Technabob » robots

Robots Dance in the Chinese New Year

Conner Flynn — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:00:38 +0000

Celebrating the Chinese New Year is a big deal in China. They go all out like it’s Christmas and New Years rolled into one, and millions of Chinese citizens tune-in to watch the Big-Show on TV. This year is the Year of the Dragon, so the show really poured it on with a fully robotic dance troupe.

It was a stunning performance. Fourteen robots danced to a re-mix of the Korobushka, a traditional Russian song. You might recognize it from the game Tetris. The highlight of the show was said to be how the robot army entered. The screen behind the stage showed a bunch of ‘bots walking in formation and with each step they took towards the audience a new level of risers popped up with a different part of the robotic troupe.

Robots dancing is always a good way to celebrate anything. Preferably with explosions and flashing lights. What’s truly amazing about this show is the synchronicity that they achieved with these robots all doing crazy moves.

[via Giz-China via Geek]

Ant-Roach Inflatable Robot is Bizarre, Could Be Your Post-Apocalyptic Transport

Conner Flynn — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:00:53 +0000

It looks like a giant kids toy, but this 15-foot beast is actually an inflatable pneumatic robot. In the future, humans will ride these beasts across the wastelands of the apocalypse and wage wars with one another on their backs. Silly looking wars.

Developed by Otherlab, the Ant-Roach is like an ant and a roach in one, hence the name. It is in the concept stage at the moment. Inflatable actuators on the legs do all of the hard work, and are able to lift up to 1,000 pounds.

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The goal of building this strange beast was to demonstrate the carrying capacity and high strength-to-weight ratios that inflatable structures are capable of. Inflatable robots have a lot of potential as they are low-cost, lightweight, extremely powerful, and at the same time safer for humans to interact with.

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It still looks like they’ve got a way to go before the Ant-Roach can actually move smoothy, quietly, or quickly though.

[via Hizook]

Robot Made to Move Human Arm: You Are the Controlled

Lambert Varias — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:00:59 +0000

You read that right. My dream of piloting giant mecha before I die just got turned on its head. A research team at French institute Montpellier Laboratory of Informatics, Robotics, and Microelectronics has invented a system that enables a robot to manipulate a human arm.

The technology is being developed as part of Project Assist, with the ultimate goal of creating robots that will assist quadriplegic people. Knowing this makes no difference to me, and the whole thing is still creepy. In the experiment captured in the video below, the goal was for a robot to transfer a ball from a human arm and through a hoop. The team attached four electrodes into the arms of five slaves rebels test subjects. A Fujitsu humanoid robot then “took over” – i.e. zapped – the subjects’ arms, making the poor fleshbag move his elbow and open his fingers to surrender the ball.

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The audience at the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) “let out a gasp” when the researchers presented the experiment. That’s already a crowd of robotics experts and enthusiasts. When asked if the procedure was safe or if it could be more comfortable, lead researcher Bruno Vilhena Adorno said, “You get used to it.” Clearly Adorno is a robot.

[via IEEE Spectrum via Engadget]

Robots Do the Darnedest Things

Technabob — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:00:15 +0000

Robots have been among us in various ways for hundreds of years – from the earliest automata in the 15th century to today’s modern humanoid ‘bots. But if you think that robots are only used for assembling cars or as kid’s toys, you’ve been missing out. So in order to showcase some of the things you probably didn’t know robots could do, I’ve put together this compilation of some of the best, and most unusual robotic capabilities we’ve featured over the last several years.

They can cook your breakfast. A team at the Technical University in Munich programmed a pair of Willow Garage PR2 robots to shop for groceries and cook sausages…

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And this one is learning how to flip pancakes all on its own…

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They can play the trumpet. A few years back, Toyota showed off it’s Partner Robot, which could actually blow through its robotic lips, and play a little tune. Hi-ho! It’s off to work he goes…

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They can fetch you a beer. The Asahi Robocco BeerBot actually has a refrigerator for a stomach, and when you’re ready for a cold brew, it grabs a can out of its belly, cracks it open for you, and pours you a frosty mug…

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They can shampoo your hair. Panasonic recently showed off a robot which soaps up your hair, then scrubs your head, getting your hair nice and clean, while giving you a bit of a robotic scalp massage…

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They can ride a bicycle. You’d think that the constant balance adjustments we humans do when riding a bicycle would be a challenge for robots, but the Primer-V2 has no trouble keeping upright on his pint-sized two-wheeler…

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They can play the drums. Not to be outdone by the trumpet-playing robot, the Yellow Drum Machine robot is a homebrew robot who reacts to its environment, searching for things which make a pleasing sound, and then proceeds to play drums on their surface.

