New to this site? Read how to empower yourself in 3 minutes a day with life-enhancing information. Microsoft Robotics Studio Provides Common Ground for Robotics Innovation (press release) Thursday, June 22, 2006 by: NewsTarget Key concepts: robot, robotics and Microsoft. Printable version

You will be automatically forwarded in 3 seconds...

Can the right foods really reverse disease? by Mike Adams Transform your health, reverse chronic disease and free yourself from dangerous pharmaceuticals by mastering the seven laws of nutrition. Learn: Why most modern diseases are actually a result of nutritional deficiencies that can be easily corrected. The four key steps to changing your life and achieving any level of health you desire. How food processing companies strip away as much as 98% of the natural nutrition in foods. Why you can't afford to wait on conventional medicine: To be healthy, take charge NOW!   Click here to start learning now.

PITTSBURGH (June 20, 2006) -- Today at RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition 2006, Microsoft Corp. showcased the community technology preview (CTP) of a new Windows®-based environment for academic, hobbyist and commercial developers to easily create robotic applications for a wide variety of computing platforms. In addition, early adopter companies, universities and research institutes offered demos and provided support for the new Microsoft® Robotics Studio development platform. The community technology preview of the Microsoft Robotics Studio is available for download at http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics.

"Microsoft, together with the upcoming LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT, will help further amplify the impact of robotics," said Søren Lund, director of LEGO MINDSTORMS at the LEGO Group. "The MINDSTORMS robotics toolset has enjoyed a strong community of users since 1998, and the launch of our next-generation platform includes many built-in features that further the community's ability to take MINDSTORMS programming out of the box. In combination with Microsoft Robotics Studio, PC users will have a sophisticated tool that will further extend the powerful NXT hardware and software to an even wider range of developers who wish to create advanced applications for their LEGO robots."

Today's improved processors and lower-cost sensors are fueling the development of robotics applications for a broad variety of devices, from household vacuums to unmanned vehicles for search and rescue missions. Microsoft Robotics Studio provides a common development platform for robotics innovators to overcome one of their biggest remaining hurdles: the fragmentation of the robotics industry caused by today's incompatible platforms.

"Microsoft sees great potential in robotics, and we are excited to deliver our first CTP of Robotics Studio, making it easier to create robotic applications across a wide variety of hardware, users and scenarios," said Tandy Trower, general manager of the Microsoft Robotics Group at Microsoft. "We've reached out to a broad range of leading robotics companies and academics early on in the development process and are thrilled with the positive response from the community." Key features and benefits of the Microsoft Robotics Studio environment include these:

• End-to-end robotics development platform. Microsoft Robotics Studio includes a visual programming tool, making it easy to create and debug robot applications. Robotics Studio enables developers to generate modular services for hardware and software, allowing users to interact with robots through Web-based or Windows-based interfaces. Developers can also simulate robotic applications using realistic 3-D models; Microsoft has licensed the PhysX™ engine from AGEIA™, a pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics, enabling real-world physics simulations with robot models. The PhysX simulations can also be accelerated using AGEIA hardware.
• Lightweight services-oriented runtime. Microsoft Robotics Studio provides a lightweight services-oriented runtime. Using a .NET-based concurrency library, it makes asynchronous application development simple. The services-oriented, message-based architecture makes it simple to access the state of a robot's sensors and actuators with a Web browser, and its composable model enables the building of high-level functions using simple components and providing for reusability of code modules as well as better reliability and replaceability.
• Scalable, extensible platform. The Microsoft Robotics Studio programming model can be applied for a variety of robot hardware platforms, enabling users to transfer their learning skills across platforms. Third parties can also extend the functionality of the platform by providing additional libraries and services. Both remote (PC-based) and autonomous (robot-based) execution scenarios can be developed using a selection of programming languages, including those in Microsoft Visual Studio® and Microsoft Visual Studio Express languages (Visual C#® and Visual Basic® .NET), JScript® and Microsoft IronPython 1.0 Beta 1, and third-party languages that conform to its services-based architecture.

Broad Industry Support Shown for Early Technical Preview
At RoboBusiness, Microsoft and several industry partners offered working models and demonstrations of Robotics Studio technology in action:

• CoroWare Inc., an Innova Holdings company, showed its Surveyor 3000, a mobile service robot that can be remotely operated or programmed to run semiautonomously.
• KUKA Robot Group showed a lightweight robot prototype controlled via a remote joystick service, using Microsoft Robotics Studio-based services.
• Robosoft showed its six-wheeled robuROC6 robot, capable of autonomous navigation across difficult terrain, which highlighted how a distributed architecture, built from its robuBOX™ robotics core, could be easily controlled via the Microsoft Robotics Studio runtime.
• RoboticsConnection featured a tracked Windows XP-based robot utilizing one of its Serializer™ .NET Robot Controller boards, via Microsoft Robotics Studio and Serializer services.
• White Box Robotics Inc. showed a telepresence scenario featuring its 914 PC-BOT. The 914 was controlled via a Robotics Studio-driven Web-based interface, accessible remotely over a network.

"KUKA and Microsoft have enjoyed a strong relationship for many years," said Bernd Liepert, CEO of KUKA Robot Group. "With the introduction of the Robotics Studio, we see the possibilities for enabling completely new business scenarios in new market segments and for new products in our current markets."

