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DIY telepresence robot uses PrimeSense Kinect drivers for extremely awkward push-ups (video)
From enhancing your WoW game to putting you in Tom Hanks's shoes, DIYers the world o'er really do seem to love Kinect. And what do we have here? Taylor Veltrop's Veltrobot remote telepresence 'bot uses the PrimeSense open source Kinect drivers for tracking the user's skeleton, with a modified Kondo KHR-1HV mirroring the operator's movements (which are received via 802.11n WiFi). Right now he is only controlling the arms, but with any luck we should be seeing complete control over all the robot's movements soon enough. Once the thing is finalized, Veltrop plans on releasing an open source development kit. And then? That's right: robot avatars for everyone!
Pi counted to 5 trillionth digit, 90 days and one spec'd out custom rig later
Remember that girl in your high school math class who would always get extra credit by memorizing more digits of Pi? Well, if you ever hear her utter "9484283852," well, you've probably already finished your college applications (and maybe even earn a degree or two). That ten-digit string is the lead-up to the 5 trillionth number, reportedly a new world record calculated using special software from Alexander Yee (y-cruncher) and a pretty awesome custom-built rig by Japanese Pi-pusher Shigeru Kondo -- a pair of 3.33GHz Intel Xeon X5680, 96GB DDR3 RAM, about 39TB of storage, and Windows Server 2008. All in all, the computation and verification took about 90 days to accomplish. Full, fascinating details at the source link.
Kondo aims lower down the food chain with cute turtle robot kit (video)
Kondo's bipedal robots have always filled us with a sense of awe, whether they're duking it out in the arena or practicing touchscreen moves. However, we'd never quite seen a Kondo bot that we'd classify as cute until this robot turtle came along. The Kame Robotto is apparently the first in the Kondo Animal series, and it's honestly a pretty simple kit -- nine servos, a tiny board and a 10.8V, 300mAh NiMH battery pack , plus software and a simple frame. That said, it's pretty amazing how tightly these off-the-shelf components come together to create a scuttling, waving little thing, and we dare you to watch the video after the break without feeling the slightest twinge of compassion for the bot. RT Robot Shop wants ¥39,900 (about $450) for the creature, which is reportedly limited to 100 pieces -- if you happen to live in Japan, get your preorder (for July 15) in at the source link.
Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates Engadget Award with a new Linux backpack (video)
Yes, Kondo KHR-3HV, you were our choice for robot of the year, and we see you're celebrating by going out and getting yourself some new gear. We like your taste. Inside that fancy new backpack is a 32-bit Samsung ARM CPU running at 200MHz, powerful enough to handle Linux and things like onboard image processing and object recognition. It also supports WiFi, meaning Kondo can beam what he sees wirelessly and become a roving security guard -- a very small and non-lethal security guard, but a guard nontheless. This kind of tech (shown off in a video below) will set you back ¥60,000, or about $660, and yes that's just for the backpack. (The bot itself goes for somewhere north of the $1,300 range.) So congratulations again on your victory, 3HV -- just don't let it go to your webcam.
Man builds master-slave control suit for robot; master plays tennis, slave makes funny faces
The robot in the video below doesn't swallow humans or look particularly daemonic; as a matter of fact it looks perfectly subservient. User rodmanLT over at the RoboSavvy forums has created this master-slave suit consisting of a dozen "big fat" potentiometers, apparent leftovers from the Soviet Cold War military might. The armbands and associated tethers allow the operator to control the upper-torso of a Kondo KHR-1HV, even engaging in some tennis and a quick game of Catch the Tigger. See for yourself after the break, then hit the read link for some earlier testing vids. Surely a robotic interpretation of Twentieth-Century Vole's iconic The Semaphore Version of Wuthering Heights can't be far away.
Video: Kondo bot acquires iPod touch headgear
If you're a Kondo KHR-2HV hobbyist and the usual choices for headgear all seem a little too safe, you might want to check out this next item. YouTube user 'ogutti' has posted a video of the robot he built using an iPod touch for its control unit and user interface. Details are skint, but apparently the device uses the Robochan app to program and play back the robot's various movements. At the very least, this thing does have a rather cute animated visage -- although it does seem a little too top heavy for any serious tournament fighting. See it in action for yourself after the break.
