Weekly Robotics News Issue 9 – Community Edition
Weekly Robotics News Issue 9 – Community Edition
These are the droids your looking for…
Introduction
As the weeks keep racing by to the launch of multiple consumer robots we know at least one of them will use Node.js as its development language. With that news it is good to see Microsoft offering Node.js support in visual studio - https://nodejstools.codeplex.com/ . Perhaps by the end of the year we could be coding some new capabilities for https://www.myjibo.com using Visual Studio as the IDE.
Amazon continues its robotics journey by offering a 25k prize in a robotic packing competition. It will be interesting to see how the communities respond to Amazon’s competition.
The hot robotic news was that Google is working with healthcare company Johnson & Johnson on better robotic surgery then also working on delivering robotic personalities! – Just what we need a robotic surgeon with an attitude 
Continuing in healthcare it was interesting to read about a report claiming that the robotic exoskeleton market could reach 2.1 billion by 2021. Already companies like Kawasaki are working on exoskeletons to help factory workers but could exoskeletons be the robot that saves many an elderly person from a fall? Could they offer increased mobility to the elderly / infirm and see the end to walking sticks / walking frames?
Thanks for reading and see you next week
UK market intelligence firm Vision Gain predicts worldwide market for healthcare robots will surpass three billion dollars this year and continue expanding to 2025 - https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/how-current-robotics-advancements-can-have-real-world-applications/382219/
Google and Johnson & Johnson join forces to improve robot surgery - https://www.psfk.com/2015/04/google-johnson-johnson-surgical-robotics-ethicon.html - more on this - https://www.wired.com/2015/03/google-robot-surgery/
Google patents customizable robot personalities - https://www.newsweek.com/google-patents-customisable-robot-personalities-319079 more on this story - https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-04/01/google-robot-personalities
Who does not want a robotic mower – now Honda has one as well – https://www.stuff.tv/features/promoted-who-doesnt-want-robot-lawnmower - https://power.honda.co.uk/lawn-and-garden/products/miimo-2015/overview.html
iRobot thinking about future consumer robotic applications including lawn mowing - https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/04/01/irobot-corporations-robotic-lawn-mower-could-be-on.aspx
Amazon launches robotic packing competition - https://www.technologyreview.com/news/536086/amazon-robot-contest-may-accelerate-warehouse-automation/
https://www.universal-robots.com/en/
Universal Robots launches tabletop robot in Chicago - https://chicagoinno.streetwise.co/2015/03/23/universal-robots-ur3-robot-unveiled-at-automate-2015-in-chicago/
For a brighter robotics future, it’s time to offload their brains - https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/for-a-brighter-robotics-future-its-time-to-offload-their-brains/
Robot workers are now employed at Johnson Nursery placing plants - https://www.wect.com/story/28353655/robot-workers-are-now-employed-at-johnson-nursery
What it took these four women to get into robotics - https://readwrite.com/2015/03/10/women-robotics-melonee-wise-louise-poubel-cynthia-breazeal-tessa-lau#!
More hospitals investing in robotics to cut costs - https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/more-hospitals-investing-robots-cut-costs-long-run
https://www.wintergreenresearch.com
Robotic exoskeleton market to reach 2.1 billion by 2021 - https://www.whatech.com/market-research-reports/press-release/medical/51826-new-report-shares-details-about-the-exoskeleton-robot-market-expected-to-reach-2-1-billion-by-2021