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The da Vinci robot isn’t just for surgery — It can also make petite paper airplanes

The da Vinci Surgical Robot Makes Paper Planes the Size of a Penny
The da Vinci surgical robot is normally used to perform precise, delicate incisions in the operating room. Dr. James Porter decided it’d be perfect for some other applications as well, namely, making ridiculously tiny paper airplanes. I’m talking paper airplanes smaller than a penny. The robot is also repurposed to paint someone’s nails for St. Patrick’s Day. Not too many people can say they’ve had a mani pedi done by a robot.

Surgery Robot Builds Penny-Sized Paper Airplane [Tested]

ThinkGeek Has a Treat for the Apple Fanboy Family: The Apple Store Playset
If you wish you could spend all your time in The Apple Store, now you can, with ThinkGeek’s April Fools Day Apple Store Playset. It’s just like the real thing, but tiny: tiny Macbooks, tiny iPads, mini Genius Bar… it even includes a miniscule Woz on Segway. For Apple event fun, you can use your actual iPhone 4 as the screen behind Steve Jobs in its Keynote Theater. A “line pack” of people waiting outside the store is extra.

The Apple Store Playset [ThinkGeek]

The Nintendo 3DS UK Launch Was The Company’s Best Ever
The recent launch of the Nintendo 3DS in the UK was even more successful than that of the Wii. 113,000 of the handheld consoles were sold its opening weekend, beating out the 105,000 Nintendo Wiis that were sold when it debuted. The original Nintendo DS sold 87,000 its opening weekend.

Nintendo 3DS UK Launch Most Successful Ever for the Gaming Company [Slashgear]

Apple 3-D Camera Patent Describes a Hardware Based System
Handheld Apple gadgets could support 3-D photography in the future, if a recently unearthed patent is any indicator. The patent describes a method that uses dual rear-facing cameras on a mobile device like the iPhone and specific hardware to perform a “deterministic calculation for stereo disparity compensation.” The patent claims that when software is used to perform that job a lot of guesswork is involved. Apple’s system would use multiple imaging systems, including separate luma, chroma, and depth and distance sensors to transform an image from 2-D to 3-D, and it would also allow for 3-D video recording.

Apple Exploring Multi Camera Systems for 3-D Picture Taking [Apple Insider]

Europeans Can Get a Retro Looking Sony DAB Radio
The Sony XDR-S16DBP looks like it would make a great addition to any midcentury styled office space. Its two .8 W stereo speakers can play DAB, DAB+, and FM broadcasts and a 16 x 2 character LCD displays program and channel information. It’s available now in Europe for 79 quid (about $127).

XDR-S16DBP [Sony via Crunchgear]

A few weeks ago, it looked like robots would play a relatively small role in recovery efforts following the earthquake and subsequent nuclear crisis in Japan, but as concern grows over radiation leaks, robotics companies are positioning their mechanical offspring to do jobs deemed unsafe for humans. We’ve already heard of Aldebaran’s plans for a fleet of rescue bots, and now QinetiQ and iRobot are lending automated assistance to the cause. QinetiQ plans to send in a set of Robotic Applique Kits — used to convert Bobcat loaders into unmanned vehicles — along with sensor machines like the TALON and Dragon. Meanwhile, iRobot’s enlisted two each of its PackBots and Warriors to help aid in recovery — the former is used by the US military for bomb disposal. Both companies have already deployed teams to Japan for training.

iRobot, QinetiQ machines to assist in Japan relief effort originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Visualized: awesome, non-functioning ‘robot’ made from worthless computer parts

Visualized: awesome, non-functioning ‘robot’ made from worthless computer parts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve seen one quadrocopter juggle a ball autonomously while gliding through the air, but how’s about a pair of them working cooperatively? Yeah, we’ve got your attention now. The Zurich-based lab that brought us the piano-playing and ball-bouncing quadrocopter is back with a simply breathtaking display of robotic dexterity and teamwork. Like all mad scientists, they call their Flying Machine Arena research “an experiment,” though we see it a lot more as a Pong-inspired dance of our future overlords. We all know how far video games have come since two paddles batted a ball between one another, right?

Continue reading Quadrocopters juggle balls cooperatively, mesmerize with their lethal accuracy (video)

Quadrocopters juggle balls cooperatively, mesmerize with their lethal accuracy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, sometimes, not often, but sometimes we’ll miss a truly spectacular and mind bending story that requires a double-back. The SWITL robotic hand is just such a case. The patent-pending technology looks to have been revealed on video back in late October showing the Furukawa Kikou robot deftly lifting a ketchup and mayonnaise mess from a table and then replacing it unchanged from its original shape. The tech was developed for bakeries with the intention of automating the handling of soft substances that were either too malleable or too icky for human hands. Unfortunately, Furukawa Kikou isn’t providing any details about the science behind SWITL so we’ll just assume that it’s Satan’s work until otherwise informed. See what we mean in the video after the break.

Continue reading SWITL scoops oozy goop with amazing robotic precision (video)

SWITL scoops oozy goop with amazing robotic precision (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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