garage Rep, which also includes The Strange Tree Group ‘s The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen and UrbanTheater Company’s Sonnets for an Old Century.

---

Sideshow Theatre Company was founded in 2007. Sideshow’s mission is to mine the collective unconscious of the world we live in with limitless curiosity, drawing inspiration from the familiar stories, memories and images we all share to spark new conversation and bring our audiences together as adventurers in a communal experience of exploration.
For more information, visit www.sideshowtheatre.org.

Automation & Robotics News – Dec. 12, 2010, from Tony Zaragoza

[This issue includes information on a robot who could be taking your medical history soon, the wikileaks revelation that drones are on everyone's list to Santa, and, if you thought that China might be the last haven for those pursuing low wage workers, think again:  see below to find the "waiter" who may be serving you in Chinese restaurants.]

The Northrop-built drone touched down late Tuesday night at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California after spending more than a day aloft.

Automation and Robotics News–Dec 12, 2010

Archives: http://academic.evergreen.edu/z/zaragozt/arnews.htm

TERROR, MILITARY, POLICING, SURVEILLANCE

High-Flying Spy Drone, Powered By Liquid Coal

Jason Paur, November 24, 2010

No unmanned aircraft in the American arsenal flies higher or longer than the Global Hawk. On Tuesday, it soared high and long, powered by a blend of synthetic fuel. The Northrop-built drone touched down late Tuesday night at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California after spending more than a day aloft. Both the Navy and Air Force have flown numerous other aircraft using other non-traditional jet fuels, but this is both the first for an unmanned aircraft, and the first time any type of aircraft has flown with this type of fuel. JP-8 jet fuel (the kind typically used in the Air Force) was combined with a synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from liqufied coal, and another derived from natural gas, to make up the blend.

Air Force on Secret Space Plane: Nothing to See Here, Move Along

David Axe, December 7, 2010

The Air Force has news for anyone looking for sinister motives behind the flying branch’s latest orbital gizmo: the mysterious, high-tech X-37B space plane. The 29-foot-long robotic shuttle — vaguely labeled a “test asset” by the Pentagon — returned to earth on Friday after 224 days, nine hours and 24 minutes in space. In those eight months, observers speculated that the X-37 might be a prototype bomber, a satellite-snatching snoop or a speedy, quick-reacting sensor platform. Forget it, Richard McKinney, Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space Programs, said Monday. “I applaud the ingenuity and innovation of some reports, but really it’s as described. This is a test vehicle, pure and simple.” But a test vehicle for what? Well, for testing, McKinney said. The way he described it, the X-37 should eventually function as an orbital laboratory for new satellite components and other space gear — pricey stuff that today gets boosted into the heavens with very little realistic testing. “If we could place technology in orbit, check it out and bring back to earth, that would be significant accomplish,” he said. “The purpose of this particular mission was the vehicle. In order do the other things we talked about … we’ve got to have a vehicle to do that.”

All the same, the X-37 did carry something in its payload bay during its inaugural flight — something secret, McKinney admitted. “It’s not unusual for us to put satellites into orbit that are classified. This is no different than that.”

WikiLeaks Reveals Everybody’s Christmas List: The World Wants Drones

WikiLeaks Reveals Everybody’s Christmas List: The World Wants Drones

Adam Rawnsley, November 29, 2010

Black Friday has passed, but the holidays are upon us and shopping days are increasingly few. Having a hard time finding the perfect gift for that tiny emirate hoping to psych out Iran or the large NATO ally looking to fight terrorism in Iraq? Fortunately for you, WikiLeaks has revealed the number one item atop seemingly everybody’s wish list: drones. Only a select few close American allies have the export-restricted Predator B (a.k.a. MQ-9 Reaper) armed drones, but that hasn’t stopped countries from the United Arab Emirates to Turkey from pestering & pleading with America to sell them the shiniest new toy, the WikiLeaks document show.

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION

Strawberry-picking robot knows when they’re ripe

Robots to put ripe strawberries on your table

December 13, 2010 Posted by Tim Hornyak

Japan prepares to unleash a strawberry-harvesting robot on the world.

Robot’s singular job: Cutting flesh from pig bone

Tuesday, December 07, 2010 Posted by Matt Hickey

Some people are scared of clowns, some of zombies. I’m scared of giant robots with knives programmed to slice meat from a pig’s thigh.

