Eyes For The Robots Out There

Building a robot is no simple task. With concerns over design, movement, materials, cost, and more, where does one even begin to make time for programming eyes? Well for those with who don't mind getting into a bit of coding, OpenCV brings a solution to this problem. Standing for Open Source Computer Vision, OpenCV is a free library of code that deals with real time computer vision, and with even a simply webcam your robot can become much more interesting project. It is already being used around the world and has a user group of over 40,000 associated with it, giving it a strong place in the opensource community. It offers support to both Windows and Linux, and works with programming languages c, c++, and python. Those interested should take a look at their site opencv.willowgarage.com, and maybe even download a copy for yourself.

CHARLI, Hope For American Robotics

When on thinks of humanoid robots, the Japanese ASIMO or the Korean HUBO come to mind. The Virginia Tech College of Engineering’s Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory however, has brought America to the field with CHARLI. CHARLI, or Cognitive Humanoid Autonomous Robot with Learning Intelligence, is a lightweight walking robot capable of performing simple functions, like motioning with his arms. Made in 2008 with a budget of only $20,000, the 13 engineers, led my Ph.D. Dennis Hong, who designed CHARLI have brought new cost effective ideas to the robot development process, as opposed to ASIMO's cost of more than a million. Two versions exist, the lightweight version CHARLI-L, and a heavier version that is currently under development, CHARLI-H. This new version boasts more capabilities thanks to its sturdier legs, giving it the ability to handle sloped terrain and use its legs for tasks as well as its arms. The team who designed him are thinking he may be useful in homes helping the elderly or the otherwise challenged. If this concept proves successful, who knows how much development could result.

Hello World!

American Robotics would like to give everyone a warm greeting. From today on we will be bringing you information about robots and projects in America, although global robots may be mentioned from time to time. This blog is here to attempt to bring to light some of the lesser known robotics programs in America, who are often overshadowed by countries such as Japan and Korea. If you have anything of interest you would like mentioned here on the blog, feel free to send an email about your project or program.