RobotOutbreak

Make me some coffee... bot! oh wait, make that espresso

2008-02-21T07:44:25-08:00

One step closer to getting ROSIE, Dexmart of Italy created a robot which can, using two hands, make coffee. No word on getting espresso from her yet. The team built Justine as part of their endevour to create better coordination between two or more hands on the same robot.

They did feel necessary to note that she can pick things up off the floor. And they are calling "it" a "she". Which tells me that they, like me, have dreams of coming home to a robotic maid who will make me coffee, pick my socks up off the floor, cook me dinner and rub my feet....

http://robots.net/article/2472.html
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2008-02-20_120190597.html

elmo comes to life, swallows souls.

2008-02-14T09:16:43-08:00

This is the scariest thing I have ever seen. ever. thankfully, he isnt in production yet, and the one that they have pictured here is tethered, so - we are safe for now. Its elmo. He sings, dances, tells stories, does jazz hands, and has a fully detatchable jaw (featured in the picture here) for swalling you whole. I dont know. something about this mouth open wide, arms hanging down pose is scary to me.

Ok, to "its" credit, his motion is great. he does move really well. yes, better than pleo. ok, there, I said it. pleo is slow. its not dumb. I mean, well, maybe pleo is, but - he is at LEAST as smart as the real baby camarasaurus, right? See video at gizmodo. next, "run from me chucky"....

Quando il diavolo to accarezza, vuole l'anima. -my gramma

Jonny5 IS alive, and he is walking a PLEO

2008-02-06T06:04:00-08:00

from "lovemypleo" - our other blog:

so - this is categorized as accessories..... but, can you really consider a robot for your robot as a mere accessory?!

I'm not sure. but what I am sure of - is that this is awesome. DTSN put together a lego mindstorm bot just to walk his pleo. This reminds me of the time that I hired some asian children to play world of warcraft for me, only this is much cooler. He doesnt have to pay by the hour, and the rest of his raid group won't rag on him for doing this. see what I mean?

check out DTSN's post and video: http://www.dtsn.co.uk/index.php/2008/01/30/walking-pleo/

Robot arm demonstrated on video

2008-02-05T15:59:02-08:00

Engadget reported that IEEE Spectrum Online now has a video of Kamen's Luke Arm for your viewing pleasure. check it out. this thing is amazing.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/05/dean-kamens-luke-artificial-arm-gets-demoed-on-video/

Has anyone noticed that it totally has a star wars episode 4 - 6 design sensibility about it? Something about the matte silver finish with black inlays make me think R2, and then the copper or brass coupling on the shoulder reminds me of C3PO. Then, if I look at the hand, I think nintendo power glove. Screw that. if I ever have a robotic arm, I am getting me an awesome leather glove, or I am going to polish its natural finish up really nice and bedazzle that shit.

why won't it clean winsheilds?!

2008-02-05T11:32:00-08:00

Some group of Dutch inventors created a but which could one day put hundreds of angry and cold gas station workers out of jobs. The fuel dishing robot works by visually identifying a car, pulling information from a database, and figuring out just where to inject its 3.89 per gallon love.

Supposedly, this robot is going to be made available for the not insane price of $111k. I would love to see this in action. just think about the insane lines at interstate and city gas stations.

Needed modifications: paypass / cc scanner and a squeegee.

Awesome, although, not quite as helpful as robocop at a gas station during a holdup.

overlordling controlled with a nintendo ds

2008-02-05T10:03:00-08:00

French engineering students have ensleved a pekee robot, and now command it with thier nintendo ds. with just a tap on the directional pad, or a stroke of thier stylus, or even a word wispered into the microphone, the students can ~~command it~~ ask it to do stuff.

I totally share in dsfanboy.com's concerns that this will just quicken our impending robot to human enslavement.

see the original post for a video of the pekee robot being controlled by the french.

Pleased to meet you, shake my robot hand

2008-02-05T06:22:52-08:00

Dean Kamen has been hard at work producing what he calls his "Luke arm". There is no way that this isnt something needed, as todays prosthetics seem marginally better than the hook which we all grew up not wanting.

Kamen is the same Kamen that brought us the segway, a sadly upopular, yet still kind of cool in a geek polo kind of way invention.

Say what you want about the segway... but the fact of the matter is, allot of good technology is crammed into the thing. kind of like my pleo, only possibly, maybe, sort of helpful.

on the other hand(sorry) - the prospect of useful, articulate, robot prosthetics excites me. Aside from the obvious implementations for those who need them (amputees, paralyzed ppl, etc), it gets us one step closer to living a real live version of Cyberpunk.

Seen on:

http://spectrum.ieee.org/feb08/5957
http://robots.net/article/2461.html

giant sea monster finally attacks tokyo bay

2008-02-01T07:41:00-08:00

Ok, this has nothing to do with robots at all whatsoever. but, if you are a fan on godzilla, mecha godzilla, son of godzilla, mothra, or any other giant monster that has ever attacked tokyo, you will appreceate this. Sony rigged up an awesome water and laser hologram of a giant lochness style sea monster attacking tokyo bay. life is incredible sometimes.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/01/sony-unleashes-a-holographic-monster-on-tokyo-bay/

Oh My God.

robots play trumpet, look like cantina musicians

2008-02-01T05:38:37-08:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013101018.html?wpisrc=rss_technology

Check out this article on "robotopia rising". Apparently, the trumpet playing bot will roam the halls of the Kennedy Center in Japan while playing music.

Robotopia Rising Thursday-Feb. 17 at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW Info:202-467-4600. http://www.kennedy-center.org. http:// Hours: Monday-Friday from 12:30 to 7:30, Saturday-Sunday from 10 to 7:30. Admission: Free. Robotopia Rising Thursday-Feb. 17 at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW Info:202-467-4600. http://www.kennedy-center.org. http:// Hours: Monday-Friday from 12:30 to 7:30, Saturday-Sunday from 10 to 7:30. Admission: Free.

RHEX can go anywhere you can, does it with style

2008-01-30T09:23:47-08:00

Taken from digg: RHex is a man-portable robot with extraordinary rough terrain mobility. RHex climbs over rock fields, mud, sand, vegetation, railroad tracks, telephone poles and up steep slopes and stairways....

did you notice "telephone poles?" this thing is great. it looks like a grown up, industrial strenght version of some of the kits I have seen at Robot Village. It also swims. sort of like an iguana, only without the messyness of digestion.

RHex
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