3D-printed orthotic boot lets injured penguin waddle with ease

3D printing has made a real impact in the world of medicine, particularly when it comes to aiding amputees in the third world. But this technology has plenty to offer the animal kingdom too, as a disabled African penguin came to learn after slipping into a custom-made 3D-printed orthotic boot and regaining the ability to walk unimpeded.

Like Derby the dog and Stumpy the turtle before him, Purps the penguin found himself in the hands of carers after an injury affected her ability to move around. This came after an incident with another penguin damaged the flexor tendon in her ankle, which vets at Purps' Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut treated by fashioning a plastic boot.

This did the job of supporting and protecting Purp's injury, but was rather unwieldy. So the team partnered with the local Mystic Middle School, which had recently obtained a 3D printer built by 3D Systems (the same 3D printing company who crafted Derby the dog's prosthesis) to make a customized boot that would improve the penguin's mobility.

Students at Mystic Middle School used a 3D scanner to scan an existing cast of Purps' foot, which was then modified and used to create a design for the customized orthotic. The printed boot is lighter, more durable and a better fit and has Purps walking and swimming just like her penguin pals.

"Our goal is to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through conservation, education and research," said Kelly Matis, Vice President of Education and Conservation, Mystic Aquarium. "In this project we achieved each of these desired outcomes while benefiting the health and well being of one of our endangered species."

Source: 3D Systems, NewAtlas

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Geek Speak: Ashvath

It’s Friday evening and the weekend is finally here. Although for a lucky few students they’ve already enjoyed a holiday today thanks to a long weekend. With it being Varalakshmi Vratam today and with the Independence day on Monday, it is a four day long weekend for most schools in the city. Most kids would’ve have already packed up their bags and left the city to beat the heat. Back at Kidobotikz, post 4 days of empty classrooms, we are finally here at business end of Kidobotikz’s week. Despite it being a long weekend, Kids are here preparing for another important weekend- the weekend of KRG. Students are flocking here to get their projects ready for Kidobotikz. These young gentlemen are here working towards building cool projects and powerful robots for KRG. I look around the room and find a lot of familiar faces- these guys spend an inordinate amount of time at the makerspace of Kidobotikz. They are usually here as soon as the school is over and spend their time on robotics well until it’s dark. It’s not something we mind, because we always love when our students are with their robots. Meanwhile, I spot one guy who I have never noticed before. He is involved in a discussion with his mentor. The two of them had probably been brainstorming on some idea when I interrupted their conversation. 

Hey Ashvath! Why don’t you temme a bit about yourself and your path to Kidobotikz?

I am C.V. Ashvath. I study in class 8 of Vani Vidyalaya, KK Nagar. Back here at Kidobotikz, I am doing my Expert level. I came to know of Kidobotikz when they conducted a robotics summer camp at my school. At the end of the summer camp they gave us the brochures of Kidobotikz. I looked up the address, visited the center, fell in love with it and joined here. I was infact looking for a place to learn robotics and that Kidobotikz was a godsend. 

That is interesting. So, you were aware of robotics even before joining here? How did that happen?

I have always had a penchant for things that are creative. I just love inventions and want to invent things that are both simple yet ingenious. Robotics is a field which has been known for its ingenuity. Hence, I wanted to learn robotics.

Interesting! So, are you participating in the August Edition of KRG ?

Yes, I am going to participate in KRG’s 9th edition. This will be my 3rd KRG. I am quite excited about participating in the event. I am getting my projects ready in eager anticipation for the event. I am developing a project for the “Clean India”-theme as well as a separate line tracer robot.

Could you explain to me about your project?

My team mates and I are working on a project for the “Clean India” theme. The project is a Intelligent Solid Waste Management system. The project involves us building an Intelligent dustbin that would make the life of municipal workers easy.

Interesting! Could you explain a bit more about your project? 

We are going to embed level sensors in each dustbin and connect them to a GSM module. That way, every time a dustbin is filled, the notification for the same reaches the central collection agency. This reduces the daily effort these people have to go through to get every dumpster checked. Also, it helps the public as the dustbins never overflow and cause nuisance. This is a win-win for both sides and makes the whole process efficient.

Impressive! Your idea is amazing. Moving on, what do you plan to do with the knowledge that you learnt here? 

I actually intend to do robotics in my higher studies. While, I am still not sure which college I wanna enroll myself in, I just intend to join in any college where I can pursue a full-fledged robotics course.

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Bio-robot crawler made with sea slug muscles

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have created a crawling robot from sea slug muscles attached to a 3D-printed body, with aims of one day sending swarms of biohybrid robots on sea search missions.

