Robots

Robots

Robo-One's Robot Boxing Champion Reveals Combat Secrets

Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 10:00 PM on August 29, 2008

Naoki Maru may live in Hikone, north of Kyoto, down the road from a samurai castle full of katana swords and armour, but for him, the ancient Japanese art of bushido is best carried out with robots, not people. King Kizer, the Maru family robot, has dominated the Robo-One tourney over the past three years, collecting US$50,000 in prize money. Maru, a factory engineer by day, is trying to perfect a way to make Kizer even more of an arse kicker using a technique he had seen many times in anime: A harness that captures human movements and translates them into robotic attacks and other gestures.


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Robots

First Fully-Unmanned Machine Combat in History Heralds Robotic Apocalypse

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 11:15 PM on August 27, 2008

For the first time in history, an unmanned machine has engaged and destroyed another unmanned machine in real combat. It sounds like science fiction, but it happened a week ago in Iraq, when a MQ-9 Reaper killed a remote controlled vehicle carrying a bomb.


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Robots

Sassy DIY Talking Robot Tells You How to Assemble Sassy DIY Talking Robot

Posted by Jack Loftus at 2:00 AM on August 25, 2008


This sassy little thing is the brainchild of L. Scott Hudson, who recently participated in MAKE's Dorkbot Austin robot building event. This gal is kind of like the Twitter box bot we wrote about this week (also a MAKE find), but it's got the added bonus of moxie. It also gives you step-by-step self-assembly instructions in the video. See? Robots are ready to start building themselves. Earth: Doomed.


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Robots

Cardboard Twitter Robot Will Read Out Loud How Big Your Poop Is and Be Sad About It

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 1:30 AM on August 22, 2008

The Ganzbot is a cardboard robot built with an Arduino Decima that can read incoming Twitter feeds and show emotions as it reads them out loud--like happiness when you tweet you a got date, or soul-crushing depression when she stands you up--based on the mood you tell it to be in. You can build one for yourself on the cheap: [Mozmonkey via MAKE]


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Robots

Completely Unimpressive Robot Already Developing Bender Attitude

Posted by Mark Wilson at 11:00 PM on August 21, 2008

One day, robots will whiz by us one one wheel at 1000kph while solving absurd equations that would take us lifetimes to calculate. But that day has not yet come. So when a robot with coordination no better than a toddler starts trash-talking its humanoid accomplice, you know we're in for a painful and degrading future. Here's the clip:


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Robots

WowWee Femisapien On Sale Now

Posted by Mark Wilson at 10:30 PM on August 21, 2008

For those of you looking for your first taste of a female robot that will do your bidding, the US$99 WowWee Femisapien is on sale now at WowWee's site and major retailers like Target and Amazon. What's super cool about this robot is that you can program its movements, essentially, with a touch of a button and dragging its limbs around rag doll style. It also sorta has boobies. [WowWee via RobotsRule]


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Robots

British Army Competition Yields Bomb-Dropping, Hi-Def Video Taking, Unfortunately Noisy Flying Robot

Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 4:00 AM on August 17, 2008

One of the front runners of an ongoing British Army-sponsored competition for new military technology is this miniature spaceship-looking thing, which is designed to inconspicuously drop bombs and listening devices behind enemy lines. The external blade-less shape allows the machine to enter buildings through windows or doors, and an HD camera feed lets it double as a surveillance bot.


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Robots

Snake-Like Rescue Robot Will Scare the Sh*t Out Of You, Then Pull You From the Rubble

Posted by John Mahoney at 11:00 PM on August 16, 2008

If I was trapped in a pile of earthquake rubble, I'd do just about anything to get the hell out as soon as possible. But if this cilia-covered rescue snakebot squirmed it's way up my leg, I think the chances of heart failure might need to be factored in. It's called the Active Scope Camera, and it was conceived by researchers at Japan's Tohoku University, all of whom are clearly fans of War of the Worlds. It's a fibre-optic camera wrapped in a layer of tiny cilia bristles, which allow for millipede-like locomotion that's creepy, creepy, creepy in this video.


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Robots

MechRC Looks Menacing, Heralds Cylon Invasion

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 12:45 AM on August 14, 2008

Here's the MechRC, a user-friendly, fully-programmable robot that uses a gamepad to control 17 precision servos which provide 180-degrees of movement. It looks Cylon-class badass in this shot, but from a normal angle it's more a black Optimus Prime than a human-killing bot.


