| Satire: Roomba violates all three laws of Roombotics
Editor's note: This may look like a real news story, but it isn't. It is from The Onion, a humor publication that calls itself "America's finest news source." CNN may beg to differ, but we do enjoy a good laugh and hope you will enjoy a weekly selection of their satire. CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (The Onion) -- A top-of-the-line, third-generation Roomba Scheduler robotic floor-cleaning vacuum purchased in January by 35-year-old claims adjuster Ken Graney has inexplicably broken all three laws of Roombotics, a simple yet vital protocol programmed into every Roomba by its manufacturer, iRobot. "The vacuum cleaner is out of control," Graney said about the malfunctioning model 4260, which he suspects of behaving in a "blatantly unethical" way that perverts its original mission.
Raven, the Mobile Surgical Space Robot
New details are emerging about NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations 12 (NEEMO 12) project, an underwater clinical exercise featuring experiments in robotic telesurgery and space medicine. The robotic equipment for this mission was designed by BioRobotics Lab at the University of Washington: The 12th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations test will take place May 7 to 18 off the coast of Florida. The robot leaves Seattle on Friday. During the mission, Raven will operate in the Aquarius Undersea Laboratory, a submarine-like research pod about 60 feet underwater. This mission will test current technology for sending remote-controlled surgical robotic systems into space. During the mission, four crew members will assemble the robot and perform experiments. The two larger-than-life black robotic arms will use surgical instruments to suture a piece of rubber and move blocks from one spindle to another on what looks like a delicate children's toy.
Givaudan Buys Ridgedale Corp. Center for $21.5M
Givaudan Flavors Inc., a producer of flavors and fragrances, purchased the Ridgedale Corporate Center in East Hanover, NJ, from North Jersey Development Group Inc. for $21.5 million, or about $142 per square foot. Located at 711-717 Ridgedale Ave., the office complex is comprised of a three-story, 114,754-square-foot South Building, and a two-story, 36,662-square-foot North Building. Dan Cohen handled the deal in-house for the seller, while Givaudan was also self-represented. Givaudan plans to open its North American Consumer Products Creative Centre at the complex. It expects to invest an estimated $62 million to create an automation, robotics and sensory intelligence lab that will open in the summer of 2008. For more information, please refer to CoStar COMP #1280300. .
FutureLab Tour launched
The 2007 FutureLab Expo national tour will stop at Jefferson City High School April 9-10 during its 10-city tour to schools and communities.
The tour will give visitors a hands-on look at what the future could include. Teens will learn about deep space exploration, nanotechnology, virtual reality, robotics, science fiction verses science fact and how innovations will influence careers of tomorrow.Exhibits will include an interactive Lunar Space Rover, remote-controlled robots and more.FutureLab is presented by Student Loan Finance Corporation, Institute for Global Futures and iHigh Inc.
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A second look at school life
The first day at a new school is never easy. You've bought new clothes for the occasion - although you're not sure if the astronaut helmet matches the kilt. You watch your teacher hovering above the floor, waiting for the final stragglers to arrive. At last, your missing classmate appears on the roof, apologising for her tardiness: she was trapped in a cloud of bubbles. Welcome to school life - in Second Life. More than 100 pupils aged between 13 and 17, all members of the National Association for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY), are being taught in virtual classrooms in the popular giant 3D computer game, as part of a pilot scheme operating under Schome, a project led by the Open University to develop new education systems in both real and digital worlds. Second Life is a massive multiplayer game with more than 5 million players and its own economy and culture.
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