Engadget

Kondo's spring-loaded spider robot creeps on the cheap (video)

Sean Buckley — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:31:00 EST

The latest in a long line of terrifying (and occasionally adorable) pseudo-arachnid robots, Kondo's upcoming KMR-M6 is doing more with less. Thanks to a unique spring supported linking leg joint, this hexapedal bug gives you the heebie-jeebies with only two servos per leg. The new leg design lowers build costs while improving performance and stability, and was developed for education, research, and hobbyist markets. The base kit hits Japan next month for about ¥76,000 (about $880) and comes with twelve servos, a control board, a 10.8V 800mAh NiMH battery, software, and a frame with extra space for adding optional, cameras, grippers, or other servo controlled fancies. Although it's not as lovable as Kondo's turtle-bot, watching this robo-bug scuttle and march (after the break, if you're wondering) is far more awesome than it is creepy. It's another sign of the robot apocalypse, sure, but are you seriously going to let that ruin your Friday, Friday, Friday, Friday?

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Kondo's spring-loaded spider robot creeps on the cheap (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DIY telepresence robot uses PrimeSense Kinect drivers for extremely awkward push-ups (video)

Joseph L. Flatley — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:16:00 EST

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!

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DIY telepresence robot uses PrimeSense Kinect drivers for extremely awkward push-ups (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pi counted to 5 trillionth digit, 90 days and one spec'd out custom rig later

Ross Miller — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 01:31:00 EST

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.

Pi counted to 5 trillionth digit, 90 days and one spec'd out custom rig later originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 01:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kondo aims lower down the food chain with cute turtle robot kit (video)

Sean Hollister — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:20:00 EST

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.

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Kondo aims lower down the food chain with cute turtle robot kit (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates Engadget Award with a new Linux backpack (video)

Tim Stevens — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:13:00 EST

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.

Continue reading Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates Engadget Award with a new Linux backpack (video)

Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates Engadget Award with a new Linux backpack (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man builds master-slave control suit for robot; master plays tennis, slave makes funny faces

Tim Stevens — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:57:00 EST

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.

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Man builds master-slave control suit for robot; master plays tennis, slave makes funny faces originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Kondo bot acquires iPod touch headgear

Joseph L. Flatley — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:44:00 EST

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.

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Video: Kondo bot acquires iPod touch headgear originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kondo bot battles rage in Japan, vision of humanity's imminent destruction crystallize

Joshua Topolsky — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:16:00 EST

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.

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Kondo bot battles rage in Japan, vision of humanity's imminent destruction crystallize originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 May 2009 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Blaser tournament unwisely fits Japanese robots with lasers -- PEW PEW

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:23:00 EST

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]

Continue reading Video: Blaser tournament unwisely fits Japanese robots with lasers -- PEW PEW

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Video: Blaser tournament unwisely fits Japanese robots with lasers -- PEW PEW originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AIBO lives! Meet BJ, without the Sony bugbear

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 05:32:00 EST

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]

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AIBO lives! Meet BJ, without the Sony bugbear originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 05:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kondo KHR-2HV bot gets robotic suit upgrade

Donald Melanson — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:34:00 EST

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.

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Kondo KHR-2HV bot gets robotic suit upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kondo's KHR-1HV put through its paces, ain't no faker

Paul Miller — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 13:39:00 EST

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.

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Kondo's KHR-1HV put through its paces, ain't no faker originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kondo adds pivot to KHR-1HV biped robot kit

Paul Miller — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:56:00 EST

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?

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Kondo adds pivot to KHR-1HV biped robot kit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kondo KHR-2HV robot kit headed for international waters

Paul Miller — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:45:00 EST

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]

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Kondo KHR-2HV robot kit headed for international waters originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Make's coverage of RoboGames 2006

Evan Blass — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 21:32:00 EST

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 site
Read- Make @ RoboGames
Read- RoboGames Day 1
Read- RoboGames Day 2

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Make's coverage of RoboGames 2006 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jun 2006 21:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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