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DARPA-funded Nano Hummingbird spybot takes flight (video)
We were plenty impressed when we saw the initial tests of AeroVironment's robo-hummingbird -- now officially dubbed the Nano Hummingbird -- but we can't say they quite prepared us for the final product that the DARPA-funded company is now showing off. Not only does the bot look and fly like a real hummingbird (at least if you don't look too closely), but it packs a built-in camera and a downlink of some sort that's capable of transmitting live video. According to the company, the hummingbird's also able to hover for up to eight minutes, reach speeds of eleven miles per hour in forward flight, and remain stable in wind gusts of five miles per hour -- not to mention make a perfect landing. Head on past the break to check it out in action -- it may well be one of the few chances you're actually able to see one in the wild.
iRobot Negotiator is a tactical bot for those mean suburban streets
There's a new iRobot in the wings, ready for that all-important cat-in-a-tree incident your neighborhood has been gearing up for over the past decade. Well, kind of. The new iRobot Negotiator is designed for "public safety organizations" who don't need or can't afford the $100k PackBot 510. The Negotiator is built to provide basic reconnaissance to police and fire departments and public safety professionals, with an optional "civil response kit" to enhance its spybot prowess and chemical detection capabilities. The Negotiator should start shipping in Q4 2008 for around $15,000, with accessories bumping that price up to $20k and giving it flippers to climb stairs.Update: We just noticed that the iRobot Negotiator bears some, erm, striking similarities to the Robot FX Negotiator. If you'll remember, not only did iRobot win its lawsuit against Robot FX, it also bought up all of Robot FX's assets. Sounds like this is iRobot's shot at recouping some of those hefty court fees, but couldn't they have at least changed the name?
WoW Ace Updater ad banners may contain trojans, claim some users
While the Incgamers malware problem is fixed, it looks like there's another malware flare up in the world of addons. The WoW Ace Updater, according to many users, may be passing off a trojan from an ad in the guise of an antivirus program. The program, called Winfixer, pops up in a window and (in some cases automatically) installs malware while claiming your computer is compromised and that you need to buy the full retail version to fix it. It can be detected and removed by Spybot Search and Destroy and Vundofix, and Symantec includes instructions on how to manually remove it here. Wowace.com site owner Kaelten has disabled the ads on WoW Ace Updater completely for now, and is talking to his Ad provider to find out what went wrong and which ads might be causing problems. This isn't the first time a popular WoW site has had trouble with trojans in ads, and unfortunately, it is unlikely to be the last. Kaelten seems to be on top of it, though, so hopefully he'll get to the bottom of these claims. Since the ads are currently disabled, the program itself should already be safe to use. If you're feeling a bit skittish, though, you can check out some of Sean's recommendations for other upgrade programs here. I should note that, being a religious user of WoW Ace Updater myself (I run it at least a good 5 times a week), I just made sure to scan my computer with the aforementioned Spybot Search and Destroy as well as AVG Free Edition. According to those programs, It has a clean bill of health.
WoW Moviewatch: Battlestar Gnomeregan
Well, actually the title of this little video is "Battlestar Galactica opening, World of Warcraft style," but to me it suggests a whole realm of possibilities that could actually fit within the WoW lore. We know already, for example, that a certain gnome in Stormwind has created a Spybot which can take on the appearance of a human girl, well enough to fool a high ranking Defias leader into coming out and meeting his doom. What if some group of evil gnomes or goblins took it upon themselves to create the equivalent of cylons for the Warcraft universe? They could be called "Spylons!" Well whatever you think of that idea, it would be a cute little easter egg quest to fight against the spylon menace for a little while, at the very least.Thanks to our very own Barb Dybwad, via her blog, Geeked.orgPreviously, on WoW Moviewatch...
Spyke the spybot gets a price and release date
In case you were still wondering when you could get your hands on one those Erector Spyke bots, and for how much, we've got word that the bot will be hitting for £200 on April 9th, at least in the UK. That's about $390 in real people money, quite steep for what you're getting: a remotely accessible WiFi-enabled bot which can drive around your home, sense intruders, and shoot video to you over the internets. Oh, and R2-D2 bleeps and bloops, can't forget those. There's an action vid after the break.
