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Wheeme massage robot asks where it hurts to drive away the pain
Former Israeli electronics and defense engineers wouldn't be the first group of people we'd peg to leap into the robot massager biz, but that's exactly who's behind the Wheeme from DreamBots inc. According to the firm's about page, the Wheeme was developed to meet "the increasing demand for smart products that offer the natural feeling of caressing, relaxation, falling asleep and even just tickling." True to those goals, the device works by moving slowly across a person's body to provide a gentle massage using its soft silicone rubber "fingerettes" (a.k.a. wheels). Special tilt sensor technology ensures it won't fall off or lose grip while motoring either -- making the Wheeme a master at its trade -- at least for customers lying down. Officially this rover will start shipping in the spring of 2011, but pre-ordering the device which costs $49 plus shipping will guarantee you don't miss out on any of the drive by goodness. To view the Wheeme going to work while narrowly avoiding crashes, check out the embedded video after the break.
Driverless vans set off on intercontinental trek from Italy to China (video)
You might not have expected the future to look like your granddad's groovy camper van, but take a closer look here and you'll find that this is indeed nothing like your forefather's people carrier. The VisLab team from the University of Parma have taken a fleet of Piaggio Porter Electric vehicles, strapped them with an array of cameras, lasers and other sensors, and topped them off with solar panels to keep the electronics powered. Oh, and lest we forgot to mention: the vans are (mostly) autonomous. VIAC (or VisLab Intercontinental Autonomous Challenge) is the grand name given to their big demonstration: an 8,000-mile, 3-month tour that will ultimately find them arriving in Shanghai, China, having set off from Milan this Tuesday. You can follow the day-by-day development on the blog below, though we're still being told that practical driverless road cars are a measure of decades, not years, away.
