NASA tests future moon landing robots on Canada's fake moon site

NASA is testing two new robots designed to for future moon landings in a crater in Canada, both of which are equipped with some high end kit designed to analyze their surroundings. Loaded up with "GPS, stereo cameras, laser scanners and sun trackers," the K10 Black and K10 Red can laser map terrain over 3,000 feet away, and fire radar into the ground and detect features up to 16.4 feet down. Running on regular laptop batteries, the robots are able to cover over 120 acres of ground and operate for up to five hours at a time, providing far more information than the restricted space-suit wearing astronauts are able to gather. Now all NASA's gotta do is get the robots onto the moon by the around-2020 date that the adminstration keeps mentioning.

[Via The Register]

Sensei robotic arm pulling off heart operations in the UK

Although the Sensei robot at St. Mary's Hospital in London may just be "one of four in the world," it certainly joins a packed crowd of mechanical colleagues that have been doing this whole "operation" bit for quite some time. As with most similar alternatives, this one operates (quite literally, actually) by responding to a human surgeon's input given via joystick, and the arm is then able to maneuver into more delicate and hard-to-reach locales in order to execute catheter ablation procedures. In the future, however, the Atari-lovin' doctor could be left out of the process entirely, as an automated edition could eventually be programmed to find its own way to the target without any human intervention. Med school graduates losing residency positions to metallic counterparts -- what is the world coming to?

The Halluc II: a robotic flashback of your creepy cockroach hallucinations

When the robots rise, they'll likely come in the form of giant, goose-stepping cockroaches. Don't believe us? Just check the 32-inch, 44-pound Halluc II which features the ability to walk or roll via a simple rotation of its jointed appendages. This 8-legged vermin is powered by the screams of children and the Linux-beast within. When things get out of hand, you'll want to aim your slingshot at its 800MHz AMD Geode central processing unit and hope for the best. Now go ahead and click through for some video of it bewildered by the flashing camera lights in some makeshift, Japanese LSD lab. It's always a good idea to study your enemy before the big fight.

Continue reading The Halluc II: a robotic flashback of your creepy cockroach hallucinations

Researchers show off robot hand neural interface

It looks like robot hands have taken yet another step into human-like territory, with a team of researchers at John's Hopkins University recently demonstrating a new neural interface that allows an artificial hand to be used to play the piano. But that's not all! In true mad scientist fashion, to actually control the hand, the researchers relied on neural activity recorded from a monkey's brain. According to MIT's Technology Review, that resulted in the fingers on the hand performing their intended movement about 95 percent of the time. While the system doesn't currently work in real time, the researchers are reportedly planning a live demonstration with a monkey within the next six months. Apparently foreseeing a potential monkey-machine rampage, however, the researchers have wisely decided to only let the monkey control a virtual version of a prosthetic arm.

SK Telecom develops phone-controlled cleaning bot

SK Telecom, never wanting to be outdone by clever hackers in producing totally useless and bizarre devices that no one really needs, is in the final development stages on a Roomba-style robot that can be controlled by your mobile phone. The circular cleaning bot will be able to receive direction from a phone user on where to scrub, buff, and vacuum, while the controller views all of the exciting, floor-sweeping action on his or her cell phone via a built-in camera at the front of the bot. This should be the prefect product for those who feel the Roomba makes life too easy by cleaning a room on its own -- although it's possible that this technology could be adopted by legions of young men hoping to get a better look up women's skirts. Only time will tell.

