Robot Cars Could Benefit Soldiers and Civilians Alike



America is known to be one of the technology giants in the world and no wonder that it’s military is fully equipped with at least everything it needs in warfare, including unmanned robotic vehicles.

Presently, the military is already and had been already using these autonomous vehicles for years and will use more of them in the coming years. Bomb disposal had been the work of small robots in Iraq and Afghanistan sparing the American troops there. The Army’s Future Combat Systems program on the other hand uses unmanned vehicles of any size ranging from a 30-lb Small unmanned vehicle to a 2.5-ton Multifunctional Utility Logistics and Equipment vehicles. The Naval branch of the army is also being served by underwater vehicles to search for mines. The Air Force is also using unmanned aircrafts.

According to Steve Zaloga, of the Teal Group and also one of the authors of the group’s 2008 study on the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the military’s use of unmanned vehicles whether in water, land or air had been really increasing from 127 in 2002 to 520 UAVs in 2006. “Not only are there a lot more UAVs but they’re actually being used more often, too,” Zaloga says, adding that these unmanned aircraft chalked up more than 160,000 flight hours in 2006, up from 30,000 hours in 2002.

The Teal Group study projects nearly $55 billion dollars will be spent on UAVs over the next 10 years, with the spending growing from $3.4 billion in 2008 to $7.3 billion by 2017. “Almost one hundred percent of that spending will come from the military. There’s almost no civilian UAV market at the moment,” Zaloga says.

When saying unmanned, it does not really mean totally autonomous. The vehicle is either remote control operated or under a certain programming, just between the autonomy scale.

On the other hand with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Urban challenge last month, the robotic vehicles have reached the next level of autonomy. With these, on the ground, at least, these vehicles are really autonomous. The Urban Challenge took place in the George Air Force Base streets which is a facility of the military in Voctorville, California.

In the challenge, the robots amazingly made their ways along the traffic, intersections, avoiding other vehicles and blocks and also, they were obliged to follow the strict driving rules of California in order to avoid disqualification.

Except that they have very advance styles unlike cars with the typical Acura Integra hood, the vehicles had to run the entire race with no one in the drivers’ seat or at the end of a remote-control joystick. Instead, these vehicles made driving decisions on their own, using massive amounts of on-board computing power, banks of sensors and sophisticated software. “All the vehicles out there at the challenge were simply amazing. Eleven autonomous vehicle were able drive on a complicated course while interacting with each other and 50 other human-driven vehicles. It was a big day for robotics,” says Chris Urmson, technology director for Carnegie Mellon’s Tartan Racing team, the race’s winner.
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Toyota aims to put robots to use early next decade


Last Thursday, technology pioneer Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it is planning to up grade global machinery by planning to debut its humanoid and other robotic creations for utility after the decade ends. The Japanese automaker basically aims to improve the services they provide in factories, hospitals and the homes.

After successfully unveiling their “mobility robot” and the “violin playing robot” just recently, Toyota plans to dig deeper into the Robotic realm. Robotic research and development will be upgraded by the automaker by hiring 300 more engineers in three years time.

According to Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe, they are going to build a research facility intended for the Robotic field.

"Over the next two to three years, we will put the robots to the test through trial applications and see what kind of business possibilities they present," Watanabe told a news conference.

Toyota’s “Global Vision 2020” sets for the automaker to make Robotics as on of its core products in by 2020.

The most recent update of Toyota’s Robotic achievement is its 152 cm (5ft) humanoid expert in playing the violin. An instrument only played by skilled and talented Homo sapiens. Toyota plans to make the robot more useful by enabling it to be also a domestic assistant doing the typical chores.

Last time, the personal mobility robot amazed spectators when they first caught the sight of it. It resembled a far advanced wheelchair with artificial intelligence that can drive uneven surfaces and can be programmed to walk to a person’s bedside. Toyota sees that the their “mobility robot” can act as a porter in four domestic fields namely nursing, medical care, manufacturing and short-distance personal transport,

Like what we expect robots do, making things easier and faster, Toyota seeks the collaborative efforts of the academe and the government. Similarly, its greatest domestic Rival, Honda Motor Co. which makes quality Acura flywheels is also on the process of robotic creations. Honda’s creations are design to provide the needs of the elderly, Japan’s growing population.
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Smart Eyes Car Robot to revolutionize Spying

Massey University in New Zealand homes one of the new young inventors of the world. Tom Yu Guan, a Chinese national living in the country for 12 years now submitted the Smart Eyes Robot to complete his engineering course. His invention is a remote controlled car built with a camera and video phone that can be accessed by anyone in the world provided that there is cellular network coverage. With cellular phone revolution, I’m sure, even Africa has cell sites.

The juvenile scientist boasted the wide range flexibility of his creation. Mr. Guan tested the Smart Eyes robot from 712 kilometers and guarantees that it could go interconti9nental as far as Europe which he will visit soon.

"What better network is out there than cell phone towers."

Following the footsteps of Leeuwenhoek endowed with brilliant minds, no wonder that even Guan has not yet walked the graduation march, several employment opportunities had been offered to him. And Guan said that he had already accepted one from a “very major technology company”.

Looking back to where he came from, Guan attached a Chinese flag to the car.

Wondering where we could use Guan’s invention in case it goes on production? For example, you left and elderly at home, you can use it for checking on them. Or if ever you’re on a trip abroad, monitoring your house with the Smart Eyes Robot will give you ease cited Janina Mazierska, head of the Science and Technology Institue at Massey University.

"Remote sensing is not a new issue and not a new development. The novelty is to employ wireless technology in a mobile phone to certain applications."

Another employ is monitoring the blood sugar level of diabetics.

From the spying and investigation field, private investigator Tony Lowe said that Guan’s device can be a revolution in his profession. In surveillance, spies no longer have to do it themselves behind their car’s windows and turn on its Acura CL window switch.

"We've gone from having no cellphones to having the big block Telecom telephones that first came out and that was a huge advantage, being able to make a telephone call from anywhere.

"It would obviously be very attractive to people who are heavily involved in surveillance."
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