Qbo - SlashGear

‘Qbo’ Stories

Qbo robot up for pre-order

Chris Davies, Apr 18th 2012 Discuss [0]

Open-source robot Qbo has gone up for pre-order, offering DIY robo hobbyists a straightforward way to experiment with artificial intelligence, telepresence and object/speech recognition. Initially billed as "the Model T of robotics" Qbo is the brainchild of European start-up TheCorpora. The basic Qbo kit starts at €499 ($652) - a promotional price for the first 1,000 units, after which it climbs to €623.75 - however it's also available in two full-assembled versions. Read The Full Story

Qbo robot up for pre-order on April 18th

Ben Kersey, Apr 12th 2012 Discuss [0]

We know that you’ve all be waiting for the adorable little Qbo robot, and you could have one in your hands very soon. The open source robot will be available for pre-order on April 18th on the TheCorpora website (the store will go live on the same day). The robot is designed to be tinkering and experimented with, being powered by Linux and some x86 internals. Read The Full Story

Qbo robot strips for open-source titillation

Chris Davies, Apr 4th 2012 Discuss [0]

The Qbo robot may be open-source, but open-casing is what creators TheCorpora have been showing recently, stripping the sensor-studded 'bot down and then reconstructing it in a new timelapse video. Intended to be straightforward for robotics tinkerers to put together themselves, the footage shows the 168 minute build from the basic Qbo frame up to the various ultrasonic sensors, PC mainboard, camera-toting head and more. Read The Full Story

Qbo robot dons ASUS 3D sensor crown for intelligent autonomy

Chris Davies, Mar 15th 2012 Discuss [0]

Open-source robot project Qbo has gained a new set of sensors, in the shape of a custom ASUS Xtion tiara that allows the 'bot to 3D map his environment, autonomously navigate and - most importantly - avoid obstacles. While Qbo already has twin HD webcam eyes and four ultrasonic sensors (two up front and two on the back), adding in the Xtion Pro Live sensor bar augments the robot's awareness of its environment, layering 3D on top of the 2D mapping it was already capable of recording. Read The Full Story

Qbo open-source robot gets Android control app

Chris Burns, Oct 5th 2011 Discuss [0]

What if you had a robot that could roll around the office, speak with your coworkers, and act as your eyes and ears when you're 10,000 miles away? How about if that robot's control system was simply an Android app you could download for free? We've been covering the open source Qbo robot project for quite some time now, and this is without a doubt probably the most awesome advancement the project has made in its relatively short history - if you ask your narrator, that is. You must simply download the app, identify yourself and connect, then control away! Read The Full Story

Qbo robot tweaked to be a music robot with gesture recognition for control

Shane McGlaun, Aug 5th 2011 Discuss [0]

We have talked about the cool little Qbo robot before. The little crowd sourced robot can be tweaked to do all sorts of cool stuff. Last time we mentioned the little bot it had been tweaked to recognize objects held in front of it. The bot has turned up in a new tweak that allows it to be used as a music player that will speak the name of your tracks and can be controlled with hand gestures. Read The Full Story

Qbo open-source robot gives autonomy demo, warts & all [Video]

Chris Davies, Jul 5th 2011 Discuss [1]

We've been tracking the Qbo open-source robot for over a year now, as creator TheCorpora aims to turn it into the Ford Model T of experimental robotics. Now there's a new video of the Qbo in action, with the endearing 'bot reacting autonomously to users by virtue of its computer vision algorithms, rather than using simple proximity sensors like, say, a robot vacuum cleaner. Read The Full Story

Qbo open-source robot no longer naked

Chris Davies, Mar 9th 2011 Discuss [0]

It's been a while since we've seen movement from the Qbo open-source robot project; last we heard, the tubby little 'bot had been fully spec'd up and the company was hard at work on speech recognition and a custom Ubuntu OS. Now the company has taken delivery of a whole heap of final chassis molds, ready to clad the naked Qbo you can see waiting patiently for its new outfit. Read The Full Story

Qbo adorable open-source robot detailed

Chris Davies, May 20th 2010 Discuss [2]

Could it be love at first sight? As soon as I saw his tubby little body and wide eyes, I knew I had to make him mine. No, not my clandestine and short-lived love affair with Elton John, but the Qbo robot. Having teased us with an open-source ethos and design schematics, project lead TheCorpora have followed up with some proper details about what this DIY 'bot should do. Read The Full Story

Qbo Robot Gets Detailed Schematics Along with Current Set of Skills

Evan Selleck, May 4th 2010 Discuss [0]

Building a robot is a lofty goal. It's not rooted in science-fiction for no reason, after all. It doesn't help when the price to build one can be pretty high. So, what's the best thing for someone to do? Well, for Francisco Paz, that meant that there was only one logical conclusion: make it open source. That way anyone who wanted to jump on board the project, or follow in Paz's footsteps could do just that, and at a much cheaper cost for parts and research. We introduced the Qbo robot to you just a few days ago, but now we've got a few more details, and we wanted to pass them along. Read The Full Story

Qbo open-source robot wants to be Ford Model T of ‘bots

Chris Davies, Apr 28th 2010 Discuss [0]

Open-source and DIY robotics should be the ideal match, but the expense of robot hardware often puts it out of reach for all but the most deep-pocketed enthusiast. Five years ago Francisco Paz decided to produce not only his own robot, Qbo, but to open-source the project so that hopefully the cost of entry would be lower for anyone else wanting to follow in his footsteps. Read The Full Story