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They can lift sick patients from their beds. The RIBA II assistance robot can lift patients weighing up to 176lbs. from their beds, helping them avoid bedsores, and move them to a wheelchair from bed or vice versa…

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They can try on clothes for you. The Fits.Me droid provides users with an adjustable mannequin, which can be fitted with clothing, and then adjusted to match your own body specifications. This way, you can see if an outfit fits without hitting the dressing room - or at least if it looks good on a robot…

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They can draw portraits. Designer Patrick Tresset combined a simple robotic arm with a video camera and custom software to snap pictures of subjects, and then draw a rough version of the person using pen and paper.

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They can help the disabled overcome physical challenges. Using a robotic exoskeleton, paraplegic UC Berkeley student Austin Whitney was able to walk on stage to receive his diploma…

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While some of these robots perform mundane or silly tasks, other are actually really helpful. Regardless of the importance of the task, the underlying advancements in robotics, mechanical engineering, software and artificial intelligence might someday find its way into a robot who builds you your house, delivers your baby, or administers CPR. Or you could just have an awesome robotic meal from your robot butler. Who knows?

This is post is part of Technabob’s Innovations Series, in partnership between Technabob and Intel®: Sponsors of Tomorrow. The Innovations Series is here to enlighten and stimulate discussion about technology and its impact on our everyday lives.

Telesar V: Your Next Telepresence Robot Avatar

Conner Flynn — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:00:43 +0000

Can’t make it to the big meeting in person? Send a robot in your place. Everybody’s going to be doing it, until board rooms are full of nothing but robots. Why not just use the phone you might say? Because robots are much cooler.

Professor Tachi from Japan’s Keio University has been working on telepresence robots since the 1980s, so he knows a thing or two about the field. The TELESAR V telexistence robot avatar, is his lab’s latest masterpiece. The robot can transmit sight, hearing and even touch, so when you can’t be there, it’s the next best thing.

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You see what the robot sees, and hear what the robot hears. With this model, you can even “feel” the shape and temperature of objects, thanks to sensors built into the robots hands, which I suppose means that you don’t have to give up any sexually harassing advances on your coworkers, since you can just blame it on the robot. Besides, if your robot touches her robot, it’s not really an offense. Or is it?

[DigInfo.TV via Techcrunch]

Robot Venus Fly Trap Eats Bugs, Can’t Digest Them

Conner Flynn — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:00:42 +0000

Hey, bugs. I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that two prototype Venus Fly Trap robots have been designed with the ability to capture and eat real bugs and use them for energy. The bad news is that… two prototype Venus Fly Trap robots have been designed with the ability to capture and eat real bugs and use them for energy. Good news for humans, bad news for bugs.

They were designed as part of a joint project between the university of Seoul and Maine and are modeled after real life Venus fly traps. They are basically a pair of carbon fiber leaves attached to a spring. The design is very simple. One of the models uses shape-memory materials that can mold itself into two different shapes when a current passes through it. The other model uses artificial muscles made from nanomaterial. Same concept, different materials.

When an insect lands on the trap, the spring snaps and the jaws of the robot close, just like the real killer plant. I definitely want one for my home. Flies will be a thing of the past.

The robot is powered by a single battery, but doesn’t use any energy while dormant, so that battery should last a while. The weight of the insect landing on it causes the circuits to connect, which basically gives the robot the fuel it needs to do it’s thing. Unfortunately, it can’t digest the insect like the real version, but give these scientists some time and I’m sure they’ll work that out.

