Robot Snob

Rubik's Cube Comes in Transformer Style

2009-11-11T01:45:00Z

We are not sure why there is a seemingly never ending succession of Rubik's Cubes. We only know that the Transformers have been seen hanging out on one. The Transformers Allspark Rubiks Cube doesn't need a robot to solve it, but it would probably help.

Via Entertainment Earth

Bad Robot, Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

2009-11-10T13:50:00Z

Ruairi Robinson, producer of "The Silent City", "Breakfast on Pluto" and other filmstuff, has come up with a new one. The Academy Award nominated director is currently in post-production on "Bad Robot," after being filmed in LA. Aside from this quick peek and the fact that it is billed as comedic sci-fi, not much else is known. We did happen to catch a glimpse of an accompanying poster that seems to label it a cross between Chucky and Sonny from "i,Robot."

Via Quiet Earth

Licensed R2 Q5 USB Hub

2009-11-10T02:10:00Z

Looking around for a new USB hub? The licensed R2 Q5 has 4 ports, connects to your PC and when plugged in, does the usual eye flashing, head spinning and noise making. Compatible with both Windows and Mac, the 5.9" droid comes with a $127.00 price tag.

Via Japan Trend Shop

MSU Swims With the Fishes

2009-11-09T18:55:50Z

More robotic fish are in the news as Xiaobo Tan and Elena Litchman of Michigan State University have gotten funding to research their patrolling bots. A 9" yellow perch prototype is already swimming in Tan's tank. The finished product will have sensors to record temperature, oxygen content, pollutants and algae. Litchman claims, "It will bring environmental monitoring to a whole new level." Yeah, unless a robotic shark has the munchies.

Via Physorg

Must Haves: Hasbro Newborns and Playskool Stompers

2009-11-07T01:50:00Z

It is with large amounts of glee that we played with the two robotic pets from Hasbro and Playskool sent to us by Litzky PR .

Hasbro's FurReal Chipmunk is almost real enough to freak out our cats, who spend endless days watching squirrels from windows. The Newborn chirps and threatens vocally while wagging its tale and moving up and down. We gave it the pats on the back to get it to go through its paces and we swear that it decided to move a bit on its own although it does not claim to be voice activated. Designed for kids ages 4 years and older, it comes with its own adoption certificate and bottle.

By the way, one cat wouldn't come in the room. Obviously, the other one was clearly unimpressed, but then he is rather mellow 90% of the time. Hasbro has other Newborns, such as a Guinea Pig, Piglet and Lamb.

I really loved Playskool's Stomper Triceratops . For kids 3 and up, this little dinobot is really soft and when you pet him, he moves his head and mouth when he roars. It becomes pretty obvious why they named him a Stomper. This guy one pretty much scared away both cats at first until I quit making him perform.

Playskool has other Stompers, like their Hatchling T-Rex and Stegosaurus that are also soft to the touch. Each one comes with a discovery sheet with facts and batteries. When your kids beg you for a puppy, we suggest substituting one of the above as an alternative. No house breaking, no chewing shoes, and no pet food expense. Besides, your real pets will find them nonthreatening after a first or second encounter.

(Thanks, Jessica!)

AIDA Talks You Through Traffic

2009-11-06T14:10:00Z

MIT, in conjunction with their SENSEable City Lab and Volkswagen Group of America's Electronics Research Lab, has decided to make GPS user-friendly with the The Affective Intelligent Driving Agent, a head with an articulated neck that mounts on the dashboard. AIDA can smile, look sad, wink, and learns your routes to help you on your way. It also records data concerning events and traffic and will help you route around the obstacles. AIDA will even tell you that you need gas.

We are all for making our commutes easier, but we hope this idea will not be so distracting that when observing the travelbot it blurts out, "Hey, watch out for that tree!"

Via cnet

Ibn Sina to Unite Physical and Virtual World

2009-11-06T02:05:00Z

Named after a Persian physician and philosopher from 1000 years ago, Ibn Sina is the first Arabic speaking humanoid bot. He is being developed at the IRML (Interactive Robots and Media Lab) of the United Arab Emirates University. His vocal engine, dubbed Nizar, was built by the French company Acapela.

The center claims that its ultimate mission is "to achieve harmonious and mutually beneficial co-existence (symbiosis) between the natural (humans), the artificial (robots), and the virtual (virtual agents), and to support seamless integration between the physical and virtual worlds."

Via UAEU

Robots Go Plushy

2009-11-05T14:10:00Z

This is a robot you really have to (g)love, the Manhattan Toy Robotos Pink Hand Puppet. Wear it to communicate with your fave toddler, let them play with it to find an alternative to eating their vegetables or simply give it as a gift for those who want to sing along with Craig Fergusen.

The company has other plushy robots as well, such as Beep Bops Twir , Tron and Robo.

