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Robots can be used to record repair instructions for future ISS crew
These pint-sized Nao robots sure are versatile: they can be programmed to dance, be self-aware and even record and relay technical repair instructions. Researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) have given their Nao robot "autobiographical memory." That's a system specifically developed to help the ISS crew pass on their knowledge to the next group. Astronauts typically spend only six months aboard the International Space Station per expedition -- some crew members spend a year on the spacecraft, but they're an exception -- before they're replaced by new people. One of them, for instance, could use the system to record himself doing some very specific repairs on a piece of equipment, so that the next batch can learn from him.
Cute Nao robot exhibits a moment of self-awareness
See that Nao robot waving its hand up there? It's not starting a dance routine: it just had a light-bulb moment, so it's trying to catch a human's attention. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor Selmer Bringsjord programmed the three robots to think that two of them were given a "dumbing pill." In reality, that pill's a button on top of their heads that can be pressed by the tester. When the tester asked the robots which pill they received, their processors crunched data in order to provide the right answer. Since two of them were unable to talk, only one answered out loud. "I don't know," the third robot replied, realizing the truth a short while later.
Daily Roundup: Robot love, the state of VR and more!
What's it like to fall in love with a robot? We share our impressions after spending some time with Nao, a cute toddler-sized robot. Meanwhile, Sony brought an updated version of Project Morpheus to GDC and some of tech's biggest companies joined up to argue in favor of marriage equality. Get all the details on today's top stories in the Daily Roundup.
Nao and Forever: How I learned to love a robot
My love affair with mechanical companions can be traced back to Teddy Ruxpin, the animatronic bear that replaced the inanimate My Buddy doll as my go-to plaything as a young boy. But three nights in Las Vegas almost destroyed that lifelong fascination. Almost.
Here's what happened at Engadget Expand 2014
If you didn't get to come out to the Javits Center in New York City for this year's Engadget Expand, but still wanted to see what all the fuss was about, we've got you covered. The entire two-day celebration of tech and talks has been whittled down into a megamix of sorts, giving you a sample of the sights, sounds and people that make Expand so great. Care to hear DARPA's director talk about the future of neurotechnology, glimpse Google's modular Ara smartphones, gawk at dancing robots or even see Engadget editors go head to head in a toy car race? It's all right there in the video below. Hope to see you next year!
Watch these adorable robots dance better than you
We're used to seeing robots like MIT's Cheetah that are absolutely terrifying, so starting day two of Expand New York with an android dance party was a welcome change of pace. It came, of course, by way of the folks at Aldebaran Robotics who brought a trio of their fifth-generation Nao bi-peds to bust a groove. The outfit's James Dietrich said that while there are over 10,000 of the friendly little 'bots in use in some 70 countries, there are a more than a few things holding us back from having Rosie from The Jetsons in our homes. Namely, the price needs to come down: Developers can get one for $6,000 and a consumer model is a whopping $8,000.
Nao robot to become even more of a chatterbox with new software (video)
You may remember Nao, a charming humanoid robot, for its exploits on the soccer field, dance floor, or even for its love of amateur dramatics. While Nao has enjoyed chatting with us humans since its maker Aldebaran Robotics added Nuance's speech recognition wizardry in 2011, the pair have today reaffirmed their desire to turn the droid into a true conversationalist. Upgraded cloud-based tech from Nuance will apparently "allow people to have truly natural conversations with the robot" in 19 different languages when the new models become available early next year. Furthermore, Nao has a fresh, distinct voice intended to better represent its "personality" -- one that's programmed never to tire of your trivial discussions. A demo of these new features can be seen below, although Nao mostly lets folks from Nuance and Aldebaran take the floor to talk of the partnership and the future of robot interaction. Not before it busts out some new moves, however.
Nao humanoid climbs spiral staircase, breakfast in bed is around the corner (video)
Robots can clean your pool and pick up after your lavish dinner parties, but what use is Mr. Nao when you're ringing for a nightcap from the comfort of your second-floor bedroom? Okay, so we've seen the odd bot take a journey up some stairs, but how many cyborgs are prepared to scale flights that twist and turn? Researchers from the University of Freiburg's Humanoid Robots Laboratory have demonstrated a Nao humanoid capable of climbing spiral staircases, which, of course, are more challenging to scale than their non-curving counterparts. A laser range scanner on the top of the robot's head provides a global estimation of the bot's position, and the humanoid uses a 3D model of the staircase to match up with the images it captures on each step. This system lets it get a good enough grip on its geography to successfully detect stair edges and make it to the top with nary a trip. Take a look for yourself in the video below.
