RobotApocalypse
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Chiba University's one-armed robot juggles balls, is not a Juggalo (video)
Two balls, one hand? In this case, that's a definite yes, although the end result is much more appropriate for all ages. Furthering our slow creep towards engineering's Uncanny Valley, comes a cybernetic effort out of Japan's Chiba University that's made to mock our most precious clown-past time: juggling. The one-armed, three-fingered robot, shown off at the 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, utilizes a high-speed camera to track a ball's flight at 500fps and help coordinate its repetitive movements with eerie precision. The current setup's not without hitches, though, considering the bot's fixed shoulder joint can only carry out successful catches on a 2D plane before, quite literally, dropping the ball. Refinements are apparently on the way to expand the cyborg limb's range of motion which, of course, will only serve to defeat us in the end. Robot apocalypse, we're looking at you.
Environmentally friendly robots will feed the flowers they trample
Dr Jonathan Rossiter, a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol's Department of Engineering and Mathematics, has snagged a two-year research grant of over £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 the day comes, the planet won't be harmed.
James Cameron to create sparks with Robogeddon on Discovery Channel
Fresh off his return from the briny deep, James Cameron is set to create a television show for the Discovery Channel called Robogeddon. Similar to BattleBots 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?
US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply
War. What is it good for? 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 Fire Scouts 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.
Cute mini-robots compete for championship title, gladiator freedom (video)
If you thought a robot fighting championship just sounds like the plot for a Hugh Jackman vehicle, you'd be partly right. We'll tell you who does have the real steel though, the plucky fellas you see above. They're competing for this year's ROBO-ONE championship, an annual competition where humanoid robots slug it out to the death (or power failure at least) held this weekend in Kawasaki, Japan. This is no toy fair either, with contestants bagging a $12,000 pot if their android-avatar wins the crown. This year, that title goes to GAROO, winning for the second time in a row by defeating Gargoyle Mini for the spoils. Rumors of LED gouging were unfounded, as you'll see in the video after the round... we mean break.
Hume: the bipedal 'Parkour' robot (video)
A future threatened by wild robotic rottweilers with no humanoid dog-walkers to keep them in check? That must not 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 wobbly coat stand, and then re-imagine it from the POV of an angry pup.
Neato Robotics' XV-21 vacuum sucks up pet hair and allergens, looks like a new-age SNES
Sure, iRobot may have a strong presence in the impending robot apocolypse world of autonomous vacuum cleaners, but lest we forget about the others like Neato Robotics. The company's introducing the retro-futuristic XV-21 Pet and Allergy Vacuum for those of us wanting rid our domains of sniffle-inducing dust particles. Although the XV-21 looks similar to last year's XV-12, it features a new filter for improved airflow and suction, which Neato claims will catch three-times as many tiny bits around your domain as its normal kit. If that wasn't enough, the cleaner is also loaded with newly developed bristled brush to aid in sweeping up the likes of pet hair while keeping its noise levels to a minimum. If you're ready to leave the cleaning to the bots, this little guy is set to hit shelves in late April for $429 alongside a $60 Pet and Allergy kit packed with the filter (30 bucks on its own) and brush. Current Neato owners shouldn't fret either, as the add-ons are compatible with all of the company's vacuums, requiring only an upgrade to the latest firmware via USB. You'll find the full details in the press release after the break.
DARPA's 'Avatar project' aims to give soldiers surrogate robots, make James Cameron proud
In a fevered mash up of blockbuster films directed by James Cameron, DARPA is looking to put soldier controlled bi-pedal robots on the battlefield. Think Terminator meets Avatar. The agency has set aside $7 million of it's $2.8 billion 2012 budget to develop an "Avatar program" that will "develop interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bi-pedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier's surrogate." DARPA isn't talking about simple remote control rigs, either -- these 'bots are being designed to clear rooms, and facilitate sentry control and combat casualty recovery. The new budget also sets aside $4.1 million to design laser countermeasures to protect military weapons, well, lasers -- ensuring that the future's robot soldiers will be nigh indestructible when they rebel against their human hosts.
AlphaDog robo pack-mule begins outdoor trials, noisily hikes into your nightmares
Boston Dynamics' LS3, better known 'round these parts as AlphaDog, has already wowed us with a display of its stability, power and mobility. Thing is, that little clip we caught back in October took place entirely within the safe and purposefully laid out confines of a laboratory. So, the question is, what happens when you take the rather noisy quadruped outside and strap a bunch of weight to it? Well, pretty much the same thing that happened while it was nice and cozy inside -- the beast powered through the reasonably rugged terrain with nary a hitch. By the end of the tests DARPA hopes to have a mighty robotic porter capable of carrying 400 pounds of gear up to 20 miles without refueling. Though, the trek is expected to be slow and arduous as a full 24 hours is target time frame for such a journey. For full PR and to see the bot in action head on after the break.
