By way of Tech Digest, we caught wind of that angry-looking fellow you see pictured above on the left. Why is he so pissed? We wish we could tell you: all that's known about "Mike the emotional robot" created by computer science and electrical engineering students at Brazil's FEI Mauá college is that its LCD "face" changes color based on mood (red for anger, green for happy, and orange for sad), though how those moods are determined is beyond us or the press release announcing Mike's public unveiling. We should know more sometime after today, though, as this is the start of the Robótica - International Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Fair in São Paulo, where Mike will be displayed alongside other bots and techie attractions like robot sumo and RoboCup-style tournaments, the old Hug T-Shirt we've seen in several iterations, and most promising of all, RoboCar the life-size Transformer (pictured right). If any of our Brazilian readers are brave enough to risk Mike going all Itchy and Scratchyland on you and your fellow attendees, we'd love for you to send in some pics and details (via our Tips form) from what sounds like a dangerous-but-fun gathering.

[Via Tech Digest]

You might think Volkswagen, of all car companies, would argue the best part about driving is the bit where you're driving (i.e. "fahrvergnugen"), and that drivers are, you know, wanted. Not so any longer, friends; looks like the higher ups got the Stanley bug and pimped their ride -- though not in any normal sense of the vernacular. They've begun showing off a new cloak and dagger prototype vehicle dubbed the VW Golf GTi "53 plus 1" (you're allowed not to catch the Herbie reference), which apparently uses a rig of laser sensors, GPS, and a radar net to drive itself at speeds of up to 150mph. We'll give you a moment to let that sink in. Now, why they had all this technology under wraps while Stanford was busting ass overhauling one of VW's own Touaregs for the DARPA Grand Challenge is beyond us, but unlike those "driving pleasure" types, you can give us a safe (clean burning) robo-car any day of the week. Except Sunday, that's drivin' day.

[Via GoRobotics]