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Video: Sony Rolly vs Nao in epic robot dance off

by Thomas Ricker posted Aug 26th 2009 at 5:40AM

While Sony's $400 Rolly never made much sense as a roll-about musical robot, at least Aldebaran Robotics' Nao could walk upright and play a little football. Now the two have come together to battle on the dance floor. The 91 second video posted after the break is about 70 seconds too long, but consider this your moment of Zen for the day. Bonus points for any readers who re-enact this for Halloween.

Continue reading Video: Sony Rolly vs Nao in epic robot dance off

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

by Joshua Topolsky posted May 10th 2009 at 4:16PM

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.

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

MIT concocts semi-autonomous forklift for war zone unloading

by Darren Murph posted Jan 16th 2009 at 1:40PM

So, envision this -- a Mars rover of sorts, but on the battlefield. In a nutshell, that's what engineers and researchers at MIT have created. The so-called semi-autonomous forklift could be loosed in war zones in order to unload cargo and move supplies for soldiers. Obviously, having humans behind unwieldy crates isn't the most ideal scenario when bullets are flying, so enlisting a robot for such duties is clearly preferable. The bot can even be remotely controlled, and an array of inbuilt sensors help to direct it around objects that can't be seen from in the brush. Gurus behind the project are hoping to include voice / gesture recognition in future iterations, so that simply yelling "unload the truck!" could give the machine all the direction it needs. Come to think of it, we could use one of these buggers around the office -- reshuffling hefty HDTVs can take a toll on one's back, you know.

[Via PC World, image courtesy of OneMansBlog]

Remote controlled bots do battle at RoboGames 2008

by Darren Murph posted Jun 19th 2008 at 10:30AM

Not like we haven't seen hordes of humanoids fight to the death (or malfunction, whichever comes first) before, but this agile duo is really something. Seriously, just watch those feet scamper about and try not to smile. We'll bet you lose it when the big fella drops that massive left hook (but fails to connect). Video after the cut.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading Remote controlled bots do battle at RoboGames 2008

Army brings armed robots home from Iraq over control issues

by Nilay Patel posted Apr 10th 2008 at 8:19PM

Although other countries have deployed gun-toting robots and there's no shortage of companies trying to develop weaponized bots for Uncle Sam, it looks like the first test of actual killer robots in battle has ended in a whimper: the Army's TALON SWORD gunbots, are headed home, after being plagued with control issues. Yeah, that's right -- control issues. Apparently it was too hard to prevent the Army's gun-equipped robot from moving its gun "when it was not intended to move." Reassuring, no? The Army doesn't sound too enthused about another go-round, saying, "once you've done something that's really bad, it can take 10 or 20 years to try it again." Ouch. On the plus side, at least that's 20 more years before we're all put to work in the mines, no?

COM-BAT swoops in to gather data on reconnaissance missions

by Darren Murph posted Mar 19th 2008 at 4:41PM

The University of Michigan's COM-BAT most definitely isn't the first mechanical animal to get its inspirations from the bat, but it's probably the best equipped to play a vital role in modern day warfare. A select group of Wolverines have been blessed with a $10 million grant from the US Army in order to concoct a "six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat [that] would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time." Purportedly, the critter will eventually boast a bevy of sensors, miniature microphones and detectors for picking up nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. Even more interesting, creators are hoping to implement "energy scavenging," which would enable the bat to stay charged from wind / solar energy along with vibrations and "other sources." So much for being nocturnal, eh?

[Via UberGizmo]

iRobot garners award for DARPA LANdroids initiative

by Darren Murph posted Mar 3rd 2008 at 5:09PM

Get ready, battlefields, as yet another iRobot is gearing up to take you all by storm. Announced today, the aforementioned outfit has received an award under DARPA's LANdroids program which will enable it to "develop a new portable communications relay robot that is small, inexpensive, intelligent and robust." The resulting creature will reportedly be used in "dense urban environments to rapidly deploy and maintain a vital communications infrastructure," and better still, they'll be tough enough to be thrown into position and intelligent enough to "autonomously detect and avoid obstacles while navigating." Unfortunately, it seems the conclusion of said project is still a few years out, but we can already envision soldiers getting antsy to never be forced to utter "can you hear me now?" again.

[Via InformationWeek]

Military Turing test to make autonomous war robots legal?

by Darren Murph posted Feb 29th 2008 at 9:11AM

Not that we're experts on the matter or anything, but if barrister and engineer Chris Elliot knows a thing or two about legal issues, a kind of "military Turing test" could be the key to legally deploying autonomous systems in battle. As it stands, "weapons intrinsically incapable of distinguishing between civilian and military targets are illegal" -- at least according to Mr. Elliot -- but by testing an intelligent war machine's ability to hone in on legitimate targets and brush off friendlies, all that could change. Of course, actually administering the test still remains a mystery, but considering that remotely controlled armed bots are currently being used in Iraq, we reckon someone's already figuring out a solution to said dilemma.