Mitsubishi's Wakamaru bot isn't ready to integrate into society

Things didn't turn out so well for Mitsubishi's cute little Wakamaru house bot, which the company introduced in 2005. Initially expecting to sell 100 of the $14k+ bots, Mitsubishi received only a few dozen orders, and shipped even fewer, since certain customers with multi-story homes or no internet access wouldn't have gotten much mileage out of the yellow robot. Other problems further limited Wakamaru's acceptance in the home, like limited conversational abilities and lack of support for internet content beyond weather forecasts and email. People also expected Wakamaru to take over household duties like sweeping and cooking, and while the bot's heart is in the right place, he's not exactly handy with a broom. For now Mitsubishi is going to rent Wakamaru out to corporations, and is working on expanding arm functionality to allow for the carrying of drinks or newspapers, and to let him open doors. Teach him how to perform petty crime and spew cutesy catch phrases and we're sold. [Warning: subscription required]

Remotely controlled armed robots deployed in Iraq

While the Army is already taking good care of our wounded robots patrolling through Iraq, a recent deployment of three special weapons observation remote reconnaissance direct action systems (SWORDS) has placed rifle-equipped bots in the line of fire. The trio, which all handle M249s, are "are remotely controlled by a soldier through a terminal," and while their exact whereabouts and missions remain classified, the armed machines were reportedly designed to handle "high risk" combat scenarios if necessary. Currently, there's no record of a SWORD actually firing its weapon, but considering that each of these devices can potentially remove a human from harm, don't be surprised to see full blown platoons being unleashed when finances allow.

[Via Wired]

Students whip up Operation-playing robots

We know the Hippocratic Oath is kind of implied in Asimov's Three Laws, so we're kind of cleared for takeoff when it comes to robots performing surgery on us hapless meatbags. But we imagine no such laws or oaths apply to robots developed by UBC physics students, whose final exam is to build the best machine for playing a life-sized game of Operation. And not a moment too soon, because this case of writer's block is totally killing us -- so we'll just end the post here.

DARPA-funded bionic arm gets second prototype

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, no strangers to reaching for seemingly unattainable goals in medical science, have set their sights on what some consider to be the ultimate pursuit of modern prosthetics: a bionic arm that moves, looks and feels like its human counterpart. And they want to do it by 2009. An earlier prototype of the arm, the Proto 1, was shown in April of this year, and now the team of scientists is scrambling to ready the arm's second iteration, the Proto 2, in time to show it off this week at the 25th Darpa Systems and Technology Symposium (where it will likely be joined by Dean Kamen's Darpa funded bionic arm). Researchers hope that the prothesis, which is currently controlled by skin-surface-attached myoelectric sensors, can be made more intuitive by adding injectable sensors, which send increased amounts of signals (and have improved clarity) allowing for greater control of the arm. In time, the team hopes to move to nerve-attached electrodes, or electrode arrays implanted on the brain, which will eventually allow for full user dexterity.

[Via Wired]

Venturesome DIY'er building Futurama's Bender

Futurama fans (and Bender freaks in particular) may need to be sitting down when viewing this one, as we're fairly certain you'll be at least somewhat blown away by what lies ahead. On a whimsical request from a friend, a pioneering lad set out to not only create a lifelike rendition of Bender, but to "give it a brain" and make it brew beer (saywha?). Judging by his other endeavors, this won't go down as the first alcohol-related project he's undertaken, but he's well on his way to creating what's sure to be a fanboy's dream. The creature is being constructed with an assortment of MDF, glue, polystyrene balls, fiberglass, paint, and all sorts of electronic internals, and while it's not quite complete as of this writing, feel free to bookmark the read link and tag along as the process unfolds.

New military robots showcased at DARPATech 2007

While both the Navy and Air Force have recently warmed up to a new robotic friend, a number of military bots-to-be showed their stuff at DARPATech 2007. Among the standouts were a camera-guided Little Dog, the resilient Big Dog, a backpack-portable, fully autonomous Micro Air Vehicle, and a beefed-up version of the MAV (dubbed the Organic Air Vehicle) that can reportedly hover around for two hours. The latter creation was designed to "designate ground targets from the sky and paint targets up to 15-kilometers away with its laser designator," while the MAV can monitor a 10-kilometer radius "with infrared or visible cameras in hover-and-stare mode." The aforementioned canines seem to be terrain navigators, which could potentially be studied to improve the locomotion of walking machines in general. Go on, click through for a few glimpses of these friendly fellows -- they aren't armed, yet.

