Facebook robot crawls along power lines to deliver fiber optic cable

Although fiber optic internet cable has many advantages over metal cable, it frequently has to be distributed underground – this limits its usability. Facebook, however, has developed a robot that could wrap the cable around existing power lines.Contin… Continue reading Facebook robot crawls along power lines to deliver fiber optic cable

Sticky-tape module designed to let robots know when floors are clean

Increasingly, robots are being used to autonomously clean floors and other surfaces in places like airports and hospitals. You have to wonder, though … how do they know when a floor is sufficiently clean? A new module could soon tell them.Continue Read… Continue reading Sticky-tape module designed to let robots know when floors are clean

M2NS tech will use robotic arms to autonomously neutralize sea mines

It goes without saying that the neutralizing of underwater mines is a dangerous task – definitely one that you’d avoid sending a scuba diver to do, if at all possible. That’s why Pittsburgh-based RE2 Robotics is designing a robotic system to do the job… Continue reading M2NS tech will use robotic arms to autonomously neutralize sea mines

Autonomous Fleet concepts set course for Royal Navy’s next 50 years

The Royal Navy has released an outline of its vision of how its Future Autonomous Fleet will operate over the next half century, including green aircraft carriers, underwater command centers, and robotic warships.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, Tec… Continue reading Autonomous Fleet concepts set course for Royal Navy’s next 50 years

Rainbow road sign film would be easier for autonomous vehicles to read

Autonomous vehicles need to operate in a complex environment, and recognizing traffic signs is an important part of that. A new microstructured material reflects light in rainbow rings, which can make traffic signs easier for computer vision systems to… Continue reading Rainbow road sign film would be easier for autonomous vehicles to read

Track-inspection drone rides the rails, and flies away from trains

Although the inspection of railway tracks is a very important task, such inspections typically have to be performed when no trains are anywhere nearby. The new rail-riding Staaker BG-300 Railway Drone offers an alternative, as it just flies off the tra… Continue reading Track-inspection drone rides the rails, and flies away from trains

Waymo begins work on dedicated Texas hub for self-driving trucks

Alphabet-owned Waymo is looking to gain a strong foothold in the nascent autonomous freight industry, today announcing plans to build a dedicated hub for its self-driving trucks in the state of Texas. The facility will serve as the company’s primary ba… Continue reading Waymo begins work on dedicated Texas hub for self-driving trucks

Avenger drone autonomously tracks targets via infrared for the first time

General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) has announced that an Avenger drone managed to autonomously track and follow targets for the first time using a Lockheed Martin Legion sensor pod. The July 2 demonstration in southern California was des… Continue reading Avenger drone autonomously tracks targets via infrared for the first time