This is freaking scary. This is even scarier than Big Dog. It’s the latest version of the Pentagons’s newest Cheetah robot and it now runs faster than Usain Bolt. 0.5 miles per hour faster than the fastest man on Earth. More »
If AscTec’s Hummingbird quadrocopters continue to fly around in your nightmares, you might not want to watch their latest video — even if they resemble hypnotic robot fireworks. Ars Electronica Futurelab and Ascending Technologies teamed up for this latest show, programming 50 LED-equipped quadrocopters to frolic over the Danube last week. Watch them dance after the break.
Continue reading 50 quadrocopters take to Austria’s skies for synchronized swarm (video)
Filed under: Misc, Robots, Alt
50 quadrocopters take to Austria’s skies for synchronized swarm (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
Gizmag | 
Ars Electronica (YouTube) | Email this | Comments
Hackable toys are nothing new, but there’s something appealing about pulling a ‘bot out of your pocket and remote-controlling it from your smartphone. I’m sure that some of the flying mini drones would also fit the bill, but the BERO (Be The Robot) looks pretty cool too.
The BERO ‘bot is a 4″ tall robot that can be controlled via your smartphone, to which it will pair using Bluetooth. The app that will control the ‘bot will be open-source, so you will probably end up being able to do all sorts of crazy things with your diminutive robot. It comes with a multi-motor, microchip, on-board flash memory, speakers, and an SD card slot. There’s a higher end model that has some pretty flashy designs and will be able to perform more movements, as well as having LED lights that can light up to the beat of music.
The BERO ‘bot was launched on Kickstarter, and at the time of writing, it had amassed a total of $18,000 out of a goal of $38,900 with 30 days of funding left. It will almost certainly be made if it stays on its current pace. You’ll have to pledge $79 for the BERO Bluetooth edition, but the more sophisticated versions range from $109 to $189, depending on the design.
We’re no stranger to robot drummers – or robot musicians for that matter – but StickBoy stands out for a couple of reasons. Make that four reasons. The rock and roll robot makes up for its seemingly immobile hips by having four arms.
Frank Barnes of Robocross built StickBoy back in 2007. The robot’s arms, two legs and awesome metal mohawk head are powered by compressed air. He uses a 14-piece Pearl drum set with double bass pedals. According to the Robocross website, StickBoy can rock out to 8 songs, including AC/DC’s TNT, Rage Against the Machine’s Bullet in the Head and the song used below, the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop.
Was that punk, metal or robot rock?
[Robocross via You Bent My Wookie]
You can always count on Japan’s NHK to come up with new, exciting and innovative ways to bring us video coverage. The latest project? A wind- and solar-powered robot camera designed for situations such as natural disasters. Loaded with a 1,200 Ah battery, even if the elements don’t bless it with sun and air, it can keep filming for two to three days. The combination of wind turbine and solar panels obviously allow it to generate more power than either method on its own, with the turbine reportedly generating 1 kW at 11 m/s wind speeds. A special power-saving mode prevent it draining too fast when full functionality — such as the built-in wireless, cellular and satellite broadcasting systems aren’t needed. Currently the prototype is installed on a rooftop while battery and power-generation are fully tested, but it’s hoped that this could lead to further developments for disaster area broadcast equipment. Or — here’s hoping — power-cut-proof sports coverage.
NHK developing hybrid renewable energy-powered video camera for use in disaster areas originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Typically, when I hear about a project over on the crowdsourced funding website Kickstarter, we’re talking about some sort of iPhone accessory or game. A project is up on Kickstarter right now that Arthur C. Clarke would really appreciate. The project is from a company called the LiftPort Group and is to fund an experiment that will help the company on its path to building a space elevator on the moon.
The company is seeking $8000 to conduct an experiment where they will launch a robot using a 2 km long tether into the atmosphere. The robot would climb that tether and break the previous world record set by the company of roughly a quarter mile. The company has so far raised over $19,600 and still has 16 days to go.
