<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd">
<channel>
<title>Engadget</title>
<link>http://www.engadget.com</link>
<description>Engadget</description>
<image>
<url>http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif</url>
<title>Engadget</title>
<link>http://www.engadget.com</link>
</image>
<language>en-us</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.</copyright>
<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[NASA's Robonaut 2 shown pushing buttons, firing lasers on the ISS (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/"><img alt="Image" height="329" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/06/robonautash.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/22/robonaut-2-gets-unboxed-in-space-plans-for-galactic-domination/">Robonaut 2</a> is the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/25/psa-spacex-docking/">International Space Station's</a> friendly 300-pound <strike>killbot</strike> android assistant. It's there to assist the team with science experiments and probably capture alien life at the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/aliens-anthology-lays-its-eggs-on-blu-ray-october-26/">expense of the crew</a>. After being fitted with more heat-sinks to enable its delicate machinery to work for longer, it was given the job of monitoring the on-board air velocity to ensure the humans didn't choke to death. Since it doesn't have legs (they're still being built on the ground), it was only able to monitor the air in the Destiny Laboratory, but the test proved so successful that <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/NASA/">NASA</a> hopes future robots will take over the more dangerous or mundane elements of space work -- at least until they become self-aware and unionize.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>NASA's Robonaut 2 shown pushing buttons, firing lasers on the ISS (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/">NASA's Robonaut 2 shown pushing buttons, firing lasers on the ISS (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:22:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20249327/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/robonaut-2-video/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>Alien</category><category>Ash</category><category>Bishop</category><category>Destiny Laboratory</category><category>DestinyLaboratory</category><category>General Motors</category><category>GeneralMotors</category><category>GM</category><category>International Space Station</category><category>InternationalSpaceStation</category><category>ISS</category><category>ISS Destiny Module</category><category>IssDestinyModule</category><category>NASA</category><category>Robot</category><category>Robot in Space</category><category>RobotInSpace</category><category>Space</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Daniel Cooper]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:22:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Georgia Tech develops poultry deboning robot / chicken nightmare machine]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/"><img alt="Image" height="399" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/georgia-poultry-deboner.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> If you have any chickens in the house, you're going to want to keep them away from the computer. <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Georgia+Tech/">Georgia Tech</a> researchers have developed the device that will haunt their feathered dreams. The prototype Intelligent Cutting and Deboning System has a built-in 3D vision system in order to help it cut and debone a chicken. The robot uses collected data and custom algorithms to help reduce bone fragments and increase yield on birds, whilst ensuring that no fowl with ever get a full night's sleep again. The school has begun testing the system, as evidenced by the unfortunate bird picture above. Press release after the break, if you're not too chicken.</p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Georgia Tech develops poultry deboning robot / chicken nightmare machine</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/">Georgia Tech develops poultry deboning robot / chicken nightmare machine</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:31:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20248915/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/georgia-tech-develops-poultry-deboning-robot-chicken-nightmare/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>birds</category><category>bone</category><category>bones</category><category>chicken</category><category>chickens</category><category>debone</category><category>georgia tech</category><category>GeorgiaTech</category><category>Intelligent Cutting and Deboning System</category><category>IntelligentCuttingAndDeboningSystem</category><category>robot</category><category>school</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Heater]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:31:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mind-reading robotic teachers are more... Anyone? Anyone? Attention-grabbing]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/mind-reading-robotic-teachers-are-more-anyone-anyone-attent/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/mind-reading-robotic-teachers-are-more-anyone-anyone-attent/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/mind-reading-robotic-teachers-are-more-anyone-anyone-attent/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/mind-reading-robotic-teachers-are-more-anyone-anyone-attent/"><img alt="Mind-reading robotic teachers are more... Anyone? Anyone? Attention-grabbing" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/cnbcbusinessmoviemonologuesbueller-1338297582.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 400px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" /></a></p><p> You'd have thought that replacing a human teacher with a swanky robot would be enough to keep the kids interested, but apparently not. The University of Wisconsin-Madison found that supplying a robot teacher didn't in itself max out concentration. In one trial, they put a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/wakamaru/">Wakamaru</a> robot instructor in the classroom with only mediocre results. But then they switched it out for a robot that could read students' EEG signals to tell when they were enjoying <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/paramount-google-play-youtube-android-rental/">Matthew Broderick</a> daydreams, and which could then change its intonation or wave its metallic hands in response. That second robot resulted in far better scores when the students were subsequently quizzed about their lessons, proving once again that teaching is about more than <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/29/motion-capture-game-teaches-tween-girls-to-avoid-the-come-ons-of/">preaching</a>.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/mind-reading-robotic-teachers-are-more-anyone-anyone-attent/">Mind-reading robotic teachers are more... Anyone? Anyone? Attention-grabbing</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 30 May 2012 06:52:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/mind-reading-robotic-teachers-are-more-anyone-anyone-attent/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20246720/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/mind-reading-robotic-teachers-are-more-anyone-anyone-attent/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>education</category><category>humanoid</category><category>humanoid robot</category><category>HumanoidRobot</category><category>robot</category><category>robot teacher</category><category>RobotTeacher</category><category>university of wisconsin</category><category>university of wisconson</category><category>UniversityOfWisconsin</category><category>UniversityOfWisconson</category><category>wakamaru</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Anthony Verrecchio]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2012 06:52:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Open source mini sub appeals to our inner Steve Zissou]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/open-source-mini-sub/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/open-source-mini-sub/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/open-source-mini-sub/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/open-source-mini-sub/"><img alt="Open source mini sub appeals to our inner Steve Zissou" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/openrov.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 386px;" /></a></p><p> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Quadrocopter/">Quadrocopters</a> haven't exactly opened the skies for <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/DIY/">DIY</a> exploration so much as they have for <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/01/acrobatic-quadrocopters-fly-in-hypnotic-formation/">acrobatic feats</a>, but the OpenROV project is hoping to make the briny depths friendlier for aspiring explorers and educators alike. The open source rover, spearheaded by NASA engineer and researcher Eric Stackpole, sinks to depths of up to 300 feet (100 meters), runs on eight C-cell batteries for approximately 1.5 hours and can clip by at three feet (one meter) per second. Within the laser-cut acrylic frame, a sealed cylinder houses a BeagleBone, HD webcam and LED lights. This all weighs in at 5.5 pounds and is piloted using a web browser and video feed. The footage is then piped up to a laptop that tethers the vehicle to the shore. Pre-orders for OpenROV 2.3 kits will be taken through <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Kickstarter/">Kickstarter</a> later this summer at $750 apiece, though there are plans to sell fully assembled units. For now, explorers can register their interest at the link below and impatient Jacques Cousteaus will be pleased to know that all files necessary to build version 2.2 are available to download now.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/open-source-mini-sub/">Open source mini sub appeals to our inner Steve Zissou</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 30 May 2012 02:52:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/open-source-mini-sub/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20246553/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/open-source-mini-sub/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>BeagleBoard</category><category>bot</category><category>bots</category><category>DIY</category><category>DIY sub</category><category>DiySub</category><category>Eric Stackpole</category><category>EricStackpole</category><category>exploration</category><category>Jacques Cousteau</category><category>JacquesCousteau</category><category>James Cameron</category><category>JamesCameron</category><category>kickstarter</category><category>maker</category><category>OpenROV</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>ROV</category><category>rover</category><category>sub</category><category>submarine</category><category>submarines</category><category>subs</category><category>underwater</category><category>underwater exploration</category><category>UnderwaterExploration</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Alexis Santos]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2012 02:52:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Samsung submits patent application for speech-recognizing robot]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/samsung-patent-application-speech-recognizing-robot/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/samsung-patent-application-speech-recognizing-robot/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/samsung-patent-application-speech-recognizing-robot/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center; "> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/samsung-patent-application-speech-recognizing-robot/"><img alt="Samsung submits patent application for speech-recognizing robot" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/samsung-speech-robo.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 595px; height: 310px; " /></a></p><p> Samsung will soon launch its Siri-style <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/samsung-s-voice-smartstay-galaxy-siii/">S Voice</a> software on the Galaxy S III, but in the more distant future it could bring speech recognition technology to standalone <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/robot/">robots</a>. A patent application from the company details an automaton that can adjust its voice detection capabilities to account for ambient noise, letting it recognize when people are talking even in loud locations. It remains unclear just what the robot will do for you once it hears your commands -- maybe it will be on call for <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/23/voice-controlled-japanese-robot-assists-with-eating-makes-veggi/">cooking you dinner</a> and the like. Judging by that pic, at least, the concept looks like a good time for all involved.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/samsung-patent-application-speech-recognizing-robot/">Samsung submits patent application for speech-recognizing robot</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Thu, 24 May 2012 12:38:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/samsung-patent-application-speech-recognizing-robot/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20244278/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/samsung-patent-application-speech-recognizing-robot/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>galaxy s iii</category><category>GalaxySIii</category><category>patent</category><category>patent application</category><category>patent applications</category><category>PatentApplication</category><category>PatentApplications</category><category>patents</category><category>robot</category><category>Robots</category><category>s voice</category><category>samsung</category><category>samsung galaxy s iii</category><category>Samsung patent</category><category>samsung patent application</category><category>samsung s voice</category><category>SamsungGalaxySIii</category><category>SamsungPatent</category><category>SamsungPatentApplication</category><category>SamsungSVoice</category><category>SIRI</category><category>SVoice</category><category>voice control</category><category>voice controls</category><category>voice recognition</category><category>voice recognition robot</category><category>VoiceControl</category><category>VoiceControls</category><category>VoiceRecognition</category><category>VoiceRecognitionRobot</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Silbert]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 12:38:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Microsoft announces Robotics @Home contest winner: a SmartTripod that can follow you]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/"><img alt="Microsoft announces Robotics @Home contest winner" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/smart-tripod-microsoft.