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Robots can already mimic people, dogs, cats and insects. They can even walk on water. Now roboticists at the University of Washington have built a school of three robotic fish that swim and communicate wirelessly with one another using sonar signals. So far the fish are swimming happily in a laboratory tank, but researchers plan to build 20 of the aqua bots and unleash them in the Puget Sound next year to help track fish and whale migration, and contaminants in the water. More »
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Welcome to the world of A Scanner Darkly — made real. In March, a group of students at the University of Washington will put RFID tags (small radio-frequency emitting computer chips) all over their clothes and belongings. RFID readers that scan and track the tags will be installed throughout the campus' 6-story Paul Allen Building for computer science (pictured here). Every move the students make, and many objects they interact with, will be monitored and logged. Plus, students will test a "friend finding" application called RFIDer that will allow them to monitor their friends' whereabouts at all times. Participants are eager to volunteer, and call the experience a glimpse into the future. What could possibly be motivating them? More »
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