Roomba Scheduler feature is a dustbin detector

The new Roomba Scheduler robotic vacuum feature announced this week turns out to be a light on the dustbin that lets users know that they should empty it because it is full. Useful? Yes. Revolutionary? No. Will anybody junk their old Scheduler to rush out to upgrade? No, unless they just have to have a black Roomba. Will any gizmo and gadget reviewers feel compelled to write new Roomba reviews because of the upgrade? Doubtful. What Roomba customers wanted wasn't a dust detector -- they wanted a Roomba with dock that cleans itself. But that'll probably have to wait a year or so for the next generation. For now, think of the new Roomba feature as the equivalent of a baby crying to let you know it needs changing. Who says robots are not becoming more human? :)
The new Programmable Roomba Robotic Floor Vacuum With Dust Bin Alert is sold exclusively at Hammacher Schlemmer, the premier catalog which provides a lifetime guarantee with all of its products. The upgraded Roomba Scheduler sells for $329.99, the same as the existing Scheduler. Shipping is free with coupon code VISAON06. For cheaper Roombas, check out our Roomba Buyers Guide (Refurb Schedulers are $175).

Sony ScientistsTeach Robots to Create Their Own Language

Sony scientists along with Italy and the European Commission's Emerging Technologies Initiative are working on a project to give robots language and cognitive skills that change and grow over time, without human intervention or rules. The experiments are being carried out on a pack of Aibo's and they are already able to communicate to each other about the location of a ball and its movement.

The canine cyborgs were placed in a room with other objects, some of which would respond to sounds. A stuffed elephant and other objects would not respond. The dogs ultimately spent more time "barking" at the responsive objects, and they learned that particular bark patterns elicited certain responses.

The project is called EC (embedded and communicating) Agents and the goal is to have machines that grow and evolve without human interaction.

Other groups are working on this technlogy to let MP3 players, and the like, talk to each other about your playing preferences, and to create swarms of robots that do search and rescue.

But, of course any time someone mentiones "learning robots" and "evolution" all the scifi junkies start to get weak in the knees. When the robots learn to talk to each other without us knowing, then we're in trouble. Robot overlords, anyone?

Families Raising Money to Buy Soldiers BomBots

Families of the 209 Quartermaster Divsion are raising money in order to purchase three BomBots for their soliders. The BomBots, built by Virginian company, IRT, only cost $5,000. Several soldiers from the community have been killed or wounded by IEDs, and this inspired grandmother, Saundra Whiddon, to organize fundraisers to buy the robots.

Anyone interested in assisting with fundraising efforts aimed at buying bomb detection robots for the 209th Quartermaster Company should contact Saundra Whiddon at (765) 463-9659 or by e-mail at saundraz-song@verizon.net This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or Brenda Wilson at (765) 762-3837.

Thanks to Robot Gossip and Robot Stock News.

US Soldiers Get Latest Prosthetic Technology

Research into prosthetics has lagged behind other medical research. The relatively low number of patients needing them doesn't create near the demand that other research areas, such as cancer, do. Recently, the US Military has stepped up the plate in order to meet the needs of its wounded soliders.

The War on Terror has created a higher demand for quality prosthetics. "Since the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 370 U.S. soldiers have had amputations."

In 2005 the Department of Veterans Affairs budgeted $7.2 million to create the Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine at the VA Medical Center in Providence, Rhode Island. This year the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ... began funding two prosthetics projects for $48.5 million ...

It has been said that the necessary coordination and research to create the ultimate prosthetic, one that interacts with the brain, is like the Manhattan Project. Such a prosthesis, "will need additional sensors to gather information on speed, angle, gait and balance."

Current technology can read muscle control signals, but this requires huge amounts of concentration on the part of the wearer. Lower body prosthetics, which are by far the most common, are even harder to control. Some sense the shift of body weight and then command the leg to move. However, none of these solutions give the brain feedback. They are also bulky and sometimes painful.

Unfortuanately, we don't have the technology to develop a proper prosthetic.We still have to solve problems of how to attach it to the body, how to read from the brain, how to send data back to the brain, how to power it, and what materials to build it from.

The six part Popular Science article is a great read for anyone who wants to know the current state of the art.