Mr. Future

For the next few weeks, I’ll be posting episodes Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot; quite possibly the greatest television show ever made in the history of the entire world.

A timeless story of a boy and his robot, it watches like a Godzilla movie crossed with the 60’s television version of Batman. Great campy fun. A man in a giant robot costume slugs it out with rubbery monsters while stomping all over a scale model of Tokyo. A 12 year old boy joins a secret organization of world defending spies, foiling alien overlord plots and villainous beatnik henchmen. What is not to love?

Growing up, this brilliantly/poorly dubbed 60s Japanese TV masterpiece was the absolute high point of my after-school formative years. Did I mention the giant robot? There’s a giant robot.

Well, I’ve never been to Spain, but I kinda like the robots.

Developed in Barcelona by Pal Technology Robotics, the person-sized REEM-B lasts longer, and can carry more weight than any other humanoid robot in its class.

While it has an impressive compliment of software features, from face tracking to real-time environment mapping and navigation, REEM-B’s ability to lift and carry up to 25% of its body weight sets it apart from the tea-tray-carrying Asimos of the world.

It’s also boasts a 2 hour on-board battery life, a first for a humanoid robot this size.

Mr. Future’s secret identity revealed!

As part of my ( beloved ) day job, I invent electronic toys for Atomocom.  We just had a bang-up great Toy Fair ‘08 showing, and to make a good week even better, New York Magazine just ran a small Toy Fair aftermath/artifact blurb on yours truly. 

( Now back to our regularly scheduled future-centric programming. )

Link

Tired of drug dealers, petty thieves and vandals loitering near his neighborhood drinking establishment, Rufus Terrill built himself some robotic muscle.

‘ He mounted an old meat smoker atop a three-wheel scooter and attached a spotlight, an infrared camera, water cannon and a loudspeaker. He covered the contraption with impact-resistant rubber and painted the whole thing jet black.

“I tell them they are trespassing, it’s private property, and they have to leave,” he said. “They throw bottles and cans at it. That’s when I shoot the water cannon. They just scatter like roaches.” ‘

Link via Robots.net

Okay, it’s not exactly a robot, but I really like the idea of a portable electronic means of salvation. Besides having an iPhone.

The Rosario Elettronico faithfully recites the appropriate mysteries of the rosary for each day of the week, (please, please, please let it be in a robotic voice) and comes in a headphone-only or loudspeaker version.

For robots of other faiths, there is of course the mantra-matic Shilpa Chanting Device and Tibetan Digital Buddhist ‘Jukebox’.

Link to the translated order page (via BoingBoing Gadgets)

Note: The Electronic Rosary is also customizable with an optional Padre Pio action sticker!