Mar 01

Paparazzi Bots will chase you down until you love them

Posted in: camera, robot, Today's Chili

Sony’s Party-shot dock is fun and all but it suffers from one major limitation: it’s fixed in space. Oh sure, it’ll pan and tilt around its base until the last reveler is unconscious, but it won’t go to where the action is. That’s where the Ohio State University developed Paparazzi Bot comes in. The autonomous, sensor-laden, mobile robot stands at human height and decides for itself whether or not to snap your photo based upon your facial expression (hint: it likes smiles). If chosen, the bot stops, aims, shoots and uploads your image to a social networking site for other robots to mock, presumably — a kind of fleeting celebrity anointment as described by the bot’s inventor, Ken Rinaldo; or a kind of precursor to robots with automatic weapons, if you ask us. Video demonstration after the break.

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Paparazzi Bots will chase you down until you love them originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 26

HUMAVIPS project could lead to humanoids with social skills, humans being tricked

Posted in: concept, europe, research, robot, RobotApocalypse, Robots, Today's Chili

You don’t think the Robot Apocalypse is upon us, but we assure you, it is. The HUMAVIPS project, which will span three years and hopefully result in robots being developed with “social skills,” may seem innocent — even beneficial — at first blush, but let’s think about it. Will “humanoids with auditory and visual abilities in populated spaces” have more power than you, as an Earthling, would like? If all goes well, these robotic dudes and dudettes will be able to mimic what’s known as the “cocktail party effect,” which is better explained as “the human ability to focus attention on just one person in the midst of other people, voices and background noise.” So yeah, this definitely goes two ways — on one hand, you could finally have a live-in robot that pays attention to your feelings as the world around you crumbles, but on the other, these guys won’t have any issue overlooking your wailing when it’s them bringing everything down. Yikes.

HUMAVIPS project could lead to humanoids with social skills, humans being tricked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 23

LIDAR-equipped robot maps dangerous areas in 3D so you don’t have to

Posted in: laser, robot, RobotApocalypse, robotics, Robots, Today's Chili, wargadget
Looks like the kids at MIT might have a little competition for their LIDAR-equipped 3D mapping drone. Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have teamed up with the University of Missouri-Columbia for a prototype robot that uses light detection and ranging (similar to RADAR, but with lasers) to map areas and send the 3D data to a nearby laptop. The technology not only provides detailed info on floor plans and physical structures (such as possible structural damage) but it can also “see” people inside a space. There are many possible applications for this, from spotting terrorists hiding in caves to seeing if your new internet girlfriend really looks like her profile pic, or — and this is especially important in the modern era — seeing if your new internet girlfriend is actually a terrorist (we wondered why she wanted that first meeting to take place in a cave). “Once you have the images, you can zoom in on objects and look at things from different angles,” says Dr. Norbert Maerz, associate professor of geological engineering at Missouri S&T — an ability that we wish we had while browsing PlentyofFish.com.

LIDAR-equipped robot maps dangerous areas in 3D so you don’t have to originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 23

Samsung’s Navibot robot vacuum charting European living rooms in April

Posted in: robot, Robots, samsung, Today's Chili

Samsung's Navibot robot vacuum charting European livingrooms in AprilRoomba has ruled the roost when it comes to domestic chores for a long time — too long. It’s getting some serious competition from Samsung, which is finally going to unleash one of its robovacs onto the rest of the world. Well, to Europe anyway. The Navibot is set to spread its wings across the EU in March, having been apparently warmly received in limited Italian tests last year. The bot captures 30fps video of your abode, documenting your feng shui and charting the most efficient course around your coffee table and the display case that houses your TMNT collection. It’s even sophisticated enough to pick up where it left off should it run out of juice mid-stride, after returning home for a recharge, but that kind of smarts will cost you: €399 for the basic model with a single virtual wall, and €499 for a slightly posher version with touch-sensitive buttons and a second virtual wall. There’s no word on an American release just yet, meaning Roomba’s home turf is safe — for now.

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Samsung’s Navibot robot vacuum charting European living rooms in April originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 23

Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates Engadget Award with a new Linux backpack (video)

Posted in: arm, Linux, robot, Robots, samsung, Today's Chili
Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates 2009 Engadget Award with a new Linux backback (video)

Yes, Kondo KHR-3HV, you were our choice for robot of the year, and we see you’re celebrating by going out and getting yourself some new gear. We like your taste. Inside that fancy new backpack is a 32-bit Samsung ARM CPU running at 200MHz, powerful enough to handle Linux and things like onboard image processing and object recognition. It also supports WiFi, meaning Kondo can beam what he sees wirelessly and become a roving security guard — a very small and non-lethal security guard, but a guard nontheless. This kind of tech (shown off in a video below) will set you back ¥60,000, or about $660, and yes that’s just for the backpack. (The bot itself goes for somewhere north of the $1,300 range.) So congratulations again on your victory, 3HV — just don’t let it go to your webcam.

