We're not sure how we missed this one but we figure later is better than never. Late last yeah GE unveiled their latest commercial that pays tribute to some of the most famous robots, including Data. We saw this during the Golden Globes last week and just had to share. See how many you recognize.
]]>China has joined the ranks of robot-run eateries with its Robot Restaurant in Harbin. We are talking full-scale serving here, from the Wall-E-esque greeter to the chefs to the servers. All told there are 20 of them um, employed. Each server bot follows a track on the floor and each has sensors for avoiding obstacles as well as a smattering of Chinese for conversation. Opened since June 2012, the robots were designed by the Harbin Haohai Robot Company with price tags ranging from $31,500 - $47,000 apiece. Not a bad deal since they will never require lunch breaks or tips.
Via Cnet
]]>Because many see them as pests in parks or other open meeting places, Randy Claussen created the Goosinator, a bright orange RC creature designed to keep the large birds away. We think they are scary enough to keep humans away as well. At a cost of $3,000, the robocreature can move up to 25 mph, grinning evilly the entire time of operation. So far Colorado, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and New York have invested. This is definitely a positive alternative to removing geese by deadlier means.
Via Goosinator
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These Wind Up Bots come in packs of 12 and are perfect for playing with during that nasty snowstorm. Each is 2 ¼" and are randomly picked. And for the girliest of girls, the Noggin Pink Windup moves her head, arms and hips. P.S. She also comes in blue and a pair of green and purple.
Via Windup Robots
Marco Pavone is leading a team at the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford that are developing robotic hedgehogs to study the Martian moon Phobos. The half meter wide rolling bots will autonomously hop and tumble in 10 meter moves on the surface. Working with NASA and MIT, the 3 year mission includes a Phobos Surveyor that will act as mother ship for up to 6 of the hedge bots while orbiting around Mars and collect data from them that can be sent back to Earth. There is no official ok for the project but the participants are hoping it will occur in the next 20 years.
Via Stanford
]]>We are not sure what possessed the Health and Safety Laboratory in Derbyshire, UK to build Vomiting Larry but we suppose someone had to do it. The humanoid simulated vomiting system will help researchers to study the norovirus, one of the worst strains of its kind. And the faithful bot will help the Health Protection Angency determine how it is spread. They have already found that it literally has a reach of up to three meters.
More than a million people have been affected by the virus this season in the UK while the United States say it reaches 21 million annually. We pity the team member who had to clean up the mess when it comes to listing that on their resume.
Via BBC
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Chip is a friendly desk organizer that is multi-colored and made of MDF with metal and flex magnet accents. At a size of 6 x 2.5 x 7", he can hold pencils, pens, paper, paper clips or other accessories (not included.)
Match Chip up with a 6 x 6 x 1/16" Janna Salak Love Does Not Compute Desk Clock. Made of high grade aluminum, it has a high gloss finish, is UV coated and is scratch-resistant. A single AA battery is not included but a transparent, acrylic stand is.
]]>The Science Applications International Corporation has received a $58 million contract with Darpa to construct an Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vehicle to chase down evil submarines. Promising a 60 to 90 day stint out in the water, the ACTUV will track with sonar and other sensors and link back to the Navy ship via satellite. It will then follow the sub to its port or return to its own. If you can make it through this rather lengthy video you will get a better idea of the autonomous bot's place in the battlefield water.
Via CIMSEC
]]>Engineers from the University of Zurich's Artificial Intelligence Lab have begun a rush job on a service robot designed to look like a humanoid boy that will be unveiled March 2013. To be named Roboy, the 1.2m tall bot will have artificial tendons for smoother actions. He will also have soft skin and his face will be designed after taking a poll helping decide what it should look like. While the project has 15 partners and 40 engineers, the creators are hoping that it can find other backers. A donation of $55,000 means adoption and a logo on Pinocchiobot.
While we understand their zeal in wanting to help the planet with helpers for the infirm and elderly, we have a silly notion that Roboy morally represents a victim of robotic child labor.
Via Roboy
]]>Imagine a movie based on a game. Sure, it has been done with Real Steel derived from the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots so it makes perfect sense to create one for Battleship. They have even made a special Movie Edition.
You would wonder if this could be successful but it is worth viewing just to see how they pulled it off. A battleship/museum is the hero, saving the planet from evil aliens. Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Rhianna operating the big guns and David Schwimmer for comic relief. CGI runs amok throughout the film where there are plenty of robot weapons and vehicles. The best part, however, is that most of the ammo used to attack are giant pegs and you can play along yelling, "Hit!" every time one meets its mark.