Entwistle’s of Ramsbottom sets one-year target to double sauce production

FoodManufacture.co.uk - 12/13/10

While Entwistle said that Lancashire Sauce was looking into taking on another team member, he stressed that the investment in automation was intended to …

SERVICE SECTOR

Robots wait on you in this Chinese restaurant

Robots serving food in this restaurant in . . . China!

Thursday, December 09, 2010 Posted by Juniper Foo

At China’s Dalu Rebot (sic) restaurant, patrons are greeted by robot receptionists and attended by robo-waiters. Fortunately, real-life cooks are on hand in the kitchen.

Personal Robotics Market to Top $19 Billion in 2017

Sales of telepresence and security robots are helping to drive the latest forecast.

Robotics Trends Staff – Filed Dec 13, 2010

While many consumers’ current interaction with robots is limited to those that clean their floors, pools, or gutters, ABI Research, in its market study “Personal Robotics,” forecasts that the personal robotics market will grow to more than $19 billion in 2017, driven in large part by sales of telepresence and security robots featuring high-quality cameras, microphones, and processors that allow the robots to serve as interactive substitutes for human beings.

“Hi I’m a robot. I’ll be your doctor today.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (blog) - Mark Johnson - Dec 8, 2010

The engineers say the technology now exists to design robot assistants competent to perform in the high-stress environment of a hospital emergency room.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Section 179: Take Advantage of Tax Deduction in 2010

Robotworx.com, December 07, 2010

Considering purchasing robots, workcells, or other robotic equipment soon? Why not make this capital investment now, before the end of the year. This way you can take

Romeo, shown here in a computer-generated rendering, is a French humanoid robot designed to assist elderly and disabled people. Image: Aldebaran Robotics

advantage of Section 179 tax incentives.

BUSINESS OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

Automate Keynote Speaker Tom Ridge

November 23, 2010

First Secretary of Homeland Security and Distinguished Statesman

Two major automation and logistics shows, Automate 2011 and ProMat 2011, are collocated March 21-24 in Chicago, Illinois at McCormick Place and together bring you a special keynote speaker, Tom Ridge, on Monday, March 21. His topic is, “Fortune Favors the Brave: The Net Gain of Supply Chain Security in a Risk-based World.”

RESEARCH AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS

France Developing Advanced Humanoid Robot Romeo

Erico Guizzo  /  Mon, December 13, 2010

France is set to join the select club of countries that have developed advanced adult-size humanoid robots. Paris-based Aldebaran Robotics, famed for its small humanoid robot Nao, is working with major French research organizations to build a larger and more capable humanoid called Romeo, to be unveiled next March. Designed to assist elderly and disabled individuals in their daily activities, the 1.4-meter-tall robot will be able to walk through a home, fetching food from the kitchen, taking out the garbage, and acting as a loyal companion who helps entertain its owners and keep tabs on their health.

Running robot aims to take on Usain Bolt

Monday, December 13, 2010 Posted by Leslie Katz

Aptly named Athlete, bipedal robot developed in Japan takes a biomechanical approach to running in an attempt to mimic human flexibility and agility.

Opportunities and Dangers: 10 Questions for Ray Kurzweil — from Time Magazine

10 Questions for Ray Kurzweil

Monday, Dec. 06, 2010

Rick Friedman[MDASH]Corbis

Is it a mistake to use the events of the recent past as a method of predicting the future?

Our intuition about the future is linear. But the reality of information technology is exponential, and that makes a profound difference. If I take 30 steps linearly, I get to 30. If I take 30 steps exponentially, I get to a billion.

You predict we’ll reach a point with artificial intelligence that you call the singularity. How will that affect us?

By the time we get to the 2040s, we’ll be able to multiply human intelligence a billionfold. That will be a profound change that’s singular in nature. Computers are going to keep getting smaller and smaller. Ultimately, they will go inside our bodies and brains and make us healthier, make us smarter. We’ll be online all the time. Search engines won’t wait to be asked.

Will this make it more difficult for us to focus?

We’ve always been responsible for the triage of our time. I actually think these technologies enable us to focus better. My father was a musician, and he had to hire an orchestra and raise money just to hear his compositions. Now a kid in her dorm room can do that with her synthesizer and computer.

How exactly will technology make us healthier?

We will reprogram our biology. My cell phone’s probably updating itself as we speak, but I’m walking around with 1,000-year-old software that was for a different era. One gene, the fat insulin receptor gene, says, “Hold on to every calorie, because the next hunting season may not work out so well.” I’d like to be able to tell my fat insulin receptor gene, “You don’t need to do that. I’m confident I’ll have food tomorrow.”

Will we be eating differently?

