Gizmodo
Caption Contest: The Birthday Robot's Children Massacre
My attempt: "Oh, crap, this is John Cronner's birthday party? My bad."
Surely, you can do better. [Fukung]
Posts Tagged “
Robots
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robots
robots
Robot Climbs Walls With Static Electricity
This unnamed robot by SRI International has a useful trick—it can climb walls using the principle of electro-adhesion (what we generalized as "static electricity" as kids, when we'd rub balloons on our heads and stick them to walls). But what's most promising is that the robot needs only a "very small amount of power" to stick to surfaces that can be covered in dust and other debris. The link has a video of the robot in action. SPOILER ALERT: robots climbing up drywall is more boring than you'd think. [Popular Mechanics]
toys
Iron Man, Now Powered By LED Arc Reactor
We know way better than to actually buy this 1:6 scale Iron Man "Fine Art Statue" that is coming this September, but we can't help but ogle a bit. The model is a tiny replica of the Mark III armor according to Marvel's specifications, and it will feature an LED-powered Unibeam, along with glowing LED eyes and Repulsor Ray palms. We hope you understand what we mean when we say that this thing isn't worth $179.99, but it's totally worth $179.99. [Entertainment Earth via Nerd Approved]
robots
Bipedal Lawn Mowing Robot Shows Tech Not Quite Mature Yet
One Mega-Dynamizer robot, one lawnmower, one lawn. Result: "nice try: bring on Version 2.0." The video is from Sugiura-san, creator of the Mega Dynamizer and ROBO-ONE champion roboticist. And while the robot doesn't whizz about confidently like a Roomba for grass, probably doing a pretty patchy mow and taking that unfortunate tumble, it's pretty impressive for a first attempt. I can see the potential: I hate mowing the lawn, and any robotic assistance would be welcome. As long as it can also do some weeding, perhaps some leaf-raking, and that dangerous trailing cable goes in future versions. Notice the dog being calm?... probably the robot's slow progress makes it less exciting than Mario. [Robots Dreams via Bot Junkie]
robots
Desk-Sized Coca-Cola Robots Don't Dispense Drinks, Human Kindness
These scaled-down replicas of walking coke dispensers found on the streets of Japan would be cute additions to anyone's desk. As well as the black Coke Zero model above, there's a regular version, and they come in the most fabulous of retro boxes. They were available on eBay, but it looks like they're currently sold out. Perhaps it's worth contacting the seller to see if he's going to import any more. Gallery, including a picture of one the life-sized vending machines, after the jump. More »
robots
Animatronic Wall-E Entertains Guests At Disneyland, Charges $5 For a Popsicle
What's even better than a Wall-E robot toy made by WowWee? A Wall-E robot toy made by the animatronic people at Disney. This Wall-E robot is supposed to roam around Disneyland/Disney World entertaining patrons, but got spotted on the streets of LA panhandling and glad-handing for cash. You know who else can say their name? Timmy from South Park. Wall-E! [Slashfilm] More »
robots
Toyota One-Ups ASIMO's Conducting Performance with Robot Orchestra
Honda's ASIMO may have picked up the baton to conduct an entire orchestra, but Toyota has just outperformed the little guy with its suite of robo-musicians. Dubbed Chuck, Harry, Dave and Ritchie (honestly!) the part-wheeled, part-bipedal quartet recently performed a concert where they actually played a trumpet, tuba, drums, violin and trombone. Their song repertoire included a Glenn Miller piece and a popular Japanese tune— and that makes waving a baton around seem pretty low-tech. Wait 'til you see the video of Ritchie hammering away on his custom drum kit— he'll have you giggling with robot-appreciation glee. More »
itp 2008
At the spring arts ITP show the other day, designer Christian Cerrito had a demonstration which will have had bristlebot designers everywhere smacking their foreheads in a "My god, that's obvious!" manner. He used a big tray, a bunch of the simple and strangely lovable DIY bristlebots and a few gobs of paint and voilà: new artworks were created. There's even some science in there: the random walk of the bots is affected by the viscosity of the paint, so as the painting gets bigger, it gets more complex, in an interestingly chaotic manner. More interesting than Jackson Pollock's splattery art? Well... maybe, if you're a robot geek. [ITP via Bot Junkie] More »
Bristlebots + Paint = Robo-Pollocks?