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 228px; height: 450px;" /></a></p><p> It's had quite a run, but Microsoft's months-long Robotics @Home Competition finally came to close this past weekend at the Bay Area Maker Faire. Taking home the title (and a $10,000 prize) was Arthur Wait for his SmartTripod, a robotic assistant that relies on <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/10/microsoft-releases-robotics-developer-studio-4-bring-your-own-k/">Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 4</a>, the Eddie development platform and, of course, a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/kinect">Kinect</a> to follow a person around and handle camera duties in a natural manner -- or "almost as though a human was holding the camera," as Wait puts it. Just how well does it work? You can get a look at the robot itself and the results it's able to provide in the videos after the break.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Microsoft announces Robotics @Home contest winner: a SmartTripod that can follow you</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/">Microsoft announces Robotics @Home contest winner: a SmartTripod that can follow you</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Thu, 24 May 2012 06:49:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20243846/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>eddie</category><category>kinect</category><category>microsoft</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics developer studio</category><category>robotics developer studio 4</category><category>RoboticsDeveloperStudio</category><category>RoboticsDeveloperStudio4</category><category>smart tripod</category><category>SmartTripod</category><category>tripod</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Donald Melanson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 06:49:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Researchers power microbots made of bubbles with lasers]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Image" height="443" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/microbots-bubbles-lasers.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></p><p> They may not be "robots" as most have come to expect, but these so-called microrobots developed by a team of researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa do have at least one thing in common with many of their mechanical counterparts: lasers. As <em>IEEE Spectrum </em>reports, the bots themselves are actually nothing more than bubbles of air in a saline solution, but they become "microrobots" when the laser is added to the equation, which serves as an engine of sorts and allows the researchers to control both the speed and direction of the bubbles. That, they say, could allow the bots to be used for a variety of tasks, including assembling microstructures and then disappearing without a trace when the bubble is popped. Head on past the break for a video of what they're already capable of.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Researchers power microbots made of bubbles with lasers</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/">Researchers power microbots made of bubbles with lasers</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 22 May 2012 21:27:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20242779/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/researchers-power-microbots-made-of-bubbles-with-lasers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>laser</category><category>lasers</category><category>micro</category><category>microbot</category><category>microbots</category><category>microrobot</category><category>nanorobotics</category><category>nanotech</category><category>nanotechnology</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>University of Hawaii</category><category>University of Hawaii at Manoa</category><category>UniversityOfHawaii</category><category>UniversityOfHawaiiAtManoa</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Donald Melanson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 May 2012 21:27:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ben Heck's Android-controlled pot-stirrer does (most of) the cooking for you]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/ben-heck-android-pot-stirrer-cooking-for-you/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/ben-heck-android-pot-stirrer-cooking-for-you/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/ben-heck-android-pot-stirrer-cooking-for-you/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center; "> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/ben-heck-android-pot-stirrer-cooking-for-you/"><img alt="Ben Heck's Android-controlled pot-stirrer does (most of) the cooking for you" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/image001.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 533px; height: 406px; " /></a></p><p> Ben Heck is always thinking up gadgets that make life easier, from completely <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/19/ben-hecks-wireless-luggage-will-draw-r2-d2-comparisons-stares/">hands-free luggage</a> to a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/27/ben-heck-cooks-up-proximity-sensor-for-cyclists-still-no-substi/">sensor system</a> for improved cycling safety. His latest mod is meant for those of us who have burnt Ramen a few too many times. His so-called Ben-Stur Remote Control Android app works with a pot-stirring device, freeing users to stray from the kitchen while their meal is cooking. The app works via Bluetooth, and the pot-stirrer consists of an actuator arm, a chip clip, a timing belt and, of course, a wooden spoon. Heck used a Google ADK and an Arduino Uno for the control mechanism that communicates between the app and the stirrer. In the tablet app, users can check their food's temperature and control the speed of the spoon's stirring. If that whets your appetite, click the source link for more info -- and check out our <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/the-engadget-interview-ben-heck-talks-raspberry-pi-at-maker-fai/">Maker Faire interview</a> with Mr. Heckendorn himself.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/ben-heck-android-pot-stirrer-cooking-for-you/">Ben Heck's Android-controlled pot-stirrer does (most of) the cooking for you</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 22 May 2012 05:54:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/ben-heck-android-pot-stirrer-cooking-for-you/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20242155/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/ben-heck-android-pot-stirrer-cooking-for-you/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>android</category><category>android app</category><category>android apps</category><category>AndroidApp</category><category>AndroidApps</category><category>Arduino</category><category>arduino uno</category><category>ArduinoUno</category><category>Ben Heck</category><category>ben heck show</category><category>Ben Heckendorn</category><category>BenHeck</category><category>BenHeckendorn</category><category>BenHeckShow</category><category>hack</category><category>hacks</category><category>mod</category><category>mods</category><category>robot</category><category>Robots</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Silbert]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 May 2012 05:54:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Maker Faire Bay Area 2012, in pictures: 3D printers, unicorns, tesla coils and zombies (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/"><img alt="Maker Faire Bay Area 2012, in pictures: 3D printers, unicorns, tesla coils and zombies (video)" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerfairebayarea2012lead01.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 399px;" /></a></p><p> Did you miss <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/MakerFaire/">Maker Faire</a> Bay Area 2012? Did you go but want to relive the experience a little? Well look no further: we came, we saw, we conquered. As one of our friends acutely observed, you couldn't throw something this year without hitting a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/3Dprinter/">3D printer</a>. Below you'll find pictures of said 3D printers, but also unicorns, Tesla coils and yes, even zombies (!) -- all lovingly curated from the hundreds of shots we took at the event this past weekend. Craving something with a bit more meat? We've made a convenient list of our Maker Faire posts. Once you're done digesting that, hit the break for our lovely video montage.</p><ul> <li>  <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-electric-imp-at-maker-faire-video/">Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video)</a></li> <li>  <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/raspberry-pi-hands-on-and-eben-upton-interview-at-maker-faire-v/">Raspberry Pi hands-on and Eben Upton interview at Maker Faire (video)</a></li> <li>  <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/">Hands-on with the MakerBot robot petting zoo at Maker Faire (video)</a></li> <li>  <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/the-engadget-interview-ben-heck-talks-raspberry-pi-at-maker-fai/">The Engadget Interview: Ben Heck talks Raspberry Pi at Maker Faire (video)</a></li> <li>  <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/electric-motor-werks-hands-on-at-maker-faire-video/">Electric Motor Werks hands-on at Maker Faire (video)</a></li></ul><p> <div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/maker-faire-bay-area-2012/">Maker Faire Bay Area 2012</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/maker-faire-bay-area-2012/#5038113"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerfairebayarea201201_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/maker-faire-bay-area-2012/#5038114"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerfairebayarea201202_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/maker-faire-bay-area-2012/#5038115"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerfairebayarea201203_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/maker-faire-bay-area-2012/#5038116"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerfairebayarea201204_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/maker-faire-bay-area-2012/#5038117"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerfairebayarea201205_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div></p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Maker Faire Bay Area 2012, in pictures: 3D printers, unicorns, tesla coils and zombies (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/">Maker Faire Bay Area 2012, in pictures: 3D printers, unicorns, tesla coils and zombies (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 22 May 2012 02:33:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20242189/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-in-pictures-3d-printers-unicorns-t/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>3D printer</category><category>3D printers</category><category>3dPrinter</category><category>3dPrinters</category><category>ben Heck</category><category>BenHeck</category><category>Electric Imp</category><category>Electric Motor Werks</category><category>ElectricImp</category><category>ElectricMotorWerks</category><category>Maker Faire</category><category>Maker Faire 2012</category><category>Maker Faire Bay Area</category><category>Maker Faire Bay Area 2012</category><category>MakerBot</category><category>MakerFaire</category><category>MakerFaire2012</category><category>MakerFaireBayArea</category><category>MakerFaireBayArea2012</category><category>raspberry pi</category><category>RaspberryPi</category><category>robot</category><category>robot petting zoo</category><category>RobotPettingZoo</category><category>robots</category><category>Tesla coil</category><category>Tesla coils</category><category>TeslaCoil</category><category>TeslaCoils</category><category>unicorn</category><category>unicorns</category><category>video</category><category>zombie</category><category>zombies</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Myriam Joire]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 May 2012 02:33:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hands-on with the MakerBot robot petting zoo at Maker Faire (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/"><img alt="Hands-on with the MakerBot robot petting zoo at Maker Faire (video)" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerbotmakerfairelead01.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 399px;" /></a></p><p> A robot petting zoo at <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/MakerFaire/">Maker Faire</a> Bay Area 2012? What could possibly go wrong? Nothing, actually. The kids loved it -- only the robots cowered in fear (of being sat on). <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/MakerBot/">MakerBot</a> spent eight weeks <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/">building four different species</a> of robots using its <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/14/makerbot-replicator-hands-on-video/">Replicator 3D printer</a> -- wheelies (robot chickens), bubble bots, button bots and bumper bots. Judging by the crowds the event was a complete success. We caught up with Michael Curry of MakerBot who told us how the robot petting zoo came to be and walked us through some of the robot specifics -- designs that should appear on the company's <em>Thingiverse</em> website by the end of the week. Next stop: Maker Faire New York. Are you ready for an invasion of cute robots? Find out in our hands-on video after the break.