We’ll grow in vitro cloned meats in factories that are computerized and run by artificial intelligence. You can just grow the part of the animal that you’re eating. Some people say, “Oh, that sounds yucky.” I say, “Well, why don’t you go visit a factory-farming installation? You’ll find that getting meat from living animals is yucky.” But we’ll need a marketing genius to sell the idea.

Speaking of marketing, what idea about the future do you have the hardest time selling?

People are most resistant to the idea of dramatic extensions to life expectancy, because it affects every decision they make. They have this cycle of life in mind. People sort of wax philosophical–”Oh, I don’t want to live past 100.” I’d like to see them say that when they’re 100.

Do you think we’ll find intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?

The consensus in the field is that there’s somewhere between a thousand and a million technologically advanced civilizations just in our own galaxy. But once you get to a point where we are, within a few centuries at most, these civilizations would be doing galaxy-wide engineering. It’s impossible we wouldn’t be noticing that. So my conclusion is that we may be the first.

What are the dangers of technological innovation?

Technology is a double-edged sword. New technologies can be used for destructive purposes. The answer is to develop rapid-response systems for new dangers like a bioterrorist creating a new biological virus. We don’t have to just sit back and wait.

How will science affect the religious and ethnic differences in the world?

I think we are evolving rapidly into one world culture. It’s certainly one world economy. With billions of people online, I think we’ll appreciate the wisdom in many different traditions as we learn more about them. People were very isolated and didn’t know anything about other religions 100 years ago.

How will our technological progress make us feel about God?

I believe our civilization is going to be vastly more intelligent and more spiritual in the decades ahead. You can argue how we got here, but we are the species that goes beyond our limitations. We didn’t stay on the ground. We didn’t stay on the planet. Our species always transcends.

VIDEO AT TIME.COM

[Be sure to click this link to hear an interview with Ray Kurzweil time.com/10questions ]

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2033076,00.html#ixzz16hO06gBq

Automation & Robotics News — November 21, 2010 — Tony Zaragoza

[The biweekly feature that documents changes in the electronics revolution,  military and productive applications of robotics, and the replacement of labor-power]
Automation and Robotics News–Nov, 21 2010

Highlights: Japanese Surveillance Robot, Robo-troops, Robot Orders Up 34%, Robotic Milker, Nurses replaced, Recesssion Pushes

A shuttle cart dumps almonds onto a conveyor belt that loads them into a trailer for transport to a sheller. Mike Young switched to almonds and harvesting technology at his orchard in Buttonwillow, Calif., to reduce the need for workers. At seasonal peaks, he employs 70 percent fewer, he said.

Replacement of Workers by Tech, and more…

Click here for past issues: Archives:

Click here to view the current issue as a web page:

TERROR, MILITARY, POLICING, SURVEILLANCE

Japan unveils flying surveillance robot

Monday, November 08, 2010 Posted by Tim Hornyak

Japan’s military is working on a compact spy drone that can fly like a helicopter.

This Design will KILL you

14 Nov 2010, Rog-a-matic,

Yanko Design is featuring a Chris Rogers concept called the “Mega Hurtz Tactical Robot”. The remote-controlled robot works in conjunction with a virtual reality headset and sports a turrent-mounted non-lethal automatic weapon. The 280 pound machine can tow a Hummer, smash through a concrete wall, and run over your foot with ease. Mega Hurtz is suitable for SWAT teams, First Responders, and Search and Rescue operations. Gun-toting model and batteries not included.

Phantom Ray robot Stealth combat jet looks forward to trials

UberGizmo - 11/22/10

The Phantom Ray robot Stealth combat jet intends to place the US army ahead of the other nations, where trials of said jet are slated to begin.

Rise of the robots and the future of war

The Guardian - Nov 20, 2010

For some military tasks, armed robots can already take care of themselves. The sides of many allied warships sport a Gatling gun as part of the Phalanx …

>Robot snake is one enemy not to be trifled with

UberGizmo (blog) - Nov 17, 2010

Trust the military to come up with high tech weapons that brings the world to its knees – this newest robotic snake from Israel already looks menacing on …

Army’s Newest Bomb-Stopping Idea: ‘Intelligent’ Robo-Cart (with Arms)

Spencer Ackerman, November 16, 2010

The Army’s remote-controlled, bomb-finding robots aren’t finding enough bombs in Afghanistan. So the military is toying with a new notion: Let the robot drive itself; and make it bigger, like the size of a golf cart. In a recent solicitation for small businesses, the Army expresses interest in a remote-controlled vehicle that’s bigger than most robots but (way) smaller than its fleet of tactical vehicles. Really, it’s a software system outfitted with sensors for detecting a variety of bombs —. . .