At the spring arts ITP show the other day, designer Christian Cerrito had a demonstration which will have had bristlebot designers everywhere smacking their foreheads in a "My god, that's obvious!" manner. He used a big tray, a bunch of the simple and strangely lovable DIY bristlebots and a few gobs of paint and voilà: new artworks were created. There's even some science in there: the random walk of the bots is affected by the viscosity of the paint, so as the painting gets bigger, it gets more complex, in an interestingly chaotic manner. More interesting than Jackson Pollock's splattery art? Well... maybe, if you're a robot geek. [ITP via Bot Junkie] More »
robots
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A hair transplant performed by a robot could be less painful and give a more natural result, claims a US firm. Restoration Robotics has created an automaton that works in a similar way that other robot surgeons do when synchronizing with the movements of a beating heart, and can bestow a full head of hair on a slaphead in around five hours. Restoration Robotics' Frederic Moll, explains how his hair'bot works below.
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Robot Surgeon Performs Hair Transplants, Less Pain for Baldies, Claims Maker
A hair transplant performed by a robot could be less painful and give a more natural result, claims a US firm. Restoration Robotics has created an automaton that works in a similar way that other robot surgeons do when synchronizing with the movements of a beating heart, and can bestow a full head of hair on a slaphead in around five hours. Restoration Robotics' Frederic Moll, explains how his hair'bot works below.
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robots
ASIMO Robot 'Conducts' Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Asimo, Honda's consistently-unimpressive robot that they awkwardly walk out for press conferences to prove to everyone that they're working on vague, future-related projects, is at it again! This time, he's been spotted "conducting" Yo-Yo Ma and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, caught here on NBC's Today Show. It's all quite ridiculous and probably not a little insulting to real-life conductors, but on the up side, Honda donates $1 million to the DSO to improve its music education programs, which is something even my grizzled, jaded heart can't frown upon. [Asimo on Giz]
koreannovation
Watch as the RingBo Robot Atrophies the Muscles of Our Future Generations
We showed you the little lazy-kid-moving RingBo yesterday, and now we have a ludicrous video of it in action. Watch! As an adorable Korean toddler spins aimlessly in circles in a variety of outfits. Listen! To some of the most ridiculous music to be produced since the 1980s. Cringe! At the thought of parents dropping $140 to allow their 3-year-olds to give up on walking at such a young age. You're looking at the future, friends. The lazy, lazy future. [Koreannovation]
toys
Ringbo Robot, Because a Loved Child Should Never Hoof It
Why should we have to wait until we're senior citizens to enjoy the luxury of scooting the grocery store? The Ringbo Robot brings the fruits of limited mobility to our most precious, the children. Aimed at kids from 2-3 years old, the Ringobo can cruise for about an hour after charging overnight. That should be just long enough to keep them occupied while the poorer children in the neighborhood play football or, worse still, ride a bike. [Koreannovation via BBGadgets]
robots
Hitachi EMIEW 2 Vid Shows Segway-Style Legs, Wheely Kneecaps, Creepy Kid Voice
Impress Robot Watch just published footage of Hitachi's anime-styled EMIEW 2, the little guy who took a spill during his debut last November. The new video shows that his feet, tipped with wheels, give him a Segway-like way of staying upright, with little micromovements. If the terrain gets too rough, there's always the second set of wheels on his kneecaps, which you see him using at the beginning. Like many Japanese constructs, this one has a creepy child's voice, with which it apparently says some unexpected things like "What color is love?" (Maybe that's an error in translation, but still...) Watching the Segway-style maneuvering, I am left wondering how two of these would do in a rock-em-sock-em scenario. [Impress]
wall-e
CNNMoney/Fortune has a story out saying that Eve, the female character to stand opposite Wall-E in the movie of the same name, was designed in part by Apple lead designer Jonathan Ive. The robot design is kinda cool, in that it reminds me of the most recent incarnation of Marvin the Paranoid Android, but the real story to be told is of Ive's day spent with the Pixar guys working on Eve.
