robotic arm

10 Stories

Worker Inspecting a Robot Is Killed by It

South Korean man was testing robotic arm at produce distribution center when it grabbed him

(Newser) - Movies show us nightmare scenarios of artificial intelligence rising up and intentionally killing humans. That's not a reality, at least as far as we know. But accidents do happen, most recently in South Korea. On Wednesday, a robotics company employee was inspecting a robot used to move boxes at...

Boy Didn't Have a Right Hand— So His Classmates Built One

Sergio Peralta, 15, dreaded a new school, but it 'changed my life'

(Newser) - When Sergio Peralta arrived as a new student at Tennessee's Hendersonville High School last fall, he tried to hide his right hand in his sleeve. The 15-year-old was born without a fully formed hand, of which he was embarrassed, and hoped "nobody would ever find out," he...

Robotic Arm Obeys Thought Commands

Advanced prosthetic limb transfers feeling back to amputee

(Newser) - Electrodes implanted into an amputee allowed him to control a robot arm with his thoughts, scientists said today. Over the course of a month, 26-year-old Pierpaolo Petruzziello learned to manipulate the hand through a series of electronic implants connected to his nervous system, reports AP .

New Robotic Arm Takes Cues From Brain
New Robotic Arm Takes Cues From Brain

New Robotic Arm Takes Cues From Brain

Improvements in field have given amputees dexterity, independence

(Newser) - Artificial limbs have come a long way from the wooden legs and plastic arms of old: Today's prosthetics take messages directly from the brain. Their performance far exceeds that of the previous generation of devices, which required concentrated effort to make ungainly motions. "You think, and then your muscles...

Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft
Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft

Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft

Soil photos lost in transmission 'not really critical,' but lander's mission delayed

(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander stopped digging yesterday to give its memory a rest after a computer glitch caused the loss of photographs and scientific data, the AP reports. Scientists were alerted to the problem after the lander transmitted a single piece of information 45,000 times. "It's unfortunate to...

Astronaut Waves Robot Arm
 Astronaut Waves Robot Arm 

 

Astronaut Waves Robot Arm

Japanese-built device will service equipment from Kibo laboratory

(Newser) - A Japanese astronaut on board the International Space Station successfully unfolded a massive robotic arm from the newly installed Kibo laboratory today, Reuters reports. The arm moved slightly on Saturday, but today’s extension of the 33-foot device was the first full test, Space.com reports. The Japanese-built robot had...

Mars Through a Microscope
 Mars Through a Microscope 

Mars Through a Microscope

Phoenix takes unprecedented Mars shots

(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first high-resolution images of another planet's dirt and sand in its continued quest for signs of life in the planet's polar region. The microscopic particles were kicked up when the lander touched down and collected  on a slide, Reuters reports. Scientists note that...

Phoenix Samples Martian Dirt
 Phoenix Samples Martian Dirt 

Phoenix Samples Martian Dirt

Robotic arm tested prior to search for life

(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander grabbed a small sample of the fine soil of the planet's polar region yesterday. It was only a test "dig and dump"—using the spacecraft's 8-foot-long robotic arm—but paves the way for retrieving and analyzing samples of Martian soil later this week, reports...

On Mars, 'Something That Looks Like Ice'

Phoenix probe sends home photos from arctic region

(Newser) - The Phoenix probe sent home photos today of what looks like ice just under Mars' rocky surface, Space.com reports. "The thrusters have excavated two to six inches and, sure enough, we see something that looks like ice,” one mission scientist said. NASA picked the landing spot, in...

Astronauts Will Skip Shuttle Fix
Astronauts Will Skip Shuttle Fix

Astronauts Will Skip Shuttle Fix

NASA decides gash won't be a hazard during re-entry

(Newser) - NASA has decided against a risky spacewalk repair job on the gouged heat shield of the space shuttle Endeavour, AP reports. Engineers concluded that a gash in the tiled underside of the spacecraft will not be a hazard during re-entry. Attempting a repair could risk causing more damage and could...

10 Stories