ExoFly: Mars' first tourguide
[Via New Scientist Space]
[Via New Scientist Space]
Keepon dancing robot going commercial
The Keepon dancing robot has already managed to win the hearts of most anyone that's seen it in action, and it looks like it could soon be winning plenty more, as the bot's creators have now formed a company, dubbed BeatBots, with the intent of commercializing it. While they eventually hopes to get the cost down to a reasonable level, they'll apparently first be marketing a $30,000 Keepon Pro model to research institutes studying human-robot interaction -- and anyone else with thirty grand to burn, we suppose. Somewhat curiously, it'll be built with the help of Japan's Kokoro Company, which is better known for its slightly creepy robots like the Actroid than those of the cute and cuddly variety.
Nissan shows off bumblebee-inspired, crash-avoiding robot "car"
Nissan's already hard at work on some crash-avoidance systems for regular, human-driven cars, but it looks like it's not stopping there, with it now also showing off its BR23C robotic "car," which apparently takes its inspiration from the humble bumblebee. That comes in the form of the BR23C's laser range finder (or LRF), which acts like a bee's compound eye to detect obstacles up to two meters away within a 180-degree radius. When combined with the slightly mysterious crash avoidance system, that apparently lets the car react "instinctively" the split second it detects an obstacle and maneuver accordingly. Of course, as you can see above, Nissan doesn't seem to be quite ready to test the system with any human passengers just yet, but the company has some big plans for the future, with it aiming to cut its rate of car crashes in half by 2015 compared to its stats from 1995.
[Via Autoblog]
[Via Autoblog]
Salvador DaBot: robot portraitist extraordinaire
[Via Sylvain Calinon]
NTUST's humanoid robot walks into your nightmare
Erector's WiFi-enabled Spykee Spy Robot unboxed and toyed with
Erector's WiFi-enabled Spykee robot hasn't even begun to ship to mere mortals just yet, but through some random acts of wizardry, Sven was able to grab hold of one and give it the ole unboxing / impressions treatment (on video, no less). It could be the novelty factor, but he seemed pretty stoked with the whole package, and the clip waiting in the read link gives some real hard-hitting insight as to whether or not this $300 character deserves a spot in your family. Give it a watch, won't you?[Via RobotsRule]
Murata's new balancing robot loses a wheel, gains a trick
Riding a bicycle isn't exactly easy, especially if you're made of circuitry, wires, and a gyroscope. That was Murata Seisaku-kun's one trick, and now he's sadly obsolete. Meet Seiko, a 20-inch tall, 11 pound unicycle riding robot. Like her, uh, "cousin" Keisaku-kun, Seiko relies on a chest-mounted gyro to stay upright and uses Bluetooth to communicate with a PC that gives instructions. (Yes, she's a PC.) Lucky robot lovers can watch the whole family of robo-carnies do its stuff at CEATEC Japan 2008, but even luckier you can check out the elder bot on his bike in motion after the break without having to leave your chair.Robot skull auditions for role in LEGO Terminator
This little creation here might not be the most impressive homebuilt Terminator bot we've seen, and a certain DVD player may have it beat for realism, but as far as talking LEGO robot heads go, it's certainly at least in the upper ranks. Apparently, this one was pieced together from a whole slew of different LEGO Mindstorms sets, and it even includes a LEGO ice pick that can be stuck in his eye if he really starts to get on your nerves, which seems a near certainty. Somewhat interestingly, the bot's creator only decided to build the skull after abandoning another mysterious LEGO project that's only described as "too ambitious." Head on past the break for a video of the bot doing its thing, and hit up the link below for a complete overview of the project.
WowWee's patrolling Rovio gets unboxed
Popular Mechanics offers preview of Singapore's TechX robot challenge
We haven't heard a whole lot about Singapore's DARPA-esque TechX robot challenge since it first kicked off early last year, but with the final round getting underway on Sunday, Popular Mechanics has now thankfully offered up a preview of what's in store. Among those set to compete is the so-called Uni-Seeker bot (pictured above) from Nanyang Technological University, which is a heavily modded incarnation of iRobot's ATRV Junior robot, and one of only six bots that managed to make it through all the qualifying rounds. Others include the considerably more intimidating AZROBOWAR Sharp Shooter, built completely from scratch, and a pair of robots built on iRobot's popular PackBot platform. From the looks of it, they'll each have their work cut out for them in the big event, with them required to start outside and navigate their way inside a building, then climb a flight of stairs, travel up an elevator, touch a few targets, and then exit the building again -- without any human intervention, and in less than an hour. That $700,000 prize should provide plenty of motivation, though.
WowWee's $300 Rovio robotic sentry ships this month
[Via Random-Good-Stuff, thanks Juergen]
Robot Partner 2.0 shuffles objects around the table so you don't have to
This is Robot Partner 2.0 by Slovenian artist Stefan Doepner. Recently exhibited at the 2008 ARS Electronica Festival, Robot Partner is billed as a robotic "living table installation." The table can clumsily shuffle objects around itself using an undisclosed technology (magnets, perhaps?) and is intended to showcase the "absurdity" of "service-automation." We're not entirely sure what that means, but you can see for yourself after the break.
[Via Make]
[Via Make]
WowWee's FlyTech Bladestar can govern your home autonomously
High schoolers create face-tracking spiderbot, Tom Selleck comes out of retirement
Robo-spyplanes put to more altruistic use, still keeping a loose eye on your shenanigans
[Via Gearlog]
