Drones take medical samples to the sky in Madagascar

Many of the remote villages in the Ifanadiana district of Madagascar aren't linked to the outside world by decent roads. Among other things, this means that it can be very difficult getting medical samples to labs in a timely fashion. That's where a project led by New York-based Stony Brook University comes in. It's been using autonomous drones to get biological samples from those villages to a central testing center, where they can be checked for diseases such as tuberculosis.

The GPS-guided drones were made by project partner Vayu, Inc. They take off and land vertically, like a helicopter, but switch to faster and more efficient fixed-wing flight once they reach altitude.

Starting on July 27th, they began transporting blood and stool samples from the villages to Stony Brook's Centre ValBio research station, located on the edge of Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park. There, the samples could be properly stored and analyzed. A previous study has indicated that blood samples aren't affected by being transported in a drone.

"The flights to and from villages in the Ifanadiana district ushers in a new era in bringing healthcare to people living in really remote settings," said Dr. Peter Small, the Founding Director of Stony Brook's Global Health Institute. "In this context, drones will find innumerable uses such as accelerating the diagnosis of tuberculosis and ensuring the delivery of vaccines."

Supporting the project were the Madagascar government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The drones can be seen in action, in the video below.

Source: Stony Brook University, NewAtlas

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Geek Speak: Kanishk

Why do kids spend their time in learning ? Could it be because we make them to? Or could it be because their school curriculum forces them to? Or could it be because they want to just try learning to pursue excellence? The answer could lie anywhere between the three reasons. They could even be learning to gain an upper hand among peers. But, not so often do kids learn to maintain a creative edge and replicate the same in the form of a concept that they’d look at as a masterpiece. However, at Kidobotikz, this is usually the prevailing attitude. Kids here learn robotics for myriads of purposes. But the general reason usually is to make sure that they always have a creative edge that churns out interesting concepts and makes them the envy of their peers.

Meet Kanishk, a next gen roboticist. He is in his class 9 at Chettinad Vidyashram. Back at Kidobotikz, he pursues his Advanced level. He has taken part in several robotic competitions to prove his mettle and he has been successful at a few of them as well. Some of his recent successes include taking part in the Singapore Robo Games. He was among a very few students from Kidobotikz who made it to SRG and considers it a proud accomplishment. Back at Kidobotikz, his accomplishments are immense. As recently as April, he contested in Kidobotikz’s triannual robotics extravaganza- Kidobotikz Robo Games. His participation was a resounding success with him taking part in several events such as Robo Sumo, Robo Race etc. He finished 2nd in the Robo Race- an impressive feat considering the fact that it’s the most prestigious event at KRG with hundreds of students participating in it. And since it is an open event, he is likely to have contested against pros and won it in style. While his roboting past is truly illustrious, he is not one to sit back and bask upon it. He is already gearing up for the next edition of KRG.

The August edition of KRG, which is about to happen by the end of this week will feature some of the brainiacs in Chennai schools. These young warriors who will ride into the event on the success of their robot designs will truly throw a tough fight for any pro. Kanishk is gonna be up against them and try to establish his dominance yet again. For the same he is planning to take part in the project display event. He has designed a robot that can be controlled using just gestures. This robot which features a receiver can be controlled via an accelerometer board that can be fitted on to the palm. By just moving the arms around the robot can be controlled. The robot will be controlled using just one hand. For developing the same, Kanishk has taken guidance under Vignesh, a distinguished trainer and Kidobotikz and an integral cog of the training team that is helping students brainstorm their ideas and develop new concepts for display at KRG. Vignesh, who himself is a veteran in robotic events, has won close to 20 robotic event around the city. Here at Kidobotikz, he shares the core vision of democratizing the technology of robotics so that young students can learn them and apply them in their lives. He is happy teaching his students a trick or two that he applied back in his college days. Vignesh, for whom robotics is very close to his heart, is all praise for his protege who he feels is very sharp and has a knack for coming up with out of the box ideas. 

Happy Roboting ! ! 

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SwagBot farming robot rolls through streams and rounds up cattle

With the sheer amount of labor involved in things like inspecting crops, removing weeds and counting yields, it is perhaps no surprise that farmers are looking to automate certain tasks. And they may soon have a new tool at their disposal, with researchers in Australia developing a durable robot that can navigate difficult terrain, round up cattle and possibly even keep an eye on their health.

The Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney has a bit of experience when it comes to agricultural robots. Headed by Professor Salah Sukkarieh, Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, the team has been busy preparing for a future of automated farming in Australia by building machines that do things like patrol orchards and map and classify different crops.