Continue reading New military robots showcased at DARPATech 2007

Enryu T-53 service robot cleans up Japan post-earthquake

It's been far too long since we've seen the Enryu support robot out on the streets of Japan, and unfortunately, it was called into action once again recently after an earthquake reportedly rocked Niigata. The newest edition, dubbed the T-53, has received a number of improvements over the prior T-52 model, and aside from being able to hoist 220-pounds per arm without a stressing a joint, this rendition is supposedly a registered, street-legal vehicle to boot. Check it in the work zone after the break.

Continue reading Enryu T-53 service robot cleans up Japan post-earthquake

Humanoid robots could still do the twist in 2193

If no one's complaining when the Rock-afire Explosion busts out a Bubba Sparxxx jam, we doubt the future alien population of this here planet will have any beef with an android cousin doing the Tango. In a bizarre feat of preservation, a team from the University of Tokyo, Japan has used "video motion-capture systems to record the movement of a dancer performing a Japanese folk routine called the Aizu-Bandaisan." Rather than just filing it on a DVD, however, they are teaching Kawada Industries' HRP-2 to mimic the moves, which could open the door (wider) for robotic dance teachers of the future. If you think it sounds weird, just wait 'til you catch the thing on video.

[Thanks, Eileen]

U.S. military turns to competition for robot "surge"

The US military has already upped the arsenal of its robots deployed in Iraq, and it now looks to be planning to expand its non-human forces even further, with it recently putting out word of a competition to find a company that can quickly deliver a slew of new bots. According to Wired's Danger Room, these new robots won't be armed, but will instead mainly be used for reconnaissance duty, and must include the ability to look inside car windows and peer underneath vehicles. Due to the urgent need for the bots, the Army's done away with the usual formal bid process and will effectively be awarding a contract on the spot to the winner of the competition, who will be required to deliver its first bots within ten days. The Army then hopes to have 1,000 new reconnaissance bots by the end of the year, with another 2,000 planned for the next five years. As Danger Room reports, iRobot seems to be the favorite to win the competition, especially considering the requirement get the bots off the assembly line as quickly as possible.

Toyota's DJ Robot leaves fame behind, becomes receptionist

It wasn't all that long ago that Toyota's "DJ Robot" was sharing the stage with the rest of its robot bandmates at the 2005 Aichi World Expo, but it seems that "DJ" now chosen a slightly less glamorous career path, with it soon set to start working for its parent company as a receptionist. According to Pink Tentacle, the robot has been working hard to improve its human interaction skills as of late, and is ready to go on the job later this month, working alongside human receptionists at Toyota's Kaikan Exhibition Hall. After that, it'll apparently take up a more permanent position at Toyota's Nagoya office, with other versions of the robot also planned to fill other positions.

Restoration Robotics creates hair transplanting robot

Though some companies are more focused on getting hair off of your person, the California-based Restoration Robotics is hoping to help doctors do quite the opposite. Reportedly, the company has just garnered some $25 million in funding, and is hoping to release its robotic hair transplanter to aid docs in the actual planting process. Moving forward, the firm purportedly hopes to use its newfound wealth to "conduct clinical trials and move to market," but it's still staying relatively mum on the details for the time being. Of course, we all know real men prefer their strands over gizmos (right?), so we'll be on the lookout for any guinea pigs who (eventually) give this a go. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Via CNET]

Robotic cucumber hand freaks out party goers

We've got all ideas that whipping up an edible Wii (and a few controllers while you're at it) would make for a fantastic (albeit overtly geeky) shindig, but there's just something satisfying about a robotic cucumber hand that freaks out attendees that visit the snack table a tad too frequently. The creature, which was reportedly, um, prepared for an event hosted by a CMU computer scientist, primarily consisted of a number of edible parts, a servo, control arm, and a CMU Canary sensing / control platform. Truth be told, however, pictures can only explain so much, so feel free to click on through for a glimpse at this thing in action (and the entire recipe, too).

