Archive for June, 2007
Hex Bug Robots Briefly Infest Radio Shack
From the day-late, dollar-short desk:
It looks like Radio Shack very briefly test marketed Bandai’s adorable tiny Hex Bugs. The adorable, battery powered cross between an i-mac and a palmetto bug react to obstacles and sound, scamper, scurry, gyre and gimble.
Bandai has scheduled them for a September release, but sources spotted them in stores a few weeks back. Under interrogation, local Radio Shack clerks revealed that only a handful were shipped to selected stores, and disappeared within hours in most cases.
So, we wait… But in the meantime, Bandai put a brief demo video up here.
Bandai Link (via, Technabob), Radio Shack Link
Update: 7/16 - Radio Shack has Hex Bugs back in stock!
No comments“Once Again, Without Emotion”
Just a Friday Quickie:
Here, without fanfare, is the hit music video “The Humans Are Dead,” From HBO’s “The Flight of the Conchords.”
Be sure to watch the credits for the noteworthy binary solo.
i-Sobot Commemorates “War of the Worlds” with Late October Invasion
From a Robot Watch article on Tokyo Toy Fair 2007:
Takara / Tomy has confirmed the late-October release of i-Sobot the tiny servo robot Mr. Future has been dreaming of since last February, for 31,290 yen (About $255).
Weighing in at 12 ounces, and standing a mighty 6.5 inches tall, the 17 servo robot is almost one third the cost of it’s nearest programmable servo robot competition. A second version to be released later that winter will be equipped with an onboard camera, wi-fi, and enhanced opportunities for robotic mischief and conquest.
The unit has been clevery designed and programmed to sneak right past entry level cost barriers, raid piggy banks, and consume every waking moment of Mr. Future’s fall and winter. Also, it will come in both Pink and Blue.
There’s a good write-up on i-Sobot from Robot Magazine here, by Lem Fugitt of Robots Dreams. And here’s a clip from the Tokyo Toy Show, in progress, via Japan Probe.
Link (to the translated Robot Watch Article)
UPDATE 9/17/07:
The US version of I-Sobot is (finally!) available for pre-order here
Rescue Robot Squad Braves “Disaster City,” Texas
A squadron of rescue robots drove, slithered, flew and crawled their way through a series of grueling tests in Texas A&M’s 52-acre “Disaster City” emergency response training complex this week, in a series of challenges issued by the National Institute of Standards and the Department of Homeland Security.
“One site combined elements of the Mexico City earthquake, the explosion in the World Trade Center garage,
the Oklahoma City bombing and the terror attack on the Pentagon, with crushed vehicles and plastic models of severed body parts strewn around for grisly effect.”
Among those tried and tested were the snake-like Active Scope Camera robot (first time out of Japan!), the tracked camera-eyed Talon robot, the hand-rolled Eye Ball R1 robot, and the meter-wide hovering AirRobot
“Short Lived”, The Other CGI Robot Movie
From a discussion on Alphadrome:
“Short Lived” is a great video short about a collector’s toy robot that’s been called home.
It was written, shot, programmed, and directed by John Galloway and Mark Wainwright as a final project for their Masters in Digital Effects at the Bournemouth University in the UK.
While it’s made some waves in the 3D animation community, it hasn’t yet seen nearly the love it deserves on-line yet. Everyone who’s seen a “Deedar” wants a Deedar.
Here’s a streaming youtube version of the video:
Link (via Alphadrome)
3 commentsHRP-3 Promet II, Coming Soon to a Job Near You
The Mechatronic Systems division of Kawada Industries (what a name) has improved upon the amazing HRP-2 design by outfitting the robot worker of the future for harsh conditions, from the factory floor to the pouring rain.
Nicknamed Ma-Kun, the amazing new worker robot is dust-proof, water-proof, and has an improved balance system designed to navigate treacherous paths and slippery floors.
The HRP-3 Promet II, a product of Kawada, Kawasaki, and Japan’s AIST, was designed with the goal of developing a humanoid robot with sufficient skills to destroy all humans enter the workforce. Kawada hopes to court employers by offering the Promet II at $120,000 per robot by 2010.
After spending 5 years and $3.3 million to develop the robot, the group wisely hired anime-mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, known for his work on Gundam and Patlabor, to give Promet his “we got our development money’s worth” futuristic look.
Depending on its task, the robot can be configured to work autonomously or via wireless remote.
There’s a good write-up at Pink Tentacle, and a translated version of a very thorough Robot Watch article here.
UPDATE: Here’s a streaming version of the RobotWatch video files, posted by JapanProbe:
8 commentsNASA Frees Their Robotics Software
From a JPL press release:
It’s a field day for robotics hackers everywhere, as NASA releases the first installment of their CLARAty reusable robotic software framework to the public.
CLARAty development was primarily funded by the Mars Technology Program and it serves as the integration environment for the program’s rover technology developments.
With this first release, a total of 44 CLARAty modules (~100K lines of code ) are now available under the JPL Open Source License. According to the JPL press release, these modules contain everything from math infrastructure to device drivers for common motors and cameras, and computer vision, image, and 3D processing.
So head over to the downloads page, and start building the next Little Rover That Could.
For Great Refreshment! - Giant Cola Robot Saves Tokyo
Laughing Squid Blogs:
Heroic Vending Machine Red!, a giant walking Coke machine is appearing all over Tokyo, diverting and refreshing a grateful city.
Coca Cola has captured some of these appearances /cola-bot adventures in some great Kaiju style commercial clips.
Here’s the first episode, “Go! Vending Machine Red”
Updates and new episodes are posted here.
No commentsUsed Beer Bots for Sale - $799
The Asahi Beer Pouring Robot, grand prize of a Japan-only contest in 2006, has turned up for sale on CScout!
The brilliant Robocco bot stores and refrigerates a six pack, and by your command, lovingly opens and pours a cold one into a custom frosty mug. This is the first time these have been made available outside of Japan, and supplies surely won’t last long.
The Original Asahi Commercials are also available here.
No commentsRobotarium X, The First Zoo For Artificial Life, Opens This Week.
From IDMind:
“The Robotarium is a structure of metal and glass, in which a set of totally autonomous robots will start “to live”, divided in different species and with different characteristics and capabilities.” It looks likes the population consists of a great variety of light-seeking photovores.
The Robotariaum’s Inventor / Artist Leonel Moura describes it as “the first zoo for artificial life.” He looks at robots very much in the way as we are used to looking at natural life. ” We, humans, enjoy watching and studying other life forms behavior and, sadly, also to capture them. However, in this case, although the robots are confined to a cage it can be said that, not like animals, they enjoy it.”
Link (via Robots.net)
Update:
Mr. Moura has posted some excellent video of the Robotarium!
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