Its latest baby is called SwagBot and it is designed to take care of monitoring and interacting with crops and plants, along with animals roaming about the farm. The omni-directional, all-wheel drive electric robot is built to withstand rugged terrain and can even take trailers along for the ride. The team recently let SwagBot loose on a cattle farm where it towed a trailer, interacted with horses, rolled across fallen logs and powered through streams.

"So far SwagBot has only been remote controlled," Mark Calleija, a technical officer at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, explains to New Atlas. "Next steps will involve fitting various sensors and adding software on-board so SwagBot can do these tasks autonomously. After this we will look at environment interaction such as weeding."

This first field test also put SwagBot face to face with a herd of cows, where it slowly encroached on the animals' space and shuffled them off in the desired direction. While this herd dog-like behavior was also controlled remotely, the team hopes more data and advances in sensor technology will allow them to improve SwagBot's ability to control, and even assess the health of the animals and their environment, on its own.

"For example, we can determine the volume and gait of the cattle using vision, lasers etc." says Calleija. "We can determine the temperature using infrared etc. We may be able to detect the volume and health of pasture using vision, infrared and ranging sensors either on the ground or aerial robot."

The SwagBot team is currently one year into a three-year project, and will use upcoming field tests to further develop the machine's autonomy. You can see it do its thing in the video below.

Source: Australian Centre for Field Robotics, NewAtlas

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Geek Speak: Bhaskar

Ask anyone about the most important days of the week, they’ll probably say it’s the weekends- Saturday and Sunday. These are the days when all humans take a break from the rigours of the week and get themselves rejuvenated for the upcoming week’s challenges. While Sunday is the day of rest and respite for the working class of humans, Saturday is the corresponding fun and frolic day when Kids spend whole day in playing ( because Sundays are usually for school homework, project and last minute exam preparations ). Kids use saturday to let of all the steam they build up over the week. Visit any living room on saturdays and it’s usually at the helm of the youngest members of the family who spend all day long watching cartoons, movies and what have you. But visit Kidobotikz on either of these days and reality paints a different picture. Kids here are gearing up for the next of Kidobotikz’s festivities- KRG. They don’t mind losing a chunk of their playtime and spend it on ideas that they wanna display at the upcoming event. While friends may be out there playing football on the streets, here are guys who build robots that play football against one another. I met one such young gentleman for whom Kidobotikz and its makerspace are less than a stone’s throw away. That’s because he is a neighbour for the Kidobotikz office.

Hey Bhaskar! Temme a bit about yourself and your unique association with Kidobotikz.

Well, I am Bhaskar of Class 7, PSBB KK Nagar. As for the unique association you asked about, I call Kidobotikz my neighbour. I have know both the founders ever since they opened it and I have seen Kidobotikz grow from the small classroom it was to the revolutionary startup it is today. Kidobotikz to me is just like a neighbour’s place. I can traipse in there anytime I want and just start experimenting with ideas. I know all the staff from the tech support team to the trainers. It’s not a robotic school for me. It’s more like a hangout spot. 

Well I cannot help but feel envy for your unique vantage point. What level are you in? And how is it progressing?

I am currently in the beginner level only. I wanted to join Kidobotikz when I was much younger. But my parents wanted me to get a little elder so that I was in a position to understand the seriousness of the course. Now, I feel I could’ve joined earlier itself.

It’s not that late. I mean you are still young enough for the course. So, why are you here today?

KRG only, why else? I am here to design a concept for the clean india theme. It’s a bluetooth controlled dustbin. 

A Bluetooth-controlled dustbin? That’s amusing. Could tell how it would function? 

Well the working prototype is still under development. But, the basic functioning would be something like this. It would be a Bluetooth controllable robot that has a dustbin as the payload. If you are in the room and want to discard wastes from you study table or computer table, you can summon the dustbin via your mobile phone. It will reach out to you and open the lid of the dustbin. You can just throw away the waste without ever leaving your chair. This kind of a concept can find use in many places like offices, houses, classroom. It’s more like a pet than a slave, kind of like a stressbuster. (laughs) 

That is interesting. What do you plan to do with your expertise gained from this project ?

Well, my general aim is to explore the world of robotics and make robots that make life easier for not the elite few but the common populace. So, I will design robots that will be both technologically advanced as well as cheap to purchase. 

Wow! That is cool. One last question before we move on, temme what’s your favourite subject among the area of robotics? And what are your future ambitions?

Well, I hope to pursue mechanical engineering and become a robotics engineer someday. Whoever is the robotics bigwig when I graduate, I wanna work for them. As for my favourite subject, it has to be programming. I just love to code. The way I am able to write new lines of code and see bots execute them is so empowering.

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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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