[Via CNET]

Continue reading Robotic cucumber hand freaks out party goers

Keepon dancing robot featured in Spoon's latest music video

Step off those treadmills OK GO, there's a new indie music video on YouTube ready to help us nerds locate our groove muscle. Spoon's "Don't You Evah" features the toxically cute Keepon dancing robot developed by Carnegie Mellon and Japan's National Institute of Communications Technology. Be sure to hang in 'til the end for the robot dance party which features Manoi, RB2000 and a Johnny Five wannabe getting tore-up from the floor-up in that mad servo style. Full vid after the break.

Continue reading Keepon dancing robot featured in Spoon's latest music video

Nao robot replaces AIBO in RoboCup Standard Platform League

Aldebaran Robotics' Nao robot didn't exactly have all that many skills to show off at the recent RoboCup in Atlanta, but it apparently had enough to earn itself a place as the new de facto bot for the Standard Platform League (previously known as the Four-Legged League). Until now, that position had been held by Sony's AIBO, who will now apparently be relegated to cheering on its bipedal successor from the sidelines. The Standard Platform League, as the same suggests, requires all competitors to use the same robot, placing all the focus on software development instead of hardware tweaking. Unfortunately, it seems that you'll still have to wait a bit if you're thinking about competing as, last we heard, there was still no word on pricing or availability for the long-in-development Nao.

[Via Robot Dreams]

Flea-like robots double as pollution detectors

Developing robots with flea-like attributes seems to be quite popular these days, as researchers at the University of Lucca have apparently created a diminutive bot that was "developed to detect mercury poisoning in the ground and leap from place to place the way fleas or frogs jump." The creature measures in at ten-centimeters long and weighs just 80-grams, and can supposedly cover "vast amounts of land in shorter amounts of time" compared to less efficient pollution-seeking alternatives. Currently, the critters are purportedly being loosed in the wild with "special mercury-deteting sensors," so be sure not to squash any hard workin' mechanical pests if one accidentally hops in your tent.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Bumblebee... in paper

Pretty friggin good Bumblebee model, right? What would you think if we told you it was done in paper? We know, right? Totally a cut above the rest. Ahem.

[Thanks, Sonic]

iRobot sues Robot FX over alleged patent infringement

It looks like Robot FX has run into a bigger obstacle than it's bargained for, with the company now facing not one but two lawsuits from iRobot over alleged patent infringement. Apparently, iRobot thinks that Robot FX's "Negotiator" robot is a little too similar to iRobot's popular Packbot, and it's asking for a permanent injunction to prevent Robot FX from selling any more of the bots, along with the usual damages. Adding further to the intrigue is the fact that Robot FX was founded by a former iRobot employee, who is specifically named in the second lawsuit claiming misappropriation and misuse of confidential information relating to the Packbot. Sadly, it seems that the whole matter will have to be settled in court, and not in a winner-take-all robot death match as we would have hoped.

Bill Gates backs Probo, the huggable children's robot

Bill Gates is known as a lot of things; programmer, philanthropist, visionary... super-nerd. One thing Bill isn't known for is his ability to hug or be hugged, but that could all change with his latest investment in a foundation called Anty. The Belgium-based robotics team are hard at work on a small, badly named robot called Probo; a green, "huggable," ALF-like creature that will be used to interact with kids during medical treatment and hospital stays, where it's hoped the robot will aid in easing children's sometimes-traumatic experiences. The project is being carried out by two teams at the University of Brussels, in conjunction with the Anty group, with the focus on creating a "social robot" emphasizing vision, speech, AI, and intrinsic safety. In a quote attributed to Gates -- who has aggressively invested in children's projects in the past -- the Microsoft founder says "Alongside the technical research possibilities, the prototype will be used to examine the opportunities for using Anty in medical, social and psychological research." When reached for further comment, Gates was said to be "unavailable" due to rampant testing of Probo's "hugging" feature.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Takara Tomy's Transformers MP3 player gets photographed

Yeah, we've got a soft spot for all things Transformers, and while Takara Tomy's Transformers MP3 player isn't the most advanced DAP on the block, the fun factor is undeniable. Thankfully, the folks over at PrimeDiary were able to wrangle one of these bad boys up for themselves and snap a few photographs. Needless to say, we're envious, but go on and click through for a couple more shots of the MP3 player fanboys just have to have.

