Word: robots
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...that was before Tools got his robot heart--a miracle of medical miniaturization called the AbioCor. Unlike the first generation of artificial hearts--which were attached by tubes and wires to refrigerator-size power units--the softball-size, plastic-and-titanium AbioCor is entirely self-contained, save for a wireless battery pack strapped to the waist. On July 2, Tools became the first human...
Imagine a robot small enough to crawl through pipes to check for chemical leaks or sneak under doors to spy on intruders. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created the Mini Autonomous Robot Vehicle Jr. to do just that. Smaller than a cherry and powered by three watch batteries, MARV Jr. can cover 20 in. per min. on custom-made tracks fashioned from strips of latex balloons. Future versions may include miniature cameras, microphones and chemical microsensors...
Here's how the Slugbot works: a lawn mower-size machine with a long arm shines red light on the ground to identify a shiny, sluglike object, then analyzes its shape. When it finds a slug, it picks it up and drops it in a hopper. Bacteria inside the robot eat the slimy critters--a process that releases electrons that can be captured and, in theory, keep the bot's batteries perpetually charged...
Kelly says he has perfected the slug-identification-and-retrieval system but estimates that it will be several years before the slugbot is ready for market. Biggest hurdle: getting the robot to convert those captured mollusks into usable energy. While the concept of microbial fuel cells has worked in laboratory tests, applying it to slugs turns out to be a sticky proposition...
...brought out everything from the upstairs shop: skulls, crowns, wings, robes, robot helmets and headdresses,” said Hawley...