hexapedal
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Kondo's spring-loaded spider robot creeps on the cheap (video)
The latest in a long line of terrifying (and occasionally adorable) pseudo-arachnid robots, Kondo's upcoming KMR-M6 is doing more with less. Thanks to a unique spring supported linking leg joint, this hexapedal bug gives you the heebie-jeebies with only two servos per leg. The new leg design lowers build costs while improving performance and stability, and was developed for education, research, and hobbyist markets. The base kit hits Japan next month for about ¥76,000 (about $880) and comes with twelve servos, a control board, a 10.8V 800mAh NiMH battery, software, and a frame with extra space for adding optional, cameras, grippers, or other servo controlled fancies. Although it's not as lovable as Kondo's turtle-bot, watching this robo-bug scuttle and march (after the break, if you're wondering) is far more awesome than it is creepy. It's another sign of the robot apocalypse, sure, but are you seriously going to let that ruin your Friday, Friday, Friday, Friday?
Phasma the terrifyingly adorable, six-legged insectoid bot
Is it possible for something to scamper into our heart and our nightmares simultaneously? Phasma is making a bid for that distinction. The hexapedal running robot, built by Takram Design Engineering, is based on Stanford's cockroach-inspired iSprawl, and is built to look all cold and mechanical at rest, but to move very much like an insect, churning those springy six legs in a tripod gait. At first we were terrified by the motion, depicted on video after the break, but the more we watch it the more we're struck by how eager and exuberant it looks. Eager and exuberant to dwell inside our hollowed out carcass during the end of days? May we never find out. The robot is currently on exhibition at the Science Museum in Tokyo, if you care for a look. %Gallery-99979%