Continue reading Takara Tomy's Transformers MP3 player gets photographed

iRobot's new Roomba 560, 530: totally redesigned vacuumbots

iRobot hasn't released a new, proper Roomba servantbot since late 2004's Discovery (Scooba, of course, excepted). Today that changes, with the 560 and 530 we caught wind of back in May. There's a lot going on here, so we'll start at the top:

• iRobot is touting these new Roombas as being "totally redesigned" from the ground up.
• The new vacuum system is supposedly 100% more effective at picking up the grime in your floors. Really makes the old model suck. Thanks, we'll be here all week.
• The 560 features 2.4GHz RF that activates its new Virtual Wall Lighthouse system (we'll get to that in a sec. The 530 doesn't have RF.
• Scheduling is now built into the robot. Friggin FINALLY!
• The new Roombas have IR sensors built into the bumper, and have a second, slower running speed. When Roomba is approaching an object, it slows down so as not to bump it so hard.
• Lighthouses are Roomba's new RF-based progress tracking system. Place one in each doorway, and they switch on via RF when your Roomba does. When Roomba's done with a room, it won't re-enter until the next time it runs.
• The battery is still removable, but you have to unscrew the bottom plate to get it out. Oh, and now you can add faceplates.
  
• The system is far better sealed off, so most of the crap you're vacuuming up supposedly won't actually get inside the robot anymore. Extra bonus: that black arc between the bumper and buttons is a handle that lies flush.
  
• The 560 goes for $350, the 530 goes for $300 -- snag 'em both starting now.

iRobot Roomba 560 hands-on

We've been fooling around with a new Roomba 560 of our very own and we can say with some certainty iRobot's really improved on its product. Unfortunately, that isn't saying a whole lot; while we've always loved the Roomba for what it is, we've never been too impressed with the job it does. Still, the built-in scheduler is just such a welcome addition, and the robot is much quieter and generally feels far better built than its predecessor. The fact that the internals are better sealed is also a huge bonus, since we've long found ourselves cleaning our Roomba's innards out nearly as much as its vacuum bin. Jury's still out on the Lighthouses -- it's a decent idea, definitely, but we'd really prefer if the robot actually started trying to learn where things (and its own position in real space) are instead of just using battery-operated stations to tell it which rooms it's already visited. But hey, baby robot steps, right? Photo gallery below.

MIT builds robotic weight loss coach

In an attempt to understand how humans react to having a robotic weight loss coach in their home versus simply using the software that the machine is loaded with, the imaginative folks at MIT have constructed a sociable robot that wants to see you reach your ideal weight. The robot uses internal cameras and face-tracking software to maintain eye contact with you while you attempt to fib about exactly how much exercise you've had, and the external touchscreen allows you to input data such as food / calorie consumption and duration of exercise. The creature is slated to hit the homes of select Bostonians as the designers begin to test its long-term effectiveness, but those looking for a glimpse of it in action should check out the video provided in the read link.

[Via TechDigest]

HD video: Roomba 560 vs Discovery

Anyone at all interested in home robots -- especially those too lazy to vacuum their own floors -- will want to see just how well iRobot's new Roomba 560 fares against its predecessor, the Discovery. Well, we've pitted the two against one another in noise, speed, cable management, docking, and, of course, ability to destroy one another. Embedded player after the break.

P.S. -Forgive our shabby carpet, the dudes who rented the place before us took really sucky care of the joint.

[MP4] Download in 720p HD (139MB)
[MP4] Download in wide VGA (40MB)
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[AVI] Download in wide VGA (40MB)

Continue reading HD video: Roomba 560 vs Discovery

Speecys SPC-101C laughs, can never feel

We spotted the SPC-101C face-recognizing bot from Speecys a couple weeks ago, but what we didn't know is that under that cold hard exterior is the ability to emulate joy with cold hard precision. Check out the video after the break. We've included video of a laughing Elmo as well for creep-o comparison -- we don't think SPC-101C even comes close, but you're always entitled to your own opinion.

