WowWee goes out of its way to make one thing very clear about the Rovio: "this is not a toy." That being said, it doesn't make the patrolling sentry any less fantastic, as critics over at Robots-Dreams proclaimed that it was "intuitive and a pleasure to use from the moment you first open the box." From the painless setup process to the unparalleled mobility, reviewers sounded like they were grinning from ear-to-ear during the entire writeup process. It performed its robotic sentry duties with vigor and valor, and the review crew couldn't help but note that this bugger was "positioned to be the hottest robot for the upcoming holiday season, and for a long time to come." In other words, if you've been on the fence about dropping three bills on this thing, all your worries about it potentially sucking just got thrashed.

Oh MIT, do the wonders that come from your halls ever cease? Yet another remarkable development is emerging from the fabled institution, and this time it's an autonomous wheelchair that can remember important places in a given building (read: the hospital ward, your house, the local arcade, etc.) and then take you there on command. In other words, the voice recognizing chair could understand phrases of direction, such as "head to the kitchen," and it would take on the burden of navigating the halls while letting the rider chill. The researchers are implementing a system that can learn and adapt to the individual user, and in the future, they'd like to add in a collision-avoidance system and mechanical arms to help patients lift and move objects. Say, can regular joes / janes buy these? We're totally feeling this over the Segway.

[Via medGadget]

Not that we haven't seen robotic Guitar Hero masters before, but Cyth Systems' egotistically named Cythbot is just a full cut above the rest. Boasting some of the most advanced, high-dollar equipment known to mankind (okay, so maybe that's a stretch, but just barely), the creation uses a highly sophisticated viewing method to determine which notes to hit, and it can even decide whether slamming the whammy bar is a good idea or not. Too bad you'll be entirely too distracted by the introverted hosts to even notice how awesome this thing is, but the video's in the read link if you care to try.

While a great many scientists are attempting to create autonomous bots for uses in surgery, a team of Stanford whiz-kids are having a bit more fun with it all. The crew in question has concocted an artificial intelligence system that "enables robotic helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by watching other helicopters perform the same maneuvers." Dubbed a demonstration in "apprenticeship learning," the robots can actually learn by observing rather than having to be programmed, meaning that entire airshows could be reeled off by planes that simply keep an open mind when warm-ups are underway. Of course, they could also be used for more serious applications -- mapping out hot spots of California wildfires, finding land mines in war zones, etc. -- but even if none of that pans out, we're cool with inventions being used purely for entertainment.

Let's face it -- we owe a great deal of gratitude to the robots that get up each and every morning to explore far reaches of the universe that we humans are just incapable of landing on. But there's still the problem of we humans having to tell these things what to do from our humble laboratories here on Earth. The brilliantly named Wolfgang Fink, a physicist and senior researcher at the California Institute of Technology, has plans to remedy said quandary by creating autonomous spacecrafts "that will be able to analyze data about points of interest as it passes and then make quick decisions about what needs to be investigated." In essence, he's looking to remove the Earthlings from the equation, which would enable smart robots to explore on their own and possibly discover new pools of purified water, REEM-B's long lost siblings or the real most innovative NES-in-a-whatever mod. 2020 folks, mark it down.

[Image courtesy of NASA]

We'll admit, we reckoned we were coming along alright with our bar chords, but now we're teetering on the edge of just giving up. Yeah, we've seen robotic mechanisms programmed to make meaningful sounds before, but The Trons are a bona fide band, man. We hear they're going on tour as well -- talk about a guaranteed sell out. Totally killer Sister Robot video after the jump.

Wondering just how we mere mortals were going to even give a robot enough smarts to completely overtake our societies? Oddly enough, some of that artificial brain power could come from studying the way fruit flies, um, fly. A completely bizarre flight simulator at Caltech actually plays "scenes" that flys react to, and considering that the fly is constantly held, researchers can closely examine how the insect attempts to navigate away from lines, blobs and all manners of incoming obstacles. Those working with the installation suggest that these studies could one day help autonomous robots function better, potentially taking some of the load off of our human workforce. We know, you've got three bold letters and a question mark running through your noggin right now -- just hit the read link to see what it's all about.

