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Posts Tagged ‘robots’

giger robot 1 263x350 customOver at Let’s Make Robots! Tyberius is showing off Giger, his two-foot tall DIY humanoid ‘bot.  A roughly 100 hour project so far, Giger runs embedded Linux and has both an integrated camera and WiFi, and apparently cost around $10,000 to build.

Now that might sound like an awful lot – probably because it is an awful lot – but you can blame the pro-quality servos.  Tyberius used Dynamixels RX-64 and RX-28 units, which come in at $300 and $200 each, respectively; however unlike cheap servos they put out a whopping 1,000 ounces per inch of torque.

We’re not sure what we like most about Giger: his classic Cylon-style eye, mean looking pincers, or how easily he segues from a butch fighting stance to a reasonably camp wave.  Tyberius’ next job is tightening up the dynamic balancing and getting the walking gait more natural; right now Giger looks a little drunk.

Video demo after the cut

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Japanese robot manufacturer Robo Garage have been demonstrating their latest ‘bot, and what distinguishes the endearing 38cm tall Ropid is its ability to not only run but jump 8cm into the air.  Ropid is intended to demonstrate a new leg design, which uses a double-jointed “linkage belt” – each point of which can be independently locked for stability in different movements – paired with four gyro-sensors.

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While we’d love to say this is SlashGear’s new intern, in actual fact it’s a shot from the first review we’ve seen of WowWee’s RoboRover.  Announced at the tail-end of September, the RoboRover is WowWee’s first robot to use tank-track style locomotion and, according to RoboCommunity member GWJax, they – together with the IR-based obstacle avoidance system – do a pretty decent job.

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Earlier this month we were lamenting the dearth of consumer robotics in 2009, and it seems someone at WowWee has heard our cries.  The company has released preview information of two upcoming ‘bots, the WowWee Roborover (left) and the WowWee Joebot (right), both with remote-control functionality as well as autonomous modes.

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While at first glance the OmniZero.9 looks as though it’s rocking the robot equivalent of Joan Collins shoulder-pads, in actual fact they’re the ‘bot’s secret weapon for speedy transport.  Capable of transforming from a walking upright robot to a wheeled truck, the OmniZero.9 can also lift and carry a person (as you can see in the video after the cut).

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Video demo after the cut

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Compared to 2008, we’ve had something of a dry spell this year when it comes to consumer robotics.  Japanese firm Vstone aren’t exactly attempting to remedy this – their target is the prosumer or education market – but we’re still embracing their Robovie-nano ‘bot with open arms.

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Firmly convincing us that the Japanese get not only the best toys but the best concepts too, this collaboration between carrier KDDI and Flower Robotics – the iida Polaris – has just drooling with envy.  Currently just a prototype – with “commercialization yet to be determined” – the iida Polaris has at its core a touchscreen cellphone which docks into a mobile robot “suit”.

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Video demo after the cut

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There’s a lot to like about the Nokia N900 already, but integration with Meccano’s robotics kits is the icing on the cake.  Unfortunately this isn’t an official app, but the handiwork of one of the Maemo open-source advocates at Nokia, who can now be followed around his house with the robot and N900 playing music.

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Video demo after the cut

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The demise of Sony’s Aibo has left a big niche in the not-especially-useful robotic dog market, and that’s a niche that Korean firm Dasarobot intends to fill.  Their Genibo dog is already available from mainstream retailers in the country, and judging by the video demo after the cut he’s capable of walking, flashing his tail and flailing his limbs.

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Video demo after the cut

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japanese rescue robotThe push to send remote-control robots into dangerous environments in order to carry out search and rescue probably isn’t going to be helped by people titling demo videos as “Human body shredding machine in Japan”.  Then again, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t feel a slight shiver of trepidation at the thought of disappearing into that conveyor-fed maw.

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