RobotApocalypse
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The fascinating, frightening drones and robots of CES 2015
At CES 2015 you could hardly turn your head without smacking into a 4K display, but finding a robot companion takes a bit of legwork. Luckily, we trolled the halls of the LVCC and beyond to find the most exciting (and often frightening) advances in unmanned technology. From drones that track you through the desert to an Android employee with lifelike expressions, check out the video and photo tours below to witness the fascinating future of robots and drones at CES 2015. For a closer look at these robots, drones and more check out our 2015 CES Field Guide.
A restaurant in China lets robots do a lot of the work
Let's face it, the Robot Apocalypse is near. Just a few days ago, we met A.L.O Botlr, a robot from the high-tech Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, California that acts as a butler. Naturally, the food industry, as important as it is, couldn't stay behind, so here's where a new restaurant in China comes in. Simply called Robot Restaurant, the place, located in Kunshan, China, has over a dozen androids in its staff. Some of them are waiters, others cook and a couple greet customers as they come in -- sorry, everyone, no booze-carting servers here. Robot Restaurant's owner and founder, Song Yugang, that his peculiar staff members can understand about 40 "everyday sentences," making them smart enough to interact with human customers. Most importantly, he adds, "They can't get sick or ask for vacation. After charging up for two hours they can work for five hours."
Nintendo lands 'remotely controlled mobile device control' patent
You know those goofy tennis racket peripherals that allow for Wiimote insertion? Or, perhaps more sensibly, those Guitar Hero axes that wouldn't function without a Wiimote planted at the heart? Looks as if Nintendo's going to do us all one better. Based on a rambling new patent granted to the Big N this week, the company now holds the power to concoct a "remotely controlled mobile device control system." Distilled down, the verbiage describes a Wiimote-type controller being embedded within a "remote controlled toy," which would then be (unsurprisingly) used in conjunction with a game console. Essentially, this opens the door for Honda to develop a new variant of ASIMO that takes commands via an embedded Wii controller... or, for a Wii-infused robot to turn on its owner and commit unspeakable crimes against humanity. But hey, it'll probably be pretty cute.
Carnegie Mellon's Chimp robot is reporting for duty, sir
See that guy? He's for real. He's also from Pittsburgh. A team of wizards from Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Center is presently building a new "human-scale" robot in order to compete in DARPA's Robotics Challenge. Part of its charm revolves around the rubberized tracks on its feet as well as on the extremities of each of its four limbs -- not surprisingly, these are engineered to help it maneuver in some pretty sticky situations. According to the institution, it'll move much link a tank, but it'll also be able to chug along on the treads of just two limbs when needed, such as when it must use one or more limbs to open a valve, or to operate power tools. Oh, and in case you're curious, CMU has affirmed that it'll "be able to perform complex, physically challenging tasks through supervised autonomy," which sounds precisely like the kind of vague description an ill-willed robot would explain to its master before completely taking over his / her life. Just sayin'.
Poll: Engadget Expand asks: What should robots be helping us with?
We're just a few days away from Expand, and all of us are insanely excited about the agenda we have lined up. To get you pumped for our Sunday morning session with Chris Anderson (CEO, 3D Robotics and former editor-in-chief, Wired), Steve Cousins (CEO, Willow Garage) and Marc Raibert (President & Chief Robot Lover, Boston Dynamics) we have a little thought experiment for you. Read on to take our short and sweet robotics poll...
BigDog four-legged robot adds an arm, throws for the scouts (video)
Of all the robots we fear will one day rise up and subjugate humanity to an unyielding reign of terror, none is closer to our hearts than Boston Dynamic's awesome -- and terrifying, as seen in its 2008 video -- BigDog. This Army Research Laboratory-funded project that aims to navigate uneven terrain for up to 24 hours while carrying hundreds of pounds of equipment is showing off an all-new ability: throwing. In a tryout video (embedded after the break) that comes just a little too late for the NFL Combine, Boston Dynamics demonstrates how BigDog uses its arm to not only pick up an unsuspecting cinder block, but coordinate the strength of the legs and torso to step into a toss. The robot isn't throwing 100mph heat just yet, but after previously displaying its horns, even this short teaser is adding a fresh twist to our nightmares.