Two years of battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray: a retrospective

by Darren Murph posted Feb 20th 2008 at 11:48AM

It's been a long, hard journey to get to this point, but at long last, the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray is over. Sure, we've got a somewhat clearer view of how things will pan out going forward, but we figured it prudent to take a step back and really scope out how we got to this point. If you're interested in taking a walk through the past two years of headbutting without, you know, actually sifting through headlines from the past two years, head on over to Engadget HD and dig in.

Puppy vs. Roboquad: the ultimate man-machine showdown

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jan 27th 2008 at 8:13PM

Ever wondered what would happen if you were to pit the Wowwee Roboquad against an excitable, yapping puppy? Wonder no longer, friends, as the answer to this age-old question has been captured on video -- replete with NES sound effects and 8-bit scorecard. Watch the battle for ultimate supremacy after the break... our money is on the dog.

[Via Digg]

Continue reading Puppy vs. Roboquad: the ultimate man-machine showdown

CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LI: Stringer's flip-flop edition

by Darren Murph posted Nov 22nd 2007 at 4:52AM

Merely days after Sony's Howard Stringer was scrutinized for calling the format war a "stalemate," the exec has apparently decided to tweak his tone a bit. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stringer was quoted as saying that Blu-ray had "the momentum and the scale" it needed to eventually reign victorious over its rival. Additionally, he noted that Blu-ray was "just a better format," and he even went so far as to tout BD's excellent security features, which were effectively subverted just weeks ago after being hailed as practically impenetrable. Furthermore, he didn't seem worried over the new, lower prices associated with standalone HD DVD players, but who knows, maybe he'll be singing a different tune next week.

[Via Electronista]

Format war gets more warlike

by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2007 at 5:41PM

Not since the infamous PS3 crime wave of late 2006 have we seen anything like this. According to a notice posted on the heavily trafficked AVS Forum, the HD DVD and Blu-ray sections are being closed to new posts "for a short time," and the reasoning behind such a severe action may shock you. Apparently, a number of hot-headed posters have not only been dissin' supporters of (insert rival format here), but some have lashed out at other members with "physical threats that have involved police and possible legal action." While it's not exactly clear what pushed these extremists to the edge, there's no denying that the recent price drops on standalone HD DVD players have given the HD community as a whole a lot more to yap about, and we guess some folks just didn't know where to draw the line. The format war just took on a whole new meaning, and it's not one to be proud of.

[Via CNET, image courtesy of Olive-Drab]

British Army looks to make tanks, troops invisible

by Darren Murph posted Oct 31st 2007 at 6:50AM

While not the first bunch to try and mesh invisibility with military equipment, the British Army is reportedly staying busy by "testing technology it claims makes tanks and troops invisible." Apparently, the (previously) uber-secret trials were conducted by the Royal Engineers and scientists from QinetiQ, and if eyewitness reports are to be believed, they were able to "make a vehicle seem to completely disappear." The illusion (read: we're no closer to actual invisibility cloaks) was reportedly created by utilizing "cameras and projectors to beam images captured from the surrounding landscape onto a specially-adapted tank coated with silicon to maximize their reflective qualities," and if things go as planned, these elusive machines could make their way onto the battlefield "within five years." 'Course, it's not like anyone will have visual proof of that, but we suppose that's just the nature of the beast.

[Via DailyMail]

Sensor-laden helmets could measure shock from explosions

by Darren Murph posted Sep 19th 2007 at 10:32AM

While we've seen lots of research revolve around battlefield-ready vests, new sensor-studded helmets could be headed to Iraq in order to "measure the shock from explosive devices." Due to mounting concern and a thirst for knowledge about traumatic brain injury (TBI), the US Army awarded Simbex -- the same company involved with Virginia Tech's data gathering helmets -- a contract to further develop technology for use in combat headgear. Furthermore, the firm hopes to "develop an automatic data-collation system" that could potentially relay information to bases or medics via RFID. It was noted, too, that the Army plans on testing Simbex's design along with "several alternative technologies," and the method that proves most useful could be deployed "as early as December of this year."

Caption Contest: poultry vs. robot in a duel to the death

by Darren Murph posted Aug 24th 2007 at 1:23PM

We're told this type of battle is indeed legal in certain corners of the universe, but we honestly never thought we'd see the day when a gallinaceous bird came to the human's side to fend off the impending robotic takeover.

Ryan: "That sound? Seth Green and Adult Swim filing suit over the Robot Chicken trademark."
Thomas: "Quit your cock blocking and fight!"
Darren: "These wooden posts are such lame excuses for adequate prostheses."
Paul: "Look, I know you're scared. We're all scared. But if robots and robo-chickens can't learn to live in harmony, we might as well just let the humans have the earth all to themselves."
Evan: "Not surprisingly, the martial arts sequel to Howard the Duck tanked at the box office."
Don: "2019: Despite repeated protests from People for the Ethical Treatment of Robots, the title bout between Robo Chicken and BD "Boxy Hands" 209 went on as planned."
Josh: "I love you!" -- "It'll never work!"