<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-hands-on/">MakerBot robot petting zoo hands-on</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-hands-on/#5036401"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerbotmakerfaire01_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-hands-on/#5036402"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerbotmakerfaire02_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-hands-on/#5036403"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerbotmakerfaire03_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-hands-on/#5036404"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerbotmakerfaire04_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-hands-on/#5036405"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerbotmakerfaire05_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div></p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Hands-on with the MakerBot robot petting zoo at Maker Faire (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/">Hands-on with the MakerBot robot petting zoo at Maker Faire (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Mon, 21 May 2012 07:22:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20241506/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/hands-on-with-the-makerbot-robot-petting-zoo-at-maker-faire-vid/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>hands-on</category><category>Maker Faire</category><category>Maker Faire 2012</category><category>Maker Faire Bay Area</category><category>Maker Faire Bay Area 2012</category><category>MakerBot</category><category>makerbot replicator</category><category>MakerbotReplicator</category><category>MakerFaire</category><category>MakerFaire2012</category><category>MakerFaireBayArea</category><category>MakerFaireBayArea2012</category><category>Michael Curry</category><category>MichaelCurry</category><category>petting zoo</category><category>PettingZoo</category><category>Replicator</category><category>robot</category><category>Robot Petting Zoo</category><category>RobotPettingZoo</category><category>robots</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Myriam Joire]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2012 07:22:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Robot uses glue gun to make tools, hopes to ace Survival Skills 101]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center; "> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/"><img alt="Robot uses glue gun to make tools, hopes to ace Survival Skills 101" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/hmamanuf-1337320411404.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 450px; height: 280px; " /></a></p><p> Looking through Engadget's annals of robotic achievements, we see droids <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/chiba-universitys-one-armed-robot-juggles-balls-is-not-a-jugga/">juggling</a>, dabbling in <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/15/swimming-robots-break-record/">competitive sailing</a> and even <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/">manning prisons</a>. Cool as they are, those functions aren't going to mean a thing when Mr. Automaton is lost in the wilderness, damaged and without a helping human hand in sight. Researchers at ETH Zurich are working to change that scenario, as they're currently developing a "self-reconfigurable" device that packs a glue gun for creating the tools it needs on the fly. It might not be the quickest method -- as you'll see in the video below, making a glue cup takes a good hour -- but it's effective enough for transporting and pouring water. That's not to say that the prototype is ready to fend for itself; it built the cup, but only under human direction. The researchers' next step is adding in autonomous capabilities so the bots can repair things -- and even build other robots -- without being told to do so. A sea of self-regenerating droids? Sounds harmless to us.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Robot uses glue gun to make tools, hopes to ace Survival Skills 101</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/">Robot uses glue gun to make tools, hopes to ace Survival Skills 101</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Sat, 19 May 2012 14:16:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20240975/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/robot-makes-tools-with-glue/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>automation</category><category>automaton</category><category>eth zurich</category><category>EthZurich</category><category>research</category><category>researchers</category><category>robo-guard</category><category>robot</category><category>robot building</category><category>RobotBuilding</category><category>robotics</category><category>Robots</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Silbert]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 19 May 2012 14:16:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Insert Coin: Troller 1D, the transforming robot that won't ruin your garden]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p> <em>In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please <a href="#" onclick="$('.nav_tipus a').click()">send us a tip</a> with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/"><img alt="Image" height="372" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/img8578.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> A <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/harvard-designed-soft-robot-shows-you-how-low-it-can-go-video/">crawling robot</a> that, at the touch of a button, curls up into a wheel and rolls away sounds a bit <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/transformer-optimus-prime-wants-his-name-back-right-now-prefera/"><em>Robots in Disguise</em></a>, doesn't it? Still, that's what roboticist Toby Baumgartner needs your cold, hard cash to build. Troller 1D is the first prototype of the modular automaton that uses a series of servos to take it anywhere it needs to go -- but it's not ready yet. The project needs $2,600 to get better servos and add some WiFi and Accelerometer features that'll get the 'bot rolling without any assistance. Once perfected, you'll be able to buy a kit with everything you need to build your own and <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/04/icub-crawls-closer-toward-the-robopocalypse-video/">terrify</a> the local wildlife / your children.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Insert Coin: Troller 1D, the transforming robot that won't ruin your garden</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/">Insert Coin: Troller 1D, the transforming robot that won't ruin your garden</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Thu, 17 May 2012 08:01:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20239850/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/insert-coin-troller-1d/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>Caterpillar</category><category>Components</category><category>Insert Coin</category><category>InsertCoin</category><category>Kickstarter</category><category>Robopocalypse</category><category>Robot</category><category>Robot Kit</category><category>RobotKit</category><category>Robots</category><category>Toby Baumgartner</category><category>TobyBaumgartner</category><category>Transformers</category><category>Transforming Robot</category><category>TransformingRobot</category><category>Troller 1D</category><category>Troller1d</category><category>video</category><category>WiFi</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Daniel Cooper]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 08:01:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Russian researchers build partial android for bizarre mind-transfer project (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/russia-copy.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 517px; height: 380px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" /></a></p><p> A Team of Russian researchers are building a conceptual mind-transfer android, and we're definitely not talking about <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/14/google-pulls-android-market-malware-that-exploits-sms-hole/">Ice Cream Sandwich</a>. However bizarre, their goal is to help mankind achieve immortality using a combination of <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/geminoid">humanoid robots</a> and interstellar space travel to get away from a dangerous and overcrowded planet -- but most of the needed technology seems so far off that we could probably power cycle the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/01/worlds-slowest-linux-computer/">world's slowest Linux computer</a> a million times before we see any of it. One prototype includes the torso of an android that will one day house a a computer rig that would be theoretically capable of acting as a personal proxy -- essentially, a place to upload "human souls." This <strike>absolutely insane</strike> &uuml;ber-ambitious project is the stuff of science fiction, but the big shots over in the birthplace of <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/06/tetris-turns-25-years-young-still-puzzles-the-best-of-us/">Tetris</a> say it'll all be possible by 2045. Need more convincing? Check out the two videos after the break.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Russian researchers build partial android for bizarre mind-transfer project (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/">Russian researchers build partial android for bizarre mind-transfer project (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 16 May 2012 08:18:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20238677/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/russian-android-robot-mind-transfer/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2045</category><category>android</category><category>cybernetic organism</category><category>CyberneticOrganism</category><category>cybernetics</category><category>cyborg</category><category>digital mind</category><category>digital minds</category><category>DigitalMind</category><category>DigitalMinds</category><category>humanoid</category><category>humanoid robot</category><category>HumanoidRobot</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>russia</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Anthony Verrecchio]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 08:18:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/"><img alt="MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video)" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/makerbot-bot-making-assembly-line.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 400px;" /></a></p><p> There are few things out there that can send you into a shame spiral of career despair quite as quickly as watching a group of people with arguably one of the funnest jobs in the world. People like the MakerBot 3D design team, who were tasked with assembling an army of cuddly robots a "<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/makerbot-printing-out-robot-petting-zoo-for-maker-faire/">petting zoo</a>" for this weekend's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/maker+faire">Maker Faire</a> in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now, granted, we're sure they all work hard, but we can't help but feel a little jealous at the opportunity to design kid-friendly 'bots using the company's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/14/makerbot-replicator-hands-on-video/">Replicator 3D printer</a>. Check out a video of the team in action after the break.</p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/">MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Mon, 14 May 2012 20:18:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20237608/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/makerbot-uncovers-the-miracle-of-3d-printed-bot-making-video/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>3d printer</category><category>3dPrinter</category><category>maker faire</category><category>makerbot</category><category>MakerFaire</category><category>petting zoo</category><category>PettingZoo</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Heater]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 20:18:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Canon ditching humans, cameras hand-made by robots by 2015]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/canon-robots/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/canon-robots/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/canon-robots/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/canon-robots/"><img alt="Image" height="371" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/canondaleks.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/28/canon-q1-2012-earnings/">Canon</a> has announced that it'll ditch human production line employees and rely entirely on robots to build its cameras. Several Japanese companies have felt the pinch thanks to the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/02/sony-earnings-q3-2011/">soaring</a> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/nintendo-annual-financials-2011/">value</a> of the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/03/panasonic-q3-2012/">yen</a> and have acted quickly to move production overseas, but Canon has resisted doing the same. Company spokesperson Jan Misumi has said that the move won't cause job losses as those employees will be moved into other parts of the organization once the switchover has been completed -- which could be as early as 2015. Now we just need to check our diaries as to when the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Robopocalypse/">Robopocalypse</a> is due to begin.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/canon-robots/">Canon ditching humans, cameras hand-made by robots by 2015</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:57:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/canon-robots/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20237412/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/canon-robots/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>Business</category><category>Canon</category><category>Currency Prices</category><category>Currency Value</category><category>CurrencyPrices</category><category>CurrencyValue</category><category>Financials</category><category>Japan</category><category>Manufacturing</category><category>Overseas Production</category><category>OverseasProduction</category><category>Production Line</category><category>ProductionLine</category><category>Robopocalypse</category><category>Robot</category><category>Robot Production</category><category>RobotProduction</category><category>Robots</category><category>Yen</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Daniel Cooper]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 14:57:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Arduino mechs learn RobotC, plot assimilation with Lego Mindstorms]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino/"><img alt="RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino" height="348" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/arduino-bot-05-12-12-04.