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Ubtech's updated Walker robot does 'yoga' and pours drinks
As with many international trade shows, CES is a place where you're bound to bump into familiar faces. In my case, I regrouped with Walker, Ubtech's humanoid robot, who was kind enough to grab me a can of Coke and Pringles last year. Today, this five-foot-tall machine doesn't look any different, though it has gained a software update that not only lets it walk around more quickly but also gives it a robust self-balancing capability, which in turn allows it to lift heavier objects.
My robot butler dreams are getting closer to reality
The last time I fully interacted with a robot was when ASUS launched the Zenbo back in 2016. As cute as it was, the fact that it lacked arms meant it couldn't exactly help out with everyday tasks. Ironically, two years later Honda discontinued its iconic humanoid robot, Asimo, which painted a grim future for home robots. But not all is lost. Chinese robot maker Ubtech has been developing its own machine with all four limbs, which ended up being the Walker. Here at CES, I got to spend some quality time with this charming robot, and despite the controlled nature of the demo, I got a taste of what life might be like in the near-future.
Ubtech's Walker robot now lends a helping hand at home
Ubtech is best known for its toy-sized robots and STEM kits, but in recent years, it's been building bigger machines as well. At CES 2019, the Chinese manufacturer is once again bringing out its Walker bipedal robot, except this time it's gained a pair of arms, and it's able to grab and pass objects to you thanks to its hand-eye coordination. Standing at 4.75 feet tall, Walker is more huggable for adult humans -- and you might as well start hugging one since it does face recognition, so when the robots turn against humans, you'll have a slightly better chance of surviving.
'FriWalk' is a mobility walker and a personal trainer in one
If there is one area of personal transport that is ripe for innovation, it's probably the mobility walker. Typically reserved for older generations -- complete with the stereotypical tennis ball feet (like the one used by Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's Up) -- the walker has remained largely unchanged for decades. As part of the EU's ACANTO project, researchers from six European countries have developed the Friendly Robot Walker or FriWalk, a new four wheeled walker that is fitted with depth sensors and cameras that can detect health risks from a user's gait but also serve as a personal trainer.
Become a mechanical centaur with this wild drill-walker
The best part about the Segway craze is that it's now over. It's time for a ballin' new form of personal transportation like whatever the heck this thing is. Created by fabricator Izzy Swan, this machine is a strange mix of Segway and AT-ST. It uses a cordless 20V drill and homebrew gearbox for propulsion. The leg motion was reportedly inspired by was inspired by Theo Jansen's Strandbeest. What's more, it can reportedly hold up to 370 pounds though, according to Swan, "You should see this thing get down and boogie with just one of the kids on it. It moves pretty quick."
Boston Dynamics PETMAN portends the pending robot apocalypse
If the sight of Boston Dynamics' unstoppable Alpha Dog didn't convince you of the coming robot apocalypse, then perhaps a glimpse of its bipedal relative, PETMAN, will. Last time we saw the two-legged bot, It was walking well enough, but it lacked the humanoid visage needed to infiltrate and overthrow. In the time since, however, PETMAN has gotten a more anatomically-correct body and some arms -- giving it some push-up prowess to go with its jaunty gait. As the video below demonstrates, this robot isn't a T1000 just yet, but is seems certain PETMAN and its progeny will be running and leaping over us meatbags on the way to the top of the evolutionary food chain soon enough. So our anthropomorphic replacements are on the way, but there's no need for full-blown panic... yet.
Murata Manufacturing shows off self-balancing electric walking aid
Walking assistants of the future come in all shapes and sizes -- from exoskeletons to high-tech walkers -- and you can now also this electric walking aid from Murata Manufacturing to the list of possibilities. It's inspired by some of the standalone robots that the company has built and, much like the Segway, it's able to maintain its balance and stand upright on its own (with an extra set of wheels for some added security). Unlike traditional walkers, however, it requires virtually no effort to push, with built-in sensors able to detect how much the person's body is tilted, and how fast or slow it should move to keep up with them -- it's also apparently powerful to carry a person's luggage or groceries. As you might have suspected, however, it's still just a prototype, and the company isn't ready to say when it might become an actual product. Head on past the break for the company's recent demonstration at CEATEC.
