Telstra has revealed the addition of almost one million new mobile services in the six months to December 2011, but Sensis revenues plummeted 24 percent in 12 months.
The days when Microsoft vowed to stick to its knitting on the desktop are long gone. These days the software giant seems to be into everything from internet telephony to anti-virus software to search engine marketing to supercomputing. In its latest foray into territorial waters previously unknown, Microsoft has entered the world of machine automation.
Microsoft has showcased a preview of a new Windows-based environment
for developers to create robotic applications for a wide variety of
computing platforms. A preview of the new Microsoft Robotics Studio
development platform, on display at RoboBusiness Conference and
Exposition 2006, is available for download at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics.
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 aims to provide a common
development platform for robotics innovators to overcome one of their
biggest remaining hurdles: the fragmentation of the robotics industry
caused by 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.”
“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.”
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.
David Bass
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