[via Walyou]

Teotronico, the Well Dressed Robot Pianist

Conner Flynn — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Some robots build cars in a factory, some rescue people during disasters and some just want to have fun. Teotronico just likes to get dressed up and play some piano for his human audience. This 19-fingered, and somewhat goofy looking robot not only plays the piano, but can also accompany himself on the drums and sing. At the same time.

Teotronico was created by Italian roboticist Matteo Suzzi. The bot took 4 whole years to build at a cost of £3000 (~$4735 USD). You’ll notice that as he plays, his fingers light up in a nice shade of electric blue. And having 19 fingers helps him outplay humans easily, making him fun to watch.

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The robot also uses video cameras and sensors in his frame to interact with the audience and “understand” them by analyzing facial expressions and gestures. This differs from real human pianists, who interact with their audience based on how full their tip jar is.

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[via Daily Mail via Walyou]

Raytheon Heavy Lifter Prototype: Is Anyone Else Thinking of Aliens?

Range — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:00:20 +0000

This Raytheon-Sarcos modified DitchWitch is basically lifter with large robotic arms, allowing the operator to lift and manipulate large loads. It reminds me a lot of those robots in the movie Aliens. This robot could someday replace forklifts and other types of machines.

The rig allows users to manipulate objects with a lot more dexterity, and it’s pretty easy to operate. The rig mimics your arms’ movements, so it’s quite intuitive. It could help during rescue operations, and it can also be controlled remotely so that it can operate in hazardous conditions.

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I wonder when these prototypes will see the light of day in production. Hopefully pretty soon, because I kind of like the idea of robots with giant arms roaming the streets someday.

[KSL Utah via Geekologie and DVice]

Nao Robots Can Now Charge in Their Nest, Take Imaginary Dumps

Conner Flynn — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:45:51 +0000

Nao, that lovable robot that has entertained us by dancing and doing all kinds of other awesome tricks, now has another capability. Aldebaran Robotics has created, the makers of Nao, have created a sort of home base for the robot, where it can chill, charge up or just relax after a long day of entertaining humans.

It’s called NEST, short for Nao Energy STation. When his battery runs low, Nao just walks over to the charging station, backs up to a post and plugs in, taking a seat or squatting. Unfortunately, this just makes it look as if Nao is taking a dump, but what can you do? Here, see what I mean:

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Nao’s image tracking technology is used to orient the robot to markings on a mat attached to the post. Even if the position of the markings gets shifted somehow, Nao will adjust and remember for the next time it needs to drop an imaginary deuce. When it’s finished charging, the robot stands up and knocks the plug from its back. Pretty cool.

[via Singularity Hub]

South Korean Quadruped Robot Dog Goes for a Walk

Conner Flynn — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:00:53 +0000

We’ve seen plenty of footage of BigDog and AlphaDog, but there’s a new robot dog in town, this time coming from South Korea’s SimLab. What’s interesting and at the same time creepy about this one, is that it walks around pretty quietly and seems to move swiftly and with more confidence.

Don’t be fooled by the apparent lack of traction shown in the video. They put tape on it’s feet so it wouldn’t dig in and hurt carpet at this trade show. Take that tape off and you can see that it would walk extremely well.

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As noted in the video, it doesn’t move backward, apparently because most animals don’t like to walk backwards either. Instead they turn. It’s pretty neat, but now we have too many robot dogs and not enough robot dog cages for my liking.

[via IEEE Spectrum via Popsci]

Robots Playing Ping-Pong: The Future’s So Bright…

Range — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:00:19 +0000

Playing table tennis is not something that should be easy for robots to do, so I was actually surprised that these ping-pong playing bots were unveiled in China. These smart ‘bots will play till 21, and hopefully, at least for now, won’t beat any human players.

These robots are able to track the movement of the tiny table tennis ball and return it with a satisfying wack, thanks to a motion-control system that comes equipped with a built-in camera and a processing unit. These ‘bots were unveiled by a lab at the Zhejiang University in China. The robots each are 5’3″ high and weigh 121 pounds. It took the lab 4 years to develop them.