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> Arduino boards have smoothed the creation of lots of <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Arduino/">eccentric <span><span><span name="hotword">thingamajigs</span></span></span></a>, but robotics and controllers are still not for the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/20/irl-logitech-ue-air-speaker-canon-rebel-xt-arduino-uno/">faint of heart</a>. Luckily, RoboMatter is coming to the rescue of would-be roboticists with a public beta version of its C-based RobotC language for Arduino. Joining <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/15/wall-e-gets-a-lego-mindstorms-nxt-makeover-tears-up-the-dance-f/">Lego Mindstorm</a> and other bots, Arduino will get RobotC's straightforward sensor and motor controls, along with a debugger and sample program library, while still keeping its native Wiring language. So, if you want to be a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/06/triggertrap-automatic-shutter-release-hits-production-links-you/">Kickstarter</a> magnate , or just <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/16/arduino-artbot-robot-time-clock-video/">out-weird</a> everyone else, rolling your own droid is now a bit easier.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino/">Arduino mechs learn RobotC, plot assimilation with Lego Mindstorms</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Sun, 13 May 2012 04:41:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20236846/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/RobotC-Public-Beta-on-Arduino/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>Arduino</category><category>C programming language</category><category>CProgrammingLanguage</category><category>DIY</category><category>hack</category><category>hackers</category><category>hobbyist</category><category>hobbyists</category><category>mod</category><category>modding</category><category>RoboMatter</category><category>robot</category><category>robot control</category><category>RobotC</category><category>RobotControl</category><category>roboticist</category><category>roboticists</category><category>robots</category><category>Wiring</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Steve Dent]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 13 May 2012 04:41:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Transforming robot effortlessly turns into a car, faces tougher maneuver into retail (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/"><img alt="Image" height="328" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/transformer-8-robot.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> Still bothered by the lack of automated transforming in the official <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/transformers">Transformers</a> toys? Then you'll likely want to head straight to the video below to see your dream realized. While details are a bit light, the robot on display was apparently built by Kenji Ishida and JS Robotics, and is just the latest in a series of transforming bots that Ishida has been working on (version eight, to be specific). About the only other detail revealed is that it makes use of 22 servo motors to turn from a car into a surprisingly mobile humanoid robot and, as you might expect, there's no word on any eventual commercial availability.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Transforming robot effortlessly turns into a car, faces tougher maneuver into retail (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/">Transforming robot effortlessly turns into a car, faces tougher maneuver into retail (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 09 May 2012 06:33:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20234114/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/09/transforming-robot-effortlessly-turns-into-a-car-faces-tougher/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>bot</category><category>humanoid</category><category>humanoid robot</category><category>HumanoidRobot</category><category>JS Robotics</category><category>JsRobotics</category><category>Kenji Ishida</category><category>KenjiIshida</category><category>robot</category><category>transformer</category><category>transforming</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Donald Melanson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 06:33:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sharp Cocorobo vacuum avoids obstacles, embraces small talk]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/"><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/sharp-cocorobo-white-background.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="593" /></a></p><p> With iRobot <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Roomba/">cleaning up</a> in the robotic vacuum game, it's only logical that some major manufacturers like <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/02/lg-hom-bot-2-0-smart-robot-vacuum-cleaner-hands-on-video/">LG</a> and <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/samsungs-tango-stealth-robo-vacuum-is-a-quiet-intruder/">Samsung</a> want a piece of the dirt sucking action. Sharp has gotten into the game as well -- though the company's 'bot goes the extra mile for cleanliness. Cocorobo TX-V100 has voice recognition functionality and will happily talk back, courtesy of its "voice communication," which includes phrases like the ominous "I understand." The little floor cleaning disk also has infrared sensors for avoiding obstacles and a built-in camera, so you can observe your sparking abode from a carpet view while you're out. Cocorobo will be invading Japanese households this June. Check out a video of the 'bot in action after the break.</p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Sharp Cocorobo vacuum avoids obstacles, embraces small talk</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/">Sharp Cocorobo vacuum avoids obstacles, embraces small talk</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 08 May 2012 10:17:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20233604/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/sharp-cocorobo-vacuum-avoids-obstacles-embraces-small-talk/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>bot</category><category>camera</category><category>clean</category><category>cocorobo</category><category>robot</category><category>robotic vacuum</category><category>RoboticVacuum</category><category>sharp</category><category>vacuum</category><category>video</category><category>wifi</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Heater]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2012 10:17:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wall-mounted interactive robot mimics emotions, follows you around, wants to be friends (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/"><img alt="Wall-mounted interactive robot mimics emotions, follows you around, wants to be friends" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/20120507-165553.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 450px;" /></a></p><p> Not every robot is here to <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/">make our food</a>, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/15/irobot-scooba-390-hands-on/">clean our floors</a> or perform <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/14/nasa-activates-robotnaut-2-on-board-the-iss-watch-it-live-vide/">interstellar maintenance</a> for us. Some automatons are there to simply be admired... or in the case of GIA (Gestural Interactive Automaton), to admire us. GIA's a robotic sculpture created by Daniel Jay Bertner that is essentially a projector, projection sphere and a webcam attached to a trio of servo-controlled articulating arms. A human face is projected on the sphere, which follows around folks who view it and changes its facial expression according to viewer reactions. Why? In order to "emulate and socially engage" them and facilitate a better understanding between man and machine, of course. The magic happens through open source motion tracking and facial recognition software, but you don't have to take our word for it -- see for yourself in the video after the break.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Wall-mounted interactive robot mimics emotions, follows you around, wants to be friends (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/">Wall-mounted interactive robot mimics emotions, follows you around, wants to be friends (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 08 May 2012 06:48:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20233282/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/interactive-robot-mimics-emotions-follows-you-around/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>art</category><category>daniel jay bertner</category><category>DanielJayBertner</category><category>face recognition</category><category>FaceRecognition</category><category>facial recognition</category><category>FacialRecognition</category><category>gestural interactive automaton</category><category>GesturalInteractiveAutomaton</category><category>gia</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Gorman]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2012 06:48:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Environmentally friendly robots will feed the flowers they trample]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/environmentally-friendly-robots-will-feed-the-flowers-they-tramp/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/environmentally-friendly-robots-will-feed-the-flowers-they-tramp/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/environmentally-friendly-robots-will-feed-the-flowers-they-tramp/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/environmentally-friendly-robots-will-feed-the-flowers-they-tramp/"><img alt="Environmentally friendly robots will feed the flowers they trample" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/enviromentalrobottybristol.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 406px; height: 450px;" /></a></p><p> Dr Jonathan Rossiter, a senior lecturer at the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/university+of+bristol">University of Bristol</a>'s Department of Engineering and Mathematics, has snagged a two-year research grant of over &pound;200,000 to develop robots that decompose once their mission if complete. This means instead of our automaton friends rusting away, devoid of purpose, they could return gracefully (and more importantly non-toxically) back to mother earth. Not only would this be a boon to the environment, but scientists would no longer need to track and retrieve their mechanical progeny once it reached the end of its usable life, further sparing resources and allowing mass deployment. At least we know, when <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/robotapocalypse">the day comes</a>, the planet won't be harmed.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/environmentally-friendly-robots-will-feed-the-flowers-they-tramp/">Environmentally friendly robots will feed the flowers they trample</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 02 May 2012 09:23:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/environmentally-friendly-robots-will-feed-the-flowers-they-tramp/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20228871/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/environmentally-friendly-robots-will-feed-the-flowers-they-tramp/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>biodegradable</category><category>bristol</category><category>eco-friendly</category><category>EnvironmentallyFriendly</category><category>gurt robot</category><category>GurtRobot</category><category>robot</category><category>robot apocalypse</category><category>robot innum</category><category>RobotApocalypse</category><category>RobotInnum</category><category>science</category><category>uk</category><category>university of bristol</category><category>UniversityOfBristol</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Trew]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 09:23:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[A bird in the hand thanks to a robot that can perch]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center; "> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/"><img alt="Bird-like robot shown perching on human hand" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/chung.handperch3a-275x360.jpg" style="margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 4px; margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; width: 275px; height: 360px; " /></a></p><p> Land-bound robots? Been there, done that. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are taking things up a notch with a bird-style bot capable of autonomous flight. By replicating the features that enable birds to make a soft landing -- including the flapping wings that help them change direction -- the researchers developed the first <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/mav/">micro aerial vehicle</a> (MAV) capable of swooping down to perch on a human hand. The craft forgoes a vertical tail, which birds also lack, to allow for enough agility to land on a small surface. Articulated wings help the robo-bird complete the maneuver successfully, by first gliding into position and then pitching up and slowing down. Who knew perching was so complicated? Besides just providing a super-nifty party trick for these lucky researchers, the autonomous aircraft could be used in urban surveillance, where a small size would come in handy. Check out the MAV in action, along with the press release, after the break.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>A bird in the hand thanks to a robot that can perch</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/">A bird in the hand thanks to a robot that can perch</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 02 May 2012 06:19:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20228355/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/02/bird-in-hand-thanks-to-robot-perch/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>aircraft</category><category>bird</category><category>bird robot</category><category>BirdRobot</category><category>birds</category><category>flight</category><category>mav</category><category>mavs</category><category>micro aerial vehicle</category><category>micro aerial vehicles</category><category>MicroAerialVehicle</category><category>MicroAerialVehicles</category><category>research</category><category>researchers</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics</category><category>Robots</category><category>university of illinois</category><category>University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</category><category>UniversityOfIllinois</category><category>UniversityOfIllinoisAtUrbana-champaign</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Silbert]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 06:19:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[LASR: behind the curtain of the Navy's robotics laboratory]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/"><img alt="Image" height="399" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/jtnrlhumanrobotinteraction-1335814802.