Hasta La Gadget!

Considering the big fight to get augmented reality apps onto the iPhone, the concept of “Terminator-style” AR contact lenses seems little more than a pipedream, but that’s exactly the technology laid out by Babak A. Parviz, a bionanotechnology expert at the University of Washington, in Seattle–references to killer robots from the future and all.

“These lenses don’t give us the vision of an eagle or the benefit of running subtitles on our surroundings yet,” writes Parviz. “But we have built a lens with one LED, which we’ve powered wirelessly with RF. What we’ve done so far barely hints at what will soon be possible with this technology.”

Parviz goes on to detail the possibilities of such a technology, which, he points out, even in a simple state could be rather useful,

Even a lens with a single pixel could aid people with impaired hearing or be incorporated as an indicator into computer games. With more colors and resolution, the repertoire could be expanded to include displaying text, translating speech into captions in real time, or offering visual cues from a navigation system. With basic image processing and Internet access, a contact-lens display could unlock whole new worlds of visual information, unfettered by the constraints of a physical display.

Killer robots from the future rejoice.

Whether you consider the idea of a house full of robots waiting to do your bidding a dream-come-true or a nightmare, there may be a bigger problem. Researchers now worry that the average human could be overwhelmed by the task of interacting with half-a-dozen or more automatons rolling and walking around the home. The novel solution: A core robot personality that jumps from device to device.

According to a report in New Scientist, researchers at University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, UK, have created a single robot brain that can jump from robot-to-robot, and even computers scattered throughout the home. The benefit is that homeowners can communicate a task to the robo-butler in one interface and, even if that robot cannot accomplish the task, it can communicate with one that can, and even relay back to the owner that the task has been completed.

Other features the uni-bot-brain brings are the ability to recognize different people (I hate when they mistake me for a chair), respect personal space (no more robots goosing you) and other norms of social interaction (finally, my robots will stop picking their noses).

Trials are currently underway in two story home in the UK. You can see more in the video at New Scientist’s site.

Movies can generate props and people that we can only imagine. But in Terminator Salvation, audiences can see how reality became fantasy.

The movie features a wide array of new and old robots, from the underwater Hydrobot to the gigantic Harvester. But one of the coolest bots by far is the Motobot–a fast-moving, hard-hitting, deadly Terminator model. Motobots are quick to get to their targets, and fast on the pickup if they fall.

Motobot Terminators are not merely someone’s fantasy of a killer motorcycle, though: They’re also someone’s fantasy of a killer Ducati Hypermotard 1100. This sport bike was the model of choice to use in the MotoTerminator’s deadly chase scenes.

For all the talk about robotic uprisings, man and machine have learned to coexist fairly peacefully–for the most part. Accidents do happen, and sometimes robots attack. Take, for example, the case of a worker tasked with repairing a rock-lifting machine in a Swedish factory.

The event occurred back in 2007, when the machine reportedly mistook the man’s head for a rock, which was roughly the same size as those it was programmed to lift. The man managed to escape the “attack” with his life, but got fairly seriously injured in the process.

“The man was very lucky. He broke four ribs and came close to losing his life,” prosecutor Leif Johansson told a local paper.

The man ultimately decided not to press charges, but the plant was fined 25,000 Kronor ($3,100). According to the witnesses, the robot told the victim, “I’ll be back.”

Honda was in town today showing off its recently announced Stride Management Assist and Bodyweight Support Assist prototypes. Designed by members of the team that brought the ASIMO Humanoid robot into the world, the two wearable devices are aimed at improving locomotion in users.

PCMag editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff and myself had the opportunity to see the devices up close–and to try them out. After the jump, check out footage of Lance taking the Stride Management Assist and Bodyweight Support Assist prototypes for a spin around the W Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

And for a full-hands-on–well, legs-on–review of the new devices (and a slideshow), check out our story at PCMag.com.