The robotics industry is booming and thanks to the constant development of new materials and the implementation of new ideas, we’re all benefiting. 2012 has been a great year so far for robotics and it doesn’t look like the trend is slowing down any time soon. Let’s take a look at some of the coolest new trends happening right now.
1. The MRI Controllable Pill. Forget getting shoved into a little chamber, soon a tiny mobile MRI will be able to travel anywhere in the body, giving doctors a bird’s eye view of what’s going on. The capsule is controlled remotely by an MRI machine and is expected to revolutionize many procedures, including colonoscopy’s.
2. A Robot Painter. Who says machines can’t be creative? A new robot is capable of painting portraits. The robot first images the person’s face, and then traces its outlines out on paper, filling in the details. The results are dramatically good. While a robot may not have the nuance of a human painter, or the style, this is certainly a step in an interesting direction for robotics.
3. An Obedient Robot. Not that robots are anything but, but this new design responds to gestures and commands. The robot is capable of sensing different items and can deliver them across the room on command, such as in a kitchen situation.
4. Social Robots. One thing lacking in robotics is the social element, after all machines just aren’t much for conversation. That may be changing however. The Kavli Foundation is currently developing social robots that can analyze facial expressions and react accordingly. The foundation plans to use these robots in therapy and rehabilitative situations.
Just two months gone in the year and already we’ve seen some incredible things happening in robotics. No doubt the next two months will be just as stellar.