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Researchers build a 1,000-core processor
You may have heard of many-core processors before, but you probably haven't seen anything like this. UC Davis has developed the KiloCore, a CPU that (as the name suggests) packs a whopping 1,000 cores -- extremely handy for very parallel tasks like encryption, crunching scientific data and encoding videos. And importantly, it's not just about performance. Thanks to its ability to shut down individual cores, the chip can handle 115 billion instructions per second while using 0.7W of power. That's enough that you could run it off of a lone AA battery, folks.
Barobo's Mobot goes up for pre-order, slinks toward your impressionable children (video)
In what may be the first notable instance of a product actually losing the "i" in favor of building out its own persona, Barobo's iMobot is not only not going by Mobot, but it's also up for pre-order. The modular robotics platform can be claimed for $269.95 (with extension plates and the like available as optional extras), and we're told by the company that these will be on the move by August at the latest. Moreover, a grant has been secured to provide "at least $500,000 over the next two years to Barobo, with potential for up to another $500,000 in matching funds if the company can make sales and attract venture capital." Folks involved with the project are hoping to see Mobot used as a tool for teaching robotics as early as third grade, and given the choice of tinkering with one of these or fiddling with a TI-83 Plus... well, you know. For those unaware of Mobot's potential, head on past the break for a freshly cut video.
iMobot creeps, crawls, cranes its way into our hearts (video)
It may not look like much, but this little modular robot's got the stuff to give Keepon a run for its money -- oh yeah, and according to its creators, iMobot's got big implications for the field of robotics too. Sporting four degrees of freedom, two rotating joints, and a pair of faceplates that act as wheels, the patent-pending device can crawl, drive, and potentially act as an autonomous camera platform. The surprisingly agile hunk of machinery was developed by two UC Davis professors who say their versatile invention could aid in search and rescue, as well as education and research. We think it's super cool that iMobot could be a hero, but really, we just want to see it bust a move. Check out a video of our new robo love after the break.
