"Justin" humanoid robot gets shown off, no one harmed

It may just be for demonstration purposes for now, but this humanoid robot dubbed "Justin" certainly looks like he means business, and we can all be thankful that's he's confined to a table or there's no telling how things might have gone down. Apparently, Justin's biggest claim to fame is his pair of DLR-III Light-Weight arms which, in addition to making other robot arms look positively retro, are dexterous enough to pick up a trash can and dump it or twist a lid off a jar. No word as to when Justin might be let loose from the lab, but you can get a better look at what he's capable of in the video at the site linked below.

Christmas Rolly rocks to holiday favorites

Most Americans have yet to get a taste of Sony's Rolly speakerbot, and while we may finally see the little critter, um, roll our way sometime next year according to company prez Stan Glasgow, Japan is already getting its first special edition of the lively MP3 player. Christmas Rolly -- on sale immediately for ¥41,800 ($380) and shipping December 19th -- comes preloaded with Japanese takes on traditional holiday favorites such as Santa Claus is Coming to Town and White Christmas, along with the accompanying pre-programmed "dance moves" -- though frankly we're at a loss as to how a two-wheeled robot gets down to Silent Night. Those folks on a budget who can't live without the special six-pack of tunes will also be able to find them on Sony's Christmas edition of the NW-E013 DAP, on sale next month for only ¥10,980 ($99).

[Via Impress]

The Murider dancing media robot: so apropos

Check your servos Rolly and Miuro, there's a new media playing robot in town by the foreboding name of "Murider." The new bot from Woori features a 4.3-inch display for watching DMB mobile television and support for audio playback when sourced from USB-connected devices or SD cards. Details are scant but it's said to stand (not roll) and a bust out a little dance with appropriately timed flashing lights. Oh, and it'll do so for a fraction of the price of its peers. Just don't be surprised to find little rolly muttering "Redirum, redirum" in response to this budget repetition of past events.