Feb 15

HexBug’s robotic creatures are the creepy crawlers of the future

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

Okay, so it isn’t as artsy as making gooey bugs in a miniature oven, but HexBug’s little micro-robotic tchotchkes are a good time in their own right. The digital entomologists at HexBugs decided to unleash the new Ant Micro and Nano Newton at New York City’s Toy Fair, and for some peculiar reason we were quite enamored with watching these autonomous, high speed creatures run around the carpeted show floor. Powered by two button cell batteries, $11.99 Ant Micro has front and rear touch sensors that allow it to maneuver around objects in its path and it’s hard, colored transparent exoskeleton casing was durable enough for the little guys to crash into a wooden plank and reverse course. The $9.99 tiny motor powered, 12-legged Nano Newton holds a special place in our heart, and the Jolly Rancher sized caterpillar vibrates uncontrollably and is able to flip itself over and walk forward. HexBugs will also sell different Habitat sets so the creatures can run around on their own without adult supervision. Luckily for you, these little guys weren’t camera shy — check the pics below!

Gallery: HexBugs Nano and Ant Micro

HexBug’s robotic creatures are the creepy crawlers of the future originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 15

Quasi robot melts hearts at Toy Fair, Interbots promises toy version soon

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

You’d have to be heartless to walk by Interbots’ Quasi and not crack a smile. Q, as we like to call him, isn’t an autonomous bot, but instead everything from his facial expressions to his speech are controlled wirelessly via a tablet PC. As you can see in the video after the break, his master can change his eye color and arm / hand movements with just a touch of the stylus. So, why did Quasi, who was born at Carnegie Mellon in 2006, make an appearance at the 2010 Toy Fair? Interbots is planning to bring an affordable child-friendly version of the $80,000 bot to market by the end of the year, and the reps on hand told us that it’ll even have similar puppeteering capabilities. Sounds like a potential nightmare for parents, but there’s something about this guy that makes us sure about his future as much-adored, bona fide family member.

Gallery: Interbots Quasi robot

Continue reading Quasi robot melts hearts at Toy Fair, Interbots promises toy version soon

Quasi robot melts hearts at Toy Fair, Interbots promises toy version soon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 15

UK police nab teen using $30,500 drone

Posted in: robot, Today's Chili, uk
Wired recently reported that the UK Home Office is preparing a national fleet of unmanned aircraft, but the surveillance-loving island nation has had a keen interest in drones for quite a while. Now, Merseyside police (who’ve had a drone of their own for about six months) are bragging about their first ever catch with the new toy. When coppers heard that a suspected car thief was hiding in the bushes, they wasted no time launching their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with on-board thermal imaging — which led them to the sixteen year old. In addition to the (alleged) perp, a twenty year old man was arrested in connection with the crime — but his apprehension was done without aid of the UAV and, as such, not nearly as bad-ass. Both have been released on bail pending further inquiries, and both are believed to be looking into purchasing Parrot AR.Drones for themselves. You gotta fight fire with fire, right?

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UK police nab teen using $30,500 drone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 14

Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik’s Cube in sub-12 second whirlwind (video)

Posted in: lego, robot, Today's Chili, toy, Toys, video

Robots born with the sole purpose of solving the Rubik’s Cube are nothing new, but we’re pretty sure we haven’t seen one crack the code in under a dozen seconds before. The Cubestormer, which is built from a myriad Lego Mindstorm kits, recently took hold of the famous block and lined up every color without breaking a sweat. Oh, and did we mention that it took less than 12 seconds? It’s worth noting again, either way. Hop on past the break and mash play to have your mind blown, not to mention your own intelligence insulted.

Continue reading Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik’s Cube in sub-12 second whirlwind (video)

Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik’s Cube in sub-12 second whirlwind (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 04

DARPA job posting talks of developing an autonomous, grenade-wielding robot

Posted in: arm, robot, Robots, Today's Chili
DARPA‘s just put up a pretty interesting job posting… if you’re the wary-of-our-future-being-controlled-by-robots type, anyway. The call involves a new research and development program called ARM. Basically, DARPA’s looking to build a robot that can use its arms to dexterously and autonomously grasp objects. The quote from the job posting which is raising eyebrows around here says that the bot should be able to “hold an inert grenade with one hand, and pull the pin with the other hand” without any direction from humans. Now, we’re not really trying to hit the alarmist angle, and we’re all for advancements in robot tech… but it seems to us we’d have less to worry about if the job posting had said “should be able to hold a kitten in one hand, and pet it with the other.” Right guys?

