Casey Harrell, who has ALS and is paralyzed, has been using an implanted brain-computer interface (BCI) for nearly three years. The system records activity from the speech motor cortex to translate thought into spoken words. Since becoming proficient, Harrell can largely operate the device independently to communicate, surf the web, and work. Within 22.6 months post-implantation, he logged over 3,800 hours of use at home without research staff present. This breakthrough allows individuals like Harrell to regain substantial abilities lost due to degenerative diseases.
Elmo has launched new motion controllers and servo drives designed for industrial use. These new offerings aim to set higher standards in power density for the market. The company expanded its established Platinum product line with these additions. Furthermore, Elmo introduced an entirely new premium series called Titanium. This announcement detailing the product release was initially published on The Robot Report.
AURA Foresight advanced to the Global XPRIZE Wildfire Finals in Alaska. The team is among only four finalists competing against over 130 global participants. AURA Foresight's focus is on developing autonomous technology solutions. This technology aims to stop wildfires from escalating beyond control. Reaching this final stage signifies the recognition of their innovative response efforts.
Allison Okamura discussed developing advanced robotic systems focused on haptic interaction. As a Richard W. Weiland Professor of Engineering at Stanford University, her research covers several specialized areas. These academic interests include haptics, teleoperation, and virtual reality applications. Furthermore, her work extends into medical robotics, soft robotics, rehabilitation, and education. She also serves as the Director of Graduate Studies for Mechanical Engineering.
ZeroDDS is an alternative Robot Middleware (RMW) for ROS 2 written entirely in memory-safe Rust, designed to address 349 reported ROS↔DDS pain points. It functions as a drop-in replacement and demonstrates bidirectional interoperability with existing RMW implementations like CycloneDDS. Key features include fixing silent QoS mismatches and improving WiFi discovery stability through initial announcement bursts. The current release candidate supports essential ROS 2 functionality, including zero-copy shared memory on Windows. While it matches performance of established stacks, users should test for specific cross-middleware incompatibilities with the development team.