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Wall-E Movie is Jonathan Ive's Latest Design Job
CNNMoney/Fortune has a story out saying that Eve, the female character to stand opposite Wall-E in the movie of the same name, was designed in part by Apple lead designer Jonathan Ive. The robot design is kinda cool, in that it reminds me of the most recent incarnation of Marvin the Paranoid Android, but the real story to be told is of Ive's day spent with the Pixar guys working on Eve.
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robots
Last time I was in a store, I was like, "Why is there no creepy animatronic sea captain here to tell me today's specials?" Apparently that's what the founders of Characters Unlimited thought too, because they've come up with a vast array of Hall of Presidents-style robotic people—and a few animals, too, like the ever-popular dog in overalls, or the smoking buffalo—aimed specifically at retailers who want to jazz up their stores, maybe after striking out with Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men. The things can move and talk, their lips synched to either live or pre-recorded messages. (Was that a tape recorder I saw?) The company president told Aving they'll do custom jobs, can even clone you if you want, but from the look of their lineup, it helps if you're old and/or disfigured. There's a video after the jump if you're not already properly skeeved out. [Aving USA]
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Life-Size Robotic Ventriloquist Dummies: The Next Retail Craze?
Last time I was in a store, I was like, "Why is there no creepy animatronic sea captain here to tell me today's specials?" Apparently that's what the founders of Characters Unlimited thought too, because they've come up with a vast array of Hall of Presidents-style robotic people—and a few animals, too, like the ever-popular dog in overalls, or the smoking buffalo—aimed specifically at retailers who want to jazz up their stores, maybe after striking out with Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men. The things can move and talk, their lips synched to either live or pre-recorded messages. (Was that a tape recorder I saw?) The company president told Aving they'll do custom jobs, can even clone you if you want, but from the look of their lineup, it helps if you're old and/or disfigured. There's a video after the jump if you're not already properly skeeved out. [Aving USA]
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robot wars
At Maker Faire 2008, a group of carnage-loving individuals pitted the 2007 Holiday Toy Darling Pleo against the heavy duty battle bot, Vicious Verdict, in a no holds barred competition. Needless to say, the sniff-n-grunt capability of the Pleo was no match for the blade-equipped bot, which turned Pleo into fillet meat. But the funniest part of the video (below) might be the background shrieks of little kids, who were forced to watch their Christmas present get shredded. Mean, perhaps, but undeniably funny. [DViCE via Tech Digest via Bot Junkie]
More »
Pleo Gets Thrashed at the Hands of a Battlebot
At Maker Faire 2008, a group of carnage-loving individuals pitted the 2007 Holiday Toy Darling Pleo against the heavy duty battle bot, Vicious Verdict, in a no holds barred competition. Needless to say, the sniff-n-grunt capability of the Pleo was no match for the blade-equipped bot, which turned Pleo into fillet meat. But the funniest part of the video (below) might be the background shrieks of little kids, who were forced to watch their Christmas present get shredded. Mean, perhaps, but undeniably funny. [DViCE via Tech Digest via Bot Junkie]
More »
gadgets
RC Beer Cooler Robot Now Available For Pre-Order
It was a big hit at CES, and now you can get in on all of the drunken laziness. The device will be available from Solutions on May 23rd for $69.95 and from Firebox on the 28th for $78.30. [Solutions and Firebox via Toyology]
robots
