| Physics students to study overseas
Two Austin Peay State University students, both pursuing degrees in physics, will participate in summer research programs, allowing them the opportunity to travel and work overseas. Bryan Gaither, a junior from Clarksville, will attend NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for the third consecutive summer, this time as a team lead for Goddard's Robotics Academy. His work in robotics has generated interest from a mining company in Australia, and efforts are under way for Gaither to travel there to share his work. .
IRobot Shares Surge on Increased Order of Bomb-Disposal Robots ...
NEW YORK (AP) - Shares of robot maker iRobot Corp. moved sharply higher after the company received an additional $14 million order from the Navy for bomb-disposal robots. Late Monday, the company said the Naval Sea Systems Command ordered an added 101 iRobot PackBot Man Transportable Robotic System robots, along with spare parts. The robots are designed to detect and disable explosives from safe distances, and the company said it shipped the first part of the order in late March. The Naval Command had previously placed $52 million in orders under the contract valued at up to $264 million. .
Video: Robot Chicken by Sega, Not Seth Green
When I first heard about this robot chicken, I immediately thought of the very strange animated series created by Seth Green. Unfortunately, this creation has absolutely nothing to do with quirky cartoons. Fitting somewhere between Tamagotchi virtual pets and a real puppy is the next-generation robot chicken from Sega. The little robots are fuzzy, cuddly, and unbearably cute, especially when paired with a bunch of children gently petting them. They decided that the little chicks would be "modeled after 4-day-old chicks, because that's when they're the cutest." The AI is also very easy to program, because chicks don't do much. The algorithm is probably something like: When petted, cheep 30% of the time, raise wings 30% of the time, raise wings and cheep 30% of the time, and do nothing the other 10%; also cheep and/or raise wings randomly every few minutes.
Local school helped by Durham Uni expertise
A County Durham school has found the formula for success on its doorstep as it looks to win a gold award. Durham University PhD student Graciela Becci is helping Gilesgate Sports College students build their very own Lego-style robot for their entry into a series of awards aimed at rewarding school pupils for their achievements in science. Six schools throughout County Durham are entering the awards, which aim to raise participation in science amongst pupils. Electronic engineer Graciela came to Durham University two years ago to do a PhD in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Her expertise was exactly what Gilesgate Sports College needed and she is helping four students from Year 10 to build and programme their own robot. Graciela said: "I had done a science outreach project before so I knew how rewarding it is getting children interested in science by enhancing the curriculum and pushing them onto a higher level.
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