Experimental Architecture and Design studio Minimaforms has
put a new swing on the petting zoo: they’ve opened up one without animals.
Well, sort of: instead of fluffy goats and bunnies, they offer a bizarre,
slinky-like "pets," all equipped with the capacity to learn. Animals
are so last decade.
Ranging anywhere from eight to sixteen feet in height, King Robota manufactures some amazing robots designed for corporate events and large entertainment venues. But… how much of the robot is a robot?
As most of you have probably noticed, everyone’s still booming about the Google/Boston Dynamics acquisition. Many people seem focused on one particular: how creepy many of the designer’s robots look. I won’t argue with the sentiment. Instead, I’m going to look at the reason behind it.
Google today acquired Boston Dynamics, one of the worlds foremost developers of advanced robotics. This marks the eighth robotics company Google’s purchased in six months, and a clear indication that the search giant has some very significant plans. Hopefully, those don’t involve world conquest.
In celebration of China’s successful landing of the Jade Rabbit moon rover, scale model replicas of “Yutu” in zinc alloy and silver have been made available for retail sale.
This just in, folks: NASA has built Iron Man. Well, sorta.
The Valkyrie One Robot is the result of a months-long secret project at the
Johnson Space station. It’s six foot two, weighs one hundred twenty-five
kilograms, and is completely autonomous.
One of the greatest concerns facing the modern robotics industry is the notion that, eventually, robots might replace human laborers in many positions, leading to a huge job shortage. According to Paul Krugman, this might actually be a good thing.
Wait, what?
A German post office is testing a delivery drone which could be used to provide remote areas with medicine and other much-needed supplies. The little yellow aircraft just completed its first flight, from a pharmacy in the city of Bonn to the company’s headquarters across the Rhine.
If we’re to create robots that can truly relate to human beings, they can’t simply be developed in a laboratory. That’s a recipe for disaster. Instead, more researchers across the world are turning to other men and women to help them develop their machines…through simple interaction.
Robots of the future might be the ultimate expression of symbiosis. That is to say, they might be powered by human waste products. Researchers in London have developed an artificial heart that pumps human urine, converting it into electricity. Quite the interesting alternative to a toilet, isn’t it?
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