Kondo bot battles rage in Japan, vision of humanity's imminent destruction crystallize
You may be familiar with the modular line of Kondo robots sold in Japan -- but are you aware that a "Kondo Battle" exists where the bots duke it out to the death (or until they fall over)? Well, now you know... which is half the battle. You can pretty much see where this is headed -- life-size (or larger) Gundams going totally crazy on cityscapes across the globe. A picture says a thousand words, and video says billions and billions, so feast your eyes on the IDG News clip after the break, and to sweeten the deal, we've included a few videos of the actual fights as well.
Video: Blaser tournament unwisely fits Japanese robots with lasers -- PEW PEW
Look Japan, we know you love your robots but is it really prudent to equip them with frigging laser beams? Why not just hand them maps to our vital organs and special hoses to juice our babies? You're looking at an actual photo from the Blazer tournament held this week in Fukuoka City, Japan. The competition fitted Kondo's KHR-1HV with lasers and sensors and then let the teams battle it out in a mock-up city. We truly are the makers of our own doom.Update: Video added after the break, pew pew... pew-pew, pew.[Thanks, HolyMary]
AIBO lives! Meet BJ, without the Sony bugbear
With Sony's AIBO long pushing daisies, it's getting harder and harder to field a team in RoboCup's four-legged league. No longer: meet BJ, the dark lord successor to the Sony AIBO. Developed specifically for research and competition, the BJ from aXi stands 12.2-inches tall and features a Linux OS, ARM11 CPU, Kondo KRS-4013 robot servo, 64MB RAM / 16MB ROM, 350k pixel CMOS sensor, IR sensor, accelerometer, and 4x "meat sphere sensors" (as translated by Google) which should allow the wee bot to hone in on the jugular jewels of any unscrupulous referees. Due to hit North America and places beyond this Fall for about ¥600,000 or $4,853.[Via Impress]
Wii Warm Up: Composure
Videogame music has come a far cry from the beeps of yesteryear, with amazing works coming from both studios and independent remixers alike. A musical score is now a critical component of game design, and the big names in gaming are some of the most forward-thinking pioneers in the musical world today.Most classic Nintendo themes have been crafted by the well-known Koji Kondo, but Nintendo's consoles have been host to dozens upon dozens of brilliant composers. So, who's your favorite? There's a ridiculous list composing for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, found here (which interestingly omits the famed Nobuo Uematsu, who already composed the game's title theme). Which names stand your hair on end?
Kondo KHR-2HV bot gets robotic suit upgrade
While Kondo's KHR-2HV robot is plenty capable as far as relatively inexpensive robot kits go, it isn't exactly much of a looker. Kondo doesn't appear to be quite ready to give up on the title of most eligible robot just yet though, with the company now releasing the A-621 GENEX suit to add a bit more style to our humble bucket of bolts. To show off his sporting side, Kondo's also supplying a series of decals of soccer uniforms (sold separately), which should also help him stand out at the next RoboCup. Look for the entire wardrobe to be available in Japan in the next few weeks, with the GENEX suit setting you back ¥18,000 ($152) and the soccer uniform sets running ¥1,260, or about ten bucks apiece.
Koji Kondo and GDC make beautiful music together
The Game Developers Conference has been trying to get Koji Kondo to come speak about game audio for ten years, according to an introduction by Tommy Tallarico. The wait seemed well worth it, as the famed Nintendo composer's first public appearance in the United States drew a standing ovation from the hundreds-strong assembled crowd today.Kondo, who has worked on the music for the Mario, Zelda and Star Fox series, among others, stressed three main points in making good game audio: Rhythm in game audio is not just having a catchy beat, but matching your beat to the animation and button presses in the game. "If the music doesn't reflect the rhythm of the game, it might as well be piped in from a source outside the room," Kondo said through a translator. Balance in game audio means not just balancing things like sound effect and music volume, but also bringing individual audio pieces in a game together as a single composition, with a defined introduction, bridge and ending. This is why Kondo always submits pieces to his director four or five at a time, so they won't be given equal weight but instead be balanced in the correct way. Interactivity in game music can be as overt as a faster tempo when time is running out in Super Mario Bros. or as subtle as slight phrasing changes in each trip through the overworld in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Kondo stressed that "this ability of the video game medium, which is not possible with CDs, movies etc., is a very interesting and unique feature."
