Or “Your-Plastic-Pal-that-plumbs-the-very-depths-of-The-Uncanny-Valley-who-might-also-be-fun-to-be-with-once-the-screaming-has-stopped”:
Seriously people, I love Japan. Can anyone give us a quick translation of the conversation?
[Via @thinkgeek]
A cunning little thing from Japan that is a lot cooler than it looks at first blush:
Thanks Ralf Burgert!
More cool stuff at Citadrobo’s YouTube page.
Kazu Terasaki, longtime SB friend colleague and contributor, comes at us with a new variation on a familiar theme:
iPad walking robot!
\
Whee.
[Thank Lem!]
Equals OSM:
“Chinese students built this awesome robot sculpture for their graduation project. Almost all of the parts come from an old truck and the total budget was 300,000 yuan. The final robot is almost 32 feet tall and weighs over 8,800 lbs.”
Via Instructables
RoboGames 2010 is coming up quickish, and with it we will be featuring in this space some recaps, explanations, and OMGWTFSPARKLEPONIES!!!1!1! moments for your edutainment. First up: Mech Warfare!
Here’s a video, courtesy those prolific bastards over at Botjunkie:
Ah Mech Warfare, developed in part by the kindly loons at our very favorite Trossen Robotics, it consists of several little robots going head-to-head with several other little robots, all on their cute and merry way to totally obliterating each other with airsoft guns. Good Times!
You can find a whole world of options and excitement for mechwarfare and a bunches of other stuff at the Trossen Robotics Community. As for parts, you can pick em up here! And here! And here and here!
To register your masterpiece for RoboGames 2010, go here! Questions and abuse, please direct to knickers at suicidebots.com. Thanks for playing!
Being a big fan of Japan and comfort food and all, I have some pretty serious feelings about ramen. Here is a robot that probably does not have any feelings about ramen at all, judging from the look of the end product:
Mmm, precision snack foods.
A long time ago (well, 30 years ago), in a Midwestern state far, far away (well, 3700 miles away), I was a young boy who dreamed of robots. While my sweet mother bought me an Intellivision (so much better than Atari. Loved that talking B-17 bomber game), what I really wanted was a robot. Not some silly wind up robot. No, a real one. Of course I knew that R2-D2′s level of intelligence was far off, but still, a robot would be cool. And you could get a robot. There was a fantastic Japanese company, Tomy, that made real robots, called OmniBots.
Alas, I never did get an Omnibot and still don’t have one, even though I now own around 200 robots (no really. 14 humanoids alone. Two life-sized R2-D2′s. Twelve omni-wheeled soccer bots. My wife must love me…). But a guy can reminisce. And what with the internets and databases and all, I can surf for all the robots that I missed out on as a kid:
Is it any surprise that the Japanese kick our booty in the field of robotic catwalk supermodels?
Unfortunately, the video links seem to have broken, but here’s the original link and a reasonable translation
I have been inundated with these photos, which are cool, so I am passing the savings on to you:
Lobsterbots, LEMURs, ATHELETEs, Mr. Wu, NASA rovers, Big Dogs, plant putters, dino bots, rescue remedies, warehouse automatons, Philip K. Dicks and mechanical men, from all over the world, rendered in breathtaking technicolor.
If this doesn’t bring it home that robots are already the big thing. . .Mr. Saffo? Any comments?
[Thanks to Scott Beale and RICK! for the links]
RoboGames fave Kazu Terasaki demonstrates an incredibly cute concept in iPhone add-ons: if your phone rings, why should you go fetch it? in this day an age, make it come to you!
Kazu has developed a kit for making just about anything into a walking robot, a la this iPhone, check it out here (some assembly and Japanese language skills required)!
[via robots.net and Norri!]
[Yes, thank you I know video posts are a cop-out. I imagine someone might have something intelligent to say at some point around here, I promise. Many thanks to the adorable and Vienna-bound Head Rotor for holding down the fort for us for a while; it's been hectic around here]
This is not good.
Now the robots are blogging themselves. In particular, it’s that wacky yellow Wakamaru who’s to blame. Yep, she/he/it/whatever’s even on Facebook.
Hey Waka, be nice to us useless humans when you and your yellow plastic buddies take over, ‘K?
Because who does not love light, aerodynamic aerial cuisinarts with minds of their own?
These hellys are already doing tasks in Asia and elsewhere, collaboratively, and with a minimum of breakage and crashing. Collaborative robots are what is going to make Skynet wake up one day, so everybody get on their good side now.
You can even buy one of your very own here from Rotomotion.
[via Dvice and The Lab For Autonomous Flying Robots. Thanks Swarmies!]
Please to meeting delightful friend Pekoppa plant!
“Heal yourself with this plant, which is a good listener!”
Two way interaction most desirable for small plant friend! Say to the plant the loudness! Plant is scary of you and loving sweet word! Pekoppa made with tiny technology for the fun making and happy refreshment!
Hooray Sega!
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