Given how much people like to anthropomorphize their robots, what sort of lovable personality could you assign to an autonomous floor-cleaning inchworm? Designed by Panasonic, the Fukitorimushi (”wipe-up bug”) drags itself across floors, wiping up dust and dirt with its nanocloth underbelly.
Video demo after the cut
How would you like to control your Roomba with your Wii Fit Balance Board? A Japanese man has managed to turn his Wii Balance Board into a controller for his Roomba with just a few steps. Essentially the man used the Bluetooth capabilities of the balance board to link the Roomba and the balance board. Afterwards he’s able to shift his weight from one side of the board to the other to move the Roomba around the room.
The “Readybot Challenge” team have released footage of their domestic robot, intended to demonstrate the feasibility of a home-help robot capable of performing up to 80-percent of routine chores. This current Readybot prototype – which resembles a dishwasher with a bin-lid dome and outstretched “hug me!” arms – can tidy up mess left on the floor, empty trash and, thanks to a flip-down garage at the back, release a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner.
Check out the video of Readybot in action, after the cut!
When WowWee’s Tri-Bot launches this Summer, it’ll be one of the cheapest ways to get your hands on the nifty three-wheel omni-directional base from the company. With an expected price of $99, the robot may lack the (creepy) animated face of Mr Personality but it does have a tilt-sensor remote control that, in a manner similar to the Wiimote, can guide the robot around just by gesturing. Robotics-obsessive Robert Oschler has scored some pre-release time with the Tri-Bot, and you can check out his video review after the cut.
Although this vacuum is definitely no Roomba, it is still pretty cool. Straight from Perpetual Kid, this cute little robot will lie in wait ready to spring into action and sweep up your crumbs.
They’ve done it again. Woot has initiated another Woot Off. For those of you not in the know, a Woot Off is where they sell the same stuff they’ve sold before, mixed in with some new stuff, at some even lower prices than before.
Our friend Judy over at GearDiary was lucky enough to get a Ugobe Pleo for review not and she just posted the final review. If you are interested in buying one, I’d recommend you hop on over to her site and read the whole thing.
I don’t know how many of you have had the opportunity to enjoy the task that is cleaning out your gutters, but let me tell you, it’s a blast. Many people tend to put it off as long as they can, which isn’t exactly good on your gutters. But what if I told you cleaning your gutters could be fun?
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Trossen Robotics is announcing the availability of preorder for the Ugobe Pleo robotic dinosaur.
CEO Matt Trossen, “The Pleo has been the most talked about commercial robot since the Roomba. We anticipate very high demand for this product and are very excited to be carrying it for our customers. As with any new technical product which has garnered a strong buzz, people should reserve their place in line as soon as possible if they want one. We know that we will be tearing open a box as soon as they arrive.”
iRobot’s Roomba vacuum cleaner has long been a popular platform for home robotics tinkerers to start modding from, being a stable puck-like base and having an array of sensors already in place. Well, iRobot have obviously decided that if you can’t beat them, join them (or at least facilitate them a little better), hence the Create. With the boring vacuum removed and a selection of I/O ports in place, it becomes a great starting point for DIY projects.
Obviously completely devoid of any laurels altogether, Tom over at Botmag has already got his hands on the Create and has knocked up a few entertaining prototypes that range from the school science lab (a robot arm) to the obscure (some sort of robotic hamster?!) It’s an entertaining enough review simply for the photos, but if you’re in any way tech-minded then I imagine you’re already drooling a little at the possibilities iRobot have opened up.
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SlashGear Japan
