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‘Robotics’ Stories

Scientists create hockey-playing robot, in Canada of course

, Feb 14th 2012 Discuss [0]

When they're not making scientific advancements in maple syrup, Canadians generally turn their attention to hockey. Okay, that's all for this round of stereotypical news headlines, but seriously, researchers in Canada have taken the time to create an autonomous humanoid robot that can play hockey. The robot, named Jennifer, is capable of maneuvering around ice and shooting pucks with precision into a goal. In other words, she's more athletic than me. Read The Full Story

Wow Stuff teases robotic toy it calls the “greatest toy in the universe”

, Feb 13th 2012 Discuss [0]

When it comes to toys, pretty much everything claims to be the coolest thing you've ever seen. They have to. That's how they lure in weak-minded parents who succomb to their child's every request. But based on the fact that this particular toy is the subject of a YouTube video that reached around 500,000 views in a single day, its manufacturer may actually be onto something. Read The Full Story

Japanese scientists create Avatar in real life, sort of

, Feb 10th 2012 Discuss [0]

A group of Japanese researchers have developed technology that allows someone to wear a visor and a special pair of gloves to control a nearby robot. It's like putting yourself in place of the robot, from the comfort of sitting down. If that sounds at all confusing, how about we put it this way - it's like the movie Avatar but in real life. Oh yeah; you knew it was only a matter of time, right? Read The Full Story

iRobot Warrior robot can lift 150 pounds, uses an Xbox controller

, Feb 8th 2012 Discuss [0]

This guy eats Roombas for breakfast. It's called the Warrior, it weighs 450 pounds, and it can carry stuff, destroy stuff, or do stuff (like opening a door). Although you won't find this bad boy at Sears anytime soon, it is created by the same company everyone knows and loves for the Roomba and Scooba floor-cleaning robots. But iRobot's reach has long extended beyond the domesticated fare. This latest creation is the newest in its history of offering military-grade robotics. Read The Full Story

Ecobot-III Food-Consuming Robot project inventors receive PR boost

, Feb 8th 2012 Discuss [0]

Over in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory there's a robot that's capable of not only running on organic matter it consumes, but of pooping out the waste as well. This robot has been created in the never-ending quest to create a robot that's able to sustain itself, of course, and may well be the next step to a human poo-powered robo-maid if they don't gain a conscience before they learn to clean our houses. As it stands now, the "Ecobot-III" can consume masses of its own food and water from its environment, including human feces if you let it, and "craps" out what it can't use into its own litter tray.. Read The Full Story

DARPA begins testing LS3 robot pack mule

, Feb 8th 2012 Discuss [0]

DARPA has begun real world testing of a quadruped robot that can traverse all sorts of terrain and act as a pack mule for soldiers. This semi-autonomous robot is called Legged Squad Support System (LS3) and is developed from Boston Dynamic's Big Dog and Alpha Dog robots. The agency has released the first field test video of the LS3 navigating an outdoor terrain. Read The Full Story

San Antonio surgeons perform first successful robotic throat cancer surgery

, Feb 6th 2012 Discuss [0]

A woman is recovering today after having a cancerous tumor removed from the back of her throat. Actually, there is probably more than one woman in that situation, but not many of them are waking up today without an incision scar somewhere on her head. She's the first successful patient to undergo robotic surgery for throat cancer, and her doctors are optimistic about her prognosis. Read The Full Story

LEGO-sponsored study: Kids think robots are cooler than parents, teachers

, Feb 3rd 2012 Discuss [0]

If your parents were robots, you wouldn't have to do chores. If your teachers were robots, learning would be fun. At least, that's the response that kids provided in a study conducted by a research company called Latitude, in tandem with a group called the LEGO Learning Institude and Project Synthesis. The experiment looked at 350 elementary-grade students from the ages of 8 and 12, from the countries of Australia, France, Germany, South Africa, the UK, and the US. Read The Full Story

Singapore researchers design crab-shaped cancer-removing robot

, Feb 2nd 2012 Discuss [0]

If you are diagnosed with stomach cancer in the early stages, getting back to full health may be as easy as swallowing a tiny crab. Well, not really a crab, and not really "swallowing," either. But that is the general principle behind a new robotic device, developed in Singapore, that is able to grab cancerous tissue and pull it out of the body. The idea of removing cancer from the stomach without needing to cut open the body is revolutionary. Read The Full Story

Nano Quadrotor robot swarm video is mesmerizing, terrifying

, Feb 1st 2012 Discuss [0]

If you fear the rise of intelligent, collaborative robots swarming together and gathering human prey for the battery tanks, look away now: the Nano Quadrotors have taken to the skies and they're terrifyingly adept. The handiwork of researchers in the GRASP Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, the latest-gen Quadrotors can not only handle being tossed, inverted or generally batted around without crashing, but fly in formation. Read The Full Story

Urology journal finds robotic prostate surgery not meeting expectations

, Jan 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

It was perhaps one of the biggest hopes in the advancement of robot-assisted medical surgery, but expectations have been too high, according to a new report from the research journal Urology. We're talking about surgery for prostate removal, for those afflicted with prostate cancer. The study shows outcomes of the robotic procedure are not that different than those done by human hands. Read The Full Story

Dancing Bieber-bot a six-figure spectacle

, Jan 18th 2012 Discuss [0]

Pop fop Justin Bieber's show-stopping CES 2012 appearance is believed to have cost toy manufacturer Tosy a six-figure sum, according to insiders, meaning the firm will have to sell plenty of $200 robots just to cover the singer's fee. Exact details of the Tosy deal have not been revealed, but Bieber apparently pocketed more than $100k for the brief appearance alongside the mRobo Ultra Robot, The Daily was told. Read The Full Story

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