BlueBiped robot needs no power to walk for miles, as long as it's downhill (video)
The robots; they're walking -- and this one's doing it under its own steam. This passive robotic frame requires no energy input, and is instead powered by its own weight and a gentle slope. The BlueBiped can be adjusted to match the proportions of any user, and researchers plan to use it to assist people who find it difficult to walk and transport unwieldy sports equipment. It already holds the Guinness world record for the longest distance walked by a bi-pedal robot, plodding 15 kilometers (9.32 miles) in a single 13-hour stroll. Those fearing the impending Robopocalypse can at least breathe a sigh of relief that -- like some other homocidal robots -- stairs still remain out of bounds.
Paralyzed student uses robotic exoskeleton to walk at college graduation (video)
Austin Whitney hasn't been able to walk since a 2007 car crash left him paralyzed, but on Saturday the 22-year-old triumphantly strode across the stage to accept his degree from UC Berkeley. He had a little help, in the form of a specially crafted robotic exoskeleton developed by Berkeley engineering professor Homayoon Kazerooni. Kazerooni and his team designed the exoskeleton with lightness and affordability in mind, resisting the urge to load it up with expensive hardware and tethering the mechanized walker to a backpack that houses a computer and a rechargeable, eight-hour battery. As a result, the Austin walker won't enable the kind of acrobatic leaps that would make Lt. Rasczak proud, but its reduced mobility comes at a reduced cost of just $15,000. That's certainly not an impulse buy, though it's a welcomed alternative to other exoskeletons that retail for $100,000 or more. Walk past the break for a video of Whitney's momentous steps, along with a clip of Kazerooni describing his creation.
Boston Dynamics PETMAN predicts the future of man as pet (video)
At this stage of its development, PETMAN is here to assist mankind. However, it's clearly fated to be weaponized as an AT-ST walker in support of Imperial ground forces. For the time being anyway, this biped humanoid is being built by Boston Dynamics to test military suits used to protect soldiers in chemical warfare. As an evolutionary advance from its four-legged BigDog platform, PETMAN does the ol' heel-toe at a healthy 3.2 MPH (5.14 KPH) and packs enough balancing intelligence to remain upright even when given a shove from the side. Check out the action after the break. [Via Make]
GPS-equipped walkers promise to keep elderly patients on track
We've already seen GPS used to track elderly patients, but some student researchers now look to be taking the idea one step further, with them outfitting some nursing center patients' walkers with a GPS system that helps guide them around. While the exact technical details are a bit unclear, the system apparently uses GPS when the patients are out and about, and relies on a WiFi-based system to direct 'em around inside the nursing center itself. The entire system has also obviously been about as simplified as possible, with it boasting just five buttons and large arrows pointing the way to the patients' destination. As a student project, however, it's still quite a ways from gaining any widespread use, although it has apparently been at use at the one nursing center their testing it at for several months already. Let's just hope folks don't take to relying on it too much -- we all know where that can lead.[Thanks, Jack]
Doggy treadmill gets your pup in shape
For those of you out there whipping your offspring into shape by utilizing the Step2Play middleman, and burning your own fair share of calories on the GameRunner, it's about time Rover joined the fray, eh? The Dog Walker treadmill helps prevent doggy obesity and apparently relieves the dog's stress, all while helping it to exert all that pent-up energy from being cramped up in the house all day. Aside from sporting a smaller, dog-friendly design, casters to enable easy transport, and two side shields to prevent minor tumbling disasters, the machine also sports a safety leash which prevents the pup from sliding off the rear (or giving up on the goal) and a devilish remote control to vary the speed from 0 to 5-kilometers per hour (3.1 mph). So if you're tired of Fido's stomach dragging the ground while crawling around in misery, you can pick up its very own treadmill (to go along with that recently-purchased pedometer) for ¥15,800 ($131).[Via TokyoMango]