Via Manhattan Toys

VAIL and Stanford Devise Autonomous Parking

2009-11-05T01:40:00Z

The new Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory (VAIL) has teamed with Stanford to create an autonomous parking system. It consists of front radar, a camera mounted on the rear view mirror and two LIDAR units on the sides. Tell your car to park itself and it obeys your orders and when you want to leave, ask it to return. The plan here is to work on a two button system but unfortunately for us all, the car can't yet detect obstacles such as trees, lamp posts and real valets.

Via Singularity Hub

Pleo Resurrection Continues

2009-11-04T14:10:00Z

Robert Oschler at RobotsRule recently interviewed Derek Dotson, one of Ugobe's founders, on the tragic story of Pleo's demise. The good news is that the robotic dinosaur is back this year with these improvements:

* The problem with neck wires breaking which affected some Pleos has been fixed.
* The problem of the skin separating has been fixed.
* The premature wearing of the paint from Pleo's skin and teeth has been fixed. The new paint should last 3 times longer than the old one.
* The packaging Pleo comes in no longer uses Styrofoam and is biodegradable making it friendly to the environment.
* The battery chargers have a new switch with two positions, one for regular charging and another that uses a special charging mode created specifically for those batteries that don't charge properly.

Via Robots Rule

Nemo Gould's "Going Nowhere Fast"

2009-11-04T02:10:00Z

We have long been fans of Nemo Gould's robotic art and are now reminded why we hold the sculptor in such esteem. One of his latest pieces of work is entitled "Going Nowhere Fast." We just had to share.

Via Plastic Pals

Robo Garage Gives Birth to ROPID

2009-11-03T13:50:00Z

ROPID is the Robo Garage's latest creation, with design by Tomotaka Takahashi. The humanoid bot has gyros in its legs and chest and servos with belts that help the little guy stand up, walk, jump and jog. Made of carbon and plastic, he stands 38cm high, weighs 1600g, has 30º of freedom and, as of all of RG's bots, is almost too cute.

Via Robot Garage

Braundo Wins NASA Challenge

2009-11-03T02:10:00Z

Offer half a mill and eventually someone will win the prize. Such was the case with Braundo, a robot with conveyor belt and scoops that won NASA's third Regolith Excavation Challenge. Built by Worcester Polytechnic Institute students, the bot dug across an artificial lunar field and deposited over 440kg of fake lunar dirt. While NASA was only expecting 260kg, Braun certainly earned its $500,000.00 prize.

Via New Scientist

Robotic Patient Used To Train H1N1 Workers

2009-11-02T14:10:00Z

As is often the case in Japan, if you want people to take notice, you develop a robot for the cause. In this instance, a life-size humanoid was built for training health care workers how to respond to the H1N1. On display at the Security and Safety Trade Expo (RISCON) in Tokyo, the robotic patient sweats, cries, moans, goes into convulsions and, if the workers don't perform correctly in time, stops breathing. We wonder how many times he had to 'die' before they got it right.

video
Via Pink Tentacle

Monthly Roundup - October 2009

2009-10-31T22:40:52Z

Happy All Hallows Eve! After you have gorged on all that sugar, hang back and check out anything you might have missed this month on Robot Snob.

Autonomous Robots

Humanoid Robots

Make Your Own Robot

Military Robots

Miscellaneous Robots

Monthly Roundup

Monthly Roundup: September 2009

Must Have Robot Friday

Prototype Robots

Witness the Blob With Attitude

Robot Art

Robot Books

Robot Movies

Robot Science/Medicine

Robot TV

Robot Toys

Robot Videos

Service Robots

Wearable Robots

Must Have: Thank You, Death Robot

2009-10-31T00:50:00Z

Never get tired of reading about robots? Then "Thank You, Death Robot" should be your next selection. Edited by Mark R. Brand, the 272 page book contains a collection of speculative fictional stories about death bots. We couldn't have promoted it any better than in its own description:

"If you run, it will catch you. If you hide, it will find you. If you resist, it will destroy you."

(Thanks, Beth)

Via "Thank You, Death Robot"

ii-1 Robot is Campus Guide

2009-10-30T12:50:00Z

Kobe's Konan University Faculty of Intelligence and Informatics has devised a guide robot that communicates with natural language. Relying on a database from the campus website, the ii-1 can not only answer 'yes' and 'no' questions, it can reply to those that ask 'why' and 'who' using Julius open source speech synthesis software. The autonomous bot can move around and avoid obstacles. Professor Hirotaka Nakayama and team plan to give it facial expression recognition to make it look more human friendly.

Via Robonable (translated)

FlatThru Serves Sans Arms

2009-10-30T00:40:00Z

Sanyo's new delivery bot stands 94.7cm tall and weighs 33kg. Running on wheels and stabilized with sensors, FlatThrucan manage not to spill that brew or bag of Cheetos you requested. It has cameras for image recognition and can be controlled via voice or remote control. What can't it do? Hand you said refreshments, duh.

