This is cool if only for the head control thing, and the ability to annihilate the people in the cube next to you.

Incidentally, SRL did the head control thing with the Air Launcher way that many years ago, but if you have FREAKIN’ LAZZORS and the will to destroy you tend to always be ahead of the curve.

[Thanks Botjunkie!]

For God, For Country and for the Furtherance of Robotic World Domination, via the Yale Grab Lab. As we used to say in the marching band, “Guinness: It’s what’s for breakfast”

Via Engadget, Technology Review, and every other damn place.

Yeah, we iterate that with this:

Ear waving mechanism test. Yum.

Form Robot Living, a tree planting concept machine. . .

. . .that looks suspiciously like this tree harvesting machine of doom:

Here’s footage of the Kali-like tree creator-destroyer in action:

Yeah, that’s what we thought.

This is charming, thought up and done by Cinegraphic Studios. It’s also an adorable meditation on what the heck a robot actually *is*, anyway.

[Mange takk LaughingSquid!]

Willow Garage roolz, and not just because they have been a delightsome sponsor for RoboGames. They have invented the PR2, which among it other fantastic talents, will soon become commercially available.

Scott Hassan, Willow Garage founder, made a quick a dirty PR2 Contest after the PR2 launch party (for which all of us here at the Robunker suck because we couldn’t make it) for which the winners competed for a 10k aggregate prize.

Presented without (too much) comment, the winner:

[Thanks Hizook!]

Christian Ristow makes giant robots. His wife, Christina, also makes giant robots. They are about to be blessed with a small robobaby of their own.

This is not a robobaby. This is a giant killer robot.

If that is not enough, he has started up a new blog about hauling large piles of metal from one place to another, and back again.

He is a little like these here inhabitant of the RoBunker, only, *way* cooler. Please extend you attention to words by the maker of the Hand Of Man, The Subjugator, and the Spiderbot.

This is also not a robobaby, this is a robot made to look like and arachnid.

You may have seen their work during SRL shows, exquisite classy gallery shows, or in the desert:

Photo Montage courtesy Mr. Nightshade’s Flickr stream

The new blog is about the pitfalls and triumphs that happen when you are an artist and do everything for yourself for a living. It is a window one doesn’t often get to see through when one is a spectator at a slick show or well done live perfromance. We over here are enjoying it immensely!

Over at Wired Gamelife, here’s a nifty video of the ever popular Kuka industrial robots, who seem to be moving more and more into entertainment (you may remember them from a Jon Bon Jovi concert or perhaps from Wired’s NextFest).

The robot is making a light sculpture in real time for the
Xbox Game Halo Reach. Players log in to Facebook and get to plot one tiny speck of light in the location of their choice.

It is a nifty little project that the kids can squeal about, but I can’t help but think it’s really just a massive plot to direct the correct coordinates for total earth destruction by the alien forces watching us from behind Pluto. I would categorically refuse to participate in the destruction of human kind at the hands of faceless superfuture beings, but IT’S SO SHINY! Also, giant robot arm! YES!

From those forward-thinking Scandahoovians over at Scandicraft, we have ingenious, Ikea-fabulous autonomous drone hangars that will keep even the hardest-working quadrotor spycam snug and safe.

This is the perfect gift for the evil supervillain in your life, especially if they lack a suitably heebie-jeebie inducing perimeter security system. And it’s also stylish! They do come in flat packs, though, so make sure you get all the boxes and that little wrench thing before you install.

[Big ups to the robot lovin' gnomes over at <"http://www.botjunkie.com/2010/08/12/norwegian-mailbox-drone/">BotJunkie]

Here’s a really well done minidocumentary about robot builders, done up by our buds at Trossen Robotics. Edited and shot by Jennero Rossi, a Trossen Minion, valuable helper at RoboGames and a hell of a great guy, this short illustrates what it is to be a robot builder, where it can take you, and how you don’t need to be a PhD or engineer to get started.

Full Disclosure: Trossen Robotics is one of the dedicated long time sponsors for RoboGames, so please buy some robot stuff from them. Then come to RoboGames to test it out!

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]

So ::sob:: beautiful ::weep::

Courtesy those masters of modern problem solving techniques, Willow Garage (proud and beloved Sponsors of RoboGames, full disclosure, natch)

This guy is totally using his powers for good. Canadian Rob Spence had an unfortunate mishap in his teens that led to losing an eye on his right side. He’s decided to one-up nature and become: EYEBORG. With the help of a few of his friends he has developed an eye prosthetic that can broadcast its video, and eventually will be available as a public feed for those who want to see through another (Canadian, filmaking) person’s eyes.

Eyeborg Phase II from eyeborg on Vimeo.

Never underestimate the power of bored nerds to solve excellent problems. How long ’til it’s elective, like tattoos or unusual piercings or suspensions or sideshow performers? I am excited about the cyborg revolution.

[Via Le Boing and IEEE, whee!]

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.

[Via Neatorama!]