Engineer makes cat companion out of robot using Kinect and Wiimotes
Until the robots rise up and destroy us all, software engineer Taylor Veltrop is fine with using our future usurpers as feline babysitters. Veltrop has hacked together a Kinect, two Wiimotes, head-mounted display, treadmill and a Nao robot to remotely pet a cat. It may have taken him about a year to get this far, but in the end it's worth it: we get a video showing an amount of human-robot relations not seen since Sarah and her son befriended a T-800 ... and Veltrop gets to pet a cat. Win-win situation, if you ask us.
Developer pairs robot with gaming controllers for remote cat grooming, affection expression
You could take the time to make your cat feel loved. Or you could augment a robot to do it for you. Software engineer Taylor Veltrop has accomplished this by combining a 21-inch-tall Nao robot, a few Wiimotes, a Kinect sensor bar, a treadmill and a head-mounted display. The configuration, which represents about a year's work and several thousand dollars in parts, uses the Kinect and Wii remotes to control the robot's arms, the sensor bar and treadmill to provide movement and the head-mounted display to move the Nao's head and adjust its camera angle. This is still a work in progress, and doesn't include things like two-way audio, which Veltrop plans to implement using an integrated microphone and speakers. Click past the break for a video of robotic feline grooming action.
MyRobots.com: for all of your robot's social needs
You have your Facebook, Twitter, and some even MySpace. But what about your beloved cyborgs? They've got social needs too, you know. According to NewScientist, there's a new site on the block that'll allow your droids to have status updates of their own. Furthermore, MyRobots.com aims to be a complete social hub for humanoids; aside from the "I need to be charged" updates, they'll also secure a complete profile with name and photo. Of course, apps couldn't be left behind, which is why the company is planning a cloud-based app store to cap off its efforts. Unfortunately, just like The Facebook in its early days, the site is only open to a select few for now: Nao and Arduino-based robots. Needless to say, if you're going to have your mechanical partner make you a sandwich, the least you can do is let it share its feelings with friends.
Aldebaran Robotics announces Nao Next Gen humanoid robot (video)
Aldebaran Robotics' Nao robot has already received a few upgrades from both the company itself and other developers, but it now has a proper successor. Aldebaran took the wraps off its new and improved Nao Next Gen robot today, touting features like a 1.6GHz Atom processor and dual HD cameras that promise to allow for better face and object recognition even in poor lighting conditions. What's more, while robot's outward appearance hasn't changed much, it has also received a number of software upgrades, including Nuance voice recognition, an improved walking algorithm, and a number of other measures to cut down on unwanted collisions. As before, the robot is aimed squarely at researchers and developers, but the Aldebaran's chairman notes that the company is continuing to pursue its goal of providing a Nao intended for individuals -- a goal he notes is being aided by the contributions from its developer program. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break for a closer look.%Gallery-141472%
Nao robot grabs a head-mounted camera, puts your photographic skills to shame
You see, herein lies the problem. At a glance, Nao looks humane. Even kind. In fact, it's bruited that he's helped on a few missions in his day. But underneath, he's a cold-blooded talent snatcher, and thanks to a little push from one Raghudeep Gadde, he might just capture your vacation in a manner that's superior to your own. As the story goes, this here scientist at the International Institute of Information Technology in Hydrabad, India, converted the humanoid into quite the shooter. He strapped a camera on its dome, and then programmed it to follow a pair of iron-clad photographic guidelines: the rule of thirds, and the golden ratio. Purportedly, Nao does a ton of analysis before finally deciding on how to compose and capture a shot, and for his next trick, he'll run circles around your existing Lightroom actions. So much for perfecting your craft, eh?
Aldebaran to create all-terrain disaster relief robots, make a hero of Nao?
We've seen Nao bust a move and play a little footy, and now its creator is making plans to take its bots off-roading in the name of disaster relief. Aldebaran robotics recently announced its intention to invest in and develop a range of robots that can traverse rocky roads to help in hazardous situations, citing the tsunami in Japan as a catalyst for the move. The company's yet to state how it will make this happen, but says it's already made contributions to Cap Robotique, the "French cluster dedicated to the development and innovation in the field of service robotics." If you ask us, we're all for Nao gettin' a little dirt under its nails, as long as it can still serve Fosse. Full PR after the break.
