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OLLO – Kids Robotic Action Kit

July 15th, 2009 by Edwin in Childrens Gadgets, Robot Gadgets

olloCould OLLO be the new LEGO? After all, we’re pretty much used to everything being in motion, where static building sets that require this thing called imagination from our kids might actually be out of vogue if the OLLO Action Kit is in vogue. The driving force behind the OLLO action kit is its motor, and it really depends on your imagination on what you are able to churn out.

Other building kits use motors, so what makes OLLO unique? you may be wondering. The difference is how OLLO pieces attach to one another. They attach with an innovative two-part rivet (one goes into the other and presses down to lock the pieces in place). And of course you can always undo the rivets (tool included) to build new and wilder things. The OLLO Action Kit is perfect for getting young minds interested in mechanics and building. OLLO is so much fun to work with, you might just have to buy two: one for the kids…and one for you!

Interested? They’ll set you back by $29.99 per set.

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AcceleGlove

July 14th, 2009 by Mark R in Remote Control, Robot Gadgets

accelegloveSome of you might be too young to remember when the Nintendo Entertainment System tried to sell the world the Power Glove. I guess they thought people would want to wear something on their arm and look like a cyborg, but it didn’t sell that well, even with the not-so-subliminal ad in the movie The Wizard.

I believe that the Power Glove was one of the first attempts at motion control for video games, but motion control has made some leaps and bounds quite recently. A company known as AthroTronix has recently made some interesting motion control advancements with the Acceleglove.

The Acceleglove isn’t designed for video game entertainment, but it is more for robotics. You can watch the YouTube video after the jump if you want to see a “hands-on” demonstration.

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Giant Grapples contolled by Tiny Wiimote

July 9th, 2009 by Mark R in Gaming Gadgets, Remote Control Toys, Robot Gadgets, Toys

wiimote_controlled_15-tonne_grapple-480x265See the two gigantic yellow arms, with claws? Those are robot grapples, each with the power to lift 50 tons, and spin at 70 kilometers per hour (12 revolutions per minute).

I’m sure that control of these metal monsters must be difficult, but Simon Wittber from the Australian firm Transmin has greatly simplified it using a Wiimote for controls.

That’s right, the very device used to play WiiSports is now playing a new game! I have included a video of their demonstration that you can view after the jump, and it is something to see and hear.

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Project Nomad Leaps out of the Next Transformers Movie

July 7th, 2009 by Mark R in Conceptual Gadgets, Robot Gadgets, Vehicle Gadgets

project-nomad_4avez_5965-thumb-550x408-20294Take a gander at Project Nomad, a wonderful and artificial horse. As you can see, it looks like a four-legged version of Bumblebee from Transformers.

When I saw this one, I knew it was too good to be true. Sure enough, it is still a concept, but the fact that Jason Battersby saw it fit to put it on paper is a step in the right direction for making all our dreams of riding a robot horse come true.

I’m sure that readers who follow my work know that I love to cover concept tech like this, especially when it seems so futuristic that it could never be built in my lifetime. This one has a very unbelievable feature: a GPS that knows where the plant life is. Project Nomad then eats up the vegetation, and uses it for fuel.

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Self-Portrait Machine

July 3rd, 2009 by Mark R in Miscellaneous Gadgets, Robot Gadgets

0aautropmach88When I was a kid, I had to do a self-portrait in the third grade. It wasn’t a pretty good likeness of me. If I wanted to do a self-portrait now, I’m certain it would be as good.

Perhaps this is why Jen Hui Liao invented a self-portrait machine. This device is designed to take a snapshot of the user, and then it will draw a picture of you.

You might wonder how this works. I’m not certain either, but if you thought that this device comes with some robot arm to draw for you, you’re half right. There is a robot arm, but the user actually handcuffs his or her wrist to it. You might want to check out the YouTube video after the jump to see it in action.

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Doppelganger Robots

July 2nd, 2009 by Mark R in Robot Gadgets

xianchaoren-small11Take a look at the photo to the left. These are not twin brothers, or some sort of photo trickery. As it so happens, one of these men is a robot.

Yeah, I don’t know which one is fake either. However, I think you should know that this technology is available. Just so you can be free of your Stepford Wives nightmares, this robot cannot walk and talk, or be some evil version of you who will go about doing bad while you take the blame.

No, what you are looking at is one of those animatronics like you would see at Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but a bit more realistic. The best you could hope for is a figure that would sit there and move its head and eyes in a realistic fashion. The might be enough to fool a boring college professor.

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Bomo Baby Carriage

June 3rd, 2009 by Mark R in Childrens Gadgets, Robot Gadgets

baby-carriageAs a parent of a toddler, I am always looking for the latest and greatest baby products. The Bomo Robot Baby Carriage might be one that I probably wouldn’t buy, even if I could afford it.

The point of this product is to put the little baby in, and then program it to automatically follow the parental figure around the house. It can apparently “see” obstacles and navigate around them, provided they don’t move independently, like pets or older siblings.

Of course, if you want to give the baby the wheel, that is an option. Manual mode allows the tyke to hit the accelerator and use a fully functioning steering wheel. You might want to make certain the safety gate is on the stairs first.

After the baby has taken his or her joyride, its unique horizontal swing motion will help put him or her down for a nap.

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Dustbot could change Sanitation as we know it

June 1st, 2009 by Mark R in Conceptual Gadgets, Eco Gadgets, Robot Gadgets

dustbot_brega_015jpegThis Dustbot robot is the type of concept technology that I live to report on. European scientists have come up with a new way of removing trash in narrow streets with these wheeled guys. Clearly, Disney-Pixar was the inspiration as the Dustbot is essentially a WALL-E without the ecological apocalypse.

This new garbage collection process would start when a consumer with a bag full of trash gives the Dustbot sanitation organization a call or sends a text message. The automated system then sends the nearest Dustbot right to the user’s door, navigated via GPS.

From there, the consumer selects the type of trash he or she is disposing on the touchscreen, and put it in the drawer/compressor that comes from the Dustbot itself. I can only presume that the Dustbot goes somewhere and dumps the trash in an eco-friendly spot after that.

You may notice that the Dustbot is precariously balanced, like a Segway. So what happens when you call up a Dustbot, drop in your garbage, and then it tips over? Talk about awkward.

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