Greg Galitzine : Robotics
Greg Galitzine

September 2010

You are browsing the archive for September 2010.

Boeing Wins DARPA Development Contract

September 20, 2010

Boeing Defense, Space & Security recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and fly the SolarEagle unmanned aircraft for the Vulture II demonstration program. Under the terms of the $89 million contract, SolarEagle will make its first demonstration flight in 2014.
  "SolarEagle is a uniquely configured, large unmanned aircraft designed to eventually remain on station at stratospheric altitudes for at least five years," explained Pat O'Neil, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for Vulture II. "That's a daunting task, but Boeing has a highly reliable solar-electric design that will meet the challenge in order to perform persistent communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions from altitudes above 60,000 feet."   The SolarEagle is designed to collect solar energy during the day, which is stored in fuel cells to power the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) through the night.   The SolarEagle demonstrator will remain in the upper atmosphere for 30 days during the testing phase.   Boeing also announced plans to develop a full-scale flight demonstrator, including maturation of the critical power system and structures technologies needed for the project.

Evolution Robotics Announces Mint Retail Partners

September 20, 2010

Evolution Robotics, Inc., announced that the Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner is now available for purchase through select retail partners and online channels. This inaugural set of retailers includes such familiar names as Amazon.com, Frontgate, Hammacher Schlemmer, Home Shopping Network, RobotShop.com and SkyMall. According to the company, the Mint Automatic floor cleaner will be available in retail stores later this year.   Mint is designed exclusively for hard surface floor cleaning, dusting and "wet mopping" hard surface floors using cleaning cloths, such as Swiffer-brand Dry and Wet Cloths and other similar products.   "We are very excited to have a great group of retail partners assembled and selling Mint so customers can now experience the latest evolution in floor care," said Dr. Paolo Pirjanian, CEO of Evolution Robotics. "Early customer reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing our belief that a hard surface floor cleaner that is automatic and easy to use serves an unmet need in the market."   Mint's square body shape allows the device to clean along edges of walls and into corners. According to the company, the device adapts to different home environments using a range of sensors including "first-of-their-kind" floor sensors to detect floor transitions and sensors for cleaning on slippery floors which allow Mint to adjust friction of the cleaning pad to maintain optimal traction with its wheels.

Schilling Robotics, DOF Subsea in ROV Deal

September 20, 2010

Schilling Robotics announced an order for two new 200hp UHD ROV systems from specialist subsea service company DOF Subsea. DOF Subsea is a specialist subsea service business that provides subsea construction, survey and inspection, repair and maintenance services.  
The agreement between the companies also calls for upgrades to two previously delivered systems. The two older systems, originally delivered in 2006 will be upgraded to the advanced UHD Gen II design, providing enhanced capabilities and performance.

Corindus Announces Results of Medical Device Study

September 20, 2010

Corindus Vascular Robotics announced the results of the first clinical study of the CorPath 200 System. The CorPath 200 is a medical device that offers interventional cardiologists complete PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) procedure control from an interventional cockpit.   The trial - the first "in-human clinical study" of the CorPath 200 System - was conducted on eight patients to evaluate the safety and technical efficacy of the system in delivering and manipulating coronary guidewires and stent/balloon systems in PCI procedures.   The experiment demonstrated the CorPath 200 System's ability to deliver a guidewire and other angioplasty devices to a target lesion in a highly controlled manner.   The research was conducted at the Corbic Research Institute, Envigado, Colombia.   Corindus CEO David Handler was pleased with the results, stating that the ergonomic design of the CorPath 200 System improves the physician's ability to focus, enhances visualization, and offers precise robotic-assisted control.   "The first-in-human clinical study of the CorPath 200 System shows that for the first time a physician can execute an entire PCI procedure precisely and accurately without the pain, distraction and fatigue of manual procedures," he stated.   "We're extremely excited about the progress we continue to make in bringing the CorPath 200 System to market," Handler added. "We're even more excited about what this means for physicians and patients. We believe that a new robotic tool that improves procedure execution will ultimately help to further improve outcomes."