Nintendo composer rockin' the GDC
None other than legendary Nintendo composer, who has worked on many a Mario and Zelda game, Koji Kondo is set to perform during Video Games Live! at the conclusion of this year's GDC (Game Developer's Conference). This is to take place on March 9th of this year and will be joined by video game pianist Martin Leung, as well as a full-on orcestral performance of tunes from past LucasArts titles such as Monkey Island, Outlaws and a little-known title by the name of Grim Fandango. Of course, with the promise of a keynote from Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, this makes this year's GDC one that any Nintendo fan will hate to miss.
Kondo's KHR-1HV put through its paces, ain't no faker
We'll spare you the excruciating detail: KHR-1HV + hip-swivel = good times. Whereas KHR-1HV's predecessors, the KHR-1 and KHR-2HV had plenty of robo-kit goodness going for them, the KHR-1HV really takes things to a whole new level, allowing for a much closer approximation to human walk, specifically that whole "turning" thing us Homo sapiens are so fond of. You'll also be glad to know that the KHR-1HV has a beefier battery, for extended circular jaunts, and the kit assembly is hardly complicated by the fancy new hip servos. The shoulder servos have been beefed up as well, allowing for a 270 degree range of motion compared to the former 180 degrees, but the new motors combined with that new battery pack do make the bot a bit top-heavy. Still, the 1HV is all-in-all a pretty good upgrade to the Kondo lineup, and while current owners of the KHR-1 or 2HV don't necessarily need to drop everything right now and buy one, we know they'll be jealous all the same. Make sure to peep the read link for some action vids.
Kondo adds pivot to KHR-1HV biped robot kit
When we first spotted this mild Kondo update to its KHR-1 bot, we weren't too incredibly excited, but after watching a couple of TiVoed episodes of Dancing with the Stars -- you know, to get the creative juices flowing -- we realized the incredible destructive and will-bending capacity of a dancing robot, something the KHR-1 is particularly suited for with its fancy new pivoting hip joints. That's about all this new bot kit has going for it, so if your KHR-1 or KHR-2HV is fueling your passion for robotic world domination just fine, we don't seem much of a reason to spring the 126,000 yen (about $1,091 US) for a pair of Emmitt Smith-aping hips, but at least you've got the option now, yeah?
Kondo KHR-2HV robot kit headed for international waters
If you find you've "outgrown" your Lego Mindstorms kit (as if!), and are looking to get into the humanoid robot game without putting a second mortgage on your house or pursuing an advanced degree, Kondo just started shipping the KHR-2HV humanoid robot kit to us non-Japanese sods. Kondo's KHR-1 was all well and good, but the KHR-2HV includes more controls, gears and servos, along with improved software and looks. The 2HV can even manage back flips and cartwheels if you've got the technical chops to slap this thing together. Plus, at $1,199 (via Japanese importer AudioCubes) it's practically a steal, and we hear with these smaller models it's fairly unlikely they'll try to kidnap your spouse and children in an effort to grab power from municipal governments. Hopefully this means we have another MANOI on the way as well, since we can't say the 2HV looks quite as swell in the buff.[Via I4U]
Make's coverage of RoboGames 2006
Having already blown our entire travel budget attending CES, E3, and various other important events in sunny locations, we weren't able to scrape together the funds to hit up this year's annual RoboGames festival in San Francisco, but luckily Make magazine/blog has filled in the void by providing some excellent coverage. Formerly known as the ROBOlympics, the event has grown to over 20 categories and demonstrations, covering some of the same territory we saw at the Eastern Canadian Robot Games -- such as sumo wrestling, fire-fighting, and line-following -- but also throwing in a little RoboCup-style soccer football, a new 3-on-3 hockey tournament, and even a trio of so called Tetsujin events in which otherwise unathletic individuals sport hydraulic mech suits which enable them to perform amazing feats of speed, strength, and dexterity. Besides sponsoring a display table among the likes of Lego and NASA, Make also has its Media Maker Bre Pettis filing daily videocasts and flickr photosets from the scene, featuring such Engadget faves as Vstone's Robovie-M, Kondo's KHR-1, and HiTec's Robonova as well as several other non-competitive models like Mark Sherman's snakebot and a rig that can play and seemingly defeat children at Connect Four. You can follow the links below to get a feel for all the action, and stay tuned to Make because Day 3 coverage is only starting to trickle in.Read- RoboGames siteRead- Make @ RoboGamesRead- RoboGames Day 1Read- RoboGames Day 2