Hasta La Gadget!

3D Robotics has made it pretty clearly that it’s all about the maker community. But what about those who can’t tell their Arduino from a Raspberry Pi? The Chris Anderson-run company today announced the release of Iris, an out-of-the-box, user-friendly quadcopter experience. The drone can be controlled with an Android device (iOS coming soon), including single button takeoffs and landings. There’s an ARM Cortex-M4 processor and a built-in data radio on-board, the latter of which will help you check out flight paths in real-time. There’s also a spot for a GoPro Hero3, though that, naturally, will cost you ($400) extra. The configurable copter starts at $730. It’s set to ship on September 16th.

Filed under: Robots

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Via: Quadcopter

Source: 3d Robotics

We did talk about the RoboThespian earlier in 2012, where it was meant to be an ambassador for human-robot interaction, and it seems that the RoboThespian has been taken to the next level, having been designed by Engineered Arts of Cornwall in the UK, where it managed to conjure a few jokes which were surprisingly well received over at a recent performance at the Barbican Center in London.

This particular performance by RoboThespian happened to be the brainchild of Pat Healey, a professor of human interaction and head of the school’s Cognitive Science Group, as well as Kleomenis Katevas, doctoral candidate, where both of them happen to hail from Queen Mary University of London. This particular robot is capable of cracking a few wise cracks, with its cameras tracking facial expressions, gaze and head movements. Sounds like an extremely interesting idea, but it is still a long, long way off from being a real comedian in the league of Russell Peters and others. Also, the kind of jokes shared is as good as the person who programmed the RoboThespian, unless someone manages to successfully write an algorithm that is capable of thinking up new, random jokes which a human – and not a machine, is capable of understanding and have his or her funny bone tickled.

RoboThespian A Decent Comedian On The Circuit original content from Ubergizmo.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works’ Transformer TX started out as yet another design for the oft-predicted but never delivered flying car. But it’s since turned into an entirely different type of flying machine: an autonomous way for the military to airlift vehicles and cargo to dangerous areas.

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We’ll say this about the AR.Drone’s battery life up to now: it always seemed perfectly suited to our short attention spans. For those able to focus on flying objects a bit longer, however, there’s the AR.Drone 2.0 Power Edition. The quadricopter’s already gotten some love abroad and is set to hit our shores this month, priced at $370 over at that fine purveyor of massage chairs, Brookstone. This time out, the limited edition phone-controlled device brings 36 minutes of flight time (not the first boost we’ve seen from the company), thanks to two 1,500mAh lithium-polymers. Also new are sets of color blades (including black for when you’re feeling a bit stealthier).

Filed under: Robots, Transportation

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Source: Brookstone

We have seen our fair share of interesting robots in the past, and this time around, the STAR.V3 robot is no exception. The STAR.V3 robot happens to be an extremely fast and agile 3D-printed robot which could function as a spying device – considering how it is capable of squeezing itself in a manner to fit right under the space of the door and the floor, scuttling away quickly to boot. The STAR.V3 robot was specially developed by the folks over at Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab, with David Zarrouk, Andrew Pullin, Nick Kohut, and Ronald Fearing being part of the team which successfully ensured the STAR.V3 is made on the cheap using simple, easily replaceable and biomimetic parts.

The movement rate of the STAR.V3 robot stands at an extremely impressive 5.2 meters each second, where it is extremely quick on smooth surfaces. There is a simple control board as well as simple motors which will help control the star-shaped wheels and collapsible arms to do get the job done. I wonder what kind of military application will the STAR.V3 robot have should it be snapped up by the Army. Perhaps having the ability to release a toxic gas would make it a decent assassination tool?

STAR.V3 Robot Can Scuttle Under Your Door original content from Ubergizmo.