research
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MIT Wants To Give Our Hands Two Extra Robot Fingers
First it was an extra set of shoulder-mounted robot arms, but now MIT feels that humanity could also benefit from a couple of extra robotic fingers on each hand. Faye Wu and other researchers at the school have been developing SR — or supernumerary robotic — fingers that work alongside your existing digits to make…
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Honda’s Asimo Robot Gets A Little Bit Better, A Whole Lot Creepier
It’s been almost 15 years since Honda first introduced Asimo, the company’s attempt to create a humanoid robot that can walk and perform other human-like tasks. But Asimo’s most recent upgrade introduces something unsettling: a pair of dead black eyes and a permanent smirk that leaves the bot looking more like an unsettling china doll…
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MIT Thinks Lighting Drones Could Be The Perfect Photography Assistants
If you’ve ever been to a photography set, you’ve probably noticed how much time the photographer and their assistants take to perfectly position the lighting — only to have their efforts foiled when the model moves. That’s why researchers at MIT are proposing using drones as lighting, as they can constantly ensure they’re always in…
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Microsoft Wants To Patent A Real-Life Dæmon
Microsoft has struggled to keep up in the device marketplace in recent years. So much so that the company is exploring some pretty insane inventions, including a robotic butterfly that talks to wearable devices and responds to its owner’s mood. It’s sort of like your own mechanical dæmon.