[Thanks, Robert O]

Continue reading Speecys SPC-101C laughs, can never feel

iRobot Connectr can't be half as lame as Looj

We really did our best to hold back our disappointment at the Looj. Sure, there must be people out there with gutters full of leaves and plastic parachute men, and we want to be respectful of that, but we can't say it really stoked our gadget lust. Luckily for us, iRobot seems to have another bot in the works dubbed "Connectr" -- at least if a recent trademark filing for "robots for video and audio monitoring, surveillance, and communication" is anything to go on. This one might be just for iRobot's military and public service customers, but we'll hope for a consumer-friendly score here to rival other web-friendly video bots out there. iRobot has promised to announce two new bots at Digital Life in NY later this month, so let's hope this is one of them.

[Thanks, Daanish]

Robots, robots, robots (and other stuff) at Nextfest 2007

We dropped by Wired's Nextfest down in LA today, and were, shall we say, pleasantly pleased by the inordinate number of robots we'd written about but never actually seen in person before. Although we didn't see KillaCycle try to assassinate its master, there were plenty of other highlights:

• Keepon (pictures here) somehow manages to be even more amazingly fricking adorable in person. We defy any hard-hearted person not to crack a smile when seeing Keepon dance to Daft Punk.
• Albert Hubo (pictures here) manages to be even more frightening in person than we'd originally. We're not at all surprised by this development.
• Also going to keep us up tonight: the Zeno boybot's disembodied plastic face (picture). The stuff of nightmares, we tell ya.
• Yes, Zou Renti's android twin really does look exactly like him (picture).

All this and much more in the gallery below, check it out. (Don't worry, we'll have plenty of video soon.)

HD video: Robots, robots, robots (and other stuff) at Nextfest 2007

You saw the Nextfest 2007 gallery, now see the video. In our highlights reel we've got (in order):

• Keepon dancing
• Multi-touch Collaboration Wall by Perceptive Pixel
• FT by Kyoto University
• Atlas Devices rope ascender
• Outerspace by Andre Stubbe and Markus Lerner (Berlin University of the Arts)
• Albert Hubo "dances" to Yeah! by Usher + Lil Jon + Luda
• Recon Scout by Recon Robotics
• Kiyomori samuraibot by TMSUK
• Laptop_Orchestra by LIMITEAZERO
• Will the real Zou Ren Ti please stand up?
• Bipedal transport by Waseda University, TMSUK
• Shadow dextrous hand by Shadow Robot Co.
• E-TAF automatic door by Tanaka Seisakusho
• Morpho Towers by Sachiko Kodama (EUC), with Yasushi Miyajima (Sony CSL)

The embedded player is after the break, download links are below. We dare you not to get robot fever.

[MP4] Download in HD (490MB)
[MP4] Download in wide VGA (165MB)
[AVI] Download in HD (498MB)
[AVI] Download in wide VGA (137MB)

Continue reading HD video: Robots, robots, robots (and other stuff) at Nextfest 2007

Caption Contest: does not compute

Evidently, even robots get bad assignments.
Evan: "After their defeat at the hands of the Autobots, the Decepticons were forced to perform the most humiliating of jobs."
Ryan: "Trust us, you really don't want to pull out Mini Killbot 3000 with the dangling claw. Might we suggest Snoopy?"
Darren: "And to think, those Americans have to settle for a pathetic claw."
Josh: "In retrospect, XL-250 probably had an unfair advantage, since he was made of high-test iron and programmed to kill, while his opponents were just fur stuffed with cotton, and programmed to hug."
Paul: "We could live offa the fatta the lan'."
Conrad: "These creatures are the only sentient race in this sector and they're made out of foam? This can't be right."

Takara Tomy's i-SOBOT headed stateside?

