Video Friday is a weekly compilation of cool robotics videos collected by our friends. IEEE spectrum Robotics. We also publish a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events over the coming months. Please send us your events for inclusion.
RoboCup German Open: April 17-21, 2024, Kassel, Germany
AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2024: April 22-25, 2024, San Diego
Eurobot Open 2024: 8-11 May 2024, La Roche-sur-Yon, France.
ICRA 2024: May 13-17, 2024, Yokohama, Japan
RoboCup 2024: July 17-22, 2024, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Enjoy today’s video!
In the SpaceHopper project, students at ETH Zurich developed a robot that can move in low-gravity environments through a hopping motion. It will be used in future space missions to explore small celestial bodies.
Exploration of asteroids and the moon could provide insight into the formation of the universe, which may contain valuable minerals that humanity could use in the future. The project was launched in 2021 as an ETH-focused project for bachelor students. Currently, it continues as a regular research project. A particular challenge in developing asteroid rovers is that, unlike larger celestial bodies such as Earth, asteroids and the moon have low gravity. The students therefore tested the robot's capabilities in zero gravity during a parabolic flight. The parabolic flight was carried out in collaboration with the European Space Agency as part of the ESA Academy Experiments Programme.
[ SpaceHopper ]
The fact that it is now possible to create a robot like Menteebot is still a bit strange to me. However, it currently appears that it will take quite some time to do this usefully in a reliable manner.
[ Menteebot ]
See, it's the robot we all actually want!
[ Github ]
I wasn't sure what made this building particularly “robot-friendly” until I saw the dedicated robot elevator.
[ NAVER ]
We are pleased to announce the latest update to our humanoid robot CL-1. The test demonstrates one-step stair climbing based on real-time terrain recognition. For the first time, the CL-1 drives back and forth in a stable and dynamic manner!
[ LimX Dynamics ]
EEWOC [Extended-reach Enhanced Wheeled Orb for Climbing] Climb complex steel structures with magnetic grippers using a unique method of locomotion. The lightweight and highly expandable tape-spring limbs can reach more than 1.2 meters, allowing them to traverse much larger gaps and obstacles than other traditional climbing robots. Its ability to bend allows it to reach around corners and onto shelves, and the help of its wheels allows it to easily transition between surfaces. Wheels also allow you to drive faster and more efficiently on the ground. These features make EEWOC well suited for climbing complex steel structures found in the real world.
[ Paper ]
Thanks to “hip contact sensors,” JSK’s musculoskeletal humanoid has mastered chair rotation.
[ University of Tokyo ]
Thank you, Kento!
Physical therapy seems like a great application for humanoid robots when they don't really have to do much of the work.
[ Fourier Intelligence ]
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter touched down in the Martian sky on April 19, 2021, becoming the first vehicle to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. This video maps the locations of 72 flights the helicopter made over nearly three years. Creativity far exceeded expectations, soaring higher and faster than previously imagined.
[ JPL ]
No, it's okay!
[ Paper ]
MERL is introducing new autonomous robotic assembly technology, providing a glimpse into how robots will operate in the factories of the future. Unlike traditional approaches where humans establish preconditions for assembly, our technology enables robots to adapt to a variety of scenarios. We present the autonomous assembly of gearboxes, which was demonstrated in real time at CES2024.
[ Mitsubishi ]
Thank you Devesh!
In November 2023, Digit was deployed to the distribution center unloading totes from AMRs as part of regular facility operations, including shifts during Cyber Monday.
[ Agility ]
PR2 refuses to die. Last time I checked, official support stopped in 2016!
[ University of Bremen ]
DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program has achieved the first aerial test of an AI algorithm that automatically flies a fighter jet against a human-piloted fighter in a visual-range combat scenario (also known as “dogfighting”). .In this video, team members discuss what makes the ACE program different from other aerospace autonomy projects, how it represents a transformative moment in aerospace history, and the foundation for building ethical and trustworthy human-machine teams for complex military and civilian applications. We discuss how to build it.
[ DARPA ]
Sometimes the best robots are those that exist for the sole purpose of trying really hard and being moderately successful.
[ CMU ]