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Researchers develop swimming, body-exploring robot
Researchers at Technion's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Israel look to finally be seeing some results from their crack Innerspace department, recently announcing that they've developed a pint-sized robot that can swim its way through heretofore inaccessible areas of the human body. The bot uses two tails to propel itself along, carrying a camera with it to document the picturesque journey -- eventually, the researches see the robot able to deliver medication straight to the source and even take biopsies. Of course, this isn't the first attempt to chart a course through your various bodily passages. Pill-based camera exploration has been around for a comparatively long time, but depends on your body's natural gastrointestinal movements to squeeze its way through your innards. More recently, scientists at Carnegie Mellon University developed a six-legged bugbot that can crawl through your intestines and be remotely controlled to ensure a thorough looksee. Technion's bot still looks to be quite a ways off from catching a ride in your spinal fluid, however, with the project's team leader estimating that it'll be a few years before they have a completed product.[Via Medgadget]
ED unveils programmable, home-serving U-ROBO bot with RFID
While domesticated robots are becoming a (frighteningly) common inclusion in techno-friendly homes, Korean 'bot manufacturer ED has a home-ready robot that sports a plethora of communication venues including ZigBee and RFID. The ED-7270 (dubbed U-ROBO), touts a sophisticated similarity to the pioneering R2-D2, and can complete a myriad of in-home chores by using the included software to program its pathways, actions, and movements. While we aren't sure if the "ubiquitous robotic companion" can manhandle a broom or cook dinner, the innards are fairly potent nonetheless; beneath the U-ROBO's cute outfit is a 1GHz Intel Pentium processor, 512MB of RAM, WiFi, Ethernet, USB 2.0, ZigBee cooridinator, RFID reader, and a RS-232 serial port. It also rocks a 6.4-inch touchscreen, programmable display beneath his "eyes," voice recognition, motion / light detectors, and an eight-axis motor that has no qualms wheeling up slopes or braving extreme temperatures. Although we don't know precisely when these intelligent robots will start mopping our floors (or taking over our domicile), we're sure the undisclosed price will keep them in the hands of the rich and famous for awhile anyway. [Via AVing]
Walking Partner Robot will hold your hand
It seems that the crack team of scientists behind the Partner Ballroom Dance Robot have turned their attention to more practical and less creepy goals as of late, recently unveiling a walking-assistant robot that'll do good deeds so you don't have to. Descriptively dubbed the Walking Partner Robot, the brightly-colored bot is tricked out with sensors that can detect the presence of obstacles in its path while simultaneously keeping an eye on the behavior of the user, providing voice warnings when it senses danger and able to slam on the brakes if they go unheeded. One of the big areas the developers see the Walking Partner Robot being used is in medical rehabilitation applications, though they expect to make the bot commercially available "soon" with a price tag of ¥500,000 (about $4,200), so you'll presumably be able to get one of your own to recover from your next technology-related injury.
To /afk or not to /afk...
Right now, at least, I'd recommend not. It's hard to walk into a battleground these days without noticing at least one player who's not doing anything but sitting quietly near the battleground entrance gaining honor and reputation. Perhaps they're using a bot or perhaps they're watching a movie and occasionally pressing the space bar -- either way, they're a nuisance at best. And when this post showed up on the customer service forums, I couldn't help but be surprised. Because while Blizzard would previously take action against players using bots or hacks to prevent them from going AFK during a battleground, now they seem to be prepared to act against any players "who are not actively participating" in a battleground. The wording is still very vague, but this could mean a crackdown on AFK players -- regardless of method.
ZMP rolls out the e-nuvo WHEEL robot
While it's not exactly a life-sized humanoid companion, ZMP is rolling out (literally) a new robot destined to awe physics and engineering students everywhere. While the company has dabbled in robotics for academia before, the new e-nuvo WHEEL is a learning tool (be it science or anger management) through and through. Designed to challenge your MATLAB / Simulink skills, the two wheeled machine won't stay put (or stand straight up) without your programming efforts mastering its motion. Sporting an unmistakable nuvo body on an "inverted pendulum," the company even has supporting textbooks that explain how Newton's "equation of motion" can be tweaked and implemented in order to get your 'bot up and about. While there's no apparent pricing available, the e-nuvo WHEEL is still currently "in development," but should be wheeling around (or laying flat on its back) in campus laboratories soon.[Via GoRobotics]
"I" robot coming to a train station near you...
...if you live in Japan, that is, where East Japan Railway Company is already testing a guide robot / impending doom machine innocuously dubbed "I." Before plotting to take over our mass transportation systems, the four-foot-tall "I" will help you on your way by displaying various information on its chest, reading your Suica card, and phoning a customer service rep if you need additional assistance. And despite appearances, the bot is fully mobile, able to motor throughout the station on its wheels and spin around in place. While its duties are fairly limited for now, the company says it could eventually work at customer service windows, assist other station workers, and even perform security patrols around stations -- along with serving as an attractive target for roving gangs of punks. C'mon, people. Robots and security? How many times do we have to warn you?[Via Pink Tentacle]
D2E Robotics to offer programmable bot this October
Korean start-up D2E Robotics looks to be aiming to take down WowWee's RoboSapien (ED-209-style) with its upcoming programmable robot, the decidedly less-catchily-named D2V-ZN. Set to retail for close to $750 US when it launches this October, the one-foot-tall programmable mech comes loaded with a built-in camera and will recognize voice commands.. While it's certainly a bit pricey to start with, the company says the price should come down to a more reasonable 300,000 Won, or just over $300US, once/if the robot starts selling in large quantities (emphasis on if). Either way, we're guessing it's going to be a Korea-only thing for a while yet, meaning you'll still have to pay quite a premium to actually get your mitts on one. Unless you're Omni Consumer Products, in which case you probably already own thousands.
