Greg Galitzine : Robotics
Greg Galitzine

September 2011

You are browsing the archive for September 2011.

iRobot Unveils New Seaglider Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

September 21, 2011

Massachusetts-based iRobot Corp. announced a newly configured Seaglider UUV at the Oceans ’11 conference.

The redesigned Seaglider UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) now features significantly increased volume and mass payload capabilities. By doubling the payload mass to four kilograms and increasing the payload volume by 650 percent to over 21,000 cubic centimeters, researchers can integrate both larger sensors and a greater number of sensors with iRobot’s new UUV.

According to David Heinz, vice president of Maritime Systems at iRobot, “Researchers have expressed a need for more sensing capabilities on Seaglider, so that it can be used in a wider range of missions.

Liquid Robotics Challenges Global Scientific Community

September 21, 2011

Liquid Robotics announced its Pacific Crossing (PacX) Challenge is now open to scientists around the world. During the PacX Challenge, four of the company’s Wave Gliders marine robots will launch off the coast of Northern California and attempt to travel the longest distance at sea by an unmanned marine vehicle.

According to Liquid Robotics, the robots will travel together to Hawaii and then take separate routes across the Pacific, one pair arriving in Japan and the other in Australia.

The robotic gliders will traverse areas that have not previously been remotely surveyed, and they will transmit data regarding environmental conditions such as salinity, temperature, wave activity, fluorescence, and more.

LiveData, Titan Medical Ink Six-Year Pact

September 15, 2011

Toronto, Ontario-based Titan Medical Inc. has signed a six-year development and licensing agreement with Cambridge, MA-based LiveData, Inc.

Live Data is a developer of real-time data integration and display technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Titan Medical will have an exclusive, worldwide license for LiveData RTI Server as an integration technology for the company's Amadeus Composer robotic surgical platform.

Amadeus Composer is designed to enable surgeons to receive multiple information sources for treatment or training, and to provide the ability to easily switch between the two.

Liquid Robotics Welcomes NASA, Google Vet Lu

September 15, 2011

Liquid Robotics, Inc., developer of the wave-powered Wave Glider marine robot, has announced that Edward (Ed) T. Lu, has joined the company as chief of innovative applications. Lu, whose resume lists positions at Google and NASA, will be tasked with developing new methods to advance the world’s understanding of ocean science.

According to Lu, “In the history of science, interesting discoveries and innovations arise when people find new ways to access or measure things.” “For the first time, Liquid Robotics gives scientists access to comprehensive volumes of ocean data never before available, which will allow for discoveries we may never before have imagined.

Liquid Robotics CEO Bill Vass is excited to welcome Lu aboard.

Evolution Robotics Launches Fresh Mint Plus

September 14, 2011

Evolution Robotics, Inc., today unveiled the next generation in robotic floor care, Mint Plus Automatic Floor Cleaner. The latest evolution of the company’s robotic floor cleaning appliance, the Mint Plus features a wet cleaning system, including a self-dispensing reservoir and a battery that the company says will provide up to four hours of run time. Mint Plus will be sold at a variety of national and online retailers with retail prices starting at $299.99.

Mint Plus is designed for hard surface floor cleaning and automatically dusts and wet mops hard surface floors using popular cleaning cloths, such as Swiffer® brand Dry and Wet Cloths.

Evolution Robotics also announced a set of accessories including a turbo-charging cradle, which would charge the robot in just two hours as opposed to four, simply by setting the product on the cradle.