Pretty soon, you’ll be able to play real tennis on a court with a robot as a partner. While you might think that might be a bit more complicated to pull off, a Vietnamese toy company already took a shot at that idea a few years back and recently revealed this intimidating upgrade…

[via Far East Gizmos]

CLASH Cloth-Climbing Robot Cockroach: Headed to a Couch Near You

Conner Flynn — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:15:47 +0000

UC Berkeley has a history of creating insect-inspired robots for future humans to swat and kill and run from in horror. The latest is CLASH, a robot designed to speedily climb up vertical or near-vertical cloth surfaces. The key to it’s creepy climbing are it’s tiny little spiny toes, which grip the fabric.

In the video below, you’ll see how just how quickly the cockroach-like CLASH scurries up surfaces, making it hard to swat once it scares the bejeesus out of you while you are watching TV. It can move upwards of 24 centimeters per second.

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The bot is 10 centimeters long and weighs just 15 grams, so the design definitely helps it to be speedy. The back two legs are passive and the legs are driven by a single motor that delivers a gait frequency of 34 strides per second. It’s a very impressive little ‘bot. Let’s hope it doesn’t escape the lab and reproduce.

[via IEEE Spectrum]

Panasonic Shampoo Robot is Like a Car Wash for Your Head

Conner Flynn — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:30:38 +0000

Panasonic’s new Shampoo robot, recently shown off at CEATEC 2011, has hairdressing salons scared. Okay, not really. They don’t have anything to fear from this thing just yet. Although it looks like it might feel like a good massage (until it peels your scalp clean off when it becomes self-aware), it is as slow as Jessica Simpson in a physics class.

This thing is basically a car wash for human craniums. It soaps you, scrubs you, rinses you off and repeats. It may not be perfect, but shampooers everywhere have been put on notice. You might want to turn down your volume for this video clip since the sound is all wonky, but you don’t really need to hear it to see what’s going on:

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It won’t be long before this robot is washing hair in hospitals, salons etc. Once they tweak it some more, I can even see it dying grandma’s hair blue and giving people rough haircuts in under 5 minutes. Maybe it could even cut some pre-loaded designs into people’s hair and tattoo skulls. Personally, I don’t care what it can do, I won’t be trusting my fragile skull to this thing.

[via robots-dreams]

Boston Dynamics BigDog Robot: Will it Eat PIGORASS for Lunch?

Range — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:00:35 +0000

A reader pointed out that the PIGORASS four-legged robot I mentioned yesterday was somewhat flimsy (I don’t agree) compared to this more sturdy offering from Boston Dynamics. They call it the BigDog and it will most probably eat your real dog for lunch (it can be weaponized).

Watching the video is somewhat eerie, because you can see Boston Dymanics’ BigDog climbing a forested hill, all by itself. It can carry heavy loads and is powered by an engine that drives the hydraulic actuators needed for locomotion. BigDog is the size of a large dog or a small mule: 3 feet in length, 2.5 feet in height, and it weighs about 240lbs.

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The onboard computer keeps everything balanced. It can run at 4mph, climb slopes up to 35 degrees, walk across rubble and climb muddy hiking trails. It will also walk in snow and water and can carry a 340lbs payload, which is pretty cool.

Check out more videos of BigDog in action over Boston Dynamics’ YouTube channel.

PIGORASS 4-Legged Robot Jumps and Gallops on Its Own

Range — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Walking is hard enough for robots, but check out this ‘bot that can do so on four legs. He might become your future dog, if all goes according to plan for its Japanese inventors.

This robot was developed by Yasunori Yamada from the University of Tokyo, and the quadruped robot can jump, walk, and gallop (sort of). Yamada-san is studying for his Master’s, and I have to say that his PIGORASS robot is pretty impressive. The ‘bot has got a simulated neural system, which means that you don’t have to program every eventuality into it. The artificial pneumatic muscles do the job.

I just wonder when I’ll have a fully functioning robot dog that can go walkies on its own.

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[via Plastic Pals]

will.i.am Wants Us to Build More Robots

Conner Flynn — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:23:21 +0000

Last night, ABC aired a new special called “i.am.FIRST: Science is Rock and Roll.” The show explored the 20th annual FIRST Robotics Championship, which is a competition for K-12 students, allowing them to show off their skills.

will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas believes that we should be making more robots and focusing more strongly on math and science education to strengthen not only our nation, but the minds of our youth.

