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ICYMI: Drunk dogbot and VR music machine
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: An Osaka University robotics lab produced a dog robot that can run six miles per hour while being the most uncoordinated robot you've seen (that works), and the Soundstage app lets users set up a recording studio to rock out with a VR headset on. The Sunday breakfast machine is worth seeing, as is the winning entry in Amazon's robot Picking Challenge. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
ICYMI: The dogbot and a heart strap that beats surgery
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Boston Dynamics introduced a new robot to the lineup and this one is both the smallest yet, and most adorable. The SpotMini is just two feet tall but in the video Boston Dynamics released, shows it can do dishes, throw cans away and creep around for a good 90 minutes on an electric charge. Meanwhile the EPFL designed a new medical device that looks not-entirely unlike an old school slap bracelet, except it's made of silicon and is designed to grip and squeeze the aorta, keeping the heart beating while a patient might be waiting for a heart transplant. Theater fans will want to know about New York's decision to ban robot buyers; while politically-minded folks (not already talking about Great Britain's vote to leave the EU) will want to hear about C-SPAN's decision to broadcast Periscope videos of the Democrat's sit-in. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Sparky the robodog reacts accordingly to surroundings
Hate to say it, but Pleo ain't got nothing on Sparky. Created by five interaction design master students, this robodog actually responds in sensible ways to positive / negative scenarios going on around it. For instance, the creature will drop its head, whimper and collapse down if faced with "carbon monoxide, cigarette smoke, alcohol, too much dark lighting, hitting and yelling." Consequently, he'll perk up and show signs of excitement when standing in broad daylight or going on walks. All the pluses of having your own pet, minus the excrement and doggy daycare costs -- brilliant! Peep Sparky's day out on the town after the jump.
Puppybot has a Nokia 770 for a head
Oh, robots, is there anything you can't do? (Don't answer that.) This latest bot that we've spotted combines the utility of a Nokia 770 Internet Tablet with the personality (and body) of a robot puppy dog. Apparently you can control its movements by using another tablet, and it'll even update its facial expressions to reflect whatever it's doing at that moment. No word on if you can launch Google Talk while it's in dog mode or if you'd just be too saddened by those digital puppy eyes to carry on a decent conversation. Either way, peep the video on the flip side for the full effect.