In addition, Microsoft showed working Microsoft Robotics Studio demos from fischertechnik, LEGO Group, MobileRobots Inc., Parallax Inc. and Phidgets Inc. Before RoboBusiness, Microsoft previewed its technology and architecture with a variety of other third parties that are considering the new software for their robotics application development, including ABB, InTouch Health, Lynxmotion Inc., RoboDynamics Corp., Senseta, Trossen Robotics and Ugobe Inc., as well as with many leading universities and research institutes, including Bryn Mawr College, Cornell University, Georgia Tech, Korea Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pisa, University of Southern California, and the University of Washington.

Microsoft Sponsors Carnegie Mellon Center for Innovative Robotics

Microsoft's support for advanced robotics was also in evidence at RoboBusiness when Carnegie Mellon University announced plans for a Center for Robotics Innovation. Established with funding and support from the Microsoft Robotics Group, the center will operate a Web site, http://www.cir.ri.cmu.edu, for hobbyists, academics and commercial companies to share robotics ideas, technology and software. The new center will open by late 2006.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Microsoft, Windows, Visual Studio, Visual C#, Visual Basic and JScript are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

###

See more articles on: robot | robotics | Microsoft Articles related to this article: • The implications of humanoid robots as laborsaving devices are more ominous than most people realize • U.S. Army tests battlefield robot armed with pump action shotgun; bring on the Terminators! • The Top Ten Technologies: #4: Practical Robots • IRobot release new Roomba vacuum cleaner that uses minesweeping technology to clean dirt in your home • Robots being developed to retrieve library books Action items: • Post your comment on this article (click here) "Here's what I think..." • Email this article to a friend (click here) "Hey, check this out!" • Be social! Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us • Permalink to this article: http://www.NewsTarget.com/019454.html • Reprint this article: Non-commercial reprint OK, cite source and provide clickable link • Most popular articles on the NewsTarget Network: #1 Psychiatry's latest disease mongering scheme: Compulsive shopping... #2 Education Not Medication -- a women's health program by Mike Adams #3 Millions of Americans affected by Television Deficiency Disorder... #4 Consumer Alert: Hoodia Gordonii weight loss pills scam exposed... #5 Pharmaceutical reps (comic) #6 Five must-see videos for health-aware consumers, parents and thought... #7 Sugar Addicts (comic) #8 Institute for Integrative Nutrition offers a new education path...

---

Get our Natural Health Newsletter FREE Receive FREE (but valuable) news, articles and action alerts from the NewsTarget Network on the topics you choose! Join over 500,000 monthly readers and see why so many people report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a regular reader! 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam or garbage. We respect your privacy and your intelligence. Choose from topics like natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, emerging technology and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions. Click here to subscribe to our Natural Health Newsletter now (it's free!) Testimonials From Current Subscribers "Your newsletter is even better than books I've paid for!" - S. Knudson "I can't thank you enough for sharing this for free. It's been a godsend..." - C. Nicholas "Every day, I forward the NewsTarget Insider to probably five friends, and they love it!" - C. Engel "... there's at least one really good article for me to read every day, and I read it and follow it." - N. Post "I'm still not sure why you don't charge $79 a year for this like all the other health newsletters..." - M. White "Just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have a special place in my prayers for your gift of this newsletter." - O. Davenport "As a nutritionist and naturopath, I love your website. Mike Adams is spot on..." - A. Dunev, B.S., C.N., PhD "I credit huge amounts to NewsTarget, which has provided me with education, humor, and courage to step away from the established medical assumptions which have actually been making me worse all these years." - A. O'Neal "I am writing to tell you how much I appreciate your newsletter. I am an RN case manager and I regularly share the information I learn from your site with my patients. Thank you for doing such fine work." - L. Smith "Your site is so interesting! I love what you have to say in every area. The articles on the real estate bubble are very clear and, I believe, right on target (thank goodness I own my house free and clear and don't have a second one). Your nutrition stuff is always excellent too, and the political stuff is so fun and right on "target". Keep up the great work!" - T. Miller "Thank you for all the time and effort that's gone into the CWRC and Newstarget sites, I've spent the last two weeks or so plowing through them, and have come out the other side much more educated, and motivated to start paying a lot more attention to my own health." - Conrad "Outstanding work! It has helped me to organize my confused ideas about many health topics, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Doctors I have visited do not like to spend the time educating you. I have only learned through your many written articles. I copy them to my Word files for future reference and study. Congratulations and thanks for your help!" - C. Noguera "Thanks for all the wonderful information which I constantly receive. I am so sated with knowledge at the moment, I am euphoric." - C. Tinder-Smith "I subscribe to your newsletter and forward them to friends and family. I'm always thankful for reading anything that is written in the best interest of people as opposed to big companies." - L. Harter Subscribe to the Natural Health Newsletter now (FREE!) This page powered by the WebSeed Content Management System (CMS) created by Mike Adams.

This site is part of the NewsTarget Network ©2004,2005 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. has full ownership of and takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no health or nutritional products and earns no money from health product manufacturers or promoters. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

End breast cancer now!
Education, Not Medication

Halloween Sugar

Click to view cartoon

Torture is not torture

View now, FREE
(Not infomercials. Featured organizations paid nothing for coverage.)

Start a new career as a health counselor

Fight the FDA:

Migraine Solutions

Shop Natural!

Quantum health

The Hundred-Year Lie Exposed!

Organic raw food

Want to be listed?