Martin Montesano's giant "Walking Beast" isn't the first robot spider ever made, but it is the only one I can recall that is this enormous and has the ability to take on passengers. His 6 tonne, 23-foot-long creation was built over the course of three years at an expense of US$50,000--and it can carry up to six passengers in its steel belly and two (including the driver) in the head.

Read More »

Leave it to the BBC to introduce a show about robots attacking humans and generally making a mess of the landscape that's both funny and tailor-made for the ADHD audience. The Wrong Door is a violent, live-action Robot Chicken prone to the same breezy matter-of-factness that made Terry Gilliam's Python interludes both funny and horrifying. Check out the clip above, where a computer takes revenge on a frustrated user, and after the jump, where the Soldier Spray cannon reveals a new way to deploy troops in times of need.

Read More »

Once again, the week before Labour day brings offbeat art lovers from around the world to Black Rock City, Nevada, for a seven-day event that immerses the senses in radical artistic self-expression. Actually, its pretty hard to describe Burning Man unless you have actually been to one, but it is certainly a far cry from the stuffy art museum atmosphere most of us are familiar with. Plus, there are enough flaming gadgets to keep any nerd entertained. Hit the jump to see some of the unique projects on display this year.

Read More »

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.

Read More »

2050. That's the year that you'll plug your brain into a toaster. Intel doesn't know how, precisely, but according to Intel CTO Justin Rattner's recent keynote at the Intel Developer Forum, they're working on it. From Intel's summary of the event:

Read More »

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]

Read More »

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:

Read More »

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]

Read More »

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.

Read More »

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.

Read More »