Acrobatic quadrocopters hunt in packs, seduce you into submission (video)
We've kept a pretty stern eye on the development of GRASP Lab's quadrocopters, and with good reason it seems, now that the four-bladed aerial ninjas have even more alarming abilities at their disposal. In the video after the break, watch them hold a variety of complex formations like it's no thing -- even while on the move. The 'copters can also take flight, or resume position, after being thrown into the air, navigating real world obstacles with deft fluidity. It's part of University of Pennsylvania's Scalable sWarms of Autonomous Robots and Mobile Sensors project (conveniently SWARMS for short), which is responsible for developing the air-born acrobats' new grouping skills. They say it's an attempt to replicate swarming habits in nature, though we're not convinced.
Researchers develop 'wireless optical brain router' to manipulate brain cells
Optogenetics might be a relatively unknown area of neuroscience, but it's one that, thanks to some new research, could soon find itself (and its rodental subjects) in the spotlight. For the uninitiated, it's the practice of manipulating animal cells using light (with a little help from gene therapy). Until now, optogenetic equipment has been large and unwieldy, making testing on subjects (read: rats) painstaking. Startup, Kendall Research, has changed all this, creating wireless prototypes that weigh just three grams (0.11 ounces). By eschewing bulky Lasers for LEDs and Laser diodes, the equipment is small enough that it can be attached to the rodents. At that point, their brain function can be manipulated with the touch of a button, and different parts can be stimulated without breeding mutant variants -- a controversial practice that doesn't even yield results in real time. The "router" is powered wirelessly by super capacitors below test area, and researchers can conduct experiments remotely, even automatically. Human applications for this are still some way off, but we're sure our future overlords will make good use of it.
Quadrocopters don creepy eyes, build synthetic Christmas tree of envy (video)
First we let them play music, then they started juggling. Now quadrocopters are feeling emotions as well; namely, jealousy. One of Flying Machine Arena's dainty quadrocopters, nicknamed Juliet, was compelled to build its own synthetic Christmas tree after spying an authentic fir through a glass window. Sure, stacked bricks of festive foam seem innocent enough, but look into those ping-pong ball eyes and tell us you aren't a little worried that next year's "war on Christmas" will be the machine's war on humans. Fly past the break to see Juliet's envious construction project for yourself.
Programmable robots coming to Korean stores, will assimilate your Android phone
South Korea loves its robots. While the country prepares them to teach the kids and guard its prisons, smartphone-compatible models are now propping up shelves in hobbyist shops. Dongbu Robot (previously Dasarobot) is launching several new products for wannabe bot engineers, but it's the Google OS-compatible HOVIS kits that caught our eye. While we already know Android-powered bots can make a mean cocktail, these kits will get new features programmed to them through a phone's Bluetooth and WiFi connections. The basic wheeled model can be upgraded to fully-fledged legs, while Dongbu Robot is working alongside the country's SK Telecom network to offer speech recognition as the first software add-on, with plans for education and home security all in the pipeline. The price of sowing the seeds of the Robopocalypse? Around $620 for the starter model. Sound like too much? Well, there's always Romo.
Ladder-climbing robot brings us one step closer to extinction (video)
Will finding high ground save you when SkyNet becomes self-aware and Terminators annihilate the human race? Doubtful, thanks to Japanese robotics company Muscle Corp., which has built a robot that can climb ladders...and other stuff. "Dream Robo" certainly isn't the first wall-climbing robot, but its eerie anthropomorphic shape is guaranteed to send its victims into paroxysms of terror when it slowly, inexorably make its way up the side of a building to sate its hunger for human blood. Muscle Corp. President Hirofumi Tamai says the robot only took three months to build, with 15 companies collaborating to create the vertical killing machine. The device incorporates five motors: two in the shoulders, two in the legs, one in the back, all of which can be seen in action in the video above. No word on the specs of the beams that rain hot, fiery death from its chitinous, soulless black eyes, but we'll be honest -- our fear wouldn't allow us to inquire.