With each step above the $8000 the company needed, it has “stretch goals” that will see improvements made on its original experiment including more sensors and the ability to go higher into the sky. LiftPort Founder Michael Laine hopes that the experiment will eventually culminate with a $3 million feasibility study on the possibility of building a space elevator on the moon. The company wants to build a space elevator that will carry cargo from the surface of the moon to a point where spacecraft from Earth could rendezvous with it.
The total cost for the space elevator is estimated to be $800 million, which might be a bit more than you could raise on Kickstarter.
[via Forbes]
You remember Sphero, right? Last we checked in with its creators from Orbotix at E3, the $130 robotic ball was getting ready to act as a 3D controller and the guide point for an Augmented Reality Engine. This week, along with the release of a firmware upgrade, a few new free apps have been released, including two that’ll let you use that 3D controller functionality. Better yet, Orbotix has given us a sneak peek at the progress it’s made on the AGR since we last checked it out. Join us past the break if you’re curious to find out more.
Filed under: Misc, Gaming, Peripherals
Sphero gets a firmware upgrade and new apps, we get another look at its Augmented Reality Engine (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Canadians well-versed in their history are very aware of Sir John Franklin‘s ill-fated 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage: a British voyage that set out to establish a sailing route through the Arctic and ended with the untimely, mysterious deaths of its two ship crews. No human ever found the abandoned ships, which makes it all the more fitting that the next best shot at discovery might come through a just-launched autonomous underwater vehicle from the University of Victoria and Bluefin Robotics. Meet the Mano, a new sonar-toting robot that can produce detailed undersea maps all by its lonesome while keeping a steady altitude above the ocean floor. It can only operate for 12 hours at a time, which will keep humans in the area, but its ability to run untethered below storms and cold Arctic winds should dramatically expand the territory that researchers can cover during their share of a larger five- to six-week journey. There’s no guarantee that the Mano will hit the jackpot, or find something recognizable even if it does. Still, any mapping should improve navigation for modern boats — and hopefully prevent others from sharing Sir Franklin’s fate.
Filed under: Robots, Science, Alt
University of Victoria’s Mano underwater robot to prowl Arctic waters for legendary ships originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 22:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | CBC | Email this | Comments
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Anthony, who needs some robotic help keeping his stone floors clean. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“We have stone tile floors in the kitchen and two kids. What wet floor cleaning robot would help us keep the floor clean, navigate the kitchen and handle the uneven stone floor tiles and grooves?”
We love original and different questions like this, the more original and different the better, so let’s help this gentleman out. It’s the old story of the high-tech being flustered by the stone age, but what’s the solution? Is it the iRobot Scooba, with its squeegee apparatus tucked underneath, or something else? Why not share your considerable experiences in the comments below.
Filed under: Household
Ask Engadget: best robot cleaner for stone tile floors? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Justin Hart and Brian Scassellati of Yale University have nothing better to do, so they thought they would tinker with robots and doom us all. Recently, they taught a humanoid robot named Nico to recognize its own reflection in the mirror. That doesn’t sound so bad right? Well, it’s fine until they decide one day that everything that doesn’t look like them has to go. We aren’t there yet thankfully. Right now this is just a cute story about a robot and a mirror. For now.
Nico is part of an experiment to see whether a robot can tackle a test of self-awareness called the mirror test. To pass the test an animal or a robot has to recognise that a mark on the body it sees in the mirror is on its own body. Only dolphins, orcas, elephants, magpies, humans and a few other apes have passed the test so far.
The robot has had to learn more about itself. He isn’t done yet. So the team plans to teach Nico how to recognise where its torso is, where it’s head is and so on. The shape, the color and texture as well.
“What excites me is that the robot has learned a model of itself, and is using it to interpret information from the mirror,” says Hart. I guess one man’s excitement is another’s sheer terror. Soon there will be vain robots everywhere.
[via New Scientist]
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
