May 25

University of Michigan’s MABEL robot hits a stride, breaks a leg (video)

Posted in: research, robot, Today's Chili, video
We’re going to warn you up front. This isn’t easy to watch, but robotics research can sometimes be a nasty business, and some things just can’t be left unseen. At the center of the disaster waiting to happen pictured above is MABEL, a bipedal robot that researchers at the University of Michigan have been working on for the past few years, and which, on an otherwise ordinary May 18th, made its first attempt at walking over rough ground. Things got off to a well enough start, with MABEL able to walk with a reasonably natural gait, and even recover after a small slip after a few boards where placed in her path. As the university itself points out, however, the whole point of the experiment was to “push her til she cracked” — and crack she did, with a shin eventually giving way after one too many boards were added, resulting in one of the sadder sights we’ve seen in our years of robot watching. Head on past the break for the complete video, if you can handle it.

Continue reading University of Michigan’s MABEL robot hits a stride, breaks a leg (video)

University of Michigan’s MABEL robot hits a stride, breaks a leg (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 23

SoftBank develops robot cameras for that lucrative pet surveillance market

Posted in: camera, remote control, RemoteControl, robot, Today's Chili
Do you love robots — and pets — although you’re not quite ready to take the dive into actual robot pet ownership? You’re in luck! Those crazy kids at SoftBank are back again with the Mimamori line of remote control robot cameras. Designed to cruise around your living room at a dog’s or cat’s-eye view (and doomed to remain inside the apartment, as it eschews batteries for AC power) this guy shoots (don’t get too excited) 640 x 480 stills or 176 x 144 video. The idea here is that you can log onto it via your cell phone, drive it around the apartment, and maybe even snap some pics and MMS ’em back to you if you spot something especially adorable going on. A remote spy drone for keeping tabs on Rover? In theory it sounds awesome, but we’re more than prepared for the possibility that in practice it’ll be anything but. We’ll have to wait until September to find out, when it hits the streets of Japan in two flavors: white and round (Mimamori Z001, above) and silver and not quite as round (Mimamori Z002). Details are still pretty sketchy — but if you hit the source link, you can sort it out your own self.

SoftBank develops robot cameras for that lucrative pet surveillance market originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 May 2010 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink OhGizmo!  |  sourceSoftBank  | Email this | Comments

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May 21

Qbo, the open source robot, gets detailed, looks cute

Posted in: Linux, open source, opensource, robot, Today's Chili

Qbo, the Linux-powered, open source robot, gets detailedIt’s the future and we’re still waiting for our personal jetpacks, but it looks like robot helpers in every home are closer than ever, with thecorpra’s Qbo getting us ever closer. Okay, so without arms he’s unlikely to be much of a help around the house, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t make a useful addition to your abode. He’s peppered with sensors of various types, has stereo high-def webcam eyes, microphone ears, and even an LED mouth. Inside his belly rests a Mini-ITX motherboard festooned with WiFi, Bluetooth, an Intel Atom processor and NVIDIA Ion graphics, all running some flavor of Linux. Yes, that means he could stream YouTube videos in HD… if only he had the appropriate outputs. There’s no mention of price or availability at this point but something tells us he won’t be free as in beer. Full picture with specs after the break.

Continue reading Qbo, the open source robot, gets detailed, looks cute

Qbo, the open source robot, gets detailed, looks cute originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 21

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio: for now on, it’s a free download

Posted in: diy, free, Microsoft, robot, robotics, Robots, Today's Chili
We’ve seen plenty of interesting projects roll out of Microsoft’s Robotics Studio, but the Robotics Developer Studio package of programming and design tools has not been the smash success that the company had hoped. In a move to expand its user base and drum up grass roots support, the company has done something that might have once been unthinkable: As of today, they’re giving away the store, making the RDS available as a free download from the company’s website. “We decided to take out all of the barriers that today our users might have in order to help them build these new technologies,” Stathis Papaefstathiou, the head of the robotics studio, told IEEE Spectrum. Finally, a little help for the DIY robotics enthusiasts out there! Hit the source link to get started.

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio: for now on, it’s a free download originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 09:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink IEEE Spectrum  |  sourceMicrosoft  | Email this | Comments

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May 21

Pioneer’s Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)

Posted in: gps, Japan, navigation, robot, Today's Chili, video

Before you dismiss this as just another crazy idea out of Japan, hear us out. The newly developed, crab-simulating Navi Robo is designed to give drivers visual navigating assistance as a supplement to their GPS device. Its primary benefit, aside from helping the hearing impaired, will be in conveying instructions without requiring the driver to focus on it, as its eyes light up for attention and its “claws” vibrate urgently when an upcoming turn is imminent. Frankly, it looks both cute and functional, and we think kudos are in order for both Pioneer and iXs Research for coming up with the idea. They’ll be taking their usual good time (read: a couple of years) to refine and develop the idea, but we’ve got video of the robot doing its thing right now — you know where to find it.