It’s good to have a celebrity leading the charge on this issue and will.i.am is the right man for the job, since technology features heavily in almost everything he does with his performances. Now he is using his celebrity to make a difference and you can’t help but admire that – whether you like his music or not.

[via Examiner]

Turtle Shell Robot Races Bring Mario Kart One Step Closer to Reality

Conner Flynn — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:51 +0000

When driving down the road, you never stop to think that a Koopa shell could slam into you and knock you off course, but it might be time to start worrying about this possibility. Why? Because Turtle Shell robots are now having real life races.

It won’t be long before we have to start throwing bananas at these things, when they make our roads something out of a Mad Max movie produced by Nintendo, but for now it looks like a whole lot of fun. Michael Overstreet and a bunch of fellow makers are having turtle shell races in Kansas City. Many of the parts used to create these bots were printed on a MakerBot 3D printer. We don’t have much info yet, but it looks like they are remote controlled from smartphones and not a Wii-mote.

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According to Michael, there will be more info coming in the next few weeks and a website. Could we be looking at the birth of a new racing fad? Stay tuned. And drive safe.

[via Robots-Dreams]

SEED Concept: Your Personal Automonous Floating Camera Drone

Range — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:04:41 +0000

The SEED is an autonomous, mobile camera balloon created to take photos and video of you while you’re on vacation, but I honestly see a lot of Big Brother implications. It also reminds me of the Kinos in Stargate Universe. This unique spin on the blimp drone was designed by Moonhwan Lee.

I’ve read about robotic blimp drones before, for military usage and in science-fiction, but it’s somewhat odd to see the concept used like this. The blimp also keeps track of the weather and other data so that you can remember everything about the environment when you later view the footage on your favorite social networking site.

The SEED can also act as a personal navigation device, projecting directions to a location of choice, and then guiding you along the route.

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I’m sure that parts of this concept will be made or already exist, albeit for military purposes, in order to create a low-cost flying drone. Actually, you could probably SEED a theater of war with these to get full sensor coverage. It would probably be much cheaper than deploying satellites.

[via Yanko Design]

The AutoWed: Get Married in an Instant

Range — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:23:41 +0000

If going to Vegas to get hitched isn’t quick enough for you, check out what the AutoWed can do for you. It’s an automatic wedding machine. While I don’t think that it is recognized in all U.S. States (in fact, probably none) it makes you think about what marriage will be like in the future. It will probably most likely be more like an app from an App Store or a relationship status update on Facebook.

AutoWed is actually a novelty machine created by ConceptShed, which offers the ability to get quickly hitched – probably the fastest way out there. You’ll get a couple of rings, a personalized certificate for just £1/$1. There are audio prompts, specially-produced music, and a retro keyboard and display. The whole thing is wrapped up like a pink Cadillac with aluminum fittings.

For some reason, it makes me think about Futurama. This is the sort of technology that they’d have, since they’ve already got Suicide Booths in the 31st century.

[via Designyoutrust]

The Periodic Table of Robots: 2 Haro + 1 Big O Mechs Water

Lambert Varias — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:15:34 +0000

We’ve featured a couple of geeky takes on the periodic table of elements, and I’m sure there are more lurking around on the Internet. But this version is a bit more special than the other ones I’ve seen, and not just because it features my favorite Sci-Fi staple – robots! – but also because the unknown hero who made this tried his best to find robots with names that also fit the acronyms of the actual elements.

As you can see the mecha-Mendeleev who put this together used characters from several media – cartoons, movies, anime and of course video games. Unfortunately the task involved putting in other characters that are not technically robots, hence the disclaimer title. It also meant skipping out on other famous robots. For example, Proto Man and Cutman are here, but not Rock Man/Mega Man. Also absent are Voltes V and Voltron, but that octopus attendant bot from Combattler V gets a slot.

Those oversights are by no means insignificant, but it’s still awesome seeing all these characters in one place. If you guys know who made this table please tell us in the comments. Meanwhile fellow robot fans looking to burn some time can view the full-sized table here and try and name all of the characters used.

[via Sankaku Complex] (Link NSFW)