PLEN 2 open source robot can be useful in rehabilitation, learning and many other applications. Photo: PLEN Project Committee.

Children can learn about circuits, programming and robotics and play with PLEN 2 as well. Photo: PLEN Project Committee.

PancakeBot prototype in action. Image: StoreBound.

by AUVSI News

A roundup of noteworthy news in the unmanned systems and robotics world this week including an NBC news drone in action, a 3-D printable open-source robot and drone art.



PLEN2, an open-source 3-D printable robot for the masses, can be put together with just a screwdriver and operated though a smartphone, PC, body motions, facial expressions, myogenic signals such as with a Myo armband controller, or even brain waves with the appropriate sensor equipment.(3Dprint)



This week NBC used a drone to capture footage of damage in the wake of a cyclone in Vanuatu. (Washington Examiner)



The U.K. government’s contribution of £100 million will be matched by industry to fund research and development for the computer and telecommunications systems needed for driverless cars. (The Guardian)



Rethink Robotics announced a new smart manufacturing robot to join Baxter. Sawyer will be able to handle more dexterous tasks than its older sibling. (IEEE Spectrum)



Art project Shadow, by Daito Manabe, features a performer dancing with drones, which used a combination of software, a MultiWii-based drone controller and drone position tracking with OptiTrack and Vicon systems. (The Creators Project)



PancakeBot, a robot that can whip up any kind of pancake a user can draw or trace, is having a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. (Grub Street)



Kaist Urban Robotics Lab in South Korea has built a prototype quadcopter that can walk up walls for potential applications in window washing or infrastructure inspections. (Popular Science)

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