We're not exactly sure how much we trust i-SOBOT's MySpace page, but if you're a believer, this creature will be headed to America real soon. Interestingly, it purports that the primary reason for making the leap to the US is to "study our culture," which is likely a suave way of suggesting that its totally scoping out our defenses as the clan back home develops a sufficient takeover strategy. Nevertheless, word on the street has this bad boy landing stateside before Christmas for $300 - $350, so there's still a few months left to prepare for the seemingly inevitable invasion.

[Via Gearlog]

Takara Tomy's i-SOBOT available for pre-order in US

We knew it wouldn't be long, but we weren't counting on being able to pre-order Takara Tomy's i-SOBOT in America today. Of course, we aren't kvetching or anything, but Amazon is now accepting orders for the creature here in the US of A, and the asking price is at the low end of what we were bracing for. So go on, secure your place in line for $299.99 -- it ought to ship real soon.

[Via I4U News, thanks Luigi]

Intel researchers give robotic hands more sense

While robotic hands typically have no trouble demolishing objects they grab, Intel researchers are looking to make these stereotypically brawny gizmos a bit more sensitive. The technology, dubbed pre-touch, incorporates sensors into a mechanical hand, which enables it to scan objects before it grabs them and react accordingly. Notably, the goal is to "improve the ability of robots to grasp objects in unstructured human environments," potentially making them more useful in the home. Go on, check out the video below -- it won't pinch.

[Via The Raw Feed]
Read - Robots that sense before they touch
Read - Pre-touch video demonstration

Japanese seniors shun their robotic overlords

According to reports out of Tokyo, Japanese senior citizens are being turned off when robots get switched on. Ifbot, a helper-robot at a Japanese nursing home which can converse, sing, express emotions, quiz seniors, and perform mercy killings (okay, that last one isn't true), has apparently not been a hit with the elderly residents. "The residents liked Ifbot for about a month before they lost interest," says Yasuko Sawada, the Kyoto-based facility's director, adding, "Stuffed animals are more popular." The news backs up what University of Tokyo geriatric social worker Ruth Campbell says, "Most (elderly) people are not interested in robots. They see robots as overly-complicated and unpractical." Apparently, Japanese electronics-makers have been scrambling to produce robotic assistants for the nation's elderly (which will make up 40-percent of its population by mid-century), but the seniors have been shunning the overly complex companions. This comes as no surprise to us, of course, as our grandparents have been complaining about the "picture radio" for decades.

Robot "dog" crosses obstacles, lacks head

To be honest, we're not sure if Boston Dynamics decision to not include a head on its so-called "LittleDog" makes the bot more or less creepy, but it sure is pretty darn impressive either way. It's claim to fame, and the result of $1.5 million in funding from DARPA, is its ability to cross harsh terrain with relative ease, relying on an array of sensors that measure joint angles, body orientation, and foot/ground contact. As you can see in the video after the break, the whole system appears to work remarkably well, with the bot only encountering a few minor hiccups during its rock-climbing adventure. No word on any future plans for the bot just yet, but with DARPA behind it, we're guessing it'll be attracting some slightly different owners than its robot canine companions.

[Via SlashGear]

Update: We overlooked this at first, but it turns out LittleDog isn't Boston Dynamics' first foray into headless robot dogs, with the company's BigDog also able to climb hills, and carry a 120 pound load to boot.

Continue reading Robot "dog" crosses obstacles, lacks head

STriDER: Virginia Tech's creepy, three-legged bot

Apparently, robot designers are worried that they're not creating automatons that are creepy enough, because a team of engineers at Virgina Tech have put something together that will give even the toughest of men chills. The robot in question is the three-legged STriDER (Self-excited Tripedal Dynamic Experimental Robot, not to be confused with CMU's Strider) which balances itself on two legs and then flips its body 180-degrees, bringing its third leg forward with the motion. According to project leader Dennis Hong, "STriDER's gait is closer to that of a human walking than most bipedal humanoid robots you see today," adding, "This is how we humans walk, we do not actively control our knees, we just let them swing." It does seem to be true, as the robot has an eerily life-like quality to its movements. Don't believe us? Take a look at the video after the break and see the tripod in action.