DARPA job posting talks of developing an autonomous, grenade-wielding robot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 04

Robonica Roboni-i programmable robot toy review

Posted in: Features, review, robot, Robots, Today's Chili, toy

Life became duller ever since FedEx took away our last annoying little robot, so we got our hands on a new but less chatty plastic companion — say hi to Robonica‘s Roboni-i programmable robot. Since its last Engadget appearance we’ve seen a drastic price drop from the original $299.95 to $159.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer, but the robot is no less awesome — those unique wheels alone deliver plenty of coolness already, not to mention the bunch of peculiar accessories in the box for games and even interaction with other fellow Roboni-is. Read on to find out if this bot’s a keeper.

Gallery: Robonica Roboni-i robot toy review

Continue reading Robonica Roboni-i programmable robot toy review

Robonica Roboni-i programmable robot toy review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 04

NASA and GM Create Humanoid Robot

Posted in: NASA, robot, Robots Robotics, Space Tech, Today's Chili

NASA_GM_Robot.jpg

The impending robot takeover gets closer: NASA and GM have developed and built Robonaut 2, a second generation humanoid robot that is faster, more dexterous, and more technologically advanced than before. Both companies said that the new robot can use its hands to do work, and even work safely alongside people. OR SO THEY SAY.

“This cutting-edge robotics technology holds great promise, not only for NASA, but also for the nation,” said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement. “I’m very excited about the new opportunities for human and robotic exploration these versatile robots provide across a wide range of applications.”

NASA and GM hope their robotics partnership–through a Space Act Agreement at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston–will lead to advanced safety systems for future vehicles, improved safety and efficiency in manufacturing plants, and in space, the ability to aid astronauts during hazardous missions. I’m not scared at all.

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Feb 02

PETA Wants Groundhog Replaced With Robot

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

zhuzhupet.jpg

Like it isn’t hard enough for a groundhog to find a job in
this economy. Now PETA wants the country’s (if not the world’s) most famous
representative of that strain of rodent replaced by a robot. The People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals issued a statement to coincide with Groundhog’s
Day asking that Punxsutawney Phil be replaced by an animatronic groundhog for
future celebrations.

The group took issue with Phil’s captivity and the huge
crowds he’s carted out in front of each February 2nd. The president
of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney
Groundhog Club, William Deeley, suggested that PETA is just looking for
attention, adding that Phil is, “being treated better than the average child in
Pennsylvania.”

Maybe this is a case for child services, after all. 

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Feb 02

Fujisoft’s PALRO humanoid robot in the running to be our new best bud

Posted in: Japan, robot, Today's Chili

Fujisoft‘s recently taken the wraps off its latest companion bot, and they call this one PALRO. PALRO’s 39 centimeters tall (just over a foot), and boasts a 1.6GHz CPU Intel Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of flash memory, a 3 MP camera, Wi-Fi, 802.11 b/g/n, and a lithium ion battery to top it all off. He’s also equipped with a 3 megapixel webcam, but don’t worry — his specs don’t make him unapproachable. As you’ll see in the video which is after the break, PALRO’s probably the kind of guy that you could spend a lot of time with… but see for yourself. Fujisoft plans to start shipping units in March for 300,000 yen (that’s about $3,300 ). Hit up the source link for a lot more video.

Continue reading Fujisoft’s PALRO humanoid robot in the running to be our new best bud

Fujisoft’s PALRO humanoid robot in the running to be our new best bud originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 01

Evolving robots navigate a maze, help each other, plot descruction of mankind

Posted in: research, robot, RobotApocalypse, Robots, science, sensor, Today's Chili, university

You’ll say the whole Robot Apocalypse meme is played out. We say it’s your lack of focus that’ll eventually be the downfall of society. Gurus at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems in the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne have been working on “evolving robots” for quite some time, but the latest breakthrough is easily the most astounding (and in turn, terrifying) of all. According to new research that was just made public, a gaggle of robots programmed to use Darwinian selection in order to learn, evolve and mutate have now successfully moved sans collisions through a maze and helped each other push tokens around in order to achieve a common goal. Moreover, some of the creatures even displayed early signs of a predatory-prey relationship, which effectively assures mankind that these cute little learners will one day assimilate to rule the world however they please. Keep laughing if you must — it’ll probably make the painful sting of reality a bit easier to take when Doomsday rolls around.

Continue reading Evolving robots navigate a maze, help each other, plot descruction of mankind

Evolving robots navigate a maze, help each other, plot descruction of mankind originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashdot  |  sourcePLoS Biology  | Email this | Comments

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