Via Robot Movies
Via Orlando Sentinel
]]>A team at Darwin Aerospace must have been too busy to stop working when they came up with the idea of the Burrito Bomber. The idea here is to order a burrito via an app while your phone sends your location. A burrito is loaded into a Delivery Tube which is flown and dropped to you.
They used a SkyWalker X8 Flying Wing with Ardupilot to navigate. The Burrito gets dropped with the help of a Quantum RTR Bomb System, a 3" diameter mailing tube, and 3D printed parts.The plane works either manually or autonomously. They utilize a Futaba 9C controller and EzUHF transmitter. Full instructions on their site means that you can make your own Burrito Bomber.
Before this, the team concentrated on air and space exploration projects so perhaps this latest one with bring them enough PR to garner them some backing for future ideas. Imagine a fleet of pizza delivery saucers!
Via Darwin Aerospace
Snow has finally arrived here in the Midwest so it is time to drag out your winter duds, including your very own Robot Cap. A one-size-fits-all, it has an Acrylic exterior and a warm, fleece liner in its interior.
For kids, there is also a Robot Cap that includes 3" antennas. It is made of Acrylic, is jacquard knit and needs to be hand washed.
]]>MIT keeps cranking out those robots. This time they have one that can actually fold itself into almost any shape. The Milli-motein is the planet's smallest chain robot that operates under the assumption that a 3D shape can be formed by folding a long chain from subunits. The team does not yet have a perfect set of steps for the bot to follow, but because the experiment has so far proven that they can make an autonomously folding universal device, that certainly gives it merit.
Think of it as a kind of Swiss Army robot. Team member Ara Knaian is much better at describing this than we are.
Via MIT
]]>It seems that even NASA is now hooked on Gangnam and has its own video. Called NASA Johnson Style (named after the Space Center, you pervs.) We don't know where in their budget they got funding to afford it but not only is it worth a viewing, it will certainly give them some well deserved extra PR. While some astronauts and techies have cameos, we are sad to say that although a couple of dummies made the cut to appear, Robonaut 2 did not.
By the way, NASA has also released a video concerning that end of the world that they say will not occur, appropriately titled "Why the World Didn't End Yesterday." If you are one of those that is fretting over it to the point of mania, hunker down with someone you love Friday.
Via NASA
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Made of 75% cotton, 20% polyester and 5% spandex, these black and grey Men's Robot Socks make for holiday stuffing in a stocking or could be the stocking itself on a bot lover's mantle.
For the fave women in your life these Robot Crews are made of 63% Cotton, 34% Nylon and 3% Lycra.
And for the kidlets, this 5-Pack comes in sizes 5 - 6 and are made of 68% cotton, 28% polyester, 3% spandex and 1% rubber. All are machine washable.
Via Robot Socks
Under the leadership of Ron Arkin, Georgia Tech has been borrowing from the habits of squirrels who seem to be masters at stashing food and keeping other ones from finding their caches. They taught deception to a robot that will give false clues to another one so that it will be unsuccessful when it goes hunting for the first. Future application may be in the military for storage of weapons or in health care with a bot having a calming effect in the face of disaster.
Via GA Tech
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Klarstein's silver Cleanfriend is the UK's entry into the world of domestic vacuums. With a 34cm diameter and a weight of 3kgs, it has five cleaning modes and Intelligent space recognition (that translates into it not falling down stairs or running into walls.) It comes with its own charging base and remote control. It will not do shag carpeting but it will clean your regular carpet, hard wood, and tile. The vacuum is available for £149.90 (~$240.372.)
Via Klarstein
]]>Last November, Liquid Robotics launched 4 Wave Gliders from San Francisco, CA. After a 9,000 mile trek, two arrived in Japan and two in Australia. One of them, Papa Mua, broke a Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled by a robot. The project was designed to show how these water bots can gather data and travel at the same time.
A second purpose for the trek is to draw attention to a $50,000 research grant for the roboticist that can come up with the best way to utilize that knowledge. Head over to their site to see what the five finalists have to offer.
Via Liquid Robotics
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A team from the Australian National University is studying the courtship of fiddler crabs and found that a female will select her mate by the movement of the male's enlarged claw. So they set up a series Roboclaws attached to motors of differing sizes and movement speed to study the female crustacean. Because the crabs have very poor eyesight, the claws fooled the females.
The end result? Not only does size matter to the female, she also prefers the claws that move the fastest. Their experiments also give superlative insight into other aspects of the fiddler crabs' life, such as why a larger home makes for a happy bride and why larger crabs will often protect their smaller neighbors.