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> I don't know all that much about the Naval Research Laboratory when I arrive in DC for "the public's first opportunity to look inside" the space's new $17 million <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/">Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research</a> (LASR). I give the cab driver the address, and he casually tells me that it "stinks," illustrating this notion with a universally familiar hand gesture. He means it literally, too - that you can smell the place, simply driving by in a cab, with the windows up. He says this with such assurance, such gusto, that I fully expect it to smell like the city dump. A wall of stink.<br /> <br /> It's not much to go on, but it's something. And while I can thankfully report that his reaction was a bit overstated - at least on this particular day - there's certainly a distinct odor to the place. It's a sprawling 130-acre complex that sits sandwiched between the 295 freeway and the waters of the Potomac River; a series of nearly identical big, white buildings facing inward toward a grassy courtyard. On the way in, a space with what appears to be crushed cars is visible from the freeway.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>LASR: behind the curtain of the Navy's robotics laboratory</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/">LASR: behind the curtain of the Navy's robotics laboratory</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 01 May 2012 14:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20226204/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/lasr-behind-the-curtain-of-the-navys-robotics-laboratory/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>autonomous</category><category>lasr</category><category>lucas</category><category>naval</category><category>Naval Research Laboratory</category><category>NavalResearchLaboratory</category><category>navy</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics</category><category>us navy</category><category>UsNavy</category><category>wargadget</category><category>washington dc</category><category>WashingtonDc</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Heater]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Samsung patent application explores the possibility of phasing out human crossing guards]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/samsung-crosswalk-robot-patent-application/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/samsung-crosswalk-robot-patent-application/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/samsung-crosswalk-robot-patent-application/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/samsung-crosswalk-robot-patent-application/"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/crossingguard.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 487px; height: 450px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" /></a></p><p> We have definitely seen our share of <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/">robots</a> and crossing guards, but we <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/01/asimos-new-job-crossing-guard/">almost never</a> really see a combination of the two. An application filed by Samsung back in October and made public today seems to suggest that at least some people have been thinking long and hard about bots <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/15/samsung-tangoview-vacuum-surveillance-camera-will-bring-you-to/">helping</a> humans <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/19/darpas-avatar-project-aims-to-give-soldiers-surrogate-robots/">conquer</a> the mean streets of our cities using a multitude of on-board tech -- from infrared and proximity sensors -- to devices enabling wireless communication between traffic lights and other robots. According to the application, the machines could inherit the traditional reflective properties often associated with crossing guard attire -- you know, the perfect guise for keeping their <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/RobotApocalypse/">true intentions</a> concealed.</p><p></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/samsung-crosswalk-robot-patent-application/">Samsung patent application explores the possibility of phasing out human crossing guards</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:40:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/samsung-crosswalk-robot-patent-application/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20225196/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/samsung-crosswalk-robot-patent-application/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>crossing guard</category><category>crossing guards</category><category>CrossingGuard</category><category>CrossingGuards</category><category>patent</category><category>patent application</category><category>PatentApplication</category><category>robot</category><category>robot crossing guard</category><category>RobotCrossingGuard</category><category>roboting crossing guard</category><category>RobotingCrossingGuard</category><category>robots</category><category>samsung</category><category>samsung patent application</category><category>SamsungPatentApplication</category><category>sensors</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Anthony Verrecchio]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:40:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nokia N900 rises from the grave, replaces robot's head]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/nokia-n900-replaces-bioloid-robots-head/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/nokia-n900-replaces-bioloid-robots-head/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/nokia-n900-replaces-bioloid-robots-head/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/nokia-n900-replaces-bioloid-robots-head/"><img alt="Image" height="398" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/nokia-n900-robot-01-eng-cov.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></p><p> Nokia's buried-but-<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/12/nokia-n900-gamepad-hack-dispenses-with-beauty-sidles-up-to-sore/">beloved</a> N900 smartphone has performed many <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/16/brain-scanner-app-lets-you-show-off-your-smarts-on-the-go/">parlor tricks</a> in the past, but its latest role as a carbon-fiber swaddled cyborg cranium just might take the cake. Using the equally <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/02/the-oh-sh_t-moment-that-nokia-decided-to-abandon-meego/">forsaken</a> <strike>MeeGo</strike> Maemo OS, a roboticist by the name of Sascha hacked his way into the phone's three-axis controller and other components in order to bring his <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/building-bioloid-premium-doesnt-look-easy-even-if-you-do-have/">Bioloid</a> creation to life. The smartphone's video streaming and remote access functions may also give this bipedal mech a leg-up on the last N900 robo we <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/19/niko-the-n900-powered-lego-robot-looks-poised-to-take-over-twi/">admired</a> -- but we'll need to see some video of it all in action before we make that call. Meanwhile, let's just hope that this unholy union of rejected parts doesn't become <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/">self-aware</a> and turn on the company that <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/08/nokia-we-dont-have-a-plan-b/">cast it away</a>.</p><p></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/nokia-n900-replaces-bioloid-robots-head/">Nokia N900 rises from the grave, replaces robot's head</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:17:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/nokia-n900-replaces-bioloid-robots-head/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20221543/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/nokia-n900-replaces-bioloid-robots-head/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>bioloid</category><category>bioloid premium robot</category><category>BioloidPremiumRobot</category><category>cellphones</category><category>diy</category><category>kits</category><category>linux</category><category>MeeGo</category><category>meego os</category><category>MeegoOs</category><category>N900</category><category>Nokia</category><category>Nokia N900</category><category>NokiaN900</category><category>robot</category><category>robot kits</category><category>robotics</category><category>RobotKits</category><category>robots</category><category>smartphone</category><category>smartphone robots</category><category>SmartphoneRobots</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Steve Dent]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:17:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Polaris' pool-cleaning robots get updated with added intelligence, four-wheel drive]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/"><img alt="Polaris' pool-cleaning robots get updated with added intelligence, four-wheel drive" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/polaris-9400-sport.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 325px;" /></a></p><p> It's been almost exactly a year since Zodiac Pool Systems <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/07/polaris-produces-9300xi-sport-poolbot-does-your-underwater-scum/">last expanded</a> its line of Polaris-branded pool-cleaning robots, and it's now back with two more additions that fill out the top and bottom end of its lineup. That includes the company's most advanced robot to date, the $1499 Polaris 9400 Sport (pictured above), which adds four-wheel drive for the first time, as well as the company's new accelerometer-enhanced ActivMotion Sensor technology -- something Polaris says allows the robot to continually sense where it is in the pool and optimize its cleaning action accordingly. The 9100 Sport, on the other hand, gets neither of those new additions, but it'll "only" set you back $799, and will still clean pools up to 40 feet long in about two hours. You can get a closer look at those, as well as the company's existing offerings, at the source link below.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Polaris' pool-cleaning robots get updated with added intelligence, four-wheel drive</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/">Polaris' pool-cleaning robots get updated with added intelligence, four-wheel drive</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:21:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20220783/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/21/polaris-pool-cleaning-robots-get-intelligence-update/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>9100 sport</category><category>9100Sport</category><category>9400 sport</category><category>9400Sport</category><category>cleaning</category><category>cleaning robot</category><category>CleaningRobot</category><category>minipost</category><category>polaris</category><category>polaris 9100 sport</category><category>polaris 9400 sport</category><category>Polaris9100Sport</category><category>Polaris9400Sport</category><category>pool</category><category>pool cleaning robot</category><category>pool-cleaning robot</category><category>Pool-cleaningRobot</category><category>PoolCleaningRobot</category><category>robot</category><category>zodiac</category><category>zodiac pool systems</category><category>ZodiacPoolSystems</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Donald Melanson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:21:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chumby halts hardware sales, long-term support looking mighty unlikely]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/chumby-halts-hardware-sales-out-of-business/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/chumby-halts-hardware-sales-out-of-business/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/chumby-halts-hardware-sales-out-of-business/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/chumby-halts-hardware-sales-out-of-business/"><img alt="dead chumby" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/dead-chumby.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 394px;" /></a></p><p> "The site is closed temporarily." Never a good sign, indeed, and particularly not when it's plastered across <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Chumby/">Chumby</a>'s own webstore. For over two days now, that's the message given to anyone attempting to buy hardware from the company, and it looks as if the Chumby we knew may be counting down its final days. A scrappy upstart attempting to bring its Chumby OS to the masses via injections into larger OEMs, the outfit saw little to no uptake across a wide variety of products; Sony <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/sony-dashes-dash-development-is-biebers-favorite-tablet-on-the/">nixed</a> the Dash earlier this year, and <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/21/insignias-infocast-internet-media-display-the-dash-aping-chumb/">Insignia</a> turned its back quite some time ago. To be fair, Chumby had stopped manufacturing its own branded hardware  in 2011, with the outfit's Duane Maxwell confirming the outright death of Chumby's store in a forum posting today. According to him, there was "no point in keeping the store around once inventory was exhausted," though hardcore loyalists can still snag a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/08/chumby-netv-turns-any-hdtv-into-a-chumby-thats-hard-to-hug-vid/">NeTV</a> from <i>adafruit</i>.</p><p> Other forum members have noted that all support emails now seem to be headed into the Great Beyond, and while the actual network that Chumby OS relies on remains alive at the moment, there's no guarantee it'll last. Interestingly, at least two individuals instrumental in the building of Chumby are now working at Media Navi -- both Alison Fay and Michael Coleman have moved Chumby-related job listings to "Past" in their LinkedIn profiles. We'll be reporting more as we get it, but in the meanwhile, we'd recommend giving your favorite Chum a warm hug. His / her heart may not be beating for too much longer.