Robohub Podcast

Robots: Mining Automation

#134: Mining Automation, with Martin Adams

Link to audio file (38:23) In this episode we meet with Tom Green, editor in chief of the Robotics Business Review, to discuss current trends in robotics. Robotics Business Review is a global robotics news and information resource headquartered in metro Boston (USA). Green shares his view on how the focus within the robotics community differs in different parts of the world, and what impact public funding has on this. According to him, it is not technology but people that hold development up at the moment. We also hear about some success stories, that show how robotics make a difference in people’s lives.

#133: Robotics Business Review, with Tom Green

Robots: Robotics Business Review

Robots: The OpenROV Project

Link to audio file (34:33)In the episode, we speak with Eric Stackpole and David Lang from the OpenROV project about their challenge in developing Eric’s idea to find an easy way to explore a cave that was rumored to contain a sunken treasure near his home.

#132: The OpenROV project, with Eric Stackpole and David Lang

Link to audio file (22:01)In this episode, we speak with Ramon Pericet and Michal Dobrzynski from EPFL about their Curved Artificial Compound Eye (CurvACE) published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Inspired by the fly’s vision system, their sensor can enable a large range of applications that require motion detection using a small plug-and-play device. As shown in the video below, you could use these sensors to control small robots navigating an environment, even in the dark, or equip a small autonomous flying robot with limited payload. Other applications include home automation, surveillance, medical instruments, prosthetic devices, and smart clothing.

Robots: Curved Artificial Compound Eye

#131: Curved Artificial Compound Eye, with Ramon Pericet Camara and Michal Dobrzynski

Robots: Autonomous Lethal Weapons

Link to audio file (29:07)In this episode, AJung talks to Peter Asaro from The New School in New York city about autonomous weapons systems. Peter tells us about the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, an international consortium of NGOs working together to ban autonomous weapons systems. You can read our full coverage of the campaign here, or have a look at our special focus series on robots and warfare.

#130: Autonomous lethal weapons, with Peter Asaro

Link to audio file (25:02)In this episode we hear from researchers at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab about the Science paper published today reporting on the first controlled flight of an insect-sized robot. The amazing high-speed video below shows the robot taking off, hovering in place and steering left and right. This work is part of the Robobees project that aims to make swarms of insect robots.