Tag: Robots

Because the robotic apocalypse can’t come soon enough for some people, researchers at China’s Zhejiang University have programmed a swarm of small drones to navigate autonomously to avoid obstacles. In this case, those obstacles are the entirety of a bamboo forest.

Because picking up poop is one of the least desirable aspects of dog walking, Toyota recently applied for patents related to a dog-walking robot that can even clean up after a dog takes care of its business.

What good is a robot servant if it can’t even peel your breakfast banana without smashing it to bits? With that in mind, researchers at the University of Tokyo’s ISI Laboratory have used AI to teach a pair of robotic hands how to delicately peel bananas.

Do you have a knot in your back? Do you trust a robot to massage it out without snapping your neck in the process? If you do, you’re in luck, thanks to Massage Robotics’ MR-01, a $310,000 fully autonomous massage robot with two 6-axis collaborative robotic arms that operate using cloud artificial intelligence.

Inspired by the legs and feet of a peregrine falcon, engineers at Stanford University’s Cutkosky Lab have developed a set of SNAG (“stereotyped nature-inspired aerial grasper”) robotic legs that can perch on different sized branches and grasp objects in a manner similar to the bird of prey.

I was just thinking the other day somebody should combine a donut and a drone, and apparently Boston-based Cleo Robotics was already on the case, developing the $9,800 Dronut X1 – the world’s first bi-rotor ducted drone that can operate in much tighter spaces than traditional drones.

Since “just because you can” is as good a reason as any to do something these days, the engineers at iSax Laboratories took it upon themselves to try building a MIDI-controlled robotic trombone. The result? Well, the result is what you’ll hear below, which is by no means the best trombone playing I’ve ever heard.

Seen here looking like a typical nuclear family of the future, this is YouTuber LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER showing off a facial recognition robot (the one on the right). It appears to be powered by a Furby inside the clear plastic computer case, which is modeled after a classic Apple Macintosh.

When it comes to wall-climbing robots, most of them rely on vacuum suction to make their way up the side of a building. The trick there is that you need a very smooth surface, like glass or marble in order to get a good grip.

Me in 1988: By 2019 we are going to have flying cars. It’s gonna be so cool! Me in 2019: Looks at water bottle flipping robots in disgust. This is where we put our engineering energy?

A new modular robotics kit was recently launched via Kickstarter and it is called the MIND KIT. It’s an easy-to-use development kit for robotics. The modular robot is designed as an easy click-together system, so you can get down to programming quickly.

Liphier Cavalry Robots are robotic toys which are designed for battle. The little robots can be controlled via the accompanying mobile app to defend or attack head-on. These interactive robots are described as self-balancing, but they look like they just spin around on wheels.

AIchan and GONta are the world’s latest comedy duo. These two funny robots were created by a lab at Japan’s Konan University and use an AI program to respond to one another and tell jokes. They do Japanese stand-up comedy routines, which usually involves a “straight man” and a “funny man” who trade jokes back and forth based on misunderstandings, puns, gags, and wordplay.

Bad news for some folks in the robotics business, but great news for mankind. Google is shutting down its SCHAFT robotics unit. This means that humans just got a longer lifespan. The apocalypse may not be canceled, but it is certainly delayed for now.

Remember a month ago when Disney’s Stickman was the best robotic stuntman technology they had? Good times. Things are about to get way more human and way more creepy. Now the company is working on a series of truly acrobatic, humanoid stunt robots with their Stuntronics project.

Drone flying has become the new kite flying, and people of all ages are starting to pick up the hobby. If you’re still new to the game, pick up TRNDLabs’ Fader Stealth Drone, a compact, easy to fly, and bargain-priced drone.