The robot, named after Canadian female hockey star Jennifer Botterill, was developed at the University of Manitoba, and will be in a robotic competition in St. Paul, Minnesota later this year. Hockey is well known for being a full contact sport, but in a world where we expect to see robots duking it out in battles to the death, this seems pretty tame in comparison. In fact, it might even make people outside of Canada somewhat interested in hockey. Maybe.

This isn’t the first time university researchers in Canada have created a hockey-playing robot. In fact, just last year a similar creation was developed at the University of Waterloo. That robot was able to make slapshots at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour. I wouldn’t want to be the goalie defending against that monstrosity. The real question is when we’ll start watching robots instead of humans on ESPN, Jetsons-style. Hopefully it won’t be too long from now.

[via Yahoo Sports]

Wow Stuff calls it the “Greatest Toy in the Universe,” but that’s just a working title for now. The toy itself hasn’t actually been named yet but it’s already getting a lot of traction. So what is it? It’s a toy robot that can go into battle with a variety of different weapons. The little robots can shoot ping pong balls, flying discs, or darts. They can also be customized with removable armor.

It’s all remote-controlled, and the idea is to have two or more of them duke it out in a Real Steel-esque battle royale. Creator Jaimie Mantzel has become almost as popular as the toy itself. In the teaser video for the robotic toys, he says, “No one at the stores, or in marketing, care whether or not a toy is awesome. They don’t care if it’s cheap junk with wheels on it that shouldn’t be there,” he admits. But his creation is different. “There’s no reason anyone should ever have to take something home and be disappointed,” he says. Right now, users are able to submit their own ideas for what the toy robots should be called. They’re due out in time for the 2012 holiday season.

[via Cnet]

We may not be able to beam up Scotty or use the force on planet Earth just yet, but this instance of science fiction turning into real science is just as exciting. So with the visor over your head, what you see is exactly what the robot sees. Sensors in the robot, named Telesar V, can also relay sound. And as for the gloves, well they’re lined with semiconductors and tiny motors to relay sensations of heat or texture.

So, yes, in addition to seeing and hearing exactly what Telesar V sees and hears, you can also feel what he feels. So far, though, there are no plans to send the little robotic buddy to a distant planet filled with Telesar cousins so humans can try to blend in and understand the alien population. What professor Susumu Tachi, who designed the bot, wants to use it for is to examine disaster areas that may be unsafe or impossible for humans to navigate. Obviously it was partially inspired by the Japanese earthquake and nuclear disaster last year.

[via Time]

And it’s all powered by an Xbox controller. Microsoft’s ergonomics were apparently just right for the process of carrying out tasks remotely. With the controller, users can navigate the Warrior and send basic functions to it, such as smashing windows or transporting heavy material. It can zoom by at up to eight miles per hour. The biggest advantage is its small footprint.

iRobot VP of operations for military and industrial robots Tim Trainer was quoted as saying, “With the small robots, you really have to optimize them for specific missions. With the Warrior, you can provide more flexibility.” Warrior prototypes have already been deployed, including two that were sent to navigate damage at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan after last year’s earthquake and tsunami.

[via Mashable]

The LS3 prototype is equipped with sensors that allow it to distinguish between trees, rocks, soldiers, and other obstacles in the terrain. An 18-month test will start in July before the LS3 is deployed in an actual field exercise for the US Marines. The LS3 will continue to be refined during this period and ultimately must be able to carry 400lbs for 20 miles without refueling within 24 hours.

Its vision sensors will be tested and refined to ensure that it can properly detect obstacles and autonomously correct its course as needed. Hearing sensors will be added so that the LS3 can follow verbal commands from soldiers. It also serves as an auxiliary power source that soldiers can use to recharge batteries for handheld devices.

[via Armed with Science]

The robot, named da Vinci, was employed at the San Anotonio Methodist Hospital. Dr. Nathan Hales performed the surgery, which involves inserting the tiny robot into the patient’s mouth and then remotely controlling it with a sophisticated computer terminal. He said instead of being admitted to the hospital for 7-10 days, the patient will likely be ready to leave in as little as three days.