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Robots

MeisterGRIP Gives Robot Arm Controls To Your Palms

Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 9:00 PM on August 13, 2008

Who doesn't want the ability to control robotic arms? Especially when the robo-arms are mapped directly to contact points and grasping-force from your own five fingers. Even though this wonderfully named MiesterGRIP does indeed give you robo-arm control, don't expect to be lifting cars anytime soon since it appears grabbing a balloon is the most exciting trick that's currently possible.


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Robots

Nokia's Jeppe Web-Controlled Videoconfrencing Bot Makes Meetings Even More Fun

Posted by John Mahoney at 8:20 AM on August 12, 2008

That is, if you're excited about the prospect of talking to a creepy joker-faced white beetle with eye holes as hollow as your soul when you're around the conference table. The folks at the Nokia Research Center's Smart Spaces lab are actually intending this design concept for home use, but I can see a lot more interesting potential for it zooming around a tabletop, knocking over the CFO's coffee and looking all demonically cute. On the bright side, the Roomba wannabe will be controllable via the Web with an app for Nokia's Linux internet tablets, and it conferences via Google Talk. See it in action in this vid from Nokia HQ, complete with an adorable skit by some Finnish Nokians trying to act natural around the thing while doing dishes.

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Robots

Robots Go Mano a Mano With Medieval Weapons

Posted by Sean Fallon at 5:40 AM on August 12, 2008

I'm not entirely sure what is going on here, but I know what I like--and two robots duking it out with medieval weapons is definitely on that list. There are three weapons to choose from--a scythe, ax or a mace and there is some level of human interaction via a computer terminal. To be honest, I wouldn't call what they were doing as "fighting." It's more like an orchestrated mechanical dance with pointy weapons. Still, you've gotta love it. [Geekologie]


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Robots

Robots Act Out Guantanamo Waterboarding Torture, Terrorists Win

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 1:15 AM on August 8, 2008

There's a new exhibit at Coney Island that's fun for the whole family: the "Waterboard Thrill Ride." Greeted by Spongebob exuding "It don't Gitmo better!" you walk in to peer through bars at a dude in dark sweats leaning over another guy in an orange suit, his face wrapped in a towel. Slip a dollar into the machine, and for 15 seconds, "Dark Hood" pours water into Orange Jumpsuit's nose and mouth while he convulses.


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Robots

iRobot Gets Revenge On Former Employee By Selling His Stolen Robot Design

Posted by Sean Fallon at 11:00 AM on August 7, 2008

The story between iRobot and former employee Jameel Ahed has everything: military robots, betrayal, lies, stolen plans, lawsuits, big money, private investigators and destroyed evidence. But up until now there was one critical element missing...revenge. iRobot has completed that final act in this real-life drama by stealing back the "Negotiator" robot that Ahed made with their stolen plans and marketing it to police forces and other safety organisations around the country.


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Robots

Autonomous Guardium UGV Buggy Tirelessly Patrols Danger Zones So You Don't Have To

Posted by John Mahoney at 2:30 AM on August 6, 2008

We already have plenty of robot sentries/killers in the sky, so Israeli defence firm G-NIUS felt it important to tip the balance a little over to the four-wheeled category (joining the DARPA Urban Challenge folks) with its Guardium UGV. Designed mostly for border patrol and recon missions, the Guardium's onboard telemetry can receive GPS coordinates for adapting its pre-programmed routes on the fly and avoid obstacles on its own. And judging by the video, it's pretty damn fast.


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Robots

Stonehenge, The Analogue and Digital Clock Robot

Posted by Mark Wilson at 12:00 AM on August 6, 2008

The Stonehenge Robot isn't the most practical means to keep time, but it's got charm to spare. Programmed to carefully move any of 14 double-sided cards to display the proper time, Stonehenge gets some leeway as the cards are designed to stick to the magnetic table. The only potential problem is that the robot may require more than 1 minute to shuffle the display. But in such cases, Stonehenge predicts its lag and compensates by simply grabbing the next appropriate digit(s). Here's a clip of the Stonehenge doing its thing:


