Hasta La Gadget!

Teddy bears are not just cuddly creatures for kids at bed time. Fujitsu Labs has developed a prototype teddy bear for adults that’s packed with some sophisticated hardware and can interact with and respond to humans. The stuffed bear is being called a  “social robot with a personality,” and can make simple gestures, eye contact and small talk.

The hope is to use them for “robot therapy” in geriatric medicine for patients that suffer from dementia, says Fujitsu.

Fujitsu’s teddy bear robot is reminiscent of Pleo, the green robotic dinosaur capable of displaying basic emotions through animatronics and reacting to its surroundings. Despite Pleo’s innovative approach and tech capability, the robot didn’t really become a mainstream sensation –largely because it was positioned as a toy.

Fujitsu’s teddy bear robot comes with loftier ambition. The robotic teddy bear can be plugged to a PC using a USB port. Sensors stuffed into it help it make some gestures such as lifting one of its furry hands up in response to external stimuli.

The bears have a miniature camera built into their nose so they can automatically wake up from sleep state when they sense a person nearby and can turn in their direction.  A voice synthesizer inside the device lets it channel the voice of a young boy. The sound is projected from a built-in speaker and synchronized to the robot’s behavior.

The robotic bears are capable of up to 300 movement patterns including raising its arms, looking downwards and kicking its feet. The movement are combined with display of “emotions” to signal happiness, sadness and anger, says Fujitsu. And since the robot can be connected to the PC, new movements can be recorded and displayed.

What makes these robots interesting, says Fujitsu, is that it is interactive and real, in a world that is increasingly filled with virtual interactions. The bears can be played with and are likely to integrate easily into people’s lives, says the company.

Fujitsu hopes its teddy bear can help develop “robot therapy,” a way to use robots to help people overcome challenges or problems–much like how animals are used to cheer up patients in some hospitals today.

If you want to see how the robotic teddy bears work, check out this video:

See Also:

• Android Droid is a Robot That Runs Android OS
• Adorable Walking Robot Sets Distance Record
• Butler Robot Can Fetch Drinks, Snacks
• Anybots Robot Will Go to the Office for You
• Gallery: Robot Bartenders Sling Cocktails for Carbon-Based
• Holographic Displays, Robot Eyes Hint at Your Interactive Future

Photo: CEATEC JAPAN Organizing Committee

[via Dvice]

Rats and robots. Long have they been mankind’s greatest foes. Rats spread the Black Death which once wiped-out a third of Europe. While robots–if science fiction is to be believed–are biding their time, waiting for their chance to overthrow their human masters. No humans would ever be so foolish to combine the two in an unholy rodent-machine hybrid, right?

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo recently unveiled the RatCar. It’s what it sounds like. The researchers implanted electrodes into a rat’s brain to monitor its neural activity. The rat was then placed in a car-like contraption (though its legs could still touch the ground). The transmitters fed data from the rat’s brain directly into the car’s computer which (attempted to) determined where the rat wished to “roll.”

Behold. Where was two is now one. Rodent and vehicle. RatCar.

In theory, the car and rat work together to navigate themselves. However, researches admit that since the rat is tethered into the car, determining if the software was able to accurately read the animal’s real intentions remains somewhat ambiguous.

As it develops, this is the kind of scientific research that will one day help the handicapped better maneuver through a world that may currently be off-limits to them. As surreal as it may appear in its current incarnation, the ability to directly connect the human brain to machines will lead to more fulfilled lives for the disabled and handicapped. Not to mention strange new interface possibilities for the rest of us.

So, while it goes against every shred of human instinct, on behalf of our species I say “Godspeed, fair RatCar. Godspeed.”

A scientifically detailed examination of the brain as told by singing cartoon rats after the jump.

via IEEE Spectrum 

CBS’s The Big Bang Theory is the super popular sitcom about brilliant nerds. If you’ve been watching, you’ve undoubtedly seen Steve Wozniak’s recent guest spot — but there have been other notable presences, too. Willow Garage‘s Texai telepresence robot recently made an appearance as “Shel-bot” — a stand in for the character Sheldon. While we didn’t get to see the hilarious high jinks ourselves, we can tell from the screen shots that it was a pretty good time. Hit up the coverage link to learn more about Willow Garage’s Texai.

Screen Grabs: Willow Garage’s telepresence bot guest stars on The Big Bang Theory originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Hizook  | Email this | Comments

When I saw this Raytheon XOS 2 suit, I immediately thought of the scene in Iron Man 2 where a poor “volunteer” soldier is almost broken in two, his body snapped and wrung by an experimental exoskeleton he is wearing. So you can see how surprised I was to see Agent Phil Coulson from Iron Man wearing it in this YouTube video.

The XOS 2 is an upgrade to the original XOS built for military use by contractor Raytheon. It is lighter, faster and uses half the power of the XOS, and – according to one of the uninjured test-soldiers – lets you press 200-pounds or do pushups with 150-pounds on your back without even feeling it. Check this thing out:

While the suit is clearly perfect for fighting, when it makes it into service in five years it will be used just like Ripley’s power-loader in the movie Aliens. A tethered, full-body XOS would be used for loading weapons and supplies (and, of course, fighting Alien queens in airlocks). A pants- only version, encircling legs and waist, could be used in the field to help troops carry heavy loads.

After seeing that soldier twisted like a pretzel in Iron Man 2, I have had an irrational fear of exoskeletons. But I’d love to take this one out for a spin. Imagine doing sports with this thing: you’d slug every ball out over the stadium walls.

For more on exoskeletons in the military in general, and suspiciously timely celebrity appearances in particular, check out the coverage over at our sister blog Danger Room.

Raytheon Unveils 2nd Generation Exoskeleton Robotic Suit [Raytheon]

See Also:

• Real-Life Iron Man Outfit Hyped in New Video
• Secrets of Iron Man's New Suits
• Iron Man For Real: Raytheon XOS 2 Exoskeleton – Video – Wired
• Raytheon XOS 2 Exoskeleton (Unedited) – Video – Wired

Murata Seiko, or Murata Girl, is a pretty impressive, attractive little piece of work. The unicycling, dress-wearing robot brings smiles wherever she goes, we’re sure (when we had the chance to see her in person that was certainly the case). You may or may not have known that Murata also has a bike riding male counterpart called Little Seisaku? Well, they’ve both just gotten their upgrades for the year, and that, of course, gives us another opportunity to admire them in all their cuteness. While there aren’t any videos of their improvements yet, we know that Murata Girl’s now able to traverse an S-shaped balance beam in addition to her straight one, while Little Seisaku’s charging capabilities have been upgraded (he can now do so wirelessly), and he’s more efficient, too. Check out another shot below.

Continue reading Murata Seiko and her male counterpart get upgrades, we get another look at their awesome skills

Murata Seiko and her male counterpart get upgrades, we get another look at their awesome skills originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Switched  |  Akihabara News  | Email this | Comments