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Paro the robo seal to star in his own movie
We're not usually proponents of films with titles like "Mechanical Love," but we suppose we'll make an exception for an upcoming documentary starring a robotic seal. The movie features Paro, a therapeutic robo pet from Japan that has been named the world's most soothing robot by the Guinness Book of World Records. "Mechanical Love" might make movie history merely by not having its main robot character attempt world domination, and instead featuring Paro in his natural habitat: helping Alzheimer's patients and others in need of a furry friend at a nursing facility. We can't say it'll pack 'em into overpriced theater seats, but we're still excited for our robotic pals finally getting an even chance in the movies.[Via Robot Gossip]
The Robotic Giraffe
It's a bit hard to get noticed in all the mayhem of the Burning Man festival, so Linsday Lawlor did what any other self respecting engineer would do and built himself a 17-foot tall robotic giraffe. Named Rave Raffe, the huge robot runs off of three 450-amp batteries that are charged by a 12-horsepower propane engine. The whole unit can run for about 8 hours at Raffe's top walking speed: 1 mile per hour. The 1700 pound robot has a pneumatic powered 8-foot neck, 40 strobe lights, 400 LEDs and a killer speaker system. The bot walks by moving two of its wheeled legs forward at a time, and then locking them with hydraulic brakes while the other two shuffle ahead. Lawlor (a laser-light-show designer, can you tell?) isn't done yet though, he's working on computerized flashing giraffe spots, a light up circulatory system, and a gas grill to get Raffe ready for this summer's Burning Man. If we weren't allergic to sunlight this might be worth a trek down to Nevada all on its own.[Via MAKE]
OCTOR robot tentacle slithering your way
In the grand annals of military-funded robotics experiments, OCTOR may not have quite the same level of cred as, say, Crusher, but that doesn't mean the bot isn't useful. The current version consists of one long tentacle that, like an elephant's trunk, can be used to pick up and manipulate objects. The tentacle is powered by compressed air, and uses a range of sensors and cameras to move in three dimensions and relay info back to base. Potential applications being touted by the bot's developers include reconnaissance and bomb disposal, but they can't fool us. We've seen "Spiderman 2," and we know what those tentacles are really for.
The Robotic Action Painter
As much as we enjoy a bit of the artsy fartsy now and then, we are much more the connoisseur of labor saving devices. Thats why the Robotic Action Painter (his friends call him RAP) scores major points with us. Not only is he doing the whole pen-on-paper, expressing-his-feelings type of stuff, but he does it completely without human intervention, based on his own "sense of rightness." There is an element of randomness in his AI, but the robot watches its own work and looks for patterns of colors in order to decide once his masterpiece is finished. Then he signs his initials and dons his beret for an afternoon in the cafe. He's quite the abstract artist, and is strangely silent on the meanings of his work, but we're sure it all comes from a troubled childhood and an overbearing motherboard.[Via WMMNA]
Chinese researchers develop "personal robot"
We somehow doubt that Liangliang, the new "personal robot" developed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with a team from Xinsong Automation Co., has nearly as much personality as Korea's latest bot, EveR-1 -- though we suspect it does look a little better than CASIA (pictured), an earlier CAS attempt at developing a personal bot. However, with the ability to walk, log onto the internet and receive instructions via SMS, Liangliang could find a place as the Party's eyes and ears in Chinese homes.
EveR-1 is the new face of Korean robotics
If you thought Albert Hubo was the ultimate humanoid robot, wait until you get a look at EveR-1, a new bot making the rounds in Korea. According to reports, the 5-foot, 2-inch EveR-1 was designed to resemble a woman in her early 20s,and is capable of upper-body movement, can distinguish faces via its eye-mounted cameras, and can look into your eyes while conversing through perfectly synced lips. The bot's face can register simulated emotions, including happiness, anger and sadness, and its skin is made from a silicon gel designed to feel like human skin. She can't walk yet, but we imagine that's only a matter of time. If this is the new face of Korea's army of networked domestic bots, they may just achieve their goal of a bot in every home sooner than we thought.Thanks, HCM
New legs, Japan, new legs!
