Jan 05
Gonna be hard for CES to top this.
Continue reading All-robot band plays Motorhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’
Filed under: Robots
Source: Compressorhead
Jan 04
Larry The Vomiting Robot
Posted in: Today's ChiliMost robots are meant to be helpful to mankind, whether they are at the assembly line of a factory to help assemble a vehicle, or to spray paint a particular gadget before it is ready for mass release, or in the case of a sci-fi world, help repair our spacecraft and being the only hope of a certain princess while the galaxy is locked under the iron hand of an evil emperor. Well, in the case of Larry, it vomits. Yes, that is correct, Vomiting Larry is a special kind of robot which was specifically designed to project vomit up to 10 feet away, and it does so not because of a prank or anything of the sort, but rather, to make advancements in the field of science.
To put things in perspective, Vomiting Larry is a favorite among scientists at a British lab who are currently studying noroviruses, hoping that this will help them know more on how exactly a norovirus sufferer is able to spread it to other unsuspecting folks nearby. Apparently, when vomiting, tiny particles that hold the virus become aerosolized, letting it be infectious within a 10 feet radius. Better the norovirus than the T-Virus, I say.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Robotherapist 3D Spanish stroke rehabilitation robot targets worldwide patent, Robot snake detects tumors by slithering through body,
Jan 04
Out of the many head-turners that will show up at the pool this summer, one new gadget will certainly catch the eye of any geek getting his tan on. iRobot will be unveiling the Mirra 530 pool-cleaning robot at CES next week, along with the Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot, both of which provide the same great robot-cleaning technology from the makers who brought you Roomba.
The Mirra 530 deep cleans any type of in-ground pool, both the surface and the water. iRobot has engineered the machine to remove all of the pesky gunk from your pool, including leaves, hair, and dirt. However, it also tackles the things you can’t see, such as algae, pollen, and bacteria as small as two microns.
The pool-cleaning robot can go through up to 70 gallons of water per minute and filter out all the debris that makes its way through. Thanks to its iAdapt Nautiq system, it’ll even automatically figure out the size of your pool to determine which cleaning program is the most efficient.
Furthermore, the company is also unveiling the Looj 330 gutter-washer to those outside of the US, and it’s the first time that iRobot is selling an outdoor unit outside of the US. The Mirra 530 pool cleaner will set you back a cool $1,299 (€1,499 in Europe) and will launch in the spring. The Looj 330 will also arrive in the spring, costing €299.
iRobot to unveil new cleaning robots at CES 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 04
The norovirus can be nasty. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting in humans. It is also extremely contagious. You might remember several cases of outbreaks in cruise ships on the news. This virus is estimated to have caused over 90% of epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis in the entire world. So it only makes sense that scientists want to understand the virus better. That’s what Larry the vomiting robot is all about.
At the Health and Safety Laboratory in Derbyshire, northern England, researcher Catherine Makison developed this humanoid simulated vomiting system. Yeah, Larry sounds much nicer. When scientists analyzed his reach, they found that small droplets of sickness can spread over three meters.
You see, vomiting, robots and science are all making great strides every time Larry spews. Larry Spews. That would have been a good name. Or Barf Simpson. Maybe just simply Ralph.
[via Neatorama]
Jan 01
Samsung launched robotic vacuum cleaner “Smart Tango Corner Clean” with upgraded dust removal capability for corners on the 2nd. Unlike the previous versions of robotic vacuum cleaners with fixed side brushes, Smart Tango Corner Clean has the world’s very first “pop out brush” to enhance the efficiency by giving the possibility to this new little Tango to access corners and other difficult areas!
Jan 01
A group of scientists and engineers from the University of Zürich’s Artificial Intelligence Lab has unveiled a robot called Roboy. While their intentions are good, this creepy-looking robot reminds me of an adolescent, hydrocephalic, Terminator sent back in time to destroy mankind. But that’s not what it’s designed for – the team working on the project hope that it might be a sort of blueprint for human service robots.
Eventually, the robot will be covered with a soft skin and make it more comfortable for humans to touch and look at. The design uses a series of mechanical actuators to allow the robot to move around freely combined with artificial tendons. The use of these artificial tendons allows the robot to mimic human movement.
The designers of the robot say that it is still in the construction phase. So far, the team has completed the robot’s torso, leg development, a CAD model of the entire robot, and other tasks. In the middle of December, the team announced that the robot had its face and could move its arms. To finance the completion of Roboy, the researchers and engineers have taken the unique approach of selling ad space on the robot’s body.
