robot apocalypse
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DARPA's 'Avatar project' aims to give soldiers surrogate robots, make James Cameron proud
In a fevered mash up of blockbuster films directed by James Cameron, DARPA is looking to put soldier controlled bi-pedal robots on the battlefield. Think Terminator meets Avatar. The agency has set aside $7 million of it's $2.8 billion 2012 budget to develop an "Avatar program" that will "develop interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bi-pedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier's surrogate." DARPA isn't talking about simple remote control rigs, either -- these 'bots are being designed to clear rooms, and facilitate sentry control and combat casualty recovery. The new budget also sets aside $4.1 million to design laser countermeasures to protect military weapons, well, lasers -- ensuring that the future's robot soldiers will be nigh indestructible when they rebel against their human hosts.
Acrobatic quadrocopters hunt in packs, seduce you into submission (video)
We've kept a pretty stern eye on the development of GRASP Lab's quadrocopters, and with good reason it seems, now that the four-bladed aerial ninjas have even more alarming abilities at their disposal. In the video after the break, watch them hold a variety of complex formations like it's no thing -- even while on the move. The 'copters can also take flight, or resume position, after being thrown into the air, navigating real world obstacles with deft fluidity. It's part of University of Pennsylvania's Scalable sWarms of Autonomous Robots and Mobile Sensors project (conveniently SWARMS for short), which is responsible for developing the air-born acrobats' new grouping skills. They say it's an attempt to replicate swarming habits in nature, though we're not convinced.
Programmable robots coming to Korean stores, will assimilate your Android phone
South Korea loves its robots. While the country prepares them to teach the kids and guard its prisons, smartphone-compatible models are now propping up shelves in hobbyist shops. Dongbu Robot (previously Dasarobot) is launching several new products for wannabe bot engineers, but it's the Google OS-compatible HOVIS kits that caught our eye. While we already know Android-powered bots can make a mean cocktail, these kits will get new features programmed to them through a phone's Bluetooth and WiFi connections. The basic wheeled model can be upgraded to fully-fledged legs, while Dongbu Robot is working alongside the country's SK Telecom network to offer speech recognition as the first software add-on, with plans for education and home security all in the pipeline. The price of sowing the seeds of the Robopocalypse? Around $620 for the starter model. Sound like too much? Well, there's always Romo.
Ladder-climbing robot brings us one step closer to extinction (video)
Will finding high ground save you when SkyNet becomes self-aware and Terminators annihilate the human race? Doubtful, thanks to Japanese robotics company Muscle Corp., which has built a robot that can climb ladders...and other stuff. "Dream Robo" certainly isn't the first wall-climbing robot, but its eerie anthropomorphic shape is guaranteed to send its victims into paroxysms of terror when it slowly, inexorably make its way up the side of a building to sate its hunger for human blood. Muscle Corp. President Hirofumi Tamai says the robot only took three months to build, with 15 companies collaborating to create the vertical killing machine. The device incorporates five motors: two in the shoulders, two in the legs, one in the back, all of which can be seen in action in the video above. No word on the specs of the beams that rain hot, fiery death from its chitinous, soulless black eyes, but we'll be honest -- our fear wouldn't allow us to inquire.
SSTL designs cheap radar satellite, UK government kicks in £21 million to build it
While we have an innate fear of the eye in the sky (and the role it'll play in the coming robot apocalypse), there's no doubt that observation satellites do a lot of good -- from recording weather and climate changes to helping coordinate relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) has plans to beef up planetary monitoring capabilities with its new NovaSAR satellite, and the company just received £21 million from the UK government to make it happen. NovaSAR works using synthetic aperture radar, so it can see through clouds (unlike optical satellites) and offers its services for £45 million -- or 20 percent of the cost of existing space radar platforms. With governmental funding in hand, SSTL can begin to develop and build its first such satellite, and the plan is to put it in orbit in two or three years. If NovaSAR does what it's been designed to do, SSTL hopes it can sell and launch enough of them so that any place on earth can be under its gaze in less than 24 hours. We're all for improving disaster relief efforts, but if you spy these sats overhead on a clear night, we recommend keeping an ear to the ground in case they're guiding an army of Alpha Dogs your way.
Ant-Roach inflatable robot can carry a family, scare the kids (video)
This 15-foot inflatable pneumatic beast is a confusing mix of child-like inflatable wonder and cold, brutal, robopocalypse-beckoning science. The Ant-Roach (half-anteater, half, er, roach) is still a concept device, with inflatable actuators on the legs doing the heavy lifting -- apparently up to 1,000 pounds. Manifolds are peppered along the beast's underbelly, with a microcontroller obeying its soft-stomping orders by wireless signal. While it battles for our inflatable robot affections, you can check it (just about) conquering shallow water right after the break. P.S. We'd be remiss if we didn't point out that the same lab has also developed an inflatable robot arm. Check it out after the break as well.
