Remember way back in March 2012, when a robot cheetah designed by the Pentagon’s finest minds failed to outrun Olympian sprinter Usain Bolt? Remember how the metal creature’s mere 18 miles an hour — when compared to Bolt’s all-time high of 27.79 mph — provided humanity with some shred of dignity and self-assurance? Okay, maybe you don’t remember all of that. But if you do, forget it. Because the cybernetic cat is back — and it just beat Bolt’s best time. The Cheetah, as it is officially known, was created by a company called Boston Dynamics and funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA, the same group of military minds that brought us the Internet. In a video DARPA just released, seen above, the Cheetah laughs off Bolt’s challenge. Loping strangely along on four metal legs, the creature reaches 29.3 mph before its need for speed trips it up. What’s more, Bolt could only sustain that pace for 20 meters (and he had a little tailwind action, if truth be told). In theory, the Cheetah could complete an entire marathon in less than an hour. DARPA hopes this strange device could help foot soldiers on the battlefields of the future, like some kind of invincible sniffer dog on speed. But given that its inventions tend to have peacetime implications — you may have noticed that Internet thing isn’t just for defense scientists any more — we expect plenty of unintended consequences. Will robots compete in the Olympics of the 2020s and take all our medals? Will they challenge us to street races and laugh as we cough and splutter in last place? I, for one, would like to welcome our new superfast overlords. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/05/robot-faster-usain-bolt/
Disney Research in Zurich, Switzerland, has developed a new process called “Physical Face Cloning” that allows it to create realistic animatronic characters. The technology scans the head of a human before putting the coordinates and expressions into a 3D program. Measurements such as skin and thickness are then used to produce a 3D printed mold of the face before a silicon layer of syntheic skin is attached. The result is a realistic-looking robotic head with accurate expressions and features such as wrinkles. Disney will use the technology and process to produce life-like animatronic figures in its theme parks to add to the realism of the interactive characters. Watch the video below to see the entire process. Image courtesy of Flickr, Express Monorail This article originally published at PSFK here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/08/17/disney-clones-faces/
The Inebriator is a cocktail machine that mixes your drink in seconds. With this Arduino-powered robot bartender, all you have to do is grab a glass, fill it with ice, select your desired drink, give it a little stir and enjoy. The makers of the cocktail-making robot describe the inspiration behind the project: Most parties we have been to there is a good selection of spirits and mixers, but no one has the inclination to make cocktails. This project is designed to make it as simple as feasibly possible to get perfect cocktails every time without the hassle of looking up ingredients or measuring spirits and mixers. The Inebriator features a Hitachi HD44780 compatible display that displays drink information, navigation buttons, a stepper motor to drive the drink shelf and a cluster of LEDs to illuminate the glass and mixers. This article originally published at PSFK here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/06/inebriator-cocktail-machine/
If an adorable robot asked you a series of personal questions (“Who do you love most in the world?” “What really scares you?”), would you be more inclined to answer than if asked by a human? As a part of a documentary project affiliated with the TriBeCa Film Festival, cute robots with video cameras for eyes have been filming people as they answer various sensitive questions. Called “Robots in Residence” and created by robot company BlabDroid, the footage collected from Friday until Sunday, April 21 from festival attendees will be pieced together for a short film. It will become the first documentary filmed entirely by pre-programmed robots. The concept is based on the “ELIZA effect,” a theory from a computer scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who believes people are more likely to engage emotionally with artificial intelligence than others. The robots are small and unassuming, with a sweet smile and the voice of a seven-year-old boy. “Tell me something you’ve never told a stranger before,” it asks. From deep secrets to confessions of only visiting a dentist once, here’s a trailer of what to expect: The robots are intended to be comforting and non-judgmental, so people can have real interactions with them. The company also launched a Kickstarter project this week to help bring the robots into the consumer market. Robots in Residence is a part of the TriBeCa Film Festival’s first annual Storyscapes exhibit, which features five transmedia projects that embrace telling stories in a creative, unique way. One project will be named the winner. What do you think of the project? Would you feel more comfortable telling personal information to a robot? Let us know in the comments below. Images via Mashable Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/04/19/robot-documentary/
