AI Topics (see also November 30, 1999 Scout report for Mathematics, Engineering and Technology) is "a dynamic library of introductory information about Artificial Intelligence." In this article, AI Topics provides an extensive listing of online resources for anyone interested in learning more about AARON Robot. Initiated by artist Harold Cohen, AARON is a research project to develop an autonomous...

The goal of the Carnegie Mellon University Autonomous Helicopter Project is to develop a vision-guided robot helicopter that can self-start, take off, safely fly to a designated area, search for and locate a designated object, track or pursue objects, and return home, all "within any weather conditions and using only on-board intelligence and computing power.� Recent flight tests of the linear...

This website highlights robotics research from the Robotics and Manufacturing Automation Laboratory at Duke University. Their work is "devoted to the development of command and control systems for cooperative robots." Their website provides descriptions and some demonstration videos of their work in multiple industrial robot control, mobile robot development, sensor fusion, robot-World Wide...

This article from EE Times tracks the status of Team Overbot, "a group of enthusiasts, engineers, and partners" who are building an autonomous robot vehicle for the October 8, 2005 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Grand Challenge. The annual Challenge, sponsored by DARPA, requires designers to develop an autonomous robot vehicle that can successfully make a trek through all kinds...

Gabriel Hugh Elkaim, an Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of California at Santa Cruz has posted this blog called Robotica Exotica. This fun webpage contains "musings about robots, autonomous vehicles, and technology." Entries are posted frequently and previous months are kept in an online archive. Recent entries include a bit titled "Educational Robot comes packed with...

Recent news coverage on the Mars Rover has sparked a renewed interest in robotics. Projects like the Personal Exploration Rover (see under Education in this report) are bringing this technology to K-12 classrooms, while others are exploring the ways scientists can match the technology to the needs of people. This Topic in Depth offers a closer look into research on robotics and the many uses of...

Chuck's Robotics Notebook "serves as a journal and knowledge repository for the aspiring roboticist" and includes sections on circuits, projects, and controllers. A section on Complete Robots describes some of the robots he has built and includes some photos. A "bibliography of sorts" provides his favorite books and articles "so that you can build a 'Mechatronic' library of your own." The second...

This Web page of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe contains seven press releases that summarize some of the findings of the 380-page World Robotics survey for 2003. The first press release looks at worldwide investment in robots and projects strong growth over the next three years. Some interesting statistics, such as the size of the robot workforce and the number of household...