Foxconn chairman signs letter of intent for 'intelligent robot kingdom,' we cower in fear
It looks like FRIDA and friends are about ready to get comfy over at Foxconn. Following the company's August announcement that it would infiltrate its ranks with one million robots in the next three years, Focus Taiwan is reporting that the manufacturer's parent company, Hon Hai, is moving forward on its plans to build an "intelligent robotics kingdom" in the Central Taiwan Science Park. Chairman Terry Gou reportedly signed a letter of intent with Taichung mayor Jason Hu last Saturday, confirming its plans to erect a plant dedicated to the production of robots and automation equipment. That robo-mecca is expected to draw some serious scratch, with an estimated production-value boost of NT$120 billion (about $4 billion) and the creation of 2,000 jobs. How many of those positions will be filled by headless automatons remains to be seen.
TBCP-II tank robot climbs walls with gecko-inspired feet (video)
Taking a cue from nature and perhaps Geico, researchers at Simon Fraser University Burnaby have created a gecko-inspired robot, the Timeless Belt Climbing Platform (TBCP-II), capable of climbing smooth walls or across ceilings with lizard-like foot pads. The feet, made out of fibrillar adhesive polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), act as grip thanks to a small mushroom cap design 17 micrometers wide and 10 micrometers high for maximum surface exposure. The 240g tank-like machine is also somewhat independent, using sensors to detect its surroundings to change course based on obstacles in its way, taking us one step closer to... the inevitable. Check out the video and full PR after the break.
Boston Dynamics PETMAN portends the pending robot apocalypse
If the sight of Boston Dynamics' unstoppable Alpha Dog didn't convince you of the coming robot apocalypse, then perhaps a glimpse of its bipedal relative, PETMAN, will. Last time we saw the two-legged bot, It was walking well enough, but it lacked the humanoid visage needed to infiltrate and overthrow. In the time since, however, PETMAN has gotten a more anatomically-correct body and some arms -- giving it some push-up prowess to go with its jaunty gait. As the video below demonstrates, this robot isn't a T1000 just yet, but is seems certain PETMAN and its progeny will be running and leaping over us meatbags on the way to the top of the evolutionary food chain soon enough. So our anthropomorphic replacements are on the way, but there's no need for full-blown panic... yet.
Self-moving robot leads automatons in impending robot apocalypse (video)
Just in time for All Hallow's Eve shenanigans, scientists at MIT's DARPA and Boeing funded Chembots program have just introduced an uber creepy self-propelling robot quite capable of leading the robot apocalypse single-handedly. The automaton moves with the help of a pneumatic battery -- a power source that utilizes a hydrogen peroxide catalyst to inflate a soft silicone pod, in turn forcing the bot forward. With electropermanent magnets to regulate built-in valves, all it takes is a small current to activate the bot, which can regulate just how much H202 it will employ for a completely solo and super creepy zombie-like C-walk. Jump past the break to check out the video... if you dare.
BlueBiped robot needs no power to walk for miles, as long as it's downhill (video)
The robots; they're walking -- and this one's doing it under its own steam. This passive robotic frame requires no energy input, and is instead powered by its own weight and a gentle slope. The BlueBiped can be adjusted to match the proportions of any user, and researchers plan to use it to assist people who find it difficult to walk and transport unwieldy sports equipment. It already holds the Guinness world record for the longest distance walked by a bi-pedal robot, plodding 15 kilometers (9.32 miles) in a single 13-hour stroll. Those fearing the impending Robopocalypse can at least breathe a sigh of relief that -- like some other homocidal robots -- stairs still remain out of bounds.
T.I.M. has a taste for passers-by, also fava beans and a nice chianti (video)
Art school -- incubator of tomorrow's next great visionaries, or think tank for the Robot Apocalypse? Sorry folks, but this latest Arduino frankenconcept looks to be working against Team Humanity. Part of Art Institute of Chicago BFA student Daniel Jay Bertner's recent oeuvre, the Tracking Interactive Mechanism (or T.I.M., for short) uses a webcam operating OpenCV to follow gallery-traipsing gawkers' faces, and respond to their movements. Careful, though. T.I.M. here bites, or at least makes virtual attempts to pierce your flesh thanks to a hidden photocell mechanism triggered by a viewer's proximity. There's just one thing Daniel left out of his wall-mounted, predatory cyborg installation -- the requisite Hannibal Lecter soundboard. Jump past the break to see this nightmarish, mixed media concept in motion.
SimLab SQ1: Korea's adorably unstable robot dog (video)
After the recent score of creepy robots, it's great to see a mechanical creature that doesn't look like it would trample you to death if you insulted its parentage. This is the SimLab SQ1, built by the Korean software company as a testbed for a Government-funded giant version to rival the AlphaDog. After the break you'll find a little motion picture of the SQ1 comically tottering around. Have your laughs now: it won't nearly be so funny when it comes for you in the night.
