Robotics - SlashGear

‘Robotics’ Stories

Scientists Create Robot to Punch Humans Repeatedly

Evan Selleck, Oct 14th 2010 Discuss [2]

Isaac Asimov's first law of robotics is well known amongst the Sci-Fi community. Something as powerful as, "A robot may not injure a human being" is pretty important, especially considering we've now got robots beating world-class human shogi players. But, apparently that first law doesn't mean anything if robots don't know the exact details as to how hard they can hit a human, before they injure a human. Thanks to a group of scientists, that law is currently being tested in the only way they see fit: by telling a robot to repeatedly punch humans. Read The Full Story

Robotic curtain promises privacy but draws a crowd [Video]

Chris Davies, Oct 14th 2010 Discuss [1]

A robotic curtain doesn't exactly sound like fun, until you watch Niklas Roy's part-window-furnishings, part-installation. Described as "My little piece of privacy," the system tracks movement outside Roy's workshop window and moves a small net curtain to block the view of whoever is stood outside. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

Android LEGO MINDroid app: make your phone a robot remote

Chris Davies, Oct 12th 2010 Discuss [0]

LEGO has released an official app for Android smartphones that allows users to remotely control their Mindstorm NXT robots by moving the handset. LEGO MINDroid is a free download for Android 2.1 phones or above, and creates a Bluetooth link between the handset and the NXT controller block. Read The Full Story

ChumbyBot bipedal robot: when widgets take over the world [Video]

Chris Davies, Oct 12th 2010 Discuss [0]

Chumby was made for hacking, and so we probably shouldn't be too surprised to see one sprout legs and start its gradual path to world domination. Eric Gregori of EMG Robotics has developed a bipedal walking ChumbyBot by pairing the touchscreen Chumby One with a Freescale MMA7455l controller board. That board is soon going to be commercially launched as part of the Tower Robot/Sensor board from EMG, working with the company's RobotSee and Robot Vision Toolkit to make for easy vision-based navigation and control. It's also apparently easy to code for, using the same sort of language as BASIC. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

Kid Walker Exoskeleton is Built Just for the Kids

Evan Selleck, Oct 1st 2010 Discuss [1]

When a company creates a working mech, it should come as no surprise that there's twice as many kids than adults out there that would love to get their hands (and feet) into one, and start walking them around. For the Japanese company Sakakibara Kikai, they realized that putting kids in the pilot's seat of a huge walking robot wasn't the best idea, so instead of just telling them all "No," they actually did the right thing, and made a smaller version. Read The Full Story

Panasonic Hair Washing Robot Gets Showcased on Video

Evan Selleck, Sep 30th 2010 Discuss [0]

Late last week, we told you about a couple of automatic machines that were created to make the lives of medical employees and caregivers easier. In the case of the hair washing robot, idea was great: free some time for employees who would normally be washing a patient's hair, by allowing the robot to do all the work for them. The robot was designed to scan and memorize each patient's skull before starting the wash, and then 16 fingers would begin washing. If you were wondering how that might look, then take a look at the videos after the cut. Read The Full Story

EPFL’s Swarming Micro Air Vehicles Run Linux [Video]

Evan Selleck, Sep 27th 2010 Discuss [0]

Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) have managed to create a platform for swarming micro air vehicles. The researchers say that it's the largest network of its kind, and the main idea behind the swarming units is to be sent out into disaster zones to be helpful in communication efforts. The little vehicles are capable of adjusting their own presence in the air, right on the fly, thanks to the sensors on each of the units. Read The Full Story

RuBot II Solves Rubik’s Cube in Under 23 Seconds

Evan Selleck, Sep 27th 2010 Discuss [3]

The Rubik's Cube is one of the most challenging items out there, even if it is just a toy. Giving plenty of people unneeded stress as they try to solve the cube -- matching solid colors to one side of the block, before the whole block showcases solid colors on each side. But, if you've got your hands on a Cube that you can't quite solve, perhaps you should seek out the RuBot II, which is designed specifically to solve the cube in just a matter of seconds. Read The Full Story

Buy your own NASA space glove wearing robotic hand on eBay

Shane McGlaun, Sep 27th 2010 Discuss [0]

Something about this robotic hand is creepy to me. It reminds me of that severed appendage that crawled around trying to strangle Michael Cain in the old horror flick "The Hand." Creepy or not this is a piece of robotics history called the Omni-Hand I and was the first motorized dexterous robot hand. Read The Full Story

Panasonic Hair Washing Robot and Electric Care Assistance Bed Showcased in Japan

Evan Selleck, Sep 24th 2010 Discuss [2]

Taking care of those who can't necessarily take care of themselves is the job of many, but sometimes it's hard to get to all of the places that you're needed. That's why the robotics market makes so much sense for places like hospitals, so that the employees there can do a better job of finding time between patients. And, getting any help at all is something that no one should pass up. Panasonic has just introduced their brand new robotic hair washing unit, as well as the electric care assistance bed. Both pieces of tech should help those in the "helping industry" do their job easier. Read The Full Story

Roombas Used to Reenact Pac-Man

Evan Selleck, Sep 24th 2010 Discuss [0]

If you have a Roomba, then you know that it does wonders for your floor. And, if you've ever watched it as it went along its pre-ordained path, you've probably thought about making it do some other crazy things, like terrorize your poor cat, as has been demonstrated on YouTube plenty of times. But, for a few engineering students out there, that wasn't enough. They gathered a few Roombas, took advantage of some military-grade Unmanned Aerial Systems, and went to work on creating a life-like Pac-Man. Read The Full Story

PIRO Windoro Cleans Windows Like the Roomba Cleans Floors

Evan Selleck, Sep 23rd 2010 Discuss [0]

With everything that people have to do today, it's hard to find time to clean your living quarters. That's why miniature robot cleaning devices like the Roomba are such a hit. Just turn it on, and watch as it cleans your floors, as you continue to do whatever it is you need to do. Timers help, too. But, up until now cleaning your windows was something you had to take time out of your day to do. Not anymore, thanks to PIRO's Windoro, which fastens to your windows, and cleans them just like the Roomba cleans your floors. Read The Full Story