Continue reading Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates Engadget Award with a new Linux backpack (video)

Kondo KHR-3HV robot celebrates Engadget Award with a new Linux backpack (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 22

Robot teachers to invade Korean classrooms by 2012

Posted in: korea, robot, South Korea, SouthKorea, Today's Chili
We’d had some indication that robot teachers could be headed to classrooms sooner or later, but it looks like things may now be progressing faster than anyone thought. According to South Korea’s etnews, the country has announced plans to invest in a so-called “R-Learning” program that promises to put robotic teaching assistants in up to 400 pre-schools by 2012, and expand to a full 8,000 pre-schools and kindergartens the following year. Those apparently wouldn’t be in charge of the class (yet), but they would be used to do things like recite stories, and could let parents check in on the classroom and send messages to their children. If that trial program proves to be successful, the robots could then be expanded to elementary schools, and the Korea Institute of Science & Technology (the folks responsible for the bots) is apparently already eyeing international possibilities.

Robot teachers to invade Korean classrooms by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 16

Zibits mini remote control robots spin right ’round, baby

Posted in: hands-on, robot, Today's Chili

We’ve seen plenty of toy robots at the International Toy Fair this week, but none quite have moves like Senario’s Zibits. The salt and pepper shaker-sized bots, which will be available for $9.99 a piece at Toys R Us in March, come with a small AA battery powered remote that lets you drive the three wheeled little guy forward, but also spin him around in circles. Apparently these R/C toys are meant for eight to ten years olds, but us really mature adults are itching to buy a couple of these Zibit characters along with some Hexbugs, and stage the ultimate battle of $10 bots. Stop judging us and our Star Wars lunch box and watch the handheld bot in action after the break.

Gallery: Zibits Remote Control Robots hands-on

Continue reading Zibits mini remote control robots spin right ’round, baby

Zibits mini remote control robots spin right ’round, baby originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 16

LG’s Feeney robot mascot sells air conditioners… with style

Posted in: ad, LG, robot, Today's Chili
LG’s new robot mascot has already been out and about for a little while, but it now finally has a name thanks to a recent contest — “Feeney” — and a whole new lease on life. Not content to simply be an average air conditioner spokesbot, Feeney has taken the job to new, CGI-enhanced heights, and shown that even Olympic dreams can come true, with the help of a Whisen air conditioner. But don’t take our word for it. See Feeney work his magic after the break.

Continue reading LG’s Feeney robot mascot sells air conditioners… with style

LG’s Feeney robot mascot sells air conditioners… with style originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 16

UK police drone grounded for flying without a license

Posted in: robot, Today's Chili, uk
As you know, the Merseyside (UK) police department finally nabbed a suspect with its £40,000 (roughly $63,000) drone recently — an announcement that was accompanied by backslapping and hearty cheers all around. But what happens when the police run afoul of the law? According to the BBC, the vehicle has been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under guidelines enacted in January stating that UAVs weighing over fifteen pounds need permission to fly within 164 feet of people and 492 feet of buildings. A spokesman for the coppers said “all Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) flights have been suspended and will remain so until the appropriate license has been granted,” but don’t worry Britons: you should still be able to rest easily at night knowing that you’re still the most surveillance-happy nation in the history of the world. Cheerio!

[Thanks, Gringomoses and Ben]

UK police drone grounded for flying without a license originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 15

Building Bioloid Premium doesn’t look easy, even if you do have $1,199 to do it

Posted in: diy, hands-on, robot, robotics, Today's Chili

Remember Bioloid? How could you forget, right? Well, we had the pleasure of meeting his more expensive brother and Avatar-inspired-sister Bioloid Premium at the New York Toy Fair. Meant for hobbyist robot builders, the kit comes with everything you need to build and program the plastic and metal humanoid, including Robotis’ AX-12 servo actuator and ‘C’ programming software. But getting Bioloid to walk, run and dance to Lady Gaga is going to cost ya a whopping $1,199. That seems like a lot of dough for us non-robot builders, but this guy’s heartwarming demeanor and balancing act almost has us forking it over. You’ll see what we mean in the video just past the break.

Gallery: Bioloid Premium hands-on

Continue reading Building Bioloid Premium doesn’t look easy, even if you do have $1,199 to do it

Building Bioloid Premium doesn’t look easy, even if you do have $1,199 to do it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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