A robot swarm has been developed by Stanford University as a mothership-sphere system to explore planetary moons and asteroids. (Source: Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University)
freisl, I like that idea--sort of like space Roombas. We certainly need a lot of them! Here's an article we did on a robot system DARPA is working on to recycle space junk: http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=249134
Yes, it's pretty well known that sci-fi has been the inspiration for a lot of modern technology over the last 50-plus years. That's been especially true for Star Wars and Star Trek.
Wow, this is quite a wild concept...like a robotic Borg from Star Trek but with their very own mothership. Amazing if this project actually goes all the way and these hedgehogs are out there exploring the universe.
Without a doubt. Science fiction has been the inspiration for a lot of the tech we take for granted today. Take the first-person-shooter games many play today. Arguably, they date back to id software's Wolfenstein 3D. Modern ways of thinking about 3D came from id software's John Carmack. In the book "Masters of Doom," Carmack admitted that Star Trek Next Generation's "holodeck" was his ultimate goal. Though, the gaming tech never achieved that goal, Carmack still believes it will happen.
Carmack and id software are backing the Oculus Rift gaming headset with a special version of Doom 3 BFG Edition. The goggles feature the widest field of view than any other headset in history. A step closer to Carmack's goal of real virtual reality.
Ann, This is a fascinating development project. But I'm not sure how movement is actually generated. And how much power is available through use of solar panels? Very interesting.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
A new battery design, which replaces lithium with abundant and low-cost elemental sulfur, is still in its nascent stages but shows real promise for giving batteries more energy potential.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
2 