Tesla Model S to get faster Sport edition, leave sedan in the dust
Tesla looks set to offer another slightly more aggressive, slightly faster model alongside its Model S sedan [pictured]. The high-performance, zero-emission (and tentatively-named) Model S Sport packs a larger battery, extending its single-charge range to 300 miles. Green Car Reports adds that it'll even get optional aerodynamic wheels adding another 20 miles to the car's range. Acceleration has also been boosted, with 0 to 60MPH cut to under 4.6 seconds in the sporty upgrade. This should be the perfect vehicle for evading capture in the gasoline-poor robopocalyptic future. The Sport is reportedly set to launch alongside the standard Model S next year.
Boston Dynamics Alpha Dog makes Alyx Vance's pet look like a toy (video)
Boston Dynamics' BigDog is one of our favorite insane-level DARPA projects; a robotic pack-mule that can carry 400 pounds of kit for troops. At some point, the Massachusetts mechanics decided the bot would be far better if it was the size of a bull, or, you know, an SUV. The Alpha Dog loses the un-stealthy buzzing noise of its predecessor, has a range of 20 miles and can take much more punishment. If you check out the video after the break, you'll see two people unsuccessfully attempt a takedown on the monster -- Half-Life 2 diehards might experience a combat flashback at the mere sight of it. AT-AT Jr is expected to see field testing sometime next year when it won't have a test bed of rocks to contend with, but the US Marines. Mark our words: we expect 'em to appear in every nightmarish dystopia of the 2020s, and take a starring role in the forthcoming Robopocalypse.
Autom lady-bot will help you lose weight, love you regardless
Aw, this little cutie is so adorable -- until she denies you pizza and cheese fries. Autom, the 15-inch talking droid we first caught a glimpse of last year, is back and available for pre-order. Using the LCD touch screen, hungry dieters are prompted to enter daily calorie consumption and exercise habits -- to which the robot will respond kindly to keep you motivated. With face-tracking capabilities and a killingly sweet death stare, Autom is always watching, which might just make you feel guilty enough to skip the dip. The lady bot costs $195 for the deposit and $670 for the device through company's website. Slated to ship in 2012, apparently aiding the impending robot apocalypse doesn't come cheap. Check out little Autom in action after the break.
McConnel's Robocut mower verges on obscene (video)
Woe betide any Appalachian tiger swallowtails who get caught up in this ungodly four-foot flailhead. Moving to higher ground won't save them either, because Robocut's 40hp Isuzu diesel engine and high grip tracks can chew up 55-degree slopes without ever pausing to contemplate. The bargain price? £40,000 ($60,000) plus extra for antihistamines. Apocalyptic video after the break.
Scientists attempt to give spark of life to all-synthetic metal cells
Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it can't; at least that's what a Scottish research group is hoping as it attempts to create reproductive synthetic cells made completely from metal. At this stage, the idea of sentient metallic life remains a distant sci-fi dream, but researchers at the University of Glasgow have already birthed iChells -- inorganic chemical cells. These bubbles, formed from the likes of tungsten, oxygen and phosphorus, can already self-assemble, possess an internal structure, and are capable of the molecular in-and-outs expected of its biological counterparts. Researchers are still tackling how to give these little wonders the ability to self-replicate, and possibly evolve -- further cementing our doom post-Robot Apocalypse. Check out our future synthetic overlord's first steps in a video after the break.
My Keepon drops by for a brief hands-on, we can't handle the cuteness (video)
See that little dude up there? That's My Keepon, and it should look familiar if you're a fan of Spoon or keeping up with autism and related human interaction research. It was just about four years ago when we glimpsed the original dancing research robot by BeatBots dubbed Keepon, and now the $50 toy version we'd been teased is finally set to make its debut this holiday season. Considering its Pro sibling costs nearly $30k, we were curious to see how well this version made by Wow! Stuff would keep the original's essence in tow. To find out, we spent some time with a pre-production unit and had Marek Michalowski, co-inventor of the robot, walk us through it. %Gallery-133464%
Robopocalypse coming soon to a theater near you, Spielberg to smother it in PG
The Robopocalypse is coming -- just not in the way you'd dreaded. DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox have joined movie-making forces to reanimate Daniel H. Wilson's fictional (for now) literary account of a future, robot-helmed doomsday. The studios have thrown some guy named Steven Spielberg behind the lens of this cinematic cautionary tale, and plan to scare the bejeezus out of us all when it premieres July 3, 2013 -- that's if we make it past the Mayan end of the world. No casting was mentioned in the project's announcement, so we'll continue to cross our toes in the hopes a certain daytime show couch jumper and film star-turned-pilot don't join in on the blockbuster fear-mongering.