There are already a number of bipedal or bipedal-like bots, exoskeletons, suits, assists, and devices, but Atsuo Takanishi's team at Waseda University, in conjunction with Japanese robot superpower tmsuk, unveiled their new WL-16RIII walkbot. We know they'd be a huge boon to the handicapped, elderly, lazy, and anime-obsessed the world over, but seriously, could you imagine actually walking into a grocery store or a job interview with this thing? We can, and if they cruised into the Engadget offices we'd just be all, "You're hired."
Aibo to join Robot Hall of Fame
To the list of those whose extraordinary contributions to our culture were not recognized during their lifetimes -- think Vincent Van Gogh, Franz Kafka, Joey Ramone -- let us now add a coda for a creature whose existence was cut short far too early, but who will now be memorialized in a most fitting way: Aibo. Sony's late, lamented robotic dog will soon enjoy a place of honor in Carnegie Mellon University's Robot Hall of Fame, sharing the accolades with such other luminaries as Asimo, the Mars Pathfinder and Astro Boy (the Hall of Fame honors both real and fictional robots). The induction ceremony (which will also include Gort of "klaatu barada nikto" fame) will be on June 21. We only -- sob -- wish Aibo had made it just a little longer, to enjoy this honor.
The Robotic Chair -- no, really
We can't quite tell if the goal of this self-assembling robotic chair is art, or just to freak us out, but it seems to succeed on both accounts. Conceived by Max Dean and built by Raffaello D'Andrea, the creators of "The Table: Childhood," another robotic art installation, the robot chair can fall apart spontaneously, and then drag itself across the floor and reassemble. It's all very exciting stuff, but we guess you could watch the video and decide for yourself.
QRIO's turn as Kindergarten Cop
Remember how Sony sent one of their QRIO humanoid robots on a publicity stunt goodwill mission to a US preschool last year? Well it seems that their intentions were less than completely altruistic, because while the children -- ages two-and-under -- joyfully danced and played with the now-deceased bot, researchers from Sony and the University of California at San Diego's Machine Perception Laboratory were secretly videotaping and analyzing their every interaction. According to the study's recently-released results, QRIO's spy work revealed that, unsurprisingly, the toddlers developed an attachment to their artificial playmate, preferring to dance with the bot rather than alone, and eventually helping it up if it happened to topple over. Unfortunately this story is not all smiles and sunshine, however, as word of QRIO's double-life got back to the preschoolers, who reportedly overpowered their other robot companion, RUBI, and interrogated the hell out of it using a car battery and welding torch.[Via Robot Gossip]
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.
Meet Jupiter, Korea's smiley robot overlord, er, domestic servant
Last time we checked out the prototype for Korea's planned robot-in-every-home initiative, the little fella didn't look like much; just a computer-rendered mockup with a big ol' smiley face to disarm suspicious robophobes. But the tiny terminator has come a long way in just a few short weeks. It now has a name -- Jupiter -- and there are photos of what looks to be an actual working prototype interacting with a human who foolishly thinks she's controlling it. Jupiter can reportedly emulate emotions, body language and do lots of other creepy stuff, including recite stories to the kids. It also comes equipped with a handy flip out LCD display, so it can double as an entertainment unit -- and boasts pointy appendages that we can only assume are used both as sensory devices and for defensive (and offensive) purposes. Jupe is able to plug itself in to recharge without help, and can respond to voice commands -- or pleas for mercy. As previously noted, the bot will get its marching orders wirelessly over the net. The invasion begins in October.
The STARRAY ferrets out IEDs
It's really not so hot to look at, but HiEnergy Technologies, Inc.'s new STARRAY IED (improvised explosive device, i.e. bomb) detection system could hit the mark for the military and bomb-squads the nation over. The STARRAY, which apparently underwent extensive military testing with live ordnance late last year, is capable of detecting explosives between 40 seconds and 5 minutes (depending on quantity and distance) all the while handling harsh terrain, crossing ditches, or climbing stairs. We don't think the STARRAY is autonomous (though we wish it were) since they mention it being a system mounted on a Northrop Grumman Andros Mark V rover. So how much does the bot with HiEnergy Atometer cost? $450,000, that's how much. If only they had one in Ravenna, Ohio.[Via Robot Gossip]
The RunBot out runs MIT's "Spring Flamingo," can you?