Continue reading Pioneer’s Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)

Pioneer’s Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 06:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Plastic Pals  |  sourceiXs Research, Pioneer  | Email this | Comments

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May 17

I-Fairy weds a couple of Japanese robot geeks (video)

Posted in: Japan, japanese, robot, Today's Chili, video

Don’t act surprised. Japan, the land that just can’t get enough of robots — whether it’s for cooking, entertainment or interstellar warfare — now also conducts its weddings with the help of a ceremonial drone. Tomohiro Shibata and Satoko Inoue, who met in the course of their work in robotics, decided that getting married with the help of the I-Fairy bot you see above was a “natural choice.” We’ll just assume that’s a translational quirk and not an ultra-ironic statement from the happy couple. The I-Fairy isn’t quite as realistic as some of Kokoro‘s other humanoids, but it does come with flashing, anime-sized eyes, which we’re gonna go ahead and assume are popular over in Nippon. Video after the break.

Continue reading I-Fairy weds a couple of Japanese robot geeks (video)

I-Fairy weds a couple of Japanese robot geeks (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 05:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 14

High school senior builds walking robot, the VSR-2: Talos FG (video)

Posted in: diy, hands-on, robot, Robots, Today's Chili, video
These days, you don’t have to be a whiz kid to build robots in your basement: off-the-shelf microcontrollers, Arduino boards and Lego Mindstorms can take care of the hard work. Adam Halverson, however, is the real deal — he built his first robot at the age of twelve, and after six years of failed attempts, he’s crafted a full-size humanoid that can walk. Filed with pistons, servos and an assimilated laptop, the VSR-2:Talos FG cost the South Dakota high school senior $10,000 to build with fellow student Anthony Winterton; he claims he could reconstruct it for half now that he’s done. The hulking metal machine won him an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, where he’s competing for up to $75,000 in prize money. We’ll be watching to see if he recoups his investment — awards will be announced this afternoon. See how the Talos FG’s gears mesh in our gallery, or watch the bot take its first steps after the break.

Update: The awards are in, and though Talos FG’s grippers didn’t manage to pull down that $75,000 grand prize, they did manage to net Halverson $5,500 in cash and savings bonds from Intel, the Cade Museum Foundation and the U.S. Army.

Gallery: VSR-2: Talos FG at Intel ISEF 2010

Continue reading High school senior builds walking robot, the VSR-2: Talos FG (video)

High school senior builds walking robot, the VSR-2: Talos FG (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 07

Researchers Examine Robot-Inflicted Injuries

Posted in: robot, robotics, Robots Robotics, science, Today's Chili

Jetsons_Rosie.jpg

I suggest you keep your hands in your pockets for this one. German researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics have recently studied injuries caused by robots using sharp tools working alongside humans, BBC News reports.
To conduct the tests, the researchers employed a 31-pound robot arm holding a variety of bladed tools “programmed to strike test substances that mimic soft tissue.” (Ouch!)
Some of the test cases led to what would be considered lethal injuries, the report said. The idea behind the study was to gather data in order to learn how to develop safer robots that could aid humans in domestic settings–and probably on a much more significant level than what we’re used to today.

For more on robot rampages, check out Lance Ulanoff’s column at PCMag.com: “When It Comes to Robots, We’re Brainless.”

(Image credit: The Jetsons/Cartoon Network)

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May 05

Robovie R3 all set to assist, freak out elderly and handicapped shoppers this November (video)

Posted in: research, robot, Today's Chili, video

The Robovie R3 is the latest in a distinguished line of humanoid bots developed for the purposes of research, discovery, and (a tiny bit of) geeky fun. Following its predecessor’s footsteps — the R2 secured employment as a guide to lost shoppers — the R3 will be making its mall debut in November of this year, where it’ll assist people by carrying their shopping, providing information about nearby products, and holding their hand as it guides them through the crowds. Intended as a way to get elderly and handicapped people back out into the community, this is part of a viability study for the robot’s usefulness, and if it finds success maybe its anime eyes and dalek form factor will find their way outside Japan as well. Video of the R3 after the break.

Continue reading Robovie R3 all set to assist, freak out elderly and handicapped shoppers this November (video)

Robovie R3 all set to assist, freak out elderly and handicapped shoppers this November (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Plastic Pals  |  sourceRobomedia 2010  | Email this | Comments

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May 04

World’s first remote heart surgery completed in Leicester, UK

Posted in: Medicine, robot, science, Today's Chili
In the past, we’ve seen robots remove brain tumors and even transplant a kidney or two, and now a cardiologist has completed the world’s first remote heart operation at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, UK. Using the Remote Catheter Manipulation System built by New Jersey’s Catheter Robotics, Dr. Andre Ng was able to insert electrodes attached to catheters into the heart through blood vessels in the groin. One of the challenges surgeons traditionally face with this kind of procedure is prolonged exposure to the X-Rays used to monitor the patient. By operating remotely, doctors can avoid fatigue and cumulative radiation exposure — not to mention those bulky lead aprons. “As long as the connection is reliable,” Ng told the Financial Times, the operation could be performed over the Internet from anywhere in the world. Just the same, we’d prefer it if our doctor was at least in the same building as he shoved electrodes into out hearts. Don’t we at least deserve that much? PR after the break.

Continue reading World’s first remote heart surgery completed in Leicester, UK

World’s first remote heart surgery completed in Leicester, UK originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechVert  |  sourceFinancial Times  | Email this | Comments

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