The 2 in (5 cm) "biohybrid" robot is built around the sea slug muscle known as the buccal mass, which forms part of the animal's mouth and is made up of two arm-like structures. The researchers connected these arms to a frame of 3D-printed polymers, and through an external electrical field, were able to make the robot crawl along through the contraction and release of the buccal muscle. In the first tests, it managed a top speed of about 0.16 in (4 mm) per minute.

The sea slug was chosen for replication by the team leading the research because of the hardiness of its muscles, which can adapt to significant changes in temperature, salinity and other environmental conditions.

That adaptability makes it perfectly equipped for the ultimate goal of these robots: the team eventually wants to send swarms of them into bodies of water to conduct searches, whether that's looking for the source of a toxic leak in a pond or a plane's black box at the bottom of the ocean. Compared to either completely-artificial robots or live, trained animals, the biohybrid robots' unique composition are said to offer the best of both worlds.

One of the problems with traditional robotics, especially on the small scale, is that actuators – the units that provide movement – tend to be rigid says the team. Muscles are a natural alternative, providing better power relative to their weight and fueling themselves on nutrients around them. Initially the researchers experimented with slug muscle cells, but realized that the full buccal muscle was already extremely efficient in its current form.

Integrating the muscle with its natural biological structure made the robot hundreds to 1,000 times better felt the team. Completely organic robots are the end-game for the project. To that end, the team is developing a replacement for the 3D-printed structures, creating a flexible but strong frame from collagen in the slug's skin. 

Better movement options are being explored too, based around the slug ganglia inducing the muscles to contract through chemical or electrical signals. Ideally, this system will allow the robots to move forward in response to one signal and backward through another.

Source: Case Western Reserve University, NewAtlas

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From Storage spaces to Makerspaces. . . .

If you are looking at the above image and are wondering what is, here’s some interesting tidbit for you. The above image is of Amazon’s Kiva robots. Kiva robots, a product of Amazon Robotics, is a revolution in the logistics and warehousing industry. Ever since introduction at Amazon’s logistics and warehousing facilities, Kiva has transformed the way products are hand-picked and shipped from the storage. It is an autonomous heavy duty robot which lifts crates of products and brings it directly to the hands of the packaging personnel who then ship the product to the consumer. This is a revolutionary technology that has changed the world of warehouse management. 

You are probably wondering what is this piece of information doing on a Kidobotikz article that is neither “Tech Mania“ nor “Geek Speak”. Well, in case you haven’t realised this about Kidobotikz yet, here it goes- there’s more to Kidobotikz and their students than that meets the eye!

We at Kidobotikz always motivate our students to improve upon their tech skills to make themselves “Jack of all trades”. To this end, the 9th Edition of Kidobotikz Robo Games will be featuring an event that tries to emulate what Amazon robotics did. Yes, you heard it right. Our Kidobotikz students will be trying to develop their own version of the Kiva robot. Called “Auto Transbot” , the event has a unique problem statement- “Design and build a robot which should pick and place a pallet from one place to another autonomously by following the given black line on white background”. 

Students will be tasked with developing the concepts, working mechanisms and the algorithms for these robots which will be autonomous. To ensure that the conceptual understanding of the students are put to the ultimate test and make it a gruelling ordeal for them to get Qualification-worthy robots, the problem statement has been intentionally made tough. But the resilience of Kidobotikz students is such that every KRG, the organizers are bested and amazed by the swarms of robots that our students make. This time is not expected to be any different either. So, if you are at KRG and see a swarm of bots lifting up some payload laden pallets; you are witnessing a technology which revolutionized the speed at which you got your online delivery and which is being revolutionized by the younger generation. 

Happy Roboting ! !

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New “Ourobot” overcomes obstacles with ease

Students at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences have developed "Ourobot". Their project was supervised by a professor at the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and a CITEC researcher. It looks like a bicycle chain, but has just twelve segments about the size of a fist. In each segment there is a motor.

What distinguishes "Ourobot" from other comparable robots are the pressure sensors found in its chain segments which enable it to detect and overcome obstacles. The name of the robot, by the way, was inspired by an ancient Egyptian symbol depicting a serpent eating its own tail, the Ouroboros. "At the moment Ourobot can only move straight ahead and cannot manage curves yet, but its sensors can detect obstacles, such as a book, and can traverse them", explains Jan Paskarbeit. The control mechanism behind this, i.e. the way the individual chain links interact in order to roll over an obstacle, involves a complex mathematical task. There is no concrete application for Ourobot at the moment. It is a feasibility study, meaning basic research. 

The supervisors' vision is to take the present robot that works in two dimensions "into the third dimension".The team aims to develop a robot that actively changes its form, which can adapt to its environment like an amoeba, capable of stretching and shrinking again. In this way, Ourobot can move through narrow terrain and overcome obstacles by means of different movements. The team has designed different variations of the new 3-D version of Ourobot, similar to a ball or a snake. In this area, however, there is still much research to do.