Will Robo-Copters Carry Wounded Troops to Safety?

Spencer Ackerman, November 12, 2010

The next time Marines find themselves in a tight spot in any clime or place, they might make a quick call to a drone to ferry them out. And the Navy wants that communication to occur like David Hasselhof summoning Kitt:. . .

Air Force Eyeing Microwave ‘E-Ray’ for Stealth Drones?

David Axe, November 11, 2010

Taking down an enemy’s air defenses — his radars, missile launchers and command centers — is a prerequisite for large-scale air campaigns. Today, jet fighters packing radar-seeking missiles do the heavy-lifting in the so-called “Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses” mission. In the future, that dangerous task might fall on stealthy drones armed with electronics-frying microwave weapons. That is, if the Air Force can ever get the combination to work. The drones are coming along just fine. The microwave weapons … not so much.

Bombs Away: Afghan Air War Peaks With 1,000 Strikes in October

Noah Shachtman, November 10, 2010

The U.S. and its allies have unleashed a massive air campaign in Afghanistan, launching missiles and bombs from the sky at a rate rarely seen since the war’s earliest days. In October alone, NATO planes fired their weapons on 1,000 separate missions, . . . Since Gen. David Petraeus took command of the war effort in late June, coalition aircraft have flown 2,600 attack sorties. That’s 50% more than they did during the same period in 2009. Not surprisingly, civilian casualties are on the rise, as well.

Robot Troops Will Follow Orders, Beat You at Rock, Paper, Scissors

Spencer Ackerman and Noah Shachtman, November 9, 2010

The military has a ton of ground robots scurrying around Afghanistan. Too bad they’re dumb as puppets, unable to make the slightest move without a human pulling the strings. But if the U.S. Navy has its way, all that will change. Robots will be able to obey a pointed finger or a verbal command, and then tackle a job without flesh-and-blood micromanagement. Which will free up the hundreds, if not thousands, of troops who today have to spend their time twiddling robot joysticks.

INDUSTRY

ABB expands industrial robot range

Manufacturing Talk - 11/22/10

ABB Robotics has introduced three models in its range of multipurpose robots designed to increase productivity in machine tending, material handling, …

North American Robot Orders Up 34%

Appliance Magazine - Nov 15, 2010

RIA said 9628 robots, valued at $618.4 million, were ordered through September by North American manufacturing companies. This represents a gain of 34%

 

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION

Robotic Milker Offers Cow Freedom

A-4 Automatic Milker

8 Nov 2010, Rog-a-matic, robots.net

The new A4 robotic cow milker by Lely offers the cow a simple walk-through design reducing unnecessary stress and maximizing output. Size and motion of the cow and its vital parts are monitored by a 3D camera system which provides precise data to control the robot arm and cleaning devices. Various sensors and specialized software monitor the milk flow and provide real-time data about the fluid content so optimum milk quality and cow health are maintained. The modular system can serve both family farms and larger producers. Video, Brochure PDF.

SERVICE SECTOR

 

Meet Cody, the robot that gives sponge baths

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Posted by Matt Hickey

It’s not as sexy as Nurse Nancy, but Cody, the robot who gives baths, might be more effective and cheaper in the future.

Adept Technology Robotics Selected to Participate in Advanced Cancer Treatment Program

November 18, 2010

Adept Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADEP), the leading provider of intelligent vision-guided robotics and global robotics services, today announced it is participating in the CLARA (Lyon Auvergne Rhone-Alpes Cancer cluster) program with Lyon Civil Hospitals as the robotics component in a method for treating small cancer tumors.

Second Robot to Be Sent Into New Zealand Mine

WSJ.com

The first robot broke down two hours after it was sent into the mine in an effort to locate 29 miners missing since Friday…

A Robot Actress Stars In A Play

Casey Chan, 11/13/10

Gemenoid-F, a robot, is co-starring in a Japanese play where she plays the role of a caretaker. It’s a director’s dream: the robot has no ego and does what is told. Here’s a video of her in action, or “acting”.

