SuperBot to Explore With NASA


Credit: USC Information Sciences Insitute.
This is amazing news! A self-assembling bot. Check out the same bot self-assembling into different configurations above. 100 module bots are expected to be ready for testing in 2008.

SuperBot is a modular, multifunctional and reconfigurable robot, designed by Dr. Wei-Min Shen and his team at the Information Sciences Institute at USC.

You might say that SuperBot is really a set of individual robots that work together to move around and solve problems. Dr. Shen has been awarded more than $8 million in grants from NASA, DARPA and the NSF to continue his research, including constructing a 100 module prototype to demonstrate how SuperBot might be used in space exploration.

Dr. Shen proposes the SuperBot modules as a way to meet this goal. Each module is a "robot" in its own right, with microcontrollers, sensors, communications, power supply, three degrees of freedom and six connecting faces to dynamically connect with other modules. At launch, or when landing, SuperBot can pack itself into a minimum amount of space.

Upon arrival, SuperBot can unpack itself and take any of a wide variety of forms. For example, it might form several exploration rovers, one SuperBot capable of rolling down hill, another twisting "sidewinder-style" over level sand while another forms a SuperBot climbing robot to take on more challenging terrain.

Technorati: science, technology, space, superbot, self-assembly

Photo credit: TabletPC Review
Here it is. The one I have been looking for. It's called the R2H. :) It is:

1. Portable and handheld
2. Black
3. Bluetooth, USB, SD card reader
4. LAN cable friendly
5. Fits my surfing and writing needs
6. Under $2k if I look hard

Now the quest for finding the right price and hoping it will pass the touch test.

• Processor: Intel® Celeron® M ULV Processor 900MHz
• Communications: 10/100 Ethernet, WLAN 802.11b/g
• Operating System: Genuine Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition
• Memory: 1 SODIMM socket, DDR2 667MHz, 768MB
• Graphics: Intel 910GML Shared 128MB
• Optical Drive: DVD Dual External
• LCD: 7" XGA touch screen LCD 800 x 480, ASUS Splendid Video
Intelligent Engine
• Storage: 60GB HDD (PATA, 1.8” HDD)
• Built-in 1.3M pixels webcam
• Built-in card reader & GPS
• Bluetooth® V2.0 + EDR, 3x USB, 1x SD Card-Reader, 1x GPS, 1x Finger
Print Reader
• Accessories: Includes Targus keyboard & optical mouse
• Price: USD999

Technorati: laptop, tablet, technology

This feature is currently not offered in Blogdrive for both the free and paid accounts, but there is a way to add a monthly archive without tearing your hair out.

If you click the url shown in the Calendar, you'll note that it appears in this format:

http://techbot.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-02_cy-2007_m-02_d-28_y-2007_o-0.html
If you dissect it, you'll see that the archive url first labels the month and year, and then specifies the duration to display latest and earliest dates to display:

02_d-31_y-2007_o-0
02 is the month, 31 is the latest date, 2007 the year, and 0 the earliest.

Specify the last day of the month, be it 28, 30, or 31. Note the code only works when the month is actually up otherwise it'll send you to some http page.

So build a series of links:

<a href=http://techbot.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-02_cy-2007_m-02_d-28_y-2007_o-0.html>February 2007</a><br>
<a href=http://techbot.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-01_cy-2007_m-01_d-31_y-2007_o-0.html>January 2007</a></a>
<a href=http://techbot.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-12_cy-2006_m-12_d-31_y-2006_o-0.html>December 2006</a>
and paste them in side.html. Voila! :) You have your archive.

Technorati: blogdrive, monthly archive, code, fix