Robotics

The latest development in anti-drone technology has been introduced by US and Australian-based company, DroneShield. UAV sales are on the up and they are increasingly being used as a tool by criminals and terrorist groups.

"Say hello to your personal courier. I'm here to deliver anything you need. Just tell me what, when and where and I'll do the rest. Your tireless delivery bot will always be on hand to lighten your load.", says a next generation of delivery robots, developed by Starship Technologies. The robots are suitable for local, unscheduled deliveries of small orders.

When people follow you around it can be a bit creepy, however not when it’s a drone. The AirDog is not about flying and following, it’s about getting the shot without taking anything away from what is most important, the action itself. A self-flying action sports drone, AirDog has been developed to follow you around and keep up with you as you perform all sorts of extreme sports.

By 2040, nearly one in seven Britons is projected to be aged over 75. As a result of greatly improving social care, a large number of countries are finding themselves faced with the problem of an ageing population: where the median age of the population in a region or country rises significantly when compared to the total population. 

Some of the most talented young engineers from the UK and overseas will compete to design and build the best Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), also known as a drone, as part of the annual competition run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Nineteen student teams from the UK and three international teams are set to compete.

Launching for the second annual UK Robotics Week, a new Social Care Robot Challenge, which is a national co-operative venture that will bring together UK experts from both academia and industry to advance the integration of robots into healthcare, including services designed to support older people and those living with long-term health conditions.

  Sky-Futures is rolling out a basic drone certification course; the new course will enable persons and organisations in the UK to reach the basic standard required to operate drones under a CAA Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO).

  Steve Rogerson looks at some of the recent news that may have missed the front page.

ETH Zurich can once again look back on a successful year of spin-offs: as in 2015, a total of 25 new companies were incorporated in 2016. This is thus the tenth time in a row that over 20 spin-offs have been founded at ETH in a single year – a unique achievement in Switzerland’s higher education landscape. Furthermore, ten of the newly founded ETH spin-offs were created through the Pioneer Fellowship programme.

New motor designs to meet torque loads and size requirements in the rapidly growing robotics industry, have been developed by BEI Kimco. The company recently met demanding Brushless DC (BLDC) Motor needs for use in a multi-axis assembly robot for semiconductor and other light manufacturing applications.