Join Electronic Gadgets, Gaming Gadgets, Robot Gadgets
Xbox 360 controller goes to war
U.S. Army troops have the advantage of using the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles (SUGVs) in the battlefield as these diminutive robots double up as their eyes, ears, and potentially triggerfingers in tight situations. These robots are relatively cheap (considering the huge budget the Army has) and can be considered as disposable, enabling ground troops to check out the next corner or even hotspots without putting their lives on the line. What makes everything so surprising is the fact that there is no million dollar research involved when it comes to controller the SUGV – instead, the humble Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless controller will do just fine.
Electronic Gadgets, Robot Gadgets
Kansei robot from Japan gives me the creeps
Japanese seem to love robots of all kinds, and the Kansei robot is the latest in line to join the fray. What makes this robot very much different from the rest of his electronic brethren is the very fact that he responds to word associations, thanks to a silicon face mask and 19 movable parts. Kansei is able to express up to 36 facial expressions altogether from a self-updating online database of half a million words. For example, whenever he hears the word ‘bomb’, he’ll frown, mention ’sushi’ and he’ll smile (I would’ve grinned as I absolutely love sushi). The word ‘president’ brings about a scared and disgusted look.
Robot Gadgets
Nico sees himself in a mirror
Nico is a robotic creation from Yale University scientists Kevin Gold and Brian Scassellati, and this humanoid robot boasts one capability that most, if not all, of the other robots in the field still do not possess – the ability to recognize itself in a mirror. Other than a select number of animals and humans, no other lifeform (organic or otherwise) has the ability to identify himself as…well, “self”. This revolution was made possible as the scientists wrote an algorithm that enables Nico to classify various objects as “self,” “other,” or “neither”, depending on the information received from a camera located just behind each of it’s eyes.
Robot Gadgets, Tech News
The robots are coming
For years the human race has watched films and heard stories about how Robots first developed as toys and tools, grew in size, became more intelligent and eventually they become aware, finally they take over the planet! So we would be really stupid if allowed a company to develop robots that start off as a toy and gradually have upgrades over the years to make them more useful, wouldn’t we?
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Miscellaneous Gadgets, Robot Gadgets, Spy Stuff, Vehicle Gadgets
A tiny two wheeled robot for the battlefield.
It may look like it’s missing a rear axel, but a compact two wheeled surveillance robot may become a popular recon robot in the battlefield. The Recon Scout is described as a 2 1/2 pound “dumbell” which trails a camera and can be viewed by a handheld device which also acts as it’s controlled.
Developed the University of Minnesota, the Recon Scout is been based on Marine Corps specifications for ease of use (it can operate with just one hand after a brief charge of a few minutes) and is hardened with a titanium shell to be able to even be launched out of a mortar, or dropped from an unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle for a ground level point of view.
Garden Gadgets, Home Automation, Home Gadgets, Robot Gadgets
Dawn of the RoboLawn
When I visited Epcot Center at Disney World for my honeymoon in 1994, one of memorable products I saw showcased was a prototype robotic lawnmower. Well, in 2007 K.A. Home Robotics has introduced the LawnBot for those of us who don’t live in the “experimental prototype community of tomorrow.”
The LawnBot isn’t related to iRobot’s successful and innovative Roomba, but it does share similar features. Working autonomously by means of its preprogrammed computer and a perimeter cable, the LawnBot can mow up to three separate sectors totaling 33,000 square feet and then return itself to its recharging dock.
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Childrens Gadgets, Robot Gadgets, Toys
The Paperfolds strike back!
Not so long ago, on this very site, we’ve reported on some figures coming from an universe far, far away, that you could print and fold in order to create cool figures. Now, the figures are about to become alive, and they also spare you the printing…
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Pet Gadgets, Robot Gadgets
English town gets robotic falcons
With Liverpool in England being awarded the status of European Capital of Culture in 2008, the city council is stepping up another gear when it comes to sprucing up the city. One of the main objectives in its clean up operation would be getting rid of pigeons in the city, where these birds no longer need to get up early to catch any worms as they can wistfully sit idly and wait for well meaning passers-by to drop leftovers for them. And when these pigeons start to swell around their tummies from the abundant amount of food, it is natural that their droppings will start to rain down like manna from heaven.