Robovie the talking robot gets schooled by elementary students
Higashihikari elementary school welcomed a robot through its doors this week. A new model Robovie will join the Japanese school's students for classes over 14 months, aiming to gain sentience strike up interactions with multiple people -- and learn from it. The Robovie's conversation level is apparently equal to a five-year-old child, although it's been augmented with all the know-how of a fifth-grade science textbook and preloaded with 119 facial photos and voiceprints of teachers and students. It's the first long-term project for the International Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute's 1.2-meter bot, with the scientists reckoning that the school environment should offer its robot major input.
DARPA's Pet-Proto robot climbs, balances, jumps, comes to get you
While Boston Dynamics' Cheetah has already premiered, speeding along on its robot-friendly treadmill, we've now got a better glimpse at how the similarly DARPA-funded human-hunting obstacle-scaling Atlas fares, courtesy of its ancestor. That's the Pet-Proto you can see in the video below, balancing and leaping across narrow terrain, conducting its own "autonomous decision-making" and keeping upright -- all very important points for DARPA's own Robotics Challenge, a competition where winners will gain access to their very own modified version of the Atlas for future disaster response tests. Watch the Pet-Proto gradually advance towards camera right after the break. And we'll sleep with one eye open.
Heroes in a half shell: autonomous robot sea turtles in development
Sure you could have a robot assist you around the home, or even one that'll make factories friendlier, but we'll opt for a robot sea turtle any day of the week. The Swiss folks over at ETH Zurich are working on making that a reality with the Naro-Tartaruga, a turtle-inspired machine that would swim efficiently while carrying cargo in its shell. It's currently a cylindrical aluminum vessel with a couple of flippers, but concept designs include that totally bad-ass bot in the image above. The turtle-bot has a top speed of over 7 knots, so it'll handily beat any real sea turtle in a race, and the big torso has enough space for battery and sensors that are necessary for autonomous function. The fins on the turtle have a fully three-dimensional mechanism -- there are three actuators per fin, and each actuate the fin axle independently. The end goal is for the development of underwater autonomous vehicles, which will hopefully bring us one step closer to SeaQuest DSV. In the meantime, we'd like one just so we can freak the hell out of our cats.
Alt-week 9.29.12: 3D pictures of the moon, 4D clocks and laser-controlled worms
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. Dimensions, they're like buses. You wait for ages, and then three come along at once. And then another one right after that. While that might be about where the analogy ends, this week sees us off to the moon, where we then leap from the third, right into the fourth. Once there, we'll learn how we could eventually be controlled by lasers, before getting up close and personal with a 300 million-year old bug. Sound like some sort of psychedelic dream? Better than that, this is alt-week.
Scientists develop robotic tentacle that can pick flowers, make us thumb our collars
Okay, it's a little too late for Johnny 5's grass hopper, but thanks to new "gentle" robotic tentacles developed at Harvard University, future generations of insects could escape a similar demise. Researchers have created a new soft appendage made from flexible plastic, that uses three compartmentalized air channels to achieve a snake-like range of movement. The touch of the tentacle is so light, that it is able to pick flowers without damage. While suggested applications include working with fragile objects, or in hard to reach locations, the team also experimented by adding cameras, suction cups and -- most terrifyingly -- syringes to the tip. The only limitation, apparently, is that the air channels prevent it from being scaled down. So while our insect friends are safe from strangle-bot, we might not be so lucky.
Boston Dynamics' Cheetah robot will hunt you down faster than any person (video)
Let's face it, we're doomed as a species, because one day, Boston Dynamics is gonna unleash its army of DARPA-funded droids and wipe us all out. The company's sprinting robot, Cheetah, has now broken the land-speed record for humans, clocking speeds of 29.3 miles per hour, meaning not even the 27.79mph Usain Bolt can escape. Fortunately for us, it's got a fatal flaw; a balance problem that means it can only remain upright with a boom keeping it steady. Unfortunately, that's not going to be a problem for long, since field-testing on an independently upright version begins early next year. We'd wish you sweet dreams, but, you know, we're too busy building an underground shelter.
50 quadrocopters take to Austria's skies for synchronized swarm (video)
If AscTec's Hummingbird quadrocopters continue to fly around in your nightmares, you might not want to watch their latest video -- even if they resemble hypnotic robot fireworks. Ars Electronica Futurelab and Ascending Technologies teamed up for this latest show, programming 50 LED-equipped quadrocopters to frolic over the Danube last week. Watch them dance after the break.
