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Nasa awards AeroVironment $10 million contract to design helicopters for Mars mission

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The success of Ingenuity Mars helicopter, co-designed and co-developed by AeroVironment and NASA/JPL, lays the foundation for the development of the Sample Recovery Helicopters

AeroVironment has been awarded a $10 million contract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to co-design and co-develop conceptual designs and engineering development units of Mars Sample Recovery Helicopter flight systems.

Future efforts could include detailed design, build, and test of qualification and flight hardware. The helicopters build upon the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter design heritage and feature upgraded robotics to supplement aerial mobility.

AeroVironment engineers from the MacCready Works team previously worked with NASA JPL to co-design and develop the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which has completed 52 successful flights to date on Mars and survived 781 sols on the surface, far outperforming its design objectives. [Read more…] about Nasa awards AeroVironment $10 million contract to design helicopters for Mars mission

Canadian innovator wins award for robot that does the dirtiest of industrial dirty work

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Nicolas Olmedo is on a mission to keep people safe by sending robots where no human should ever have to go: into the murky, muddy sludge of industrial mine tailing ponds and other hazardous terrains that need to be continually monitored.

His ground-breaking work to develop intelligent robots capable of traversing mud, snow, ice or rock using screw-shaped pontoons has earned Olmedo a prestigious award from Mitacs, a national innovation organization that fosters growth by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.

In recognition of his efforts to advance the robots through his company, Copperstone Technologies, Olmedo – one of three Copperstone co-founders who completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta – was presented the Mitacs Outstanding Entrepreneur Award on June 2 at a ceremony in Montreal, Canada. [Read more…] about Canadian innovator wins award for robot that does the dirtiest of industrial dirty work

Perseverance’s first year on Mars: Purdue professor, mission team member looks at what is ahead

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Almost one year into the Mars rover mission, accomplishing its goal is on the horizon for Purdue University’s Briony Horgan and the Perseverance team.

February 18 will mark one year since the rover landed on the red planet following a seven-month, 300-million-mile flight across space.

Horgan, associate professor of planetary science in the Purdue College of Science’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, says anticipation is building as the team focuses on the mission goal: researching a now-dry large river delta. [Read more…] about Perseverance’s first year on Mars: Purdue professor, mission team member looks at what is ahead

Engineers at Columbia University invent robotic lasers that cook food

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Engineers at Columbia University have invented software-controlled robotic lasers that cook food with “unparalleled precision”, retaining more moisture, and creating an entirely new, customized way to cook a tasty meal. (See videos below.)

Imagine having your own digital personal chef; ready to cook up whatever you want; able to tailor the shape, texture, and flavor just for you; and it’s all at the push of a button. Columbia engineers have been working on doing just that, using lasers for cooking and 3D printing technology for assembling foods.

Under the guidance of Mechanical Engineering Professor Hod Lipson, the “Digital Food” team of his Creative Machines Lab has been building a fully autonomous digital personal chef. Lipson’s group has been developing 3D-printed foods since 2007. Since then, food printing has progressed to multi-ingredient prints and has been explored by researchers and a few commercial companies. [Read more…] about Engineers at Columbia University invent robotic lasers that cook food

Fugro autonomous submarine completes geohazard site investigation activity off the coast of Suriname

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Fugro has finalised fieldwork on a site investigation programme for TotalEnergies off the north-west coast of Paramaribo in Block 58 of the Guyana-Suriname Basin, just off the coast of Suriname.

The company used its autonomous submarine for the task.

The project sits approximately 150 km offshore in water depths ranging from 60 m to 2100 m and involves acquisition and analysis of geophysical data and geotechnical soil samples. [Read more…] about Fugro autonomous submarine completes geohazard site investigation activity off the coast of Suriname

ARM Institute showcases robotic coronavirus testing system developed by Wilder Systems

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The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute says that one of its members, Wilder Systems, has created a robotic cell for testing potential Covid-19 samples that is now in production in Austin, Texas. 

The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), through the CARES Act, provided funding to the ARM Institute to collaborate with Wilder Systems to develop this technology.

The ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people and robots work together to respond to the nation’s greatest challenges and to develop and produce the world’s most desired products. [Read more…] about ARM Institute showcases robotic coronavirus testing system developed by Wilder Systems

NASA about to launch Mars Rover robot

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NASA is today launching the latest version of its mobile robot for Mars.

ATI Industrial Automation worked with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) to develop a custom force/torque sensor for Perseverance, the latest Mars 2020 Rover project.

JPL is the leading US research entity for robotic exploration of our solar system and manages NASA’s Deep Space Network, the hardest-working telecommunications system on the planet. [Read more…] about NASA about to launch Mars Rover robot

Brainy alien hunter obsessed with finding life on Mars

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A brainy alien-hunter is apparently obsessed with finding life on Mars. The Purdue scientist is playing a critical role in the 2020 NASA Mars rover mission.

Briony Horgan (main picture), associate professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, is working to determine whether we are alone in the universe or if life once existed on other planets such as Mars.

When the NASA Mars rover Perseverance launches in the next few weeks, it will travel to Jezero Crater, which preserves evidence of a time when rivers flowed on Mars. [Read more…] about Brainy alien hunter obsessed with finding life on Mars

Danish robots assisting lab technicians with Covid-19 testing work

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A Danish pipetting robot is automating Covid testing processes in hospitals around Europe.

The robot, called flowbot ONE, “significantly reduces the time it takes for laboratories to produce results for patients to tell them whether they are infected with Covid-19”, says its manufacturer Flow Robotics.

The company says its machine is a “unique liquid-handling robot” which is now speeding up the enormous task of analysing Covid tests. The flowbot ONE system now conducts thousands of tests for Covid-19 every day. [Read more…] about Danish robots assisting lab technicians with Covid-19 testing work

ABB collaborative robot to provide faster lab analysis for Semcon

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Product development company Semcon says it is providing faster analysis of samples for an international laboratory company thanks to a collaborative robot from ABB.

The company says it set out with the objective of creating a faster, safer process and of freeing up time for laboratory personnel so that they can focus on more advanced tasks.

Laboratory work often involves a number of monotonous and repetitive elements that can be streamlined by means of automation. [Read more…] about ABB collaborative robot to provide faster lab analysis for Semcon