50 quadrocopters take to Austria’s skies for synchronized swarm (video)

50 quadrocopters take to Austria's skies for synchronized swarm

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.

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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  |  sourceArs Electronica (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Robot made from paper spells doom for the trees in the Robopocalypse (video)

Robot made from paper spells doom for the trees in the Robopocalypse video

A paper tiger might have a bark that’s worse than its bite, but that proverb might not be valid once you’ve seen the Mechanical Paper Robot. The brainchild of artist / genius Kikousya, it’s entirely constructed from dead trees, a few rubber bands and some dowel. We suggest you watch the amazing video after the break and, if you’re looking to build your own, head down to the source link for the instructions. After all, given the cost of those robotic bulls, scary babies and giant mecha, Skynet’s gonna need some wallet-friendly foot-soldiers for the Robopocalypse.

Continue reading Robot made from paper spells doom for the trees in the Robopocalypse (video)

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Robot made from paper spells doom for the trees in the Robopocalypse (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 20:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge, Robots Dreams  |  sourceMPM  | Email this | Comments

The mighty Kuratas gets assembled on video

DNP Kuratas

It’ll cost you $1.35 million to own one, but putting together a Kuratas isn’t any easier. The latest video of the monstrous mech shows it being transported and assembled. That means flatbeds, cranes and a whole lot of socket wrenches. Of course, at the end of the day, you’ve got a 13-foot tall robot you can climb inside. Certainly puts that Ikea bookshelf project into perspective, huh?

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The mighty Kuratas gets assembled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSuidobashi (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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

Kuratas, the 13foot mech unleashes your inner Ripley, costs $135 million video

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)

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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.

Permalink Plastic Pals, The Verge  |  sourceSuidobashi Heavy Industries  | Email this | Comments

Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps (video)

Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps

It’s taken a year to get the sinister ticks and motions of Osaka University’s Affetto baby head out of our nightmares — and now it’s grown a torso. Walking that still-precarious line between robots and humans, the animated robot baby now has a pair of arms to call its own. The prototype upper body has a babyish looseness to it — accidentally hitting itself in the face during the demo video — with around 20 pneumatic actuators providing the movement. The face remains curiously paused, although we’d assume that the body prototype hasn’t been paired with facial motions just yet, which just about puts it the right side of adorable. However, the demonstration does include some sinister faceless dance motions. It’s right after the break — you’ve been warned.

Continue reading Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps (video)

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Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Plastic Pals  |  sourceProject Affetto (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Bots edit Wikipedia, clean up your nonsense

Bots edit Wikipedia, clean up your nonsense

Wikipedia, a triumph of human effort, knowledge and collaboration… or so we thought. Turns out that along with the tens of thousands of brains regularly editing the online encyclopedia, hundreds of bots also patrol the virtual aisles keeping us in check. Some of the bots take care of the boring stuff — organizing, formatting and other admin. Others correct the wrongdoings of wiki-villains, such as removing off-topic vandalism and naughty language. In the beginning, pages were even created by select bots, pulling data from various sources to create bare bones records for our keystrokes to flesh out. They do a pretty good job, but there are fears that a rogue bot will one day ruin a lot of hard work, although due to the privileges needed it would have to be an inside job. So now you know — the machines not only have access to the largest single collection of human knowledge, but they edit it for us too. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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Bots edit Wikipedia, clean up your nonsense originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBBC  | Email this | Comments