Complex Insight - Understanding our world

If like me, you are old enough to remember the animals to animats proceedings from the early 1990's which detailed early researchon  agent based modeling, reinforcement learning algorithms and autonomous robots using neural networks, genetic algorithms and other probabilistic finite state machines as control architectures this will be of interest. If you are not -try and find a copy and read up - since a lot of current research is based on early ideas presented in those proceedings. The Adamilab have produced a stable implementation and platform for hidden markov model based controllers for agent based models and robotics. Code is available on Github and the Markov Network Brains article gives a good overview of why its of interest and underlying reasoning behind the implementation for anyone working on agent based simulation and autonomous robot and sensor platforms.

When I was a young teenager I came across Cybernetics by Norbert Weiner at my local lending library. I would borrow it several times over the years to read and re-read, though much was certainly beyond my understanding then. For those familiar with Weiner's work this essay from 1949 will come as no surprise. For those not - it will give an insight into why we owe so much to his insight that helped found the field of computer science and informatics and why his work and ideas are often worth revisting and re-examining. Great essay - worth the read. Click on the image or title to learn more.

Having once worked on a project for very early stage robotic prosthetics this is incredibly impressive and useful. Great find by 4DPipeline.  Nigel Ackland lost his arm in a car accident. He shows what he is learning to do with it and the improvement in quality of life by making a myriad of small things that we do with two hands and often take for granted every day achievable again. The arm is manufactured by RSL STeeper and is the bebionic 3 model .For more info see http://bebionic.com/

One of the first jobs I had after Uni was working for a small robotics research company (TAG) doing market analysis for an EU funded research into sensor based hand prosthetics (TIDE project No.150 MARCUS). Emerging robotics and sensor based prosthetics can radically impact the quality of life for those that need them.  This is a good article which helps understand some of the current advances from companies like Ottobock and how they are using microprocessor enabled prosthetics to help to meet end user needs. Worth reading 

Having had a long love affair with blimp like aircraft there are a number of intersting developments in using robotic blimp like vehicles for automated delivery.  Worldwide Aeros has demonstrated a new aircraft concept with funding from US govt. the company is now looking to secure follow on funding  for the next round of flight testing. The company says the cargo airship's potential to carry more cargo more efficiently than ever before would provide the U.S. military with an advantage on the battlefield and greater capacity to save more lives during natural disasters. The lighter-than-air vehicle is not a blimp or a zeppelin because it has a rigid structure made out of ultra-light carbon fiber and aluminum underneath its high-tech Mylar skin. Inside, balloons hold the helium that give the vehicle lift. The airship functions like a submarine, releasing air to rise and taking in air to descend and can take off vertically, like a helicopter, then change its buoyancy to become heavier than air for landing and unloading. Worldwide Aeros are following a similar path to the UK based 

Hybrid Air Vehicles Limited who are developing similar solutions for European markets. It will be a matter of time for someone to get the business model and system economics in place to make these viable but as costs of components, robotics control systems combined with navigation technologies its increasingly a matter of when not if. Click on the image or title to learn more.

Good video overview of Mobi and interesting demo of the ball drive control system.