In addition, she was able to eat and drink almost as normal within the next day. Patients of traditional throat cancer surgeries have to wait for up to a week before that’s possible. “As a head and neck surgeon, having one more tool or one more method that we can address these cancers, it’s advantageous for all of us. It gives us one more way to provide hope and help for patients,” Hales said.

[via KENS]

The children – who are perhaps the best subjects in any study because society hasn’t taught them to lie and cheat – were asked to describe what life would be like if robots were part of their everyday routine. They were also asked to draw a corresponding picture. The results as tabulated by Latitude were interesting – 38% described robots that could help them learn, and the same amount, 38%, described robots that could play with them.

And those two 38% overlapped significantly in their descriptions. Many children talked about robots being able to teach new things in a fun and engaging way, assumedly something their current teachers aren’t doing such a good job of. And the children also described their home lives with robot interaction, many of which discussing a world where their robots could do their chores. We’d bet even the majority of adults would say the same thing. 66% of the children in the study envisioned a world where robots would have the same level of intelligence as humans. So, scientists, get cracking – you’ve got a lot of young kinds out there who are expecting hella cool robots when they grow up.

[via Forbes]

It’s not just anecdotal to say the robot looks like a crab. The story goes that inventors Lawrence Ho and Louis Phee came up with the idea after eating seafood and realizing how masterful crabs were at using their pincers to grab the most precise objects. The robot, which has similar pincers to grab the infected area, also contains a tiny camera that allows the surgeon to remotely operate the procedure.

To get into the patient, it goes down through their mouth and takes the same track that any other object would take to get to the stomach. If you can “stomach” that, then this procedure could be the next big thing in robotic surgery. It has already been used on upwards of five patients in Asia. At this point, it appears the crab-robot cancer-remover will be commercially available in around three years.

[via Medgadget]

It’s a fascinating thing to think about. Every day, doctors get in the operating room and instead of sitting at the patient’s side, he is at a computer console, operating the controls of robotic machinery that performs the delicate operation. Ever since the first successful surgery of its kind was performed several years ago, there were all kinds of hopes that patients would have extremely limited recovery time and a quicker return to their sex life.

Duke University Medical Center prostate surgeon Judd W. Moul, however, says that has not been the case. Moul, who led the Urology study, said patients who had the robot-assisted surgery were actually less satisfied in the long run. This, he conjectures, is because they have very high expectations. 89% of prostate cancer patients who had the robotic surgery said they expected to be out of the hospital in less than one day and to be back in perfect physical order within six months. And while Moul believes that is possible, the expertise in performing the surgery just isn’t there yet.

[via Vancouver Sun]

The man behind the giant robot is building up to a really, really big bot. Apparently he wants to build a Gundam that actually moves around. The first robot built by Hajime Sakamoto was 7-feet tall, the latest is 13-feet tall and eventually he will build a 26-foot tall bot. The ultimate goal is to build a 59-foot tall bot that is the size of a Gundam suit.

That sounds pretty cool and all. I’d rather see a full size Mad Cat personally. Check out the video below to see his interim 13-foot tall bot in action. It looks interesting; I can only imagine a giant 60-footer moving like that.

[via PlasticPals]

Now the bots can make salami and cheese sandwiches and stovetop popcorn as well. That means the bot can now make your breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Eh bots are able to do all the little steps including turning the oven on and have impressive dexterity. The bots are able to respond to orders like make me a sandwich.

They use the Kinect visual detection system to assess the surroundings and make the food. The sandwich command even gets you toasted bread. It’s impressive that these robots can perform these tasks from voice commands only. Check out the videos to see the bots in action.

[via PhysOrg]

The robots are designed to help with specific tasks like assisting a person to walk, assisting users for walking exercises, assisting with balance training, and to assist in transferring from the bed to a wheelchair or other device. The Autonomous Walking Assist robot looks like a fancy leg brace that goes from the knee down to the foot of the wearer. It can swing and draw the leg forward and has sensors inside to control foot and thigh movement. This is the same device used for the walking exercise assist.

The Balance Training Assistance robot uses games that remind me of those on the Wii using the balance board. The robots help the person playing the game to move in the direction of the characters on screen to teach balance. The final bot is an assisted care transfer device that can assist with arm and trunk weight retention. It holds the arms and is designed to help the user move from one device to another if they can’t stand alone. There is no word on pricing at this time or availability outside Japan.

