This article is pretty much just going to be one giant quote, because what these researchers claim they can get slime mold to do is just so unbelievably incredible that any hyperbole I might be able to come up with would fall completely, utterly flat. Just read:

“The plasmodium is capable of solving complex computational tasks, such as the shortest path between points and other logical calculations. Through previous experiments we have already demonstrated the ability of this mould to transport objects. By feeding it oat flakes, it grows tubes which oscillate and make it move in a certain direction carrying objects with it. We can also use light or chemical stimuli to make it grow in a certain direction.”

“This new plasmodium robot, called plasmobot, will sense objects, span them in the shortest and best way possible, and transport tiny objects along pre-programmed directions. The robots will have parallel inputs and outputs, a network of sensors and the number crunching power of super computers. The plasmobot will be controlled by spatial gradients of light, electro-magnetic fields and the characteristics of the substrate on which it is placed. It will be a fully controllable and programmable amorphous intelligent robot with an embedded massively parallel computer.”

“We are at the very early stages of our understanding of how the potential of the plasmodium can be applied, but in years to come we may be able to use the ability of the mould for example to deliver a small quantity of a chemical substance to a target, using light to help to propel it, or the movement could be used to help assemble micro-components of machines. In the very distant future we may be able to harness the power of plasmodia within the human body, for example to enable drugs to be delivered to certain parts of the human body. It might also be possible for thousands of tiny computers made of plasmodia to live on our skin and carry out routine tasks freeing up our brain for other things. Many scientists see this as a potential development of amorphous computing, but it is purely theoretical at the moment.”

Purely theoretical, but still… Wow. I have obviously not been giving mold enough credit.

[ UWE Press Release ] VIA [ Science Daily ]

Inspecting sewers is only my third or fourth favorite thing to do in my free time, but I can stop feeling guilty about missing all the fun now that there’s a robot that can bring back 360 degree video of the experience. The RedZone Solo is a fully autonomous sewer inspection robot designed for sewer pipes between 8″ and 12″ in diameter. All you have to do is crack the manhole, lower the robot in, and then retrieve it after it’s done looking for crocodiles or mutants or whatever it is sewers need to be inspected for. When the robot gets back, the 360 degree video is downloaded to a computer, and a human can virtually drive through the entire inspection route. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it means that you can tell all the ladies that you work with robots instead of that you inspect sewers.

The RedZone Solo will be officially launched at WEFTEC in Orlando, a major “wastewater industry” show that we unfortunately will not be able to attend.

[ RedZone Solo ]

Thanks Richard!

Like those weRobot shirts we keep writing about and giving away but hate wearing clothes? Yeah, that’s weird, but Chop Shop has your back (or not) with a print edition of the 51 robots artwork. The letter press prints are 14″ x 16″ on acid free Strathmore 90lb watercolor white paper, which I guess is pretty fancy, and the edition is limited to 200. I kinda hate to say it, but this print version looks way, way more detailed than what shows up on the shirts. $40.

[ Chop Shop ]

GetRobo has an excellent interview with John Sosoka, previously the CTO of Ugobe. Since Ugobe folded, John has moved on to two other robotics companies: Vita Robotica, which builds platforms and tools for development of social robots, and Pulse-Robotics, which will create robots based on the tools that Vita Robotica comes up with.

I am fascinated in this life-in-robotics thing. And what I’m currently most interested in is in developing robots for special needs such as medical applications and companionship in institutions. For example, there are so many interesting things that have come up in the use of therapy dogs, and I think there are a lot of areas where medications don’t work well and where you can make use of robotics. Automated diagnostics at home is another area. Companion robots could help people keep track of their health everyday so that they can identify problems before they become real problems. There are not enough products that address those areas, and I think the market is pretty wide open.

The full interview has lots more, including another take on why Ugobe failed and John’s thoughts on the consumer robotics market. Check it out over at GetRobo.

[ Pleo Creators Form New Venture ]

Thanks Norri!

It’s been nearly a month since I’ve had a good rant about public perception of autonomous robots, so I was so excited to see an article on Economist.com entitled, “How real is the threat of autonomous technology?” The article is about a report released by Britain’s Royal Academy of Engineering on the social, legal, and ethical issues of autonomous systems, which you can read in full in PDF format here.

Commentary, after the jump. (Read more…)