Sphero's New RVR

RVR is Sphero’s revolutionary take on the programmable robot -- drivable right out of the box, packed with a diverse suite of sensors, and built for customization. RVR is a hackable mobile platform for beginners, educators, students, and tech hobbyists.

IEEE Spectrum has it covered well in "Sphero's New RVR Robot Is More Hackable Than EverRVR is rugged, affordable, expandable, and easy to program" by Evan Ackerman.

Sphero RVR is on Kickstarter now for $199 ($250 retail), with a promised delivery in October of 2019. The Kickstart page has tons of info.

Just for Fun!

JPLraw Video - Mars Opportunity Rover Mission

Via JPLraw at YouTube - "Video file for media and public use. NASA announced the completion of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity's mission after a final attempt to command the rover. Opportunity last communicated with Earth on June 10, 2018, as a global dust storm blanketed the solar-powered rover's location on Mars. Opportunity landed at Meridiani Planum on Mars Jan. 24, 2004, at 9:05 p.m. PST (Jan. 25, 2004, at 12:05 a.m. EST). The golf-cart-sized rover has an initial goal of driving 700 yards (600 meters) and operating on the Red Planet for 90 Martian days (sols). Instead, Opportunity operated over 14 years, and traveled over 28 miles (45 kilometers)."

NASA's Opportunity Rover Mission on Mars Comes to End

NASA's Opportunity Rover Mission on Mars Comes to End - See the whole story here at JPL - https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7334 Great images and video.

And there was this from blindwire.

Happy Valentine's Day from R.U.S.

Be with those you love. Do what you love. Happy Valentine's Day from R.U.S.

MIT Robot Learns How to Play Jenga

Using machine-learning and sensory hardware, Alberto Rodriguez, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and members of MIT’s MCube lab have developed a robot that is learning how to play the game Jenga. The Machine-learning approach could help robots assemble cellphones and other small parts in a manufacturing line. From IEEE Spectrum. More at MIT here.

Grace Hopper Nanosecond Pin

An online company is offering a GRACE HOPPER / NANOSECOND PIN. It is a neat idea, and Grace Hopper is a legend and was a wonderful teacher. No surprise to anyone here that I love the labyrinth design! Hopper's "Nanosecond Wire" is explained below in the pin description and the video by Hopper herself.

The company's description of the pin follows:

Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, pioneering computer scientist and educator, is celebrated in our new hard enamel pin, the second in our Women in Science series.

As one of the first computer programmers, Hopper used binary code to program the Mark I computer. But she had a vision for a better way: She created the first computer language that used words to tell computers what to do. 

Hopper also dedicated her life to educating people about how computers work. She always carried “nanosecond wires” with her to use in her lectures. These 11.8” (30cm) wires represented the maximum distance an electrical signal can travel in 1 billionth of a second. This pin is a wearable version of her nanosecond wires: The white line on the pin is 11.8” long.