In what looks like a robot scene pulled from The Terminator, a government agency has released a video of a search-and-rescue robot that can do everything from climb stairs to crossing narrow passages The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — which is a part of the U.S. Department of Defense — uploaded the video to YouTube to bring attention to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC). The contest is looking for robots who can maneuver and assist during dangerous and disaster relief situations. The winning team will be rewarded $2 million. The robot in the video — which is called Pet-Proto and is the predecessor to DARPA’s Atlas robot — undergoes a series of obstacles similar to what robots will face in the challenge. The robot has decision-making abilities to determine the best route to go, when to jump and what to avoid. Do you think robots like this will be the future of search and rescue missions? How would you like to see robots used? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 5 Household Robots For Easier Living 1. Neato XV-11 In a market where consumers have plenty of vacuum robots to choose from, the Neato XV-11 really stands out. Unlike many, the Neato doesn’t need to bump into a wall to know it’s there. Rather, it maps out the room before deciding a path to take. Its nimble movements prevent it from scratching your furniture while cleaning room after room. We were fond of the charging plate that sits against the wall, instead of protruding from it. Price: $399.99 2. iRobot Looj 330 Featured once before on Mashable, the Looj is a gutter cleaning bot. From the makers of the popular Roomba, this relatively small robot sits in your gutter and uses augers and brushes to remove leaves and other clutter. You’ll need a ladder to position Looj, but once it’s in place you won’t need to do more than press a button. Price: $299 3. Robomow Forget spending money on gas to fill your lawn mower, and eliminate the pain that comes with pushing one. Robomow is the only robotic mower on the market that mulches your lawn for a professional-looking cut. Simply install wire around your lawn’s perimeter — then the robot will cut your grass on a schedule that you set. Price: From $1,000 4. Windoro WCR-I001 Attached to your windows by four large magnets, Windoro cleans windows small to large. With adjustable magnets, you can fit the window cleaner bot to single or double pane windows. Price: $539 5. Nanda Home Tocky We included the Nanda Home Tocky not only because it’s cute, but because we can all agree that waking up can be a chore. Once the alarm goes off, this robot jumps from your nightstand and starts rolling away from your bed. What’s worse than having to chase your alarm clock around your bedroom? Realizing you forgot to buy coffee. Watch a video of Tocky in action here. Price: $69 […]
Most people tend to be disgusted by bugs, but some robot researchers are inspired by them. Scientists at Harvard have spent the past five years building robot bugs that can move with the same dexterity and speed as real-life insects. The goal, according to Harvard Microbiotics Lab, is to “create high-performance aerial and ambulatory microrobots,” which can perform tasks such as “search and rescue operations, assisted agriculture, environmental monitoring, and exploration of hazardous environments.” The researchers have designed robobugs that can move as fast as 37 centimeters — the equivalent of more than eight times its body length — per second. One of the bugs is about as small as a penny; another bug is a bit larger and has a built-in battery supply so it can scurry around for longer periods of time. It seems that Harvard has gone bug-crazy. Earlier this year, scientists at the university unveiled a bug-sized flying robots with a 3-centimeter wingspan — and yes, the wings look just like the wings on a bug. Image courtesy of YouTube, MicrobioticsLab Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/23/robot-bugs/
Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper got some flack for using a hilariously fake baby doll in a pivotal scene. Maybe the Hollywood legend’s production team could have used some help from Millennium FX. This group, among other things, specializes in creating animatronic babies with creepily realistic movements. I almost want to console these mechanized little monsters! Even though it looks like a baby Terminator without its skin, you have to admit that it’s way more realistic than Bradley Cooper subtly moving a doll’s lifeless hand while trying to deliver an Oscar-nominated performance. (Just don’t tell these people about the invention.) Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/cyborg-babies/
