Mocoro Rolling Mop Ball Gathers no Moss, Only Dust Bunnies

It seems I can’t go more than a couple of days without finding another wacky Japanese gadget that seems to solve no real problem. Here’s another crazy product from the island nation. This robotic ball that works like a rolling dust mop.

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While most of us would resort to using a vacuum cleaner or maybe a Swiffer to perform the task of sweeping up dust bunnies, the folks who designed the Mocoro rolling mop ball opted for something decidedly more whimsical.

Just release the Mocoro on your hardwood, tile or vinyl floors, and it’ll roll around collecting dust for about 15 minutes. Once it’s done, it’ll sing a little song to let you know its work is complete. It seems like a great idea until you realize that you have to wash it off between cleanings. The point is moot though, as your dog will probably use it as a chew toy before long anyhow.

Normally available only in Japan for ¥3,980 (~$40 USD), the folks over at White Rabbit Express should be able to help you get your hands on one.

HyTAQ hybrid quadrotor robot travels by air and land, leaves us no place to hide (video)

HyTAQ hybrid quadrotor robot travels by air and land, leaves us no place to hide video

Few robots can travel gracefully through more than one medium; more often than not, they’re either strictly airborne or tied to the ground. The Illinois Institute of Technology’s HyTAQ quadrotor doesn’t abide by these arbitrary limits. The hybrid machine, designed by Arash Kalantari and Matthew Spenko, uses the same actuators to drive both its flight as well as a surrounding cage for rolling along on the ground, quickly switching between the two methods. It’s clearly adaptable, but using the one system also provides large power advantages over a traditional quadrotor, Spenko tells us. While HyTAQ’s battery lasts only for 5 minutes and 1,969 feet of pure flight, that jumps to 27 minutes and 7,874 feet when the robot can use a smooth floor instead — and of course, it can hop over ground obstacles altogether instead of making a detour. The range of the robot and its pilot are the main limiting factors, but the patent process is already underway with hopes of winning commercial deals. We’re both excited and worried as a result; as wonderfully flexible as HyTAQ is, widescale adoption could lead to especially relentless robots during the inevitable takeover.

Continue reading HyTAQ hybrid quadrotor robot travels by air and land, leaves us no place to hide (video)

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Source: IIT