Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Vecna BEAR Rescue Robot Prototype Ready
A prototype version of the Vecna BEAR (Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot) is now undergoing testing. This remarkable robot is about the size and shape of an adult man. The Vecna BEAR should be able to rescue injured people in dangerous areas and then bring them back to safety.
(Vecna BEAR robot carries a man)
The proof-of-concept version shown above is able to maneuver easily in a variety of environments. On level ground or pavement, the Vecna BEAR can move quickly on wheels in an upright position (see Vecna BEAR rears up). In what the developers call the "centaur" posture, the robot glides along on the caterpillar treads on its "belly."
The BEAR requires control that is better than that commonly seen on backhoes or tractors, both machines with hydraulic systems to provide the muscle.
The BEAR's objectives require fine-tuned control, and a more gentle touch, such as that found in proportional control systems like PWM control over standard motor actuation systems. For this challenge, Vecna engineers are designing a control system that will permit very finely resolved proportional movement. New specialized micro hydraulic valves and related systems are being invented by this team of young engineers, and are expected to be patented.
The Vecna BEAR's humanoid form allows it to be used in urban environments; the BEAR can climb stairs, pass through doorways, all with an adult-sized dummy "casualty" in its arms.
Science fiction fans may recall the Japanese manga film Roujin Z, introduced in 1996. In the film, the Ministry of Health orders Takazawa Kijuro, an elderly bed-ridden man seemingly without family, to test a new robot - the Roujin Z-0001. A self-contained atomic power reactor gives this unique part bed/part machine robot all the energy it needs. Roujin Z can also climb stairs and carry the sick.
(Roujin-Z hospital bed/robot in profile, carrying patient)
See the previous coverage of this robot at Vecna BEAR Battlefield Extraction Robot. For another "centaur-style" robot, take a look at NASA's Robonaut Centaur, which I saw demonstrated at NextFest 2006 last fall in NYC.
Read the excellent story at BotMag.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/17/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.' - Gordon R. Dickson, 1957.
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...' -Philip K. Dick, 1960.
Humanoid Boxing Robot KO's Opponent - It's A Knockout!
'Thirty rounds of fighting is tough work. Even for machines.' - Aldo Giunta, 1957
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