Rescue robots not effective – experts

Radio New Zealand - 11/22/10

Sean Dessureault, a mine automation expert from the University of Arizona, says underground conditions are cold, wet and rough on the ground, …

>Why US IT jobs aren’t coming back

Galen Gruman, InfoWorld, November 18, 2010

The recession may be technically over and IT spending may rise slightly in 2011 and beyond (per Gartner and IDC projections), but U.S. and European IT workers won’t benefit. The technology jobs created and reinstated by the economic recovery will be in India, China, and other countries witth cheaper workers. In fact, an additional 600,000 American and European jobs in IT will disappear in the five years from 2010 through 2014, on top of the 500,000 lost in the 2008-09 period. That’s according to bleak research released today by the Hackett Group, a consultancy specializing in helping companies save costs through techniques that, ironically, include outsourcing. “There’s no end in sight for the jobless recovery in business functions, such as IT and corporate finance, in large part due to the accelerated movement of work to India and other offshore locations,” the report says.

Teaching Medical Robots

U.S. News & World Report - Marlene Cimons - 19 hours ago

“Right now, these robots are dumb,” said M. Cenk Cavusoglu, associate professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer sciences at Case …

Love robots will end loneliness

AsiaOne - Nov 21, 2010

A robot which can fall in love with its owner could help those suffering from loneliness, the Sun reported. Funktionide, a pillow-like robot invented by …

US sex robots headed to UK

Times of India - Nov 17, 2010

LONDON: Sex robots developed in the US could be heading to Britain following a demand from robot fetishists. With a fixed stare but having movable limbs, …

PACKING AND SHIPPING

 

Amazon gets Kiva robots via Zappos, Diapers buys News Thursday, November 11, 2010, Rafe Needleman

Kiva Systems’ inventory robots are invading Amazon.com-owned warehouses via the e-commerce powerhouse’s recent acquisitions.

‘Uplifting’ Outlook for Pallet-Handling Robotics Technologies in 2011

By Geoffrey Oldmixon – Filed Nov 11, 2010

The coming year is poised to be another one in which operations managers will be tasked with further reducing costs. According to Boston-based research firm The Aberdeen Group, that could mean big things for warehouse robotics. Automated pallet-handling equipment solutions, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and other pallet-moving technologies, are relatively low-cost, high-ROI technology investments that warehouse operations will likely consider in the coming months, says the analyst firm.

ENERGY

 

Automation in Siberian field provides more stable operations

Oil & Gas Journal - Ron Cramer - Nov 1, 2010

Automation in Salym field of western Siberia has reduced operator travel and hazard exposure, reduced interruption in electric submersible pump operations, …

JOB DISPLACEMENT

 

Replacing Nurses With Robots

ADVANCE for LPNs (blog) -Linda Jones - Nov 22, 2010

As a nurse, if you were to create a robot to perform part of your job, what would you have it do? Are there tasks you do that do not require critical …

Recession spurs faster replacement of workers with technology

An automated tree-shaker causes almonds to fall; another machine will collect and sort them. "Labor is so expensive," Young said. "There's their wages, truck, insurance, workers' comp and the safety regulations."

Columbus Dispatch - Alana Semuels - Nov 1, 2010

Automation means Young no longer needs large crews of farmworkers to plant or harvest – and no more worrying about immigration status, pay or benefits.

BUSINESS OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

New robotics study published by the European Commission

November 2010

The Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry (DG ENTR) and the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS) have launched a series of studies to analyze prospects of success for European ICT industries in the face of technological and market innovation. These studies under the common acronym “COMPLETE” aim to gain a better understanding of the ICT areas in which it would be important for the EU industry to remain or become competitive in the near future, and to assess the likely conditions for success. This particular report “A Helping Hand for Europe: The Competitive Outlook for the EU Robotics Industry” reflects the findings of the JRC-IPTS COMPLETE study on robotics applications in general, and in two specific areas selected because of potential market and EU capability in these areas: robotics applications in SMEs and robotics safety. The report starts by introducing the state of the art in robotics, their applications, market size, value chains, and disruptive potential of emerging robotics technologies. For each of the two specific area the report describes the EU landscape, potential market, benefits, difficulties and how these might be overcome. The last chapter draws together the findings of the study to consider EU competitiveness in robotics, opportunities and policy implications.

RESEARCH AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Mexico uses robot to explore ancient tunnel

The Associated Press - Nov 10, 2010

The one-foot (30-cm) wide robot was called “Tlaloque 1″ after the Aztec rain god. The grainy footage shot by the robot was presented Wednesday by Mexico’s …

Out of the Destruction of the Present, A Vision of What is Possible

 

This League of Revolutionaries for a New America promotional piece is a very good introduction to how a vision of the future emerges from the catastrophe that is the present.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPeoE_AFIXQ&feature=share