walking
Robots
Honda’s Groin-Threatening Robo-Legs Demonstrated On Video
8:18PM John Herrman | Why Honda took a few days to seed a video of their potentially emasculating robotic legs is beyond me, but here it is: a faceless man running the “Walking Assist Device” through its strides (ha, ha). My fears of testicular danger are only partially mitigated, and the fact that the legs have a hilariously feminine gait doesn’t offer much comfort. That said, they do seem to work: the demonstrator never falls down, and appears to exert very little energy, even during deep squats. [Akihabara] More »
Home
Walking House Is Lunar Module, TIE Fighter, and Cockroach Crossbreed
3:30AM Jesus Diaz | Although it’s as big as some of the apartments I’m looking now in Manhattan, the Walking House is not really a house, but a “modular dwelling system that enables persons to live a peaceful nomadic life, moving slowly through the landscape or cityscape”. “Slowly” meaning “glacial-speed,” and “peaceful nomadic life” meaning “trying to desperately escape the subprime crisis”. And according to its designers, it has minimal impact in the environment thanks to its use of solar energy, small windmills and a wood stove. While it seems very alien in the video, it looks kind of cozy on the pictures inside. More »
Vehicles
Six Tonne Walking Spider Takes Passengers on Giant Robot Rides
5:10AM Sean Fallon | 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. More »
Gadgets
Walking Stick Fishing Pole: Perfect for Dr. House’s Days Off?
8:59PM Gizmodo US Edition | A walking stick, with a catch. Well, potentially a catch anyway: with a reel and fishing line, this mashup gadget enables you to combined fishing with your countryside strolls. It’s 89cm high, with a rubber foot and metal/plastic reel, and is available now for US$39.95. On second thoughts, House wouldn’t so much use this for fishing for fish, as much as for views up nurse’s skirts. The advertising doesn’t suggest that though. [Product via Nerd Approved] More »
Robots
Flame Bot Has Manliest Walk in Robot Kingdom
5:00AM Wilson Rothman | Next Friday, a Dutch robotics researcher named Daan Hobbelen at TU Delft will be getting his PhD for building a robot named Flame. What’s the big deal? you robo-saturated Giz readers ask. Flame has been built to walk like a man, using human-based principles that strike fear in the hearts of other robotics experts. UPDATE and BONUS VIDEO BELOW!! More »
Gadgets
Walking Stick with Built-in Telescope: for the Victorian Perv in You
7:47PM Gizmodo US Edition | Not quite as high-tech as the CIA spy gear Wilson’s been showing, but almost a steampunk modding of a normal walking stick… this cane with built-in telescope gave me a smile the moment I saw it. Mainly because I pictured a Victorian gent strolling along, then popping out the 3x mag telescope to steal a forbidden glimpse of distant ankle. Simpler days, eh? It has a one-inch wide, 37-inch high African rosewood stick, so it should be good as a real walking aid, and there’s a brass handle for an extra touch of style. It’s available now for US$89.95… useful for countryside strolls, and, of course, for the odd bit of *ahem* bird-spotting. [HammacherSchlemmer via Red Ferret] More »
Vehicles
Autoliv’s Hood Airbag System Saves Dumb Walkers From Dumb Drivers
9:06AM Gizmodo US Edition | Autoliv’s new Pedestrian Protection System combines a hood that opens to cushion impact and a pair of hood mounted airbags to reduce the risk of serious injury when a car comes into contact with an unfortunate pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist. The tech’s safety specs are impressive: “From almost certain death to less than a 15% risk of life-threatening injuries in a car-to-pedestrian impact at 40 km/h.” [Autoliv via Autoblog via Inventor Spot] More »
Robots
Honda’s Assisted Walking Device Makes Grandma Strut Like Asimo
1:30AM Benny Goldman | Honda has developed a gadget that they say could make walking easier for the elderly and others with weak leg muscles. The aptly named Walking Assist Device is a 2.7 kg motorised belt with hip sensors that gauge how much help the wearer will need. The motor then gives the wearer an appropriate boost, lengthening his or her stride enough to make walking easier on the legs. More »
Robots
Cornell Ranger Breaks Walking ‘Bot Distance Record, Falls Over
1:40AM Gizmodo US Edition | When a team of Cornell students put Ranger to work tottering around the running track it just kept on walking, eventually achieving 45 laps before its batteries died and the poor thing toppled backwards. This 9 km hike smashed the previous 20-lap record. The kneeless Ranger is designed to investigate aspects of locomotion so that robot walking can be improved, and hopefully prosthetics for humans too. More »
Vehicles