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Robots

Drum-Playing Robot Doesn't Quite Threaten the Livelihood of Real Drummers

Posted by Adam Frucci at 12:45 AM on August 5, 2008

Seeing as drum machines are pretty ubiquitous in music these days, the idea of a machine that plays the drums doesn't sound all that groundbreaking. But what about a robot that plays the drums? Eh? Not impressed? What if I told you it played the most rudimentary beats possible? Now are you impressed? I thought so. [Impress via New Launches]


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Robots

Lego Robot Sends Pictures from Space, Wishes It Had Lasers to Annihilate Us All

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 4:59 AM on August 2, 2008

Last Tuesday, a group of professors, students and robotics hobbyists launched the H.A.L.E. (High Altitude Lego Extravaganza): seven Lego Mindstorms robots attached to a weather balloon, which exploded at 30km over the Earth's surface. Each of the robots parachuted back successfully, but not without taking the obligatory photographs of the ascent and descent:


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Robots

WowWee Femisapien Fembot Gets Thorough, Semi-Naughty Video Shakedown

Posted by John Mahoney at 4:20 AM on August 1, 2008

As the folks at Robots Rule show in this video, Femisapien is "smart, funny, can dance up a storm and perform skits with you." What a gal. Here we get a demo of just about every feature imaginable, including Fashion Pose mode, Backup Singer mode, Business Card Handout mode--you get the idea. All fine and dandy. And then, there's this music video, where things get serious...with whips. I kid you not.


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Robots

Heart Robot Looks Like an Anemic Leprechaun, Demands Physical Affection Anyway

Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 12:10 PM on July 30, 2008

Dave McGoran of the University of West England has built what he called the Heart Robot, a semihumanoid doll that "appreciates" affection. Covered in a variety of sensors, Heart Robot responds to your attentions with a range of expressive and, to be honest, unsettling tools: batting eyelids, a beating heart and pleasant purring, to name a few.

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Robots

Skinned Robo Teddy will Instill a Healthy Fear of Robots in Your Kid

Posted by Adam Frucci at 12:30 AM on July 30, 2008

One of the great joys of parenting, as I understand it, is being handed a malleable lump of proto-humanity that sees you as some kind of god, absorbing everything you do and say as a lifelong lesson. It's a big responsibility, sure, but also an opportunity to create a really… unique individual. Which is why I just have to recommend getting one of these absolutely terrifying robo teddy bears for your toddler.


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Robots

The Shining Recreated with WowWee Robots

Posted by Adam Frucci at 1:00 AM on July 26, 2008

In the above video, the famous tricycle scene from The Shining is reenacted with a WowWee Tribot and a couple of Femisapiens who meet some gruesome demises. It's pretty awesome. After the jump, check the original scene for comparison's sake.


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Robots

First Fembot Commercial Ever Heralds Imminent Robot Porn Market

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 10:20 PM on July 25, 2008

Those crazy Japan-addicts from the Pink Tentacle have grabbed the first commercial ever made by a fembot. Actroid DER-2 stars in a 15-second TV ad titled "The Woman Who Doesn't Rust", promoting an insect repellent and sunscreen spray. From afar, she looks hey-babe-how-you-doin' kind of good, but then they have to cut to a close-up and almost gave me a heart attack. Why a fembot needs sunscreen is beyond me. Lube after a few Old Fortrans, on the other side, it's a completely different story. [Pink Tentacle]


Robots

Sensopac Neural-Net Robot Hand May Be What Droids Will Shake Hands With

Posted by Kit Eaton at 9:00 PM on July 24, 2008

Robotic hands and arms may be getting more sophisticated, but they don't really rival what we think C3-PO would have poking out of his torso. That is until now: an European science team have been busy creating the Sensopac robotic limb, and it's arguably the most human-like robotic limb yet. And partly that's because its sophistication is derived from software modelled on the human cerebellum. The arm has artificial skin that can sense force and direction in detail, and its 38 motors mimic the structure of human muscles and tendons to give it a very human-like grip.


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Robots

Anti-Immigration Robot Secures Britain's Borders

Posted by Sean Fallon at 5:40 AM on July 23, 2008

Much like the United States, Britain has a bit of an illegal immigration problem. Tens of thousands risk their lives to cross into Britain each year by clinging underneath trucks transported on ferries. To combat this problem, BAE systems has provided the border agency with a robot dubbed "Hero" that is capable of ferreting out these stowaways using a combination of cameras and sensors. The device can check underneath vehicles and even detect heartbeats when fitted with the proper equipment. It can also be used to identify chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials being smuggled into the country.


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