</p><p> [Thanks, Jonathan]</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/chumby-halts-hardware-sales-out-of-business/">Chumby halts hardware sales, long-term support looking mighty unlikely</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:02:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/chumby-halts-hardware-sales-out-of-business/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20219988/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/chumby-halts-hardware-sales-out-of-business/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>chumby</category><category>Chumby OS</category><category>ChumbyOs</category><category>dead</category><category>kill</category><category>killed</category><category>liquidation</category><category>out of business</category><category>OutOfBusiness</category><category>rip</category><category>robot</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Darren Murph]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:02:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Barobo's Mobot goes up for pre-order, slinks toward your impressionable children (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/barobomobot.jpg" style="margin: 12px; width: 240px; height: 174px; float: right;" /></a>In what may be the first notable instance of a product actually <i>losing</i> the "i" in favor of building out its own persona, Barobo's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/26/imobot-creeps-crawls-cranes-its-way-into-our-hearts-video/">iMobot</a> is not only not going by Mobot, but it's also up for pre-order. The modular robotics platform can be claimed for $269.95 (with extension plates and the like available as optional extras), and we're told by the company that these will be on the move by August at the latest. Moreover, a grant has been secured to provide "at least $500,000 over the next two years to Barobo, with potential for up to another $500,000 in matching funds if the company can make sales and attract venture capital." Folks involved with the project are hoping to see Mobot used as a tool for teaching robotics as early as third grade, and given the choice of tinkering with one of these or fiddling with a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/01/texas-instruments-ti-83-plus-review/">TI-83 Plus</a>... well, you know. For those unaware of Mobot's potential, head on past the break for a freshly cut video.</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Barobo's Mobot goes up for pre-order, slinks toward your impressionable children (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/">Barobo's Mobot goes up for pre-order, slinks toward your impressionable children (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20218982/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/barobo-mobot-modular-robot-pre-order-video/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>barobo</category><category>education</category><category>educational</category><category>imobot</category><category>mobot</category><category>pre-order</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics</category><category>UC davis</category><category>UcDavis</category><category>university</category><category>university of california</category><category>university of california davis</category><category>UniversityOfCalifornia</category><category>UniversityOfCaliforniaDavis</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Darren Murph]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Qbo goes legit, now up for pre-order on maker's site]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/qbo-goes-legit-now-up-for-pre-order-on-makers-site/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/qbo-goes-legit-now-up-for-pre-order-on-makers-site/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/qbo-goes-legit-now-up-for-pre-order-on-makers-site/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/qbo-goes-legit-now-up-for-pre-order-on-makers-site/"><img alt="Image" height="328" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/qbo-preorder.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="450" /></a></p><p> Graduation day is always tough on parents. So, you'll have to forgive the growing pains experienced by <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/thecorpora/">TheCorpora</a>, whose six years in development labor of cybernetic love, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/qbo/">Qbo</a>, is now ready for mass consumption. To make this ever-evolving, endearing bot on wheels easily accessible, the team's divvied up its commercial wares into two distinct offerings: Basic and Complete. For the soldering prone among you, that former kit comes with a chassis, plastic coverings and an array of the cutesy android's mechanic guts, all <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/">at your disposal for assembly</a>. Devs less interested in getting their hands dirty and more concerned with coding can opt-in for the fuller set in either Pro or Lite versions, replete with a fully constructed unit and differing only in the variety of motherboard and CPU configuration used. The outfit's accepting pre-orders on its site now, with the base model running about 500 Euros (about $656) and the higher end packages emptying wallets at 1,700 Euros (about $2,230) and 2,300 Euros (about $3,017) apiece. Those are certainly hefty investments for the at-home hobbyist, but can you really put a price on <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/29/how-i-met-your-robot-mother-a-qbo-first-video/">synthetic love</a>? We didn't think so.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/qbo-goes-legit-now-up-for-pre-order-on-makers-site/">Qbo goes legit, now up for pre-order on maker's site</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:45:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/qbo-goes-legit-now-up-for-pre-order-on-makers-site/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20218742/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/qbo-goes-legit-now-up-for-pre-order-on-makers-site/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>pre-order</category><category>Qbo</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>TheCorpora</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Joseph Volpe]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:45:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Robo-guard the South Korean correction service robot says 'stay out of trouble' (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/"><img alt="Robo-guard the South Korean correction service robot says 'stay out of trouble' (video)" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/roboguardnotrobocop-1334414360.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 329px;" /></a></div>It sounds like the sequel that didn't even make it to DVD: RoboCop's jaded, rotund, less attractive younger brother, who never made the police force -- and tired of living in his sibling's shadow -- took a job as the next best thing: a prison guard. Well, that might not make the silver screen, but it's certainly reality TV. Meet Robo-guard, the world's first <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/robot">robotic</a> correctional officer. Developed in South Korea, Robo-guard is equipped with 3D cameras that let it observe inmates, while special software looks out for changes in behavior. Should anything suspicious be detected, he'll raise the alarm. A lone wolf, he works his beat autonomously, but can also be controlled manually via an iPad, if human colleagues want to check what's going down. Initial field trials are under way right now, and if all goes well, he'll earn a place in more prisons. Who knows, he may even make deputy one day.<p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Robo-guard the South Korean correction service robot says 'stay out of trouble' (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/">Robo-guard the South Korean correction service robot says 'stay out of trouble' (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:35:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20215824/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/robo-guard-south-korean-robotic-guard/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>correctional officer</category><category>CorrectionalOfficer</category><category>prison</category><category>prison guard</category><category>PrisonGuard</category><category>robo-guard</category><category>robocop</category><category>robot</category><category>robot prison guard</category><category>robotic guard</category><category>RoboticGuard</category><category>RobotPrisonGuard</category><category>robots</category><category>south korea</category><category>SouthKorea</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Trew]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:35:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[James Cameron to create sparks with Robogeddon on Discovery Channel]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/"><img alt="James Cameron to create sparks with fighting robots, Robogeddon coming to Discovery Channel" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/robogeddon.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 400px;" /></a></div>Fresh off <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/27/james-cameron-journeys-to-the-challenger-deep/">his return from the briny deep</a>, James Cameron is set to create a television show for the Discovery Channel called Robogeddon. Similar to <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/14/battlebots-headed-to-espn-near-you-now-with-less-suck/">BattleBots</a> and Robot Wars, the program will feature a competitive death match of sorts, where robots tear each other to shreds in pursuit of being the last machine standing. In addition to Cameron's participation, the show will also feature the stamp of Mark Burnett -- famous for such reality television titles as Survivor, Shark Tank and The Voice. It's also said that Donald Hutson, the two-time Super Heavyweight Champion of BattleBots, will be among the show's competitors. No date is set for when we'll see the sparks fly, but if you want to get in on the ground floor, might we suggest hitting your local scrapyard?<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/">James Cameron to create sparks with Robogeddon on Discovery Channel</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:24:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20212797/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/james-cameron-to-create-robogeddon/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>battle</category><category>battles</category><category>death match</category><category>DeathMatch</category><category>discovery</category><category>discovery channel</category><category>DiscoveryChannel</category><category>fighting</category><category>fighting robot</category><category>fighting robots</category><category>FightingRobot</category><category>FightingRobots</category><category>james cameron</category><category>JamesCameron</category><category>robogeddon</category><category>robot</category><category>robot apocalypse</category><category>robot battle</category><category>RobotApocalypse</category><category>RobotBattle</category><category>robots</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zachary Lutz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:24:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Suzumo SushiBot pumps out 300 Kwik-E-Mart rolls per hour (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/2012sushi.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 400px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" /></a></div>We tend to avoid scooping up sushi whenever there's no chef in sight -- at, say, a grocery store, or a gas station -- but we've always assumed there was a human cranking out maki somewhere behind the scenes. If Suzumo's SushiBot makes it to the production line, that may <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/15/chef-robot-makes-its-video-debut-nightmares-forthcoming/">no longer be the case</a>. The compact machine doesn't exude beauty in the traditional sense, but what it lacks in elegance it easily makes up with efficiency. The <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/16/laskmi-dos-table-robot-is-the-segway-for-your-beers/">contraption</a> can plop down rice clumps for nigiri at a rate of 3,600 per hour, and -- perhaps even more impressively -- it can construct one complete sushi roll every 12 seconds, with some human assistance to place fish on the rice. We tend to like the imperfect handmade feel of the traditional Japanese delight, and we're surely not alone, so don't expect to see one these pop up in your neighborhood Asian eatery. Supermarkets, hospitals and airline caterers may be more likely to pick up a SushiBot, however. Hungry? Intrigued? Roll past the break to see how it works.<p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Suzumo SushiBot pumps out 300 Kwik-E-Mart rolls per hour (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/">Suzumo SushiBot pumps out 300 Kwik-E-Mart rolls per hour (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:03:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20210385/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/suzumo-sushibot-sushi-making-robot/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>automation</category><category>cooking</category><category>food</category><category>japan</category><category>japanese</category><category>japanese food</category><category>JapaneseFood</category><category>kitchen</category><category>kitchen gadget</category><category>KitchenGadget</category><category>kitchet gadgets</category><category>KitchetGadgets</category><category>machine</category><category>machines</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>sushi</category><category>sushibot</category><category>suzumo</category><category>suzumo sushibot</category><category>SuzumoSushibot</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zach Honig]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:03:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/08/us-navy-fire-scouts-will-automatically-spot-pirates-give-30-sec/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/08/us-navy-fire-scouts-will-automatically-spot-pirates-give-30-sec/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/08/us-navy-fire-scouts-will-automatically-spot-pirates-give-30-sec/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/08/us-navy-fire-scouts-will-automatically-spot-pirates-give-30-sec/"><img alt="US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/piratesoftheusnavyas.