[via Phys.org]
Jan 01
Samsung Smart Tango Corner Clean robotic vacuum hits Flickr ahead of CES launch
Posted in: Today's Chili 
There’s no doubt that Samsung’s holding its juiciest bits for the stage in Vegas, but the company has been letting a few items slip on by, with an update to its robotic vacuum line representing the latest pre-CES tease. The Smart Tango Corner Clean maintains a traditional circular design, but includes the “world’s very first pop-out brush,” which enables the bot to whip debris out of corners and otherwise inaccessible spots along its mapped-out path. On the navigation front, the new cleaner appears to include Samsung’s camera-equipped Visionary Mapping System, with a front-mounted lens. There’s also a built-in LCD for programming and error code readouts, along with a handful of controls on the top and a standard removable dust bin in the rear. There’s no hint of pricing or availability — or even a model number to speak of — but if you’re in the market for an autonomous vac, you might as well hold out on your purchase for one more week.
Filed under: Household, Samsung
Source: Samsung Tomorrow (Flickr)
Dec 31
Another incredibly creepy robot has turned up, this time from the University of Zürich’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. The creepy robot has a gigantic smooth head and exposed Terminator components. The bot is called Roboy and was built with help from both engineers and scientists.
The team hopes that Roboy might become a blueprint for service robots that are able to work with humans and provide services such as support for elderly people. The robot stands 1.2 m tall and is driven by a series of mechanical tendons giving it the ability to move around. The tendon functionality in the robot is said to closely mimic the function of human tendons allowing Roboy to move like a human does.
For now, the robot is still in the construction phase. Development has involved the completion of the torso, leg development, and computer-assisted drafting of the entire robot along with assembly and teaching the robot to move. The team announced in the middle of December that the robot was “getting a new face and can already moved his arms.”
While the robot has exposed components right now, it would eventually be covered with a soft skin to make the robot more comfortable for humans to touch. The design team is trying to raise money to help complete the construction of the robot by selling logo space on the robot body where names or company logos can be engraved. Check out the video below to see the robot in action.
[via Phys.org]
University of Zürich Artificial Intelligence Lab shows off Roboy robot is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 29
Do you think that our future will have robots that help mankind, such as those found in the science fiction movie I, Robot? How about droids that move around in the now Disney-owned Star Wars, those would definitely come in handy in solving the communications problem between different language groups, wouldn’t it? Sad to say, current technology is still far from achieving such high standards in robotics, but perhaps something like the Roboy is a good start.
Folks over at the University of Zurich’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (AI Lab) is currently working on building a robot toddler that they have dubbed “Roboy.” The implementation of “soft robotics” technology which will mimic the human body has resulted in this 1.2 meter (3 ft, 11 in) tall humanoid robot to be a solution down the road that will hopefully make people feel more comfortable in the presence of robots when it comes to day-to-day situations.
Granted, the Roboy is far from being the cutest thing in the market at the moment, as it resembles far more like a cyborg skeleton compared to a charming child whom you would like to cuddle, but bear in mind that this is because this is still a work in progress. The laboratory’s final goal would be to build an entire Roboy from scratch in a matter of nine months, and I find the parallel of the time required compared to carrying a baby to term cute.
Work on Roboy began last June, where 15 project partners and more than 40 engineers and scientists came together, and they intend to fund the development of Roboy by creative means, such as auctioning space on the robot for logos, while hiring it out for business functions when completed.
Roboy remains more of a research project than an engineering enterprise at this point in time, and the team has set their eyes on developing new technologies while engaging scalable production using CAD and 3D printing so that it takes a matter of days to fully roll out a robot.
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[ Roboy could be a robot for the future copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Dec 28
We’ve seen plenty of remote-controlled toy robots over the years. We’ve seen remote-controlled devices that can fly such as the AR Drone and remote-controlled devices that roll around on the ground as well. What I don’t recall seeing is a remote-controlled device that combines both ground and air capability into one device.
This cool little toy is called the Hybrid Terrestrial and Aerial Quadrotor (HyTAQ) and was designed by Arash Kalantari and Matthew Spenko. Both of the designers hail from the robotics laboratory at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The device looks a lot like your typical four rotor flying helicopter toy inside a cage to help prevent you from breaking it when you smack into the wall.
Rather than that cage being for the protection of the rotors alone, it actually acts as a large wheel that allows the remote control device to roll around on the ground. The cage is made from a combination of polycarbonate and carbon fiber and has a long axle that is attached to the sides of the quadrotor flying machine. While the primary purpose of the cage is to allow ground mobility, it does actually protect the rotors.
You can see the device in action in the video below. It appears that the same controls that control flight for the little machine also control movement on the ground. The robotic machine can transition from ground operation to flight impressively quick and appears to be controlled like any other quadrotor we’ve seen before. The HyTAQ is capable of operating on just about any surface.
[via Technabob]
HyTAQ robot rolls on the ground and flies through the air is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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