21-Aug-2017: UK scientists develop World’s smallest surgical robot
Scientists in the UK have developed the world's smallest surgical robot with low-cost technology used in mobile phones and space industries. The robot is called Versius. The robot is controlled by a surgeon at a console guided by a 3D screen in the operating theatre.
It mimics the human arm and can be used to carry out a wide range of procedures in which a series of small incisions are made to circumvent the need for traditional open surgery. These include hernia repairs, colorectal operations, as well as prostate, ear, nose and throat surgery.
The robot is much easier to use than existing systems, and take up about a third of the space of current machines. It works like a human arm and contains technology that detects resistance to make sure the right amount of force is used when the instruments are inside the patient. Such procedures reduce complications and pain after surgery and speed up recovery time for patients.
26-Jun-2017: First foldable walking robot
Scientists from Seoul have built the first foldable walking robot that pops up when deployed, and could be used for future space missions as well as seabed exploration on Earth.
The robot, which the researchers call DeployBot, is assembled from eight modules: four for the body and one for each of the four legs. In their folded state, the modules lie flat, and after they are deployed they pop up into roughly a square shape.
The modules are made of both rigid and flexible materials and contain embedded magnets that connect and lock multiple modules together. A shape memory alloy wire running through the square frame of each module is responsible for deploying and folding the modules, which takes several seconds but can be done repeatedly.
The main advantage of this modular robot is robustness in various environments due to lack of mechanical systems such as motors and gears. Thus, problems facing motor-based robots, such as sealing and lubrication of mechanical systems in water or space environments, are not a problem for the smart actuator. The robot walks when an electric current is applied to shape-memory alloy wires embedded in its frame. The current heats the wires, causing the robot's flexible segments to contract and bend. Sequentially controlling the current to various segments in different ways results in different walking gaits. No motors are required for the robot to move.