Cool Site!

The Slide Rule Universe - http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/sruniverse.html - WAY too much fun! Thanks to Loopy over at the Psrallax Forums.

Robo-prize Bags

Stitched clothe surprise bag from the farmer's market in Helena, Montana. Really cute - but I wouldn't want to open it! It is perfect for people my age though!

Queen Elizabeth - A Robot Fan?

Queen Elizabeth at a robotic's demonstration on her visit to Germany! God save the Queen!

Robotic Fire Fighter?

A rather robotic looking fire hydrant just outside tonight's supper spot! 

Father's Day

One of my Father's Day presents. This one will used more as a desktop decoration than a coffee cup. Happy Farther's Day to all!

Simple Oscilloscope Video

Great, simple explanation of an oscilloscope! Thanks Collin!

One Actuator Steerable Robot

It takes lot of ingenuity to do something so complex with so little! These are some smart folks! My seminary, The Church Divinity School of the Pacific is just north of the U.C. Berkeley campus. Need to go back for a visit and wander over to the Biomimetric Millisystems Lab in the Department of EECS and check out some of this amazing research! Thanks to erco over at the Parallax Forums for posting this in his One-Servo Robot Challenge thread.

See also Biomimetic Millisystem Lab Youtube Channel and the UCB Robotics on Facebook - Lots of amazing video and info there!

South Korea's HUBO Robot

The video above is of HUBO's earlier relative (robotically speaking). The DRC-HUBO and team won the DARPA Robotics Challenge held last weekend. A full article, titled "How South Korea's DRC-HUBO Robot Won the DARPA Robotics Challenge," can be found here on the IEEE Spectrum page. There are videos there of the robot completing each task of the challenge. AMAZING! 

The winning team was from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology or KAIST. Teams from the United States came in second and third.

Below is  a photo of the actual DARPA Robotics Challenge winner, the DRC-HUBO.

The field of robotics provides limitless opportunity for study, research and learning. We are just at the very beginning - really! It involves mechanical construction, electronics, engineering, design, programming, computing and the integration of all those fields! What could be more fun or challenging? We've learned so much and have SO far to go. Take a look! 

This video show that even for the best in the world - this is still not easy and why DRC-HUBO leg/wheel design for stability was a winning combination. “Bipedal walking [for robots] is not very stable yet,” Jun Ho Oh, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology who led the KAIST Team, told IEEE Spectrum. “One single thing goes wrong, the result is catastrophic.” He said a robot with a humanoid form has advantages when operating in a human environment, but he wanted to find a design that could minimize the risk of falls. “I thought about different things, and the simplest was wheels on the knees.” (Again, from the article here on the IEEE Spectrum page)

In the video below, Team KAIST's DRC-HUBO Robot completes the tasks at DARPA Robotics Challenge (20x normal speed). Check out its unique design. DRC-HUBO completed all eight tasks of the DARPA Challenge in the shortest amount of time - just 44 minutes and 28 seconds. 

DARPA Robotics Challenge

EdBot

The word is out... I guess! Our nutty priest is into robotics! This doodle arrived at the altar on a note I relieved yesterday with the count of those present at church! Worth saving... Made me smile!

Robothon 2015 T Shirt

The new design for the Robothon 2015 T Shirt is out! The art is by my friend Carol's nephew Brent. I have to have one! The Robothon committee decided on a Halloween theme for this years event. Info about Robothon is here https://www.facebook.com/Robothon