[Thanks, Dave]

Ah, it doesn't get much better than a smattering of spheres rolling about with absolutely no human intervention, now does it? Said scenario is exactly what members of the Swarm project are attempting to create, and while it managed to make an early appearance at Yuri's Night, the big show won't be unveiled until Burning Man commences. When all's said and done, a number of orbs will "flock, flirt, dance and interact" based solely on instructions beamed out by the directing orb, or mother node. Just be sure not to put yourself in the path of an oncoming ball of fury should you show up for the fireworks -- after all, it's not like a fellow human is directing the act.

Your favorite driverless vehicles from the DARPA Urban Challenge are getting set to tackle yet another task -- speed racing. Yep, Junior, Boss (pictured) and Ben will all be greasing their gears in an attempt to outrun the others around one lap of the 1.97-mile, 11-turn circuit, all without smashing into walls or hailing a motorist to take over. Unfortunately, all three won't be on the track at the same time -- which ensures that no green / red shell ejections will have an effect on the outcome -- but those interested in seeing this in person can head on down to Long Beach on April 20th.

[Via CNET, image courtesy of PaulStamatiou]

Robotic lawn mowers have been keeping yards tidy for their masters for a good while now, but Husqvarna is looking to teach an old robot new tricks with its Automower. As expected, the grass muncher is ultra-quiet and outputs zero emissions, and you can even program it to take off and get to work whenever you please. Reportedly, a fully charged battery can get about 40 minutes of cutting done, and best of all, the unit will automatically return to its charging base to juice back up if the sun isn't out. Still, with a price tag of around £2,000 ($3,971), you may just be better off paying that punk kid down the street to handle your mowing needs.

[Via Pocket-lint, video at Megawhat]

Finally, your dreams of a constant foosball opponent have become a startling reality. Some clever DIY-types have come up with a solution for how to fill all those long, lonely nights -- a computer-controlled foosball table. The premise is simple: servos coupled with a micro-controller operate the arms of the table, while a camera above the action monitors the game, including the location of the ball and the opponents moves, then processes that information using a custom AI. Sure, your game won't include players like Hitler or Ghandi, but at least you won't have to go hunting for competition on those late nights. Check the video after the break, and hit the read link for all the how-to info.

We can't say we totally understand the reason for unveiling a violin-playing robot alongside one that assists in personal mobility, but nevertheless, the aforementioned duo is indeed being trumpeted today by Toyota. The two bots are the newest members of the firm's Partner Robots, which are being developed "to support people's everyday life." As for the mobility machine, it enables individuals to take a seat while it rolls along uneven ground and navigates around obstacles, while the musician in the bunch is apparently being created to stroll into nursing homes / medical facilities in order to soothe and entertain patients. Reportedly, the outfit is hoping to have both of these units put to "practical use" by 2010, so if you're tired of overpaying that disgruntled pianist to sit around and play for your guests, unpaid help is on the way.

[Via Yahoo / Reuters]

Nah, it's not like tagging an intruder with shades of neon green, yellow and orange will do much to disable him / her, but it would probably make 'em think twice before going any further. 'Course, we're sure one could think of other uses for an automated paintball gun, and for those creative enough to agree, Team Cynergy has put together a videotaped how-to guide for building a laser-based motion detector and connecting it to your gun. We'll save the technicalities for those who dare to check out the near-10 minute clip posted after the break, but the long and short of it involves a Parralax BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller, a red laser pointer, a servo and a good bit of tinkering (among other things). Besides, this is a lot less dangerous than that motion-activated BB rifle and laser-guided turret you built earlier this year, so why not flex some DIY muscle and give this endeavor a go?

[Via HackedGadgets]

Japan's no stranger to a wide variety of service-oriented robots, and it looks like it could soon become home to yet another mechanical being that does our dirty work. The Lady Bird prototype, which is set to hit production sometime in 2009, would scour the floors of public restrooms and keep things looking clean throughout the day. Reportedly, the bot stands about 1-meter in height and is equipped with amenities such as a water tank, brushes and a few other grime-busting tools to boot. Furthermore, it boasts obstacle detection sensors to avoid patrons while on the clock, and it even includes voice recognition software along with access to current traffic information in case someone has the urge to spark up a conversation. There's no word on what this thing will do should someone try to stuff it in their trunk for at-home use, but if all goes well, the creature is expected to sell for around ¥3.5 million ($31,713) when it goes commercial.

[Via PinkTentacle]