Are you too busy to find a gym partner? Well, the folks over at the University of Southern California Center for Robotics and Embedded systems have pulled in the stats (and we’re fairly sure everybody is busy). The robot called Bandit is now offering Robotics and Embedded Systems exercise training. This certainly seems suitable in the gym, though you had to admit the fact that the it’s so huge would probably deter a lot of people from checking it out.
The Presenter Type 2 animatronic robot doesn't go around as a regular robot, although it comes with movable arms that can wave around, while speaking its mind with LEDs that light up its face in a convincing manner. The Presenter Type 2 is meant to function as a form of animatronics in order to see action in promotions of items and products.
IMTechnology's Robot Cafe System offers a whole new brewing experience where you place your order via a small robot wearing a chef's hat for added effect, and letting it deliver your cuppa to your table when done. This is one place where no singles would want to go since there are no cute waitresses to chat up, eh? On the bright side, there is no need to tip a robot with money, but we wonder whether they'll accept some leftover engine oil?
Robert Matysiak, a Croatian artist and robot fan, has created some rather interesting looking robot designs, which also double up at lamps, very aptly named Robolamps. Range from 15cm to 50cm in height, and are made from plumbing supplies. Check out more details at the Robolamp Facebook page.
Remember the Big Dog robot that moves in such a lifelike manner, it is almost uncanny and unnerving? The folks at Boston Dynamics have made improvements to it by weaponizing Big Dog, allowing future robots on the battlefield to fight our wars without running the risk of injuring or getting our soldiers killed since Big Dog can be controlled remotely from afar.
The bipedal HUBO FX-1 robot from HUBOLab is taller than me at 2 meters in height, tipping the scales at a rather hefty 150kg. The HUBO FX-1 is strong enough to carry up to 100kg in weight, which means it still isn't able to lift up most WWE superstars in the ring. Don't expect this to be the most agile robot either, despite the fact that it can walk forwards, backwards, side and turn using a built-in joystick. Looks pretty comfortable to sit in, but this has one major drawback compared to the Honda ASIMO - it can't climb stairs.
The bipedal HUBO FX-1 robot from HUBOLab is taller than me at 2 meters in height, tipping the scales at a rather hefty 150kg. The HUBO FX-1 is strong enough to carry up to 100kg in weight, which means it still isn't able to lift up most WWE superstars in the ring. Don't expect this to be the most agile robot either, despite the fact that it can walk forwards, backwards, side and turn using a built-in joystick. Looks pretty comfortable to sit in, but this has one major drawback compared to the Honda ASIMO - it can't climb stairs.
Fiddling with high-voltage power lines is certainly a dangerous job, especially for humans. With that in mind, a Tokyo-based company, HiBot, is working with western Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Co. to test a new robot next year that can inspect several power cables at once, and we’re fairly sure that no humans will be hurt in the process. We’re fairly sure that these robots don’t have any fear of heights either.
Fujitsu has teamed up with the Yokohama National University and the University of Electro-Communications when it comes to developing an Office Delivery Robot. This bad boy is able to carry up items that weigh up to 20kg, relying on stereo vision, a laser range finder, and UWB (Ultra-wideband) TWR-TOA (two way ranging-time of arrival) for SLAM that is accurate to within 10cm to get around carefully so that nobody ends up with a bruised toe due to a wayward movement. While there are no plans to commercialize the robot, we are pretty sure certain bosses would prefer to have a mechanized drone running errands within the office as such a robot won't stab the boss in the back at water cooler conversations.
The Hitachi EMIEW (Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Work-mate) moves about on its wheels, relying on technology that can be found in the Segway as well. This allows it to zip about robustly compared to bipedal robots, hitting a maximum speed of 3.7mph with a reaction time of 100 miliseconds. The EMIEW has been usurped by its newer sibling, the EMIEW 2 which brings better technology to the table.
This robot certainly looks like it’s built to play basketball, what with its 7-foot height. Dubbed Unit 33, it can walk, turn, twist, bow and even play football (though they really should have tried a basketball demo). Check out the video above, and see for yourself.
You might have checked out Gramazio & Kohler’s bricklaying robot before, but this time, the duo from Zurich's ETH Faculty of Architecture have brought the robot to America for the first time, and have digitally fabricated a wall on Pike Street in downtown Manhattan. Certainly something to check out if you’re passing by there. An exhibition will be running at the Storefront for Art and Architecture until November 14th. You can check out some pictures of the walls built by the robot here.
It seems that Aerospace firms are quite busy competing for a classified UK MoD contract to build a robotic military stealth aircraft. Said aircraft would be rather special, seeing that it would be able to hover like a helicopter or fold its rotors and fly as an airplane. Of course, just flying around would be rather boring, that’s why it would also be able to deploy radical new weapons, such as microwave or laser ray guns. Now we wonder how many more years it will take before we as citizens will be able to purchase one of these.
The Mini guide robot does not live up to its namesake in terms of size, and while it won't be up and about to the amusement of visitors and guests, this guide robot will instead be seated in your office lobby or at exhibitions. It comes with an ultrasonic wave sensor that enables it to detech where a person is standing, allowing the Mini to look in that direction while making announcements. Apart from general greetings, you can also program it to offer directions to various places including the nearest elevators, washrooms and telephones using its arms.
