Robotic Technology Goes from Surgical Suite to Battlefield

SRI International, the nonprofit research lab headquartered in Menlo Park, California, adapted technology it originally developed for the da Vinci robotic surgical system to create a bomb defusing robot called Taurus. The bot sports two da Vinci-like arms and a 3D hi-def camera, and the whole system is meant to be used as an optional attachment to existing wheeled robots. IEEE Spectrum is reporting that haptic feedback gloves are used to control the Taurus, so docs experienced with the da Vinci will have to get retrained if they’re planning a career shift into bomb disposal and minesweeping.
More at IEEE Spectrum: SRI Shows New ‘Taurus’ Bomb-Defusing Prototype at Stanford Robot Block Party…