Via Plastic Pals

Tekno Newborn Puppies

2009-10-29T12:50:00Z

Tekno now has a Newborn Puppy to go with his older brother. The minibot can go forward, right and left, and is voice activated. He has eyes that light up in several colors to express emotion, his ears flap and he will even carry his toy bone. The pup has presence sensors so when you give him a pat, he will respond. Best of all, he won't need house breaking.

Via Tekno Pets

Slovenian Robot Hits the Slopes

2009-10-29T01:10:00Z

This video of a skiing robot seems to be making the ~~rounds~~ ski circuit. Made of two computing systems, one for vision and GPS purposes, the other for steering and stability, the Slovenian bot from the Jozef Stefan institute will be used to test equipment and for building virtual reality models.

Via Make:

Robot Parade Keepsake Ornament

2009-10-28T13:10:00Z

The holidays will be upon us before we know it, and we are already looking for robots to make yours brighter. Along with the Hallmark Robby the Robot ornament, we found a Robot Parade Keepsake, part of the Series 2000 of retired ones that comes in its original packaging.

Via Robot Parade Keepsake Ornament

Lipson Robots For Big Spenders

2009-10-28T01:10:00Z

We admire the creations from Lipson Robotics, but somehow can't wrap our enthusiasm around the price. He makes them from "random" items found at thrift stores, recycle shops, construction sites and dumps. The bots vary from 12 to 30" and some have functional parts. Still, that $600.00 price tag, as in the case of Rapid 2, seems a bit NY pricey, even if we call it art.

Via Lipson Robotics

Witness the Blob With Attitude

2009-10-27T12:50:00Z

The ChemBot, being developed by DARPA, can shape shift between semi-liquid and semi-solid states by injecting air into a membrane that's filled with particulate matter. The plan here is to take the odd robot and place it where others can't since it can get larger or smaller, roll around, or pass through cracks in a wall. iRobot is in charge of the project to create the prototype after receiving a $3.3 million grant.

Via Crave

Alien Abduction Lamp Lands on Earth

2009-10-27T00:50:00Z

We first heard about the Alien Abduction Lamp about a year ago and it has finally gone from prototype to reality. We don't see any robots rearing their ugly heads, but you just never know. A limited edition of 2000 is being offered from the Earth Defense Force. Each steel lamp works with LEDs, has a glowing cockpit, is signed by designer Lasse Klein and has a UFO control antenna that can be turned on/off or pulse. Be the first on your block to adopt a few aliens for $100.00.

Via Alien Abduction Lamp

SMARTHAND 'Feels' Like Real One

2009-10-26T12:40:00Z

Researchers from Italy and Sweden have teamed to devise the first artificial hand that can actually feel. The SMARTHAND (smart bio-adaptive hand prosthesis) works by attaching human nerve endings to tiny electronic sensors. The recipient of the hand was a 22 year-old man who lost his own to cancer.

Via SMARTHAND

Must Have: Protect Your Baby With Carini Bambini

2009-10-24T00:50:00Z

Protect those newborns from the evil robots with this 5 piece Carini Bambini Bedding Set. It comes with sheet, skirt, quilt, bumper and, to complete the package, a musical mobile to protect and defend. The blue and red bedding is 200 thread count cotton and is easy-care wash and dry.

Via Carini Bambini Bedding Set

Spherical Robot Utilizes Gyroscopes

2009-10-23T12:50:00Z

Greg Schroll has created a spherical robot that uses gyroscopes for steering. The torque that is exerted increases as it spins for more speed and power. The clever part comes in when the bot jumps because you just never know when one will fall in a pothole. The graduate student from CSU says he used to daydream as a child about a soccer ball that could redirect its course when rolling. We guess that shows that dreams can come true. Because of his talent, Greg was named one of Popular Mechanic's 10 Most Brilliant Innovators of 2009.

Via Popular Mechanics

Robotic Cockroach Falls Wa-a-y Down, Keeps on Trucking

2009-10-23T01:10:00Z

The UC Berkeley's Biomimetic Millisystems Lab has decided that the world (and/or the military) needs a better robot cockroach. Made out of cardboard and polymer, the 4" DASH (Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod) can be built in an hour and moves at 5 ft. per second, which is equal to 15 body lengths. Its 6 legs run via DC motor and a servomotor is responsible for turns. The thing that really creeps us out is the fact that DASH can fall 92 feet and keep going.

Via UC Berkeley

Harvard to Develop Robobees

2009-10-22T13:10:00Z

Harvard has received $10 million from the National Science Foundation. Using their robotic fly they made in 2007 as a model, they will be creating a colony of robobees in order to study behavior and "intelligence." They will not only be able to fly, they will have smart sensors that can mimic the insects' eyes and antennae. Working with the Museum of Science in Boston, the team will also set up an interactive exhibit.

Via Harvard

Snackbot Serves Carnegie Melon

2009-10-22T00:50:00Z

Mmmm. Donuts. When Snackbot isn't busy performing his usual applications, he will be serving the faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon. Snackbot has been originally designed to support research in the fields of design and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI.) He can autonomously move through a crowd, detect individuals, and recognize those he has met before.

Via Snackbot