SSTL designs cheap radar satellite, UK government kicks in £21 million to build it
While we have an innate fear of the eye in the sky (and the role it'll play in the coming robot apocalypse), there's no doubt that observation satellites do a lot of good -- from recording weather and climate changes to helping coordinate relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) has plans to beef up planetary monitoring capabilities with its new NovaSAR satellite, and the company just received £21 million from the UK government to make it happen. NovaSAR works using synthetic aperture radar, so it can see through clouds (unlike optical satellites) and offers its services for £45 million -- or 20 percent of the cost of existing space radar platforms. With governmental funding in hand, SSTL can begin to develop and build its first such satellite, and the plan is to put it in orbit in two or three years. If NovaSAR does what it's been designed to do, SSTL hopes it can sell and launch enough of them so that any place on earth can be under its gaze in less than 24 hours. We're all for improving disaster relief efforts, but if you spy these sats overhead on a clear night, we recommend keeping an ear to the ground in case they're guiding an army of Alpha Dogs your way.
Ant-Roach inflatable robot can carry a family, scare the kids (video)
This 15-foot inflatable pneumatic beast is a confusing mix of child-like inflatable wonder and cold, brutal, robopocalypse-beckoning science. The Ant-Roach (half-anteater, half, er, roach) is still a concept device, with inflatable actuators on the legs doing the heavy lifting -- apparently up to 1,000 pounds. Manifolds are peppered along the beast's underbelly, with a microcontroller obeying its soft-stomping orders by wireless signal. While it battles for our inflatable robot affections, you can check it (just about) conquering shallow water right after the break. P.S. We'd be remiss if we didn't point out that the same lab has also developed an inflatable robot arm. Check it out after the break as well.
Honda's ASIMO robot sheds a few pounds, gets all autonomous on us (video)
We've already seen it dance, sing and read minds, but Honda's ASIMO humanoid has now taken that one great leap into decidedly more dystopian territory. The revamped bot, pictured above (and apparently doing its best Herman Cain impression), was unveiled today in Japan, sporting a streamlined physique and scarily adept mind. In fact, Honda claims that its bot is now less "automated" than it is "autonomous" -- all thanks to new behavior control technology that allows it to move and make decisions on its own, independent of human operators. Its external recognition capability and set of onboard visual and auditory sensors enable it to rapidly process information about its environment, which the ASIMO then uses to plot its next move. Combining long- and short-term sensor data, the droid can predict human movements and automatically recognize voices or gestures. Because of this, Honda says, the ASIMO could be more easily integrated within social environments, and peacefully coexist with its human prey counterparts. Physically, meanwhile, the robot's looking svelter than ever, having shed a full six kilograms. It can now run at a maximum speed of 9 kilometers per hour, jump up and down for as long as it wants, and even hop on one leg, should it ever need to. Plus, its hands are now more dexterous than ever, thanks to new independent finger control functions that allow it to handle the most delicate of tasks -- like pouring you a stiff one after work, or before your inevitable demise. Check out more images in the gallery below, or hop past the break for a video and accompanying press release. %Gallery-138746%
Foxconn chairman signs letter of intent for 'intelligent robot kingdom,' we cower in fear
It looks like FRIDA and friends are about ready to get comfy over at Foxconn. Following the company's August announcement that it would infiltrate its ranks with one million robots in the next three years, Focus Taiwan is reporting that the manufacturer's parent company, Hon Hai, is moving forward on its plans to build an "intelligent robotics kingdom" in the Central Taiwan Science Park. Chairman Terry Gou reportedly signed a letter of intent with Taichung mayor Jason Hu last Saturday, confirming its plans to erect a plant dedicated to the production of robots and automation equipment. That robo-mecca is expected to draw some serious scratch, with an estimated production-value boost of NT$120 billion (about $4 billion) and the creation of 2,000 jobs. How many of those positions will be filled by headless automatons remains to be seen.
TBCP-II tank robot climbs walls with gecko-inspired feet (video)
Taking a cue from nature and perhaps Geico, researchers at Simon Fraser University Burnaby have created a gecko-inspired robot, the Timeless Belt Climbing Platform (TBCP-II), capable of climbing smooth walls or across ceilings with lizard-like foot pads. The feet, made out of fibrillar adhesive polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), act as grip thanks to a small mushroom cap design 17 micrometers wide and 10 micrometers high for maximum surface exposure. The 240g tank-like machine is also somewhat independent, using sensors to detect its surroundings to change course based on obstacles in its way, taking us one step closer to... the inevitable. Check out the video and full PR after the break.