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 379px;" /></a></div>War. <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/wargadget">What is it good for</a>? Well, if new use of technology by the US Navy has anything to do with it, finding Pirates for a start. By upgrading its existing <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/27/mq-8-fire-scout-uav-resists-its-human-opressors-joy-rides-over/">Fire Scouts</a> with new 3D laser imaging tech, it's hoped that the drones will be able to recognize the small ships used by these unscrupulous seafarers. The system, known as LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging, also known as LADAR) uses millions of laser pulses reflected off an object to create the three-dimensional image, which could then referenced against known pirate ships from a database. Ultimately, human operators will make the final call, to avoid any ED-209 style mis-understandings. That said, if you're taking the dingy out past the Californian breakwaters this summer, you might want to keep the stars and stripes in clear view, as that's where the Navy will be running its initial trials.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/08/us-navy-fire-scouts-will-automatically-spot-pirates-give-30-sec/">US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:24:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/08/us-navy-fire-scouts-will-automatically-spot-pirates-give-30-sec/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20210626/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/08/us-navy-fire-scouts-will-automatically-spot-pirates-give-30-sec/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>3d image</category><category>3dImage</category><category>army</category><category>defense</category><category>drone</category><category>Fire Scout</category><category>FireScout</category><category>LADAR</category><category>laser</category><category>LIDAR</category><category>military</category><category>MQ-8</category><category>MQ-8 Fire Scout</category><category>Mq-8FireScout</category><category>MQ-9</category><category>navy</category><category>pirates</category><category>reaper</category><category>robot</category><category>robot apocalypse</category><category>RobotApocalypse</category><category>uac</category><category>uav</category><category>unmanned aerial vehicle</category><category>unmanned aircraft</category><category>UnmannedAerialVehicle</category><category>UnmannedAir</category><category>UnmannedAircraft</category><category>us navy</category><category>UsNavy</category><category>wargadget</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Trew]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:24:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[DARPA's next Grand Challenge to focus on humanoid robots]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/darpas-next-grand-challenge-to-focus-on-humanoid-robots/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/darpas-next-grand-challenge-to-focus-on-humanoid-robots/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/darpas-next-grand-challenge-to-focus-on-humanoid-robots/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/darpas-next-grand-challenge-to-focus-on-humanoid-robots/"><img alt="DARPA's next Grand Challenge to focus on humanoid robots" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/10/boston-dynamics-dedicated-to-the-science-and-art-of-how-things-move.-1.jpg" style="width: 510px; height: 338px;" /></a></div><div> DARPA's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/grandchallenge">Grand Challenges</a> have already helped put plenty of self-driving cars on (closed) roads, but it looks like the agency has something a bit different in mind for its next one. As first reported by <em>Hizook</em>, DARPA has apparently set its sights on <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/humanoid">humanoid robots</a> as its next target -- specifically, robots that are human-like enough to navigate rough terrain, drive a vehicle and manipulate regular tools (the idea being to simulate assisting in an industrial disaster zone). What's more, participants will have to develop robots that can do all of that "semi-autonomously," with only "supervisory teleoperation" permitted. No word on a timeline for the challenge just yet, but DARPA will apparently have more to say when it makes things completely official within the next few weeks.<br /> <br /> [Thanks, Travis]</div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/darpas-next-grand-challenge-to-focus-on-humanoid-robots/">DARPA's next Grand Challenge to focus on humanoid robots</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:34:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/darpas-next-grand-challenge-to-focus-on-humanoid-robots/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20209791/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/06/darpas-next-grand-challenge-to-focus-on-humanoid-robots/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>darpa</category><category>darpa grand challenge</category><category>DarpaGrandChallenge</category><category>grand challenge</category><category>GrandChallenge</category><category>humanoid</category><category>humanoid robot</category><category>HumanoidRobot</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics</category><category>robots</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Donald Melanson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:34:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[See a Qbo robot built from scratch in a minute-and-a-half (time-lapse video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/"><img alt="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/qbo-robot-assembly.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 600px; height: 439px;" /></a></div>Ever wondered just how fast a Qbo robot can be built from scratch? Perhaps not, but TheCorpora is happy to show you anyway. The answer is just under three hours (by a skilled engineer, of course), but the company has managed to whittle that down to a minute-and-a-half thanks to the magic of time-lapse video. Head on past the break to see it for yourself -- and, if you haven't already, catch up with some of the tricks the bot is able to do once it's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/qbo">fully assembled</a>.<p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>See a Qbo robot built from scratch in a minute-and-a-half (time-lapse video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/">See a Qbo robot built from scratch in a minute-and-a-half (time-lapse video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:33:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20209509/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>assembly</category><category>bot</category><category>minipost</category><category>qbo</category><category>robot</category><category>the corpora</category><category>TheCorpora</category><category>time lapse</category><category>time-lapse</category><category>TimeLapse</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Donald Melanson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:33:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Orbotix update proves that six Spheros are better than one (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/"><img alt="Image" height="350" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/2012chromoapps-for-everyone-banner1.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></div>It's far more than a pricey cat toy, but should you really shell out 130 bucks of a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/19/orbotix-sphero-review/">color-changing robotic sphere</a>? Well, if you make it to the video after the break, you might just be buying <em>six</em>. <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/Sphero">Sphero's</a> latest app pairing adds some pretty spiffy interactive games, that could prompt early adopters to make yet another impulse purchase. <em>MacroLab</em> lets you design programs for your flashy mechanical ball, enabling the device to roll every which way while also shifting speed and color. <em>And</em> the Android version supports <em>multiple</em> Spheros, letting you create a routine for an entire set to follow simultaneously. The second app, <em>Chromo</em>, tests memory and coordination, prompting you to move the ball every which way to match colors displayed on your iOS device. Both apps, while <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/19/sphero-goes-modular-spins-out-for-a-drive-video/">excellent video fodder</a>, are likely to grow old just as quickly as the gadget's initial offering. So, if your wallet's not as big as your curiosity, the promo vids waiting just past the break should entertain you almost as much as a proper Sphero can.<p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Orbotix update proves that six Spheros are better than one (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/">Orbotix update proves that six Spheros are better than one (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:25:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20207633/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/orbotix-sphero-MacroLab-Chromo/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>android</category><category>app</category><category>apps</category><category>ar</category><category>augmented reality</category><category>AugmentedReality</category><category>ball</category><category>Chromo</category><category>game</category><category>games</category><category>gaming</category><category>ios</category><category>MacroLab</category><category>minipost</category><category>orbotix</category><category>Orbotix Sphero</category><category>OrbotixSphero</category><category>program</category><category>programming</category><category>review</category><category>robot</category><category>robot ball</category><category>RobotBall</category><category>robotics</category><category>sphero</category><category>toy</category><category>toys</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zach Honig]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:25:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Four HUBOs 'Come Together' for a Drexel Engineering MET-lab demo]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/hubos-play-the-beatles/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/hubos-play-the-beatles/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/hubos-play-the-beatles/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/hubos-play-the-beatles/"><img a="" alt="Four HUBOs " come="" drexel="" engineering="" for="" met-lab="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/hubo-beatles.jpg" style="display: none;" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UMQLX-aw_dc" width="600"></iframe></div>Robot Beatles cover band? Check. Students at <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/drexel/">Drexel University's</a> Music and Entertainment Technology Lab (MET-lab) have developed software that allows <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/15/kaists-hubo-shows-off-some-newfound-dexterity-hides-emotions-b/">HUBO</a> robots to create tunes following a musical score. The Roboband plays the song without human control during the performance -- a demo that combines humanoid tech and creative expression research. Four HUBOs jam the arrangement of the Beatles' "Come Together" by MET-lab student Matthew Prockup on Ringo's mini-kit and three "Hubophones." Drexel and seven other universities in the States are part of a humanoid research collaboration with <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/kaist/">KAIST,</a> the designer of the HUBO robot.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/hubos-play-the-beatles/">Four HUBOs 'Come Together' for a Drexel Engineering MET-lab demo</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:43:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/hubos-play-the-beatles/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20207311/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/hubos-play-the-beatles/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>come together</category><category>ComeTogether</category><category>drexel</category><category>drexel university</category><category>DrexelUniversity</category><category>humanoid</category><category>kaist</category><category>MET-lab</category><category>music</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>the beatles</category><category>TheBeatles</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy Steele]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:43:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mighty morphing hexapod bot is back, now rolls with the punches]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/hexapodbot.jpg" style="margin: 4px; width: 543px; height: 342px;" /></a></div>It's been awhile since we last saw K&aring;re Halvorsen's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/12/spherical-hexapod-robot-walks-like-a-crab-dances-like-the-bogle/">morphing hexapod ball-shaped bot</a>, and in the interim it picked up some new tricks. Before, the MorpHex could only maneuver by scurrying around on its six legs, but now it can move around while still in spherical form. It works by periodically protruding its polycarbonate panels to get rolling, and it stops and turns in similar fashion. Additionally, it's learned some nifty new dance moves and acquired the ability to flummox small children. Don't take our word for it, though, see the thing in action after the break.<p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Mighty morphing hexapod bot is back, now rolls with the punches</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/">Mighty morphing hexapod bot is back, now rolls with the punches</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:41:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20207035/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/mighty-morphing-hexapod-bot-is-back-now-rolls-with-the-punches/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ball</category><category>hexapod</category><category>Kåre Halvorsen</category><category>KåreHalvorsen</category><category>morphex</category><category>morphing</category><category>polycarbonate</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics</category><category>sphere</category><category>spherical</category><category>video</category><category>Zenta</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Gorman]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:41:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/"><img alt="Image" height="399" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/navydsc02984600-1333383621.jpg" style="margin:4px" width="600" /></a></div>
All the fun of the desert and the rainforest from the (relative) comfort of home? Sign us up. That's the promise offered by the admittedly awesomely named <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/17/us-navy-lasr-research-facility-builds-robots-not-ray-guns/">Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research</a> (that's LASR, for you abbreviators out there), first announced last month. The robotics lab, housed in a $17.7 million building at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, offers up around 50,000 square feet, a portion of which is aimed at reproducing some of the Earth's more extreme ecosystems to test out naval robotics. The facility is home to firefighting robots, swimming 'bots and hydrogen fuel cell-powered unmanned aircrafts, to name but a few.<br />
