robots
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The miraculous CMU Water Runner
Although it probably won't win a following of apostles for the feat, Carnegie Mellon University bot Water Runner's ability to, well, walk on water, is at least worthy of a small write-up in a gadget blog, we think. The lightweight plastic and carbon fiber robot, which is the newest member of a supposed zoo of animal-inspired devices from CMU's NanoRobotics Lab, owes its gravity-defying skills to research done by Harvard University biologists on the basilisk, or Jesus, lizard. Like its scaly counterpart, Water Runner uses a rapid slapping motion of the "feet" that provides enough propulsion for the bot to avoid sinking or tipping over. Although it's currently just in the proof-of-concept, prototype stage (like, it still needs to be plugged into the wall, making it less than ideal for outdoor applications), future versions of the project will sport batteries (of course), sensors for monitoring water quality, cameras for peeping stuff, and even bacteria for breaking down pollutants (think: Exxon Valdez). These applications are all well and good, but as usual, all we really wanna know is: could it take down RoboSnake in a land-and-sea grudge match?[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.
Engadget Podcast 074 - 04.04.06
We pumped out a quick podcast for you while we're out at CTIA -- so if you're trying to steer clear of all the cellphone news that's about to hit, you'll be cool with what we've got going on in the show this week. We're taking on Movielink's and CinemaNow's big online distribution announcement from Monday, initial UMPC pricing, Intel's community PC, the South Korean robot invasion, and, of course, Naomi Campbell -- back on Engadget for once again bludgeoning an assistant with a cellphone. We'll also do our usual call-ins and occasional on-air gadget review; up this week is the Moto Q. Care to see how Verizon's long delayed QWERTY handheld stands up to the Engadget test? Better listen up. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the Engadget Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). [AAC] Download the show (enhanced AAC). [OGG] Download the show (OGG). [Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley! Hosts Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer Randall Bennett Music J J J - 'Suits' in Japan Format 52:41, 24.1 MB, MP3 Program 00:19 - Seven major studios line up to sell movies online 06:11 - TabletKiosk And Samsung reveal UMPC pricing 11:54 - Intel proposes "Community PC" for rural India 18:44 - South Korea wants 100% robot market penetration by 2020 22:01 - Naomi Campbell back in court for throwing another phone at assistant 24:01 - Hands on with Motorola Q 29:34 - Listener Voicemail 47:15 - CTIA and the week ahead LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com
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]
Lego Robots now Mac-friendly
Just when I thought there wasn't any new hobby that could arise and completely eat up any paltry free time I might have, they make LEGO robots Mac-friendly: "The heart of the new system is the NXT brick, an autonomous 32-bit LEGO microprocessor that can be programmed using a PC, or for the first time in the retail offering, a Mac. After building their robots, users create a program within easy-to-use yet feature-rich software, powered by LabVIEW from National Instruments." Engadget has a great video up of the different robots on display at CES that you should definitely check out.