Robots develop more teamwork skills, humans still unwitting conspirators
Following recent developments in robot cooperation between virtual bots, AIBOs and military bots, researchers at Örebro University in Sweden have created yet more progenitors of our future overlords that can get buddy buddy with each other. These bots work by tapping into each others sensors and computers, allowing them to perform tasks that they otherwise wouldn't be able to do on their own, such as navigating past difficult obstacles -- a door, for instance. In one test, two robots balanced a piece of wood between them, relaying information about speed and direction to each other in order to keep it balanced. Sure, today it's only wood... tomorrow, it could be you.
Breakfast Topic: Dealing with Bots
Last week we saw a couple of entertaining ways to deal with bots. However, the entertaining is not always the practical - and if you don't play a priest on a PvP server, the methodology contained in those videos isn't going to help you much. For my part, if I encounter an obvious bot I'll tend to look for somewhere else to grind - it's not always easy to beat the speed of an automated hunterbot, and trying to tends to just be frustrating. But how do you deal with bots? And do you, perhaps, have advice for the rest of us?
WoW Moviewatch: More fun things to do with bots
This Bluwolfe person is quickly becoming my favorite priest with these amusing mind control videos. Here's another video of him tormenting a poor bot that doesn't know well enough to fight back - watch and learn!
WoW Moviewatch: Fun things to do with bots!
I've seen a lot of obvious bot players in my day, and alas that my priest is on a PvE server and thus cannot have the kind of fun that this priest did. But, hey, at least I can watch the video and laugh.
Breakfast Topic: Fewer Farmers?
I wrote a while back about an odd lack of farmers on my own realm at the time. And, with yesterday's additional account closures, I wonder if other realms are starting to see similar relief. Will Blizzard's continued efforts against the gold selling community really have a long term impact on the game's economy? Or will the farmers simply continue finding new methods to avoid Blizzard's watchful eye? I personally think it will be a constant battle on Blizzard's part - but if they stick to this sort of approach, they can make farming sufficiently difficult that it may become a less lucrative business. But that's a long-term view - the important thing for current players is how are conditions today? Does your realm seem to be lacking in farmers since all of these account closures?
Aldebaran Robotics promises humanoid "Nao" robot by 2007
French start-up Aldebaran Robotics has recently gone public with its plans to deliver a humanoid household robot by 2007, although judging from their website, they still seem to be milking the mystery aspect pretty well, complete with tantalizing close-ups of unidentifiable robot parts. If it ever becomes a reality, Aldebaran's "Nao" robot looks like it could be a big brother to Kyosho's Manoi AT01, standing a full 22 inches tall and, from its silhouette at least, looking like it rolled off the same assembly line. The bot should also please homebrew aficionados, running on Linux and controllable via its built-in WiFi, with customization possible using the open source URBI programming language. Best of all, it appears that Nao comes complete with kung-fu grip action, although we're guessing it'll be too expensive to risk an updated bout of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.[Via Linux Devices]
Robot golf tournament underway in Italy
Over a hundred robots from 28 countries are in Italy this week for the annual World Robot Championships, this time pitting battle-hardened bots against each other in a fierce game of golf -- the crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere. Former door assembly unit, and now about to become the masters champion. But this game of golf seems to be slightly modified rules as well, with robots playing in pairs, simply having to score points by putting colored balls into same colored holes, losing a point if they hit the ball into the wrong hole -- kinda like robo-goofy golf. So it looks like we won't be treated to the spectacle of robots trekking across the golf course, human caddies in tow; we're not sure if mechaNicklaus going to be in attendance this year, but he's gonna have a helluva time taking out Top Swing this year.
Stanford's Stickybot wall-climbing robot lizard
We thought MIT's slime-climbing robo-snail was pretty, er, slick, but we have to admit that our new fave wall-climber has got to be Stanford's Stickybot. The robot gecko has feet coated with a polymer designed to mimic the properties of setae, the tiny hairs on gecko feet that enable the lizards to climb walls. That allows the bot to clamber freely without the surface in question having to be doused with slime, as required by MIT's bot. Not surprisingly, the Pentagon is already interested in adapting the tech for military use in gloves and boots for soldiers. We can only hope this trickles down to civilian uses fast; we're so ready to connect with our inner Spidey as we climb the walls in our gecko gloves. [Via I4U]
Pregnant robots give birth!
The future is now -- sort of. We were just waiting for robots to start reproducing before we gave over the future of humanity to these beings, and while this might be a mere simulated pregnancy for med students to practice on, it seems close enough to us. The robot, named Noelle, is a life-sized blond mannequin that costs $20,000 and simulates the pertinent vital signs and exports of a pregnant woman, including blood, urine and a baby. Even the baby simulates vital signs, and can change colors from pink to blue to signify oxygen deficiency. A human controller can initiate different complications, or just sit back as the robot runs through its program of baby ejection. The bot is starting to be used med schools and maternity wards across the country, and simpler versions have even seen action in Afghanistan for training.