Via ANU
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Provide your kidlet with a Robot Flashlight that is not only safe for those aged 3 years and up, it has bendable limbs to encourage interaction. Made by the good folks at Little Tikes who are famous for their safe and child-friendly products, it has both straight light and blinking mode. An auto shut-off sensor helps conserve the 2 AAA batteries (included.)
If you want a slightly more macho flashlight that saves even more energy, the Lego Dynamo Flashlight is 7.5" tall and has a hand crank that should give you about 5 hours of light. Also poseable, it features 2 white LED lights and rechargeable NiMH batteries.
]]>Germany based ETH Zurich is currently working on its second generations naro-tartaruga, a robotic sea turtle. They have chosen to use this as a model because its rigidity is simpler than a fish. The largeness of the body houses sensors and batteries used to make it autonomous. Its fin actuators work independently of each other and of course the turtle is waterproof. We don't know much about the science but we do know this robotic creature can certainly swim in a very kewl way.
Via naro-nautical
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How many robots does it take to change a light bulb? We have no idea but hang and check out our monthly roundup.
Holiday Gift Pick
Make Your Own Robot
Military Robots
Miscellaneous Robots
Must Have Robot Friday
Robot Music
Robot Science/Medicine
Robot TV
Robot Toys
Robot Vehicles
Robot Videos
Service Robots
Sports Robots
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Want to know what Tomotaka Takahashi has been up to for the past year? He has designed a humanoid bot that will be sent to the Kibo Experiment Module in the International Space Station this summer. He stands 13.4" tall and weighs about 2.2 lbs., and comes equipped with a camera and software. While hanging around with human astronauts, he will send back images and deliver Twitter and voice messages to Earth to astronaut Koichi Wakata.
Still awaiting a clever nickname (not to mention something more than a sketch,) the astrobot is also meant to relieve stress and combat the isolation that the those in space sometimes feel. A second model will be kept on our planet for demonstartion purposes.
]]>The Ishikawa Oku Lab at the University of Tokyo has created the BFS-Auto book scanner. The bot is so fast that it can digitize 250 pages/minute by combining page flipping, 3D recognition of those already flipped with the usage of three cameras and high-accuracy restoration. Book Flipping Scanning can be used by libraries to preserve old tomes as well as saving those that have been damaged.
Via Nanowerk
]]>Disney was one of the first to use automatons, including Country Bears and Presidents of the United States. So, it is not surprising that they are becoming more advanced in their technology. One of their latest is a humanoid bot that can play catch, juggle and look disappointed when there is no one to play with. What started as a project with a Kinect morphed into the robot with an Asus Xtion Pro Live camera for tracking. They took it as far as getting him to turn his head when participating with a human. They also programmed the catchbot to react at a dropped ball. Future plans include supplying one to each Disney park location.
Via Disney Research
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It isn't enough that they put out new products every time a new movie or craze is born. Lego is now taking its building acumen and turning it into games. One of the first is Robo Champ that not only teaches kids how to build a bot, its gameplay is thinly disguised as a contest at a robot factory. The first player to assemble one correctly wins. One of the rules involves stealing your needed pieces from another because you can never learn too early that thievery pays.
Via Lego Games
Toshiba has developed a robot to help inspect the Fukushima nuclear reactor which is still a do not enter site a year and a half after the disaster. Looking a bit like Boston Dynamic's Big Dog, the bot is operated remotely and has a camera for inspection. Three feet tall and weighing about 143 lbs., it has four legs and two arms that can unpack a second, smaller robot for exploration. Still a prototype, the company is working on its positioning skills, giving it shielding and teaching it to stop water flow and remove obstacles.
Via Dawn
Hubo II is Korea's Advanced Institute of Science and Technology robot that they are preparing for the next DARPA Challenge. He has been taught to do some basic dance moves, walk, run and other practical tasks like valve turning. And since KAIST is located in Korea, you know that they have taught him Gangnam Style, a more advanced routine than the one executed by Charli 2. By the way, you can get your own Hubo for a cool $400,000.
Via Plastic Pals
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Watch out! That mannequin may be watching your every move. Almax's EyeSee has facial recognition and can log age, gender and race of those who are shopping. This is useful in determining shopping habits of retail customers and keeping an eye on would-be shoplifters. The Italian-based company also plans to add screens nearby to inform customers to purchase items relevant to their profile. We suspect that puts them one step away from the ability to speak out with comments like, "Step down. We know what size pantyhose size you wear."
Via http://www.almax-italy.com/en-US/ProgettiSpeciali/EyeSeeMannequin.aspx">Almax
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