Continue reading STriDER: Virginia Tech's creepy, three-legged bot

The Great Gazoo abandons Bedrock for Japan

Could it be that a distant relative of the Great Gazoo has crash landed in Japan only to serve as tour guide in a government building? Well, in Japan, anything is possible. Besides representing what many believe to be the original "jump the shark" television moment, this Osaka guide-robot turns an otherwise staid municipal lobby into a happy place. That is, until you consider that this is a robotic ancestor to an alien which created a Doomsday Machine. Clearly, that dum-dum in the ballcap is not impressed.

Fujitsu's Enon is your robotic museum guide

Kyotaro Nishimura is a mystery writer from Japan with his very own museum, which now -- thanks to Fujitsu -- has a shiny new guide robot. The droid in question, a friendly helper named Enon, will autonomously move to the entrance of the museum to greet guests, will guide visitors through the exhibits by using gestures (and its chest-embedded LCD screen), and will play video greetings from Mr. Nishimura, amongst other tasks. This iteration of bot (called a "service robot" by Fujitsu) is just the first in a planned long line of human-esque, automatons. The company hopes to introduce security and package transport bots in the future. The future looks bright, humans.

DIY'er creates homegrown mini mech

We've seen mechs of all shapes and sizes, but typically, they either aren't for sale or are priced right out of most budgets. Thankfully, Andres Bella has created a "mini mech" that can be replicated by anyone with a few extra dollars, a decent understanding of robotics and a bunch of unused vacation time. The creature was built using a Basic Stam II microcontroller, a couple of high gear motors / pneumatic cylinders, a power supply, pressure gauge and a bunch of metal (among other things). We won't pretend to know exactly how he went about constructing this thing, but we'd certainly love to have one to take the load off our own feet (and part the seas of holiday shoppers).

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

Robo-One Grand Championship sees battles, carols

Sure, this may be the twelfth time that the Robo-One Grand Championship has taken place, but each year it seems to get even zanier. This go 'round, Tokyo was home to 25 finalists built by amateurs lusting for a little piece of the limelight, and the whole lot apparently put on quite the show. Hundreds of onlookers watched as "Arichyon," decked out in Christmas lights, belted out carols, only to get pelted by a penguin-headed bot who wasn't exactly feelin' the holiday cheer. If you missed out on this year's event, you've got over 360 days to prep for the next one -- just make sure your creation speaks, er, sings softly and carries a big stick, okay?

[Via I4U News, image courtesy of ITN]

Researchers set sights on uber-dexterous robotic hand

Dr. Honghai Liu, one of the two researchers heading up a project to craft an exceptionally deft robotic hand, has called such a device "one of the holy grails of science," and honestly, we can't say we disagree. He, along with Professor Xiangyang Zhu, was recently award a Royal Society grant to further research the possibility of using artificial intelligence to create software that could "learn and copy human hand movements." A sensor-laden cyberglove has been used to capture data about how the human hand moves, and the duo hopes to eventually use the findings to produce the "perfect artificial limb." Of course, there's no telling how long it'll take for such technology to actually be perfected, but we can already see the line forming with folks eager to swap out their own hand for one a bit more adept.

[Via The Raw Feed]

The Wooden Menace: DIY robotic arm on the cheap

Oh yeah, we've seen our fair share of robotic arms, but it's not everyday that a craftsman posts an eight-page tutorial on how to construct one of your own for less than $60. The Wooden Menace was designed to show that an inexpensive robotic arm could indeed be constructed using household junk and a few store-bought parts, and while its utility is relatively limited, there's a certain level of cool to having such a device guarding your paperwork at the office. Aside from a cloned PS1 controller and a few hunks of wood, you'll only need a voltage regulator, microcontroller, five servos, a 20MHz oscillator and a few other parts to make it all come together. No need in giving you the run down here -- there's eight pages chock full of details (videos included) awaiting you in the read link below.

[Via MAKE]