Robot made from paper spells doom for the trees in the Robopocalypse (video)
A paper tiger might have a bark that's worse than its bite, but that proverb might not be valid once you've seen the Mechanical Paper Robot. The brainchild of artist / genius Kikousya, it's entirely constructed from dead trees, a few rubber bands and some dowel. We suggest you watch the amazing video after the break and, if you're looking to build your own, head down to the source link for the instructions. After all, given the cost of those robotic bulls, scary babies and giant mecha, Skynet's gonna need some wallet-friendly foot-soldiers for the Robopocalypse.
The mighty Kuratas gets assembled on video
It'll cost you $1.35 million to own one, but putting together a Kuratas isn't any easier. The latest video of the monstrous mech shows it being transported and assembled. That means flatbeds, cranes and a whole lot of socket wrenches. Of course, at the end of the day, you've got a 13-foot tall robot you can climb inside. Certainly puts that Ikea bookshelf project into perspective, huh?
Kuratas, the 13-foot mech: unleashes your inner Ripley, costs $1.35 million (video)
Suidobashi Heavy Industries has put the finishing touches to its latest project, the 4.4-ton Kuratas. Mobile suit obsessives around the world can thank artist Kogoro Kurata and robotics expert Wataru Yoshizaki for the robot frame, which has space to house a pilot inside. The mech's touchscreen UI even includes a Kinect-based movement interface and the shudder-inducing "smile-activated" twin BB gatling guns. You can customize your own diesel-powered beast in the dystopian gang colors of your choosing, but be advised: the $1.35 million price tag doesn't include further customization options like a faux leather interior, cup holder or phone cubby. The Kuratas does, however, come with the ability to make phone calls direct from the cockpit, so you can tell your enemies that you're coming for them.
Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps (video)
It's taken a year to get the sinister ticks and motions of Osaka University's Affetto baby head out of our nightmares -- and now it's grown a torso. Walking that still-precarious line between robots and humans, the animated robot baby now has a pair of arms to call its own. The prototype upper body has a babyish looseness to it -- accidentally hitting itself in the face during the demo video -- with around 20 pneumatic actuators providing the movement. The face remains curiously paused, although we'd assume that the body prototype hasn't been paired with facial motions just yet, which just about puts it the right side of adorable. However, the demonstration does include some sinister faceless dance motions. It's right after the break -- you've been warned.
Bots edit Wikipedia, clean up your nonsense
Wikipedia, a triumph of human effort, knowledge and collaboration... or so we thought. Turns out that along with the tens of thousands of brains regularly editing the online encyclopedia, hundreds of bots also patrol the virtual aisles keeping us in check. Some of the bots take care of the boring stuff -- organizing, formatting and other admin. Others correct the wrongdoings of wiki-villains, such as removing off-topic vandalism and naughty language. In the beginning, pages were even created by select bots, pulling data from various sources to create bare bones records for our keystrokes to flesh out. They do a pretty good job, but there are fears that a rogue bot will one day ruin a lot of hard work, although due to the privileges needed it would have to be an inside job. So now you know -- the machines not only have access to the largest single collection of human knowledge, but they edit it for us too. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Joyride to joystick: Atari controller custom-built from car seat adjuster
So you've survived the robot revolution and you're waiting for either a full-blown apocalypse, or Mr. Anderson. But how are you going to kill time when our new masters are eating controller PCBs for breakfast? With a steampunk joystick, of course. Jason Torchinsky from Jalopnik has done just that, making an Atari 2600 controller by repurposing a power seat control switch panel from a 1980s Oldsmobile. It's no Avenger Controller Elite, but it certainly does the job, and due to a standardized wiring layout it's functional on other hardware of the same era. And for all you MAME heroes, Jason says it would be no more complicated to hook it up to a PC or Mac using a USB keyboard encoder. Follow the source link for a neat walkthrough of the project and jump over the break to see a video of the seat switch in action, shot in the mancave of yesteryear. Update: We've removed the video at the owner's request, but you can check it out at the source link below.
Eight floppy drives recreate the theme from Game of Thrones, stake claim to the seven Kingdoms
Should the robots ever form an alliance and turn against us, all we need to do is call on people like Anand Jin to save us. Why? Because it's folk of his ilk that are the pied pipers of the machine world. We've seen disk drives coerced into recreating Daft Punk, and Bo-Rhap extorted from an Atari 800XL. Now, we can watch the aforementioned Anand eke the theme from Game of Thrones out of eight floppy drives. There's more info on his YouTube channel if you're curious to know the hows and whys. Much as we enjoy the performance, hearing the theme again just brings up bad memories of last week's ending.
