Hasta La Gadget!

I’m going to start saying that I’m taking this with a huge grain of salt. This robot looks very realistic, yet has a somewhat cheesy and viral attempt feel to it at the same time. Watch the video for yourself and see what you think. The video is supposed to be a how-to video from a company called Suidobashi Heavy Industry.

The video goes over how to ride a robot called the Kuratas. The 13-foot-tall wheeled robot is clearly a nod at the Mechwarrior series of video games and any number of Japanese animated shows. In the video, you can see petite Japanese woman climbing into the chest cockpit cavity of the robot and going over the controls, including a remote smartphone-operated mode.

The controls look easy-to-use and seem realistic. You’ll note on the left arm there are twin multi-barreled cannons. How scary would it be as a soldier on about film to have one of these massive robots come walking up? The video claims the top speed of the bot, which has a torso and two arms but rolls on wheels, is 10 km/h. The bot uses a diesel engine and can be driven in high or low modes. The missile launcher appears to be packed with water bottles and will “from time to time” hit its target.

If this is just a fake viral video, it’s extremely well done. If it’s real, we could soon have mechs walking the streets of Tokyo.

[via Daily Mail]

Suidobashi Heavy Industries has put the finishing touches to its latest project, the 4.4-ton Kuratas. Mobile suit obsessives around the world can thank artist Kogoro Kurata and robotics expert Wataru Yoshizaki for the robot frame, which has space to house a pilot inside. The mech’s touchscreen UI even includes a Kinect-based movement interface and the shudder-inducing “smile-activated” twin BB gatling guns. You can customize your own diesel-powered beast in the dystopian gang colors of your choosing, but be advised: the $1.35 million price tag doesn’t include further customization options like a faux leather interior, cup holder or phone cubby. The Kuratas does, however, come with the ability to make phone calls direct from the cockpit, so you can tell your enemies that you’re coming for them.

Continue reading Kuratas, the 13-foot mech: unleashes your inner Ripley, costs $1.35 million (video)

Filed under: Robots

Kuratas, the 13-foot mech: unleashes your inner Ripley, costs $1.35 million (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Remote-controlled cameras are nothing new — heck, some even ride atop robotic vacuums — but this Android smartphone-powered device delivers quite a bit of versatility in a petite package with a reasonable price tag to boot. Botiful, a “social telepresence robot,” serves as a roving platform for your Android smartphone. You can move the handset (and its front-facing camera) up and down as it speeds along any flat surface, responding to commands from someone on the other end of a Skype video chat. Once you connect the device to your Android phone through Bluetooth or USB, you can control its direction from a pop-up window within Skype, letting you position Botiful however you see fit. If your Android phone doesn’t have a front-facing camera, you can flip it around to use the rear shooter — of course, you won’t be able to see the display in this configuration, so it won’t be ideal for two-way chats. Naturally, this makes the duo a natural choice for surveillance and baby monitoring, but it can also be used to provide a more immersive experience during conference calls or for sending back video from locations that aren’t easily accessible, such as the undercarriage of a car.

Designed in a garage in California (no, really), Botiful is already functional, with working software as well. The current configuration requires Skype for control, though an SDK will allow developers to create other control apps for the device — and who knows, the seemingly capable inventor could release another tool of her own before it’s set to hit production later this year. With much of the design already completed, the project sponsor is turning to Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to launch Botiful to production — the device could ship as soon as November if it reaches a $90,000 goal before August 22nd. Available in white, blue or red, the remote-controlled rig is currently only compatible with Android, though iOS support may come if funding exceeds a $100k threshold. There’s still more than three weeks to go to make your pledge, with a limited number of pre-order slots available for $199 (retail pricing is expected to come in at $299). Hit up the source link below to show your support.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Botiful telepresence robot for Android (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras, Robots

Insert Coin: Botiful telepresence robot for Android (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some people find human babies to be a bit creepy at times. They certainly can be a bit weird, but we all were one at some point. Aside from looking like Winston Churchill, all babies are pretty much aliens. They have no idea about anything and have to learn how to conduct themselves like civilized humans. This robot baby called Affetto however, is creepier than any real baby.
It has taken a year, but Osaka University’s Affetto baby now has a torso and a pair of arms to go along with it. It is amazing how very baby-like its movements are. All fluid and awkward. Just like the real deal, it even accidentally hits itself in the face during the video.

They were able to get this kind of movement thanks to about 20 pneumatic actuators. The face doesn’t seem to do anything yet, but once they sync it up with the body, this is going to be totally nightmare inducing. You don’t want to babysit this little demon.

[via Geeky-Gadgets]

There has been a reported instance of a man in the past who jumps on water while carrying two weights – one in each hand, having picked up that snippet of information from the Giant Book of Fantastic Facts. Well, researchers have managed to come up with this particular robot which is capable of jumping on water in a way that is similar to that of a water strider. This is definitely not the first robot which will mimic the water-gliding insect’s skating motion, but it is the first of its kind which is capable of bouncing across a body of water. What are some of the practical applications of such a robot? Since it is able to maneuver nimbly on a pond or lake surface, it will also be able to see action when it comes to pollution monitoring or surveillance missions.

Specially designed by engineer Jie Zhao and his colleagues from China’s Harbin Institute of Technology, this particular water jumping robot measures six inches in length and tips the scales at approximately the weight of a wooden pencil, and for comparison’s sake, it is around 1,000 times the weight of an actual water strider. This robot still loses out to real water striders in terms of speed and agility though.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mantabot travels through the seas without much effort, Botiful telepresence robot is extremely cute,