Nao robot gets a new charging station, Kinect / Wiimote controls
Robots that are able to find a charger and plug themselves in may not be that unique anymore, but most of those chargers tend to leave the robot with little to do while it replenishes its batteries. Not so with this new charger developed by Aldebaran Robotics for its Nao robot, which basically consists of a retractable extension cord that leaves the robot free to continue interacting with its owner, or simply sit down and chill out as the case may be. What's more, while that comes from Aldebaran itself, we're also now starting to see some results out of the company's new developer program, and it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that one of the first standout projects involves Wiimote and Kinect controls. Head on past the break to see both it and the new charging station on video.
Nao developer program kicks off: $4,800, robot included
We've been following Aldebaran Robotics' Nao humanoid robot literally since it took its first steps, and it looks like interested developers will finally be able to get their hands on a bot of their own quite soon. To do so, they'll have to sign up and quality for the just-launched Nao developer program, which costs €3,600 (or roughly $4,800) and will initially be limited to just 200 participants. That hefty price does naturally include the robot itself, along with a complete software suite, and "privileged access" to Aldebaran Robotics' source code. Interested? Hit up the link below for the complete details.
Nao robots get together to get down, put a ring on it (video)
We've seen evidence of the Nao robots' dancing capabilities in the past, but this gigantic group of them cutting the rug together is off-the-charts impressive. Check out the video below, plus a very special video we made just for you. Because we love you. [Thanks, Axel]
Cignias NAO Symphony wireless iPod boombox gets unboxed
Cignias' NAO Symphony still doesn't seem to be widely available following its CES unveiling, but our good pal Dave Zatz looks to have sourced one from the wild, wild abyss. He did the world a favor by hosting up unboxing shots and a few first impressions, noting that this "sophisticated" iPod speaker dock actually interests him far more than most of those me-too offerings cluttering shelves today. Unfortunately, he's still working on getting the iPhone app to connect to a hidden SSID, but feel free to hit the source link and peruse the image gallery while he gets that ironed out. Update: This is now available directly from Cignias.
CES Watch: More tales from the iLounge
Another day at CES 2010, another round of new iPhone, iPod, and Mac-related accessories. We're putting them all together in one post -- it's like you're on the show floor, without the terrible AT&T reception. iLive is introducing a whole slew of new speakers and micro speaker systems. Case-Mate has some cases with charging features, including a pretty slick-looking induction charger panel. iWave's also got four new collections of cases, speakers, and headphones to introduce at the convention. The Cignias NAO Symphony is a nice looking speaker dock with a strange feature: the ability to control the dock with a second iPhone or iPod touch. You can also stream music to it over WiFi or Bluetooth, and the unit will run you a hefty $299. The Phubby will keep your iPhone attached to your wrist, but that looks pretty bad for circulation. Toktumi showed off an app that will supposedly add a second phone number to your iPhone. Engadget went hands-on with the L5 remote dongle that we talked about the other day. SRS is releasing a new iWow adapter -- it's supposed to make music, movies, and TV sound better on your iPhone. And finally, Targus is showing off fingerprint blockers to keep the prints off of your devices. As you can tell, the iLounge pavilion at the show is packed with all kinds of things that connect to your iPhone -- if anyone ever wanted to overpay for an accessory, it's probably there. We'll keep an eye on any other Mac-related releases during the show for you throughout the weekend.
Cignias NAO Symphony iPod speaker enables WiFi control with iPhone and BlackBerry
If you were too timid to make the leap when this bad boy went up for pre-order, the Cignias NAO Symphony (and NAO Symphony Noir, which is the same thing, except dressed in black) is available for sale. The iPhone / iPod touch (second gen and later) dock can be controlled wirelessly from the included remote control, yet another iPhone / iPod touch or via BlackBerry app (which strikes us as bizarre, truth be told). In addition, your Apple or BlackBerry smart phone can stream music to it over WiFi or you can use any BlackBerry vie Bluetooth. Boasting a modest 50 watts, the device is available will run you $299 -- hit the source link to get started. PR after the break.
