Hasta La Gadget!

Panasonic has come up with a prototype of a dry head spa robot, where there might be possible plans down the road that could see this prototype robot attached to a desk or bath. It will rely on robot hand technology which was used previously in their hair washing robot. Panasonic described the prototype this way, “For kneading the scalp while the hair is dry, people use dry head spas. So, we’ve added a robot hand we’d already developed for washing hair, and developed this, as a model for seeing how such therapy might feel.”

Before you begin, you will need to adjust the head fitting, followed by recording your hairline position. Once done, the robot hand will go ahead and apply some slight pressure to recover a 3D scan of your head. There is an integrated 3D tracking mechanism which will allow the two dozen fingers to follow the shape of your head automatically, where the arms will expand and contract in order to reach the center of your scalp. Apart from providing a gentle, kneading motion to your scalp, this robot can also be used when you are seated on a massage chair for a full-body experience.

There are no happy endings with this one, as you cannot talk to a robot. Hey, some of us do prefer just peace and quiet, while others prefer to vent their stress through words.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HOSPI-Rimo communication assistance robot from Panasonic , Panasonic Introduces New Parallel Link Robot That Can Be Easily Educated,

Here’s another extremely cool offshoot of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. Platypus LLC build autonomous robotic airboats that can be deployed for a wide range of usages including environmental data and monitoring hard-to-reach spots after natural disasters like flooding. The hull of the boat looks a good deal like a boogie board, built from polyurethane. On top, you’ll find a propulsion fan assembly, just behind a hard plastic electronics compartment that houses internals like the Arduino board. That microcontroller communicates via Bluetooth with a smartphone that sits in the front of of the boat, safely cocooned inside an Otterbox case.

The models we saw this week were carrying Nexus S handsets — relatively cheap solutions bought second-hand off of eBay. Just about any Android phone should do the trick, but in the case of this project, where phones can get wrenched loose or just outright pilfered, cheaper is certainly better. Platypus’ proprietary app helps control the boat autonomously, using the handset’s camera to provide situational awareness. Sensors mounted on the boat, meanwhile, offer up information on oxygen and PH levels, temperature and more.

Continue reading Platypus airboats have a Nexus S for a brain, we go eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Science

Platypus airboats have a Nexus S for a brain, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At school like Carnegie Mellon, it sort of figures that you’d find robots just about everywhere, performing the sorts of tasks we’ve traditionally left to us more fleshy types. In the two days we’ve spent on campus, we’ve seen ‘bots do just about everything — some far more autonomously than others. Take Roboceptionist — the robotic secretary was one of the first intelligent beings we encountered upon arriving on the premises, artificial or otherwise, greeting us from a wooden kiosk near the entrance to Newell-Simon Hall.

The receptionist’s creators named him Marion “Tank” Lefleur — but don’t call him “Marion.” It’s really a sort of a “Boy Named Sue” scenario, and calling him by his birth name is a surefire way of getting on his bad side. When he’s not getting irritated, Tank’s tasked with helping you find things on campus — people, halls, food — by way of a small keyboard. He’s got a surprisingly complex backstory that informs his answers. Ask him how his mom and dad are doing and you’re bound to get some fairly bizarre responses — same with more straight forward questions about finding a place to eat on campus, for that matter.

Continue reading Robotic butlers, bartenders and receptionists at Carnegie Mellon (video)

Filed under: Robots

Robotic butlers, bartenders and receptionists at Carnegie Mellon (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Between old Paro the robo seal and the original iteration of Keepon, we’ve seen plenty of adorable robots designed for therapeutic purposes. Romibo’s creators have no qualms admitting that their own creation is following in those cuddly footsteps, but what sets their furry ‘bot apart from much of the competition is a focus on (relative) affordability. For starters, there’s the fact that Romibo is being offered up as an open-source project online, letting do-it-yourselfers build their own versions and contribute custom designs.

The company’s also hoping families will get into the act, making sure that Romibo is “able to be assembled by a neurotypical child 10+ and a parent” — and then there are the plans to offer up workshops to let folks build robots to be donated to special needs facilities. Once built, Romibo can drive around, blink its eyes, speak and move its antennae. Crack it open and you’ll find WiFi, bluetooth, light sensors, an IR Proximity sensor, accelerometers and a big ‘ole Arduino Mega. There’s a certain amount of autonomous functionality (watch in the video below as Romibo’s handler warns about it driving off the edge of the table), or you can control the robot via an iPad app. You can also use an SD card to help teach it some new words.

Continue reading Romibo therapeutic robot, eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Robots

Romibo therapeutic robot, eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might know CHARLI-2 as Virginia Tech’s five-foot tall humanoid robot who is designed to be a firefighting robot. What you probably didn’t know is that this bot can also dance to Gangnam Style.

He’s so good at it because he was designed for ships are filled with “knee-knocker” passageways, ladders and steps. Basically, this guy can get around and get out of your way. So now CHARLI-2 can add dancing to K-Pop to his list of accomplishments, which include being a repeat champion at the RoboCup robotics awards for two years running for instance.

Forget defending our watery borders or fighting pirates. It seems that the Navy is more interested in making robots dance. That’s fine with me. If they are getting their groove on, they aren’t killing anyone.

[via Geekosystem via Botropolis]