<br />
The Naval Research Laboratory opened the doors of the massive facility up to members of the media today, and Engadget was on-hand along with a moderate sized gathering of fellow reporters. Included in the tour were two simulated environments. The Tropical High Bay is designed to mimic rainforest terrain, with flowing water, fog and climate controlled temperature and humidity. The Desert High Bay is a bit let complex in its environmental simulation, limited to a sand pit, rock way, and adjustable light, smoke and wind.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, an on-site indoor pool is used to challenge aquatic vehicles. Testers demonstrated the Pectoral Fin Swimmer - an autonomous bot inspired by the biological movements of fish, in order to access areas not reached by more traditional propel driven robots. Also on hand was Lucas, a Mobile, Dexterous, Social (MDS) humanoid robot [<em>pictured above</em>] with a Segway base. The laboratory demonstrated how the robot was capable of reasoning in a simulated firefighting scenario - and, equipped with an extinguisher, was capable of putting out a very real fire on the floor of the facility.<br />
<br />
We'll have a more in-depth tour of the facility in the near future. In the meantime, check out a sneak-peek of what we saw in the gallery below.<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/us-navy-shows-off-its-new-lasr-autonomous-robot-testing-facility/">US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/us-navy-shows-off-its-new-lasr-autonomous-robot-testing-facility/#4934471"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/navydsc02984600_thumbnail.jpg" alt="US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility" title="US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/us-navy-shows-off-its-new-lasr-autonomous-robot-testing-facility/#4934473"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/navydsc02899800_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/us-navy-shows-off-its-new-lasr-autonomous-robot-testing-facility/#4934475"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/navydsc02900800_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/us-navy-shows-off-its-new-lasr-autonomous-robot-testing-facility/#4934476"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/navydsc02908800_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/us-navy-shows-off-its-new-lasr-autonomous-robot-testing-facility/#4934477"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/04/navydsc02909800_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/">US Navy shows off its new LASR autonomous robot testing facility</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20206345/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/us-navy-autonomous-robot-facility/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>autonomous</category><category>lasr</category><category>lucas</category><category>naval</category><category>Naval Research Laboratory</category><category>NavalResearchLaboratory</category><category>navy</category><category>robot</category><category>robotics</category><category>us navy</category><category>UsNavy</category><category>wargadget</category><category>washington dc</category><category>WashingtonDc</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Heater]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hume: the bipedal 'Parkour' robot (video)]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/"><img alt="Hume: the bipedal parkour robot" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/03/bipedal.jpg" style="margin: 4px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" /></a></div>A future threatened by wild <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/02/boston-dynamics-alpha-dog-makes-alyx-vances-pet-look-like-a-toy/">robotic rottweilers</a> with no humanoid dog-walkers to keep them in check? That <em>must not </em>happen. Fortunately, we'll have a fleet-footed droid named "Hume" to keep us safe: he's the work of engineers at Meka Robotics and the University of Texas at Austin, who want to be the first to build a bipedal robot with Parkour skills, aka rough terrain free-running or "Human-Centered Hyper-Agility". Sure, they still have some way to go, but watch the video after the break, then imagine it without the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/15/mabel-running-robot-snags-bipedal-speed-title-cue-rocky-theme/">wobbly coat stand</a>, and then re-imagine it from the POV of an angry pup.<p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Hume: the bipedal 'Parkour' robot (video)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/">Hume: the bipedal 'Parkour' robot (video)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:54:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20200485/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/26/hume-the-bipedal-parkour-robot/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>bipedal</category><category>free-running</category><category>Hume</category><category>Meka Robotics</category><category>MekaRobotics</category><category>Parkour</category><category>robot</category><category>robot apocalypse</category><category>RobotApocalypse</category><category>robotics</category><category>University of Texas</category><category>university of texas at austin</category><category>UniversityOfTexas</category><category>UniversityOfTexasAtAustin</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Sharif Sakr]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:54:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Inhabitat's Week in Green: supersonic biplane, urban algae farm and magnetic tattoos]]></title><link>http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/25/supersonic-biplane-robot-jellyfish-high-line-fisker-nissan/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/25/supersonic-biplane-robot-jellyfish-high-line-fisker-nissan/</guid><comments>http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/25/supersonic-biplane-robot-jellyfish-high-line-fisker-nissan/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div> <i>Each week our friends at <a href="http://inhabitat.com/">Inhabitat</a> recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br /> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/25/supersonic-biplane-robot-jellyfish-high-line-fisker-nissan/"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/03/supersonicbiplaneuutjb.jpg" style="margin:4px" /></a></div><br />Energy-efficient transportation soared to new heights this week as MIT unveiled designs for a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/fuel-efficient-supersonic-biplane-promises-to-be-the-successor-to-the-concorde/">supersonic biplane</a> that promises to be the successor to the Concorde. Meanwhile Boeing, Airbus and Embraer partnered to develop a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/boeing-airbus-and-embraer-partner-to-develop-affordable-biofuels/">new breed of affordable biofuels</a>, and Volkswagen used <a href="http://inhabitat.com/volkswagen-uses-space-foil-to-make-cars-safer/">space foil</a> to make cars safer. In hot car news, Porsche announced plans to release a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/porsche-announces-it-will-release-plug-in-hybrid-panamera-in-2014/">plug-in hybrid Panamera</a> in 2014, and we brought you sneak peeks of several sexy electric vehicles that will be unveiled at the New York Auto Show in just over a week: <a href="http://inhabitat.com/fisker-releases-a-sketch-of-its-nina-plug-in-hybrid-ahead-of-new-york-auto-show-debut/">Fisker's Nina plug-in hybrid</a> and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/infiniti-to-unveil-new-nissan-leaf-based-ev-at-new-york-auto-show/">Infiniti's new Nissan leaf-based EV</a>.<br /><br />On the subject of energy efficiency, it was a big week for clean tech as <a href="http://inhabitat.com/">Inhabitat</a> reported that the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/worlds-most-powerful-wind-turbine-to-be-installed-off-belgian-coast/">world's most powerful wind turbine</a> was just installed off the Belgian coast, and the National Ignition Facility flipped the switch on the world's first <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nif-team-fires-worlds-first-2-megajoule-ultraviolet-laser-in-attempt-to-unlock-nuclear-fusion/">two-megajoule ultraviolet laser</a> in an attempt to unlock nuclear fusion. Meanwhile, scientists discovered a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/scientists-believes-trees-could-provide-electricity-to-power-entire-infrastructures/">link between trees and electricity</a> by studying the way they affecty the concentration of positive and negative ions in the air, and OriginOil announced plans for an <a href="http://inhabitat.com/urban-algae-farms-could-heat-buildings-while-treating-wastewater/">urban algae farm</a> near Paris that will heat buildings while treating wastewater. The solar industry heard good news this week as a report showed that solar installations in the US <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-installations-in-the-us-more-than-doubled-in-2011/">more than doubled</a> in 2011, and President Obama toured the states touting his "<a href="http://inhabitat.com/obama-travels-the-us-touting-all-of-the-above-approach-to-energy-on-the-stump/">all of the above</a>" approach to energy.<br /><br />This week <a href="http://inhabitat.com/">Inhabitat</a> also showcased several amazing public infrastructure projects - including a series of gigantic <a href="http://inhabitat.com/giant-fruit-shaped-bus-stops-line-streets-in-japan/">fruit-shaped bus shelters</a> in Japan, gmp Architekten's gorgeous new <a href="http://inhabitat.com/gmp-architekten-to-design-gorgeous-new-hangzhou-south-railway-station/">Hangzhou South Railway Station</a>, the fresh new designs for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/designs-unveiled-for-the-final-section-of-the-high-line/">section 3 of NYC's High Line elevated park</a>, and a soaring <a href="http://inhabitat.com/michael-green-unveils-wooden-tallwood-skyscraper-for-vancouver/">30-storey-tall wood skyscraper in Vancouver</a>.<br /><a href="http://inhabitat.com/virginia-tech-team-creates-a-self-charging-robo-jellyfish/"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/03/jelly.jpg" style="margin:4px; float: right; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a><br />In robot news, a Virginia Tech team created a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/virginia-tech-team-creates-a-self-charging-robo-jellyfish/">self-charging robo-Jellyfish</a> that harvests hydrogen fuel from water, and we shared <a href="http://mylifescoop.com/featured-stories/2012/03/6-amazing-inventions-made-possible-by-nanotechnology.html?page=1">6 incredible inventions</a> made possible by nanotechnology. F.A.T. Labs released a <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/free-universal-construction-kit-by-f-a-t-labs-connects-legos-to-tinkertoys-and-8-other-building-blocks/">Free Universal Construction Kit</a> that can connect LEGOs to 8 other types of building blocks, and Amazon <a href="http://inhabitat.com/amazon-acquires-a-robot-company-to-improve-working-conditions-in-its-warehouses/">purchased a robot company</a> to improve working conditions in its warehouses. As most of you probably know, This American Life issued a retraction of its <a href="http://inhabitat.com/npr-retracts-apple-factory-expose-but-many-horrific-truths-still-remain/">Apple factory expos&eacute;</a> - and while <a href="http://inhabitat.com/npr-retracts-apple-factory-expose-but-many-horrific-truths-still-remain/">Mike Daisey may lost his credibility</a>, we believe strongly that distrust in the integrity of his "reporting", should not be a reason for consumers to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/npr-retracts-apple-factory-expose-but-many-horrific-truths-still-remain/">turn a blind eye</a> to working conditions at Foxconn and other electronics ODMs. This week Nokia filed a patent for <a href="http://www.ecouterre.com/is-nokia-planning-magnetic-tattoos-that-vibrate-when-someone-calls/">magnetic tattoos</a> that could vibrate when someone calls, and we learned that free smartphone applications could consume <a href="http://inhabitat.com/free-smartphone-applications-can-consume-75-of-your-battery-life/">75% more energy</a> than paid versions. Speaking of mobile phones, new research linked <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/cell-phone-radiation-during-pregnancy-linked-to-behavioral-disorders-of-offspring/">cellphone radiation during pregnancy</a> to behavioral disorders in offspring so we looked at ways pregnant mothers can <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/how-to-protectyour-baby-from-cell-phone-radiation-risks-during-pregnancy/">protect their babies from potential cellphone radiation exposure</a>. Last but not least, we brought you an interesting high-tech clothing concept from Stella McCartney - a <a href="http://www.ecouterre.com/adidas-by-stella-mccartneys-tennis-bra-includes-built-in-heart-sensor/">sports bra with a built-in heart sensor</a>.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/25/supersonic-biplane-robot-jellyfish-high-line-fisker-nissan/">Inhabitat's Week in Green: supersonic biplane, urban algae farm and magnetic tattoos</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.engadget.com">Engadget</a> on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:26:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/25/supersonic-biplane-robot-jellyfish-high-line-fisker-nissan/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/20200281/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/25/supersonic-biplane-robot-jellyfish-high-line-fisker-nissan/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>alloftheabove</category><category>Apple</category><category>cellphone</category><category>cellphone radiation</category><category>CellphoneRadiation</category><category>energy</category><category>energy efficient</category><category>EnergyEfficient</category><category>Foxconn</category><category>inhabitat</category><category>inhabitatsweekingreen</category><category>LEGO</category><category>LEGOs</category><category>MIT</category><category>NYC</category><category>robot</category><category>robots</category><category>sefl-charging</category><category>thisweekingreen</category><category>turbines</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Inhabitat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:26:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
