Robots Go! - Academic Robots

Academic Robots

Formal Studies

These are examples of the formal studies conducted by colleges to cover specific issues within robotics. This list is not meant to be conclusive but rather is to provide you with a good variety of some of the innovations within the realm of robotics.

MIT has two main projects going on:

Leg Laboratory - is focused on mono-, bi-, and poly-pedal locomotion. MIT has developed walking, running, and jumping robots

Ants - is a study on groupings of robots and interaction between them. Ideally they wish to create a 'colony' of ants that can forage for 'food' in groups.

Carnegie Mellon University - has a general Robotics Institute. They have an overall view of robotics as "smart autonomous systems that can plan their own actions, perceive and analyze their environment and interact at a high level of abstraction with human controllers."

Their current projects include

Autonomous Navigation

Driving/Fail-safe aids

Autonomous Helicopter

University of Washington - is actually a 'BioRobotics Laboratory.' It is focused on human interface with and medical applications of robotics.

Current projects are:

Biologically Based Robots

Haptic Displays

Telerobotics

Surgical Technology

University of New Mexico - is the home of the Artificial Muscle Institute. It focuses on Ionic-Polymer-Metal Composites that warp and flex with electric currents. It expresses a high potential for space application.

Informal Competitions

These are results oriented competitions in which contestants follow a set criterion to achieve a set objective. The format is an unstructured approach to learning creating a more application based rather than a theoretical approach to robotics.

ROBOT WARS - Is the most unstructured of all the competitions. The criterion is that the robots are limited to weight. The objective is to incapacitate or to immobilize the other robots within the arena. In addition, there are obstacles within the arena which are meant to encumber your progress.

AUTONOMOUS ROBOTICS COMPETITION - Is at this point navigation and locomotion focused. The objective is to design a robot that can go from point A to point B without human assistance

There are three divisions:

Aerial

Ground

Undersea

MOBILE ROBOT COMPETITION - Has varying events each with their own objective.

97's events were:

Serving hors d' oeuvres

Household vacuuming

Fetching requested items

Explore Mars for possible life and if found return those life-forms to the lander for analysis

Marty Trevino
martre@gslis.utexas.edu
Date Last Modified: 8/12/98

Academic Robots
Formal Studies These are examples of the formal studies conducted by colleges to cover specific issues within robotics. This list is not meant to be conclusive but rather is to provide you with a good variety of some of the innovations within the realm of robotics.
	MIT has two main projects going on: Leg Laboratory - is focused on mono-, bi-, and poly-pedal locomotion. MIT has developed walking, running, and jumping robots
	Ants - is a study on groupings of robots and interaction between them. Ideally they wish to create a 'colony' of ants that can forage for 'food' in groups.
	Carnegie Mellon University - has a general Robotics Institute. They have an overall view of robotics as "smart autonomous systems that can plan their own actions, perceive and analyze their environment and interact at a high level of abstraction with human controllers." Their current projects include Autonomous Navigation Driving/Fail-safe aids Autonomous Helicopter
	University of Washington - is actually a 'BioRobotics Laboratory.' It is focused on human interface with and medical applications of robotics. Current projects are: Biologically Based Robots Haptic Displays Telerobotics Surgical Technology
	University of New Mexico - is the home of the Artificial Muscle Institute. It focuses on Ionic-Polymer-Metal Composites that warp and flex with electric currents. It expresses a high potential for space application.
Informal Competitions These are results oriented competitions in which contestants follow a set criterion to achieve a set objective. The format is an unstructured approach to learning creating a more application based rather than a theoretical approach to robotics.
	ROBOT WARS - Is the most unstructured of all the competitions. The criterion is that the robots are limited to weight. The objective is to incapacitate or to immobilize the other robots within the arena. In addition, there are obstacles within the arena which are meant to encumber your progress.
	AUTONOMOUS ROBOTICS COMPETITION - Is at this point navigation and locomotion focused. The objective is to design a robot that can go from point A to point B without human assistance There are three divisions: Aerial Ground Undersea
	MOBILE ROBOT COMPETITION - Has varying events each with their own objective. 97's events were: Serving hors d' oeuvres Household vacuuming Fetching requested items Explore Mars for possible life and if found return those life-forms to the lander for analysis