The robot was developed by four bachelor students in Computer Engineering- Johann Schröder, Adrian Gucze, Simon Beyer and Matthäus Wiltzok. The project was supervised by Professor Dr. Axel Schneider of the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Jan Paskarbeit from Bielefeld University.

The following video introduces the robot.

Source: Phys.org

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Why do we conduct KRG?

“The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.” ~ Howard Cosell

This incredible quote by the renowned sportscaster, who covered several of Muhammad Ali’s memorable bouts, encapsulates every positive there is in sporting and competition. It is no doubt that we as humans desire the sweet taste of victory every time it happens. Even when victory remains out of grasp there is always is a take away for someone who spends his time and efforts to take part in a competition. He could take back from anything between his lessened ego to the sweet satisfaction of an improved performance. Some people who put up brave faces in failure actually enumerate their misgivings during the preparation and the performance to ensure that such mistakes aren’t repeated in successive performances. This is what reforms us as human beings and helps us better ourselves through the universal method for betterment- Trial and Error.

Kidobotikz believes in the fruits of trial and error. After all, the kits that our kids love were developed after concerted efforts which saw many a errors and corrections. But, all our efforts would have been in vain if our students do not imbibe the competitive spirit of innovation where they try and things fail at things until the get it right. What better way to inculcate this spirit than through a robotics competition in which students get the taste of cut throat competition and are forced to think outside the box to come out on top of the competition. This is the major reason behind conducting Kidobotikz Robo Games, which tries to bring in all the elements of competition and the desire to strive for absolute excellence. These attributes are important for students over the course of their education and lifetime. 

KRG is a competition that strives to inculcate desired attitudes in children. By exposing them to a realm of competition Kidobotikz aims to bring out the full spectrum of focus in children. When they are in a competitive mode, kids tend to explore all avenues to achieve success. When this is in a science-related field they are motivated to think outside the box and learn all relevant concepts to achieve the desired competence to become victorious. This enables them to learn concepts that they would otherwise brush aside. More importantly, they will pick up some vital soft skills such as Team spirit, collaboration and sportsmanship.

Talking on the scholastic aspects surrounding the event, the event format comprises of carefully planned events each of which aims to bring out an important attribute in students. Events such as Project Expo encourage students to focus on their intellectual strengths, while Temple Run encourages to design bots that are optimised for the particular event as against generic robots. All of this aids in practical application of knowledge that kids gain throughout the year at Kidobotikz. Giving them technical problem statements promotes problem solving attitudes within them Bringing this out in them makes them better learners and gives them a purpose for practical learning. Every Student who has ever participated at KRG is Jack of all trades. He is well versed in some diverse concepts such as programming, algorithm, electronics and mechanics. By continuously participating in KRG he evolves into a tech-wizard who has a mastery over all the aforementioned subjects. This is the magic that KRG brings out in students. 

Happy Roboting! !

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Obi robot arm gives disabled diners a helping hand

Robotic cooking aids are gaining traction in the modern kitchen, but the team behind Obi has a goal more noble than just cooking up a gourmet storm. This little robot arm is designed to empower people afflicted with physical disabilities, giving them back the dignity of feeding themselves.

The first product out of consumer robotics company Desin, Obi looks like a clean, modern kitchen appliance that could improve the quality of life for sufferers of conditions such as ALS, cerebral palsy, MS, Parkinson's and brain or spinal injuries. After a caregiver divides the meal into Obi's four separate bowls, users are able to feed themselves through a simple interface: one button moves the arm between the bowls, and another selects that food, dips the spoon in and brings it up to the diner's mouth.

Those inputs can be customized, depending on the specific needs and abilities of the user. Big bright "Buddy Buttons" on the table can be useful for those who still have some function in their hands but lack the fine motor skills required to steady a spoon. They could also be placed on the floor to use as foot pedals. Pillows that respond to the slightest squeeze allow for head and cheek activation, while a small mouth piece switch can be triggered through sip or puff actions.

How does Obi know where the user's mouth is? There's a "Teach Mode" button where the arm can be positioned manually to the desired location. From then on, the robot will remember that position and return to it any time the user presses the button, until a new one is set.

Collision detection prevents Obi from charging straight onto that position if a wayward eye or hand happens to cross its path. When dinner's all done, Obi's plates and spoons, which are BPA-free, can be thrown in the dishwasher, microwave or freezer. Desin says the device will provide two to four hours of eating time for each charge of its internal batteries.

Learn more about Obi in the video given below.

Source: NewAtlas, Obi

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