Sure, RunBot might not be a true runner yet, since it still keeps one foot on the ground at all times. Also, it's only fastest for its height, managing a swift 3.5 leg-lengths per second, besting the MIT's four times taller Spring Flamingo, which runs at comparably sluggish 1.4 leg-lengths per second. All that being said, RunBot currently holds the world record for fastest bot on two legs. The RunBot's German and Scottish creators attribute its speed to the fairly simple design, which only senses when a leg is on the ground and when a leg swings forward. RunBot merely experiments with whichever leg motions keep it upright and keep it going fastest, and the bot can accelerate up to three times its original speed with its "learnings." So far the RunBot can only walk in circles, since it's attached to a boom in the center of a room, but the developers say they're at work on a freestanding version, which shouldn't be too tough because the boom has little influence on the RunBot's walking. Be sure to check the read link for video of the bot in all of its herky-jerky glory.
Toyota's self-parking car coming soon to US
While we may be stuck waiting until 2008 to see GM's self-driving car, US drivers may soon be able to sit back and let Toyota's Prius do the parking for them, as drivers in the UK and Japan can already do, using a $700 "parking assist" option. With the option, drivers need only sit back and control the speed of the car with the brake pedal while the car takes control of the wheel and maneuvers itself into place. According to Toyota, 70% of the vehicle's owners in Britain have chosen the option. Availability in the US hasn't been announced yet, only that it should arrive "soon." We -- and the owners of cars parked in front of and behind ours -- can't wait.[Via Slashdot]
"Internet Renaissance Robot" shuns chores, entertains instead
Ah, just what we needed, another way to digest media floating around the interwebs. This time it's a robot that wants to present us with info, but instead of merely reading text off of an RSS feed or blaring a few music streams, the ITR bot works with its very own "RTML" language to present media with motion, voice, and emotion. Of course, this means content developers will have to create RTML content to be displayed by the humanoid bot, but it's an interesting concept at least, and we look forward to seeing what happens. We can't say we're as optimistic as the Speecy Corporation, which dreams of the ITR being fifth major form of household media after radio, TV, PC, and mobile phone. The robot itself runs on a NetBSD-based OS, houses 168 LEDS, stereo speakers, a USB port, and a miniSD slot.[Via Pink Tentacle]
Climber to wear HAL cyborg suit, carry quadriplegic man to summit
We're still waiting for someone to toss one of these HAL cyborg suits on and do battle with the forces of evil, but until then we'll have to celebrate the little things. Or not so little things, in this case. The "hybrid assistive limb" suits are going to be used by two mountaineers to ascend the peak of a Swiss mountain while carrying a 43-year old quadriplegic man and a 16-year old student with muscular dystrophy. The two climbers will start 930 feet below the summit, with one carrying the 43-year old Seiji Uchida on his back, and the other dragging the 16-year old Kyoga Ide in a sled. Sounds like quite the task, even with a muscle aiding cyborg suit, but we're sure the climbers could totally p0wn any ninjas that might come in between them and the summit.[Via The Raw Feed]
South Korea wants 100% robot market penetration by 2020
You've got 14 years, South Korea, to make good on your promise: 100% market penetration for robots in the home some time between 2015 and 2020. We'll be generous and give you the later date to work with, but don't you and your Ministry of Information and Communication go spouting off about how you've got goals to put a robot in every home by 2020 unless you're dead serious, you hear us? Because we here at Engadget take our robots seriously -- from Roombas to Ri-Man -- so don't go all getting our hopes up for some postmodern South Korean android utopia of intelligent networked household service bots unless you're prepared to deliver, ok?[Thanks, Palm Addict]
Cow milking robots
Swedish company DeLaval specializes in "cow comfort" products including the Voluntary Milking System. You see, a cozy independent cow is a happy cow and that makes for an increase in milk yield, dig? The VMS is powered by embedded Linux 2.4.18 running on an AMD Geode GX1 200MHz processor - a single system can milk a herd of 60 cows three times a day. This gives farmers more time to kick back, relax and presumably drunk-milk their friends and pets. When the cow feels the need, she enters the stall where a laser and photo-sensor guided robotic arm searches for, cleans, and then milks each of the four teats. Milk flow, quantity and time is monitored and compared to historical data as early indicators of illness or injury. Be sure to check out the vids for plenty of hot lactating bovine action.