The PETMAN was developed by Boston Dynamics for the US Army, but not to be a soldier replacement—at least not yet. Instead, the robot is being marketed with the special purpose of testing chemical protection clothing designed for soldiers. It can move like a real person and do a variety of calisthenics to test the wear and tear on suits. It can even simulate human physiology such as body temperature and sweating.

Ready to be delivered to the US Army this year, the PETMAN took 13 months to design followed by 17 months to build, install and validate. Similar to the SARCOS robot we saw a few months back, the PETMAN is almost completely untethered, able to balance and move on its own. And although it won’t be heading into the field of combat for now, it’s hard not to imagine the possibilities of Terminator-like battles in the future.

[via Engadget]

The robot vacuum is designed to automatically clean homes on a daily basis. The idea is that the robot can automatically activate itself, then roll around, and suck all the dirt and debris off the floor preventing things from getting messy and keeping them owner from having to bring out the old vacuum. The vacuum promises to pick up pet hair and pollen to help reduce allergies in the home.

The Target device will also have a QR code on the box so that the user can shoot a pic of the code with a reader app and get more details on the vacuum. Our man Chris reviewed the vacuum and said he was impressed with how well it worked. The only downside is the vacuum can’t get right into the corners where dust bunnies hide. The vacuum will sell for $399.99 MSRP in Target.

It uses a glut of sensors with a computer in the trunk to interpret the data the sensors collect. The interesting thing is that the car is able to see what it around it using cameras and then drive without any human intervention just by being aware of surrounds. Typically, GPS is used to guide autonomous cars and vehicles, but that introduces a margin of error.

The Wildcat with its sensor suite can drive to a destination using the cameras to see what is around to avoid traffic and other obstacles. The Wildcat has less sensors that the Google cars and relys on 3D maps that are running onboard. The idea is that robotic vehicles such as this would help reduce congestion by avoiding slowdowns.

[via BBC]

ReconRobots has announced that the Army has ordered up 315 of the Recon Scout XT robots that are small and compact. The robots remind me a lot of some sort of weed puller for the garden. The Army has also ordered up 315 of the SearchStick devices that allow the Recon Scout XT to be placed on a pole to see over walls and other obstacles.

The massive order will be delivered by the end of October. The Recon Scout XT is a small robot that weighs in at 1.2 pounds. It can be deployed in the battlefield in five seconds and thrown up to 120-feet. The controller for the robot has only one button making it easy to use. Soldiers can also recharge the bot in the field using a standard 5590 or 2590 battery.

Naturally, the RC toy can be controlled by the iPhone. It can also be controlled by an Android device as well. That control from smartphones isn’t the big feature though. The big feature is that the little TankBot can navigate a maze without any assistance from the user. The toy also has a free-roam mode that lets it just run around your home or office exploring.

A single 40-minute charge allows the toy to operate for 15 minutes. It has headlights for eyes that flash when the toy is idle. It comes in four colors and each color operates on its own frequency so you can play with up to four at one time. The TankBot will hit Toys R’ Us and Radio shack for $24.99 and should be available to purchase right now.

There are no details on those processors right now. The Smarbo for Japan also has a camera and 38 different sensors. The sensors include a gyro, accelerometer, and range detection. The bot is able to clean floors in a 100 square meter section in about 90 minutes. All the sensors allow the Smarbo to avoid all the obstacles in its path and find the charge station when it’s done.

The vacuum also has a spot mode that when activated has the bot cleaning in a 1.5m square circle. The vacuum includes a remote control for operating it for across the room. Smarbo measures 355x355x93mm and weighs 3.7kg. When in use it produces 52dB of sound. The bot will hit Japan on October 1 for $1,175. That is not a cheap robot vacuum at all.

[via TechCrunch]

Patty sits on an aluminum frame with six motors inside that allow it to move all around to reach the entire screen of the Surface 2.0 device. It has all these little projections that press down on the screen and the projections have different types of tips to simulate different objects. Some of the tips have tags on them that simulate tagged objects, others have tags on them that simulate a finger, and others have clay blobs.

Most of the points appear to just be blunt points. Patty has 80 probes and replaced the previous robot that was used before with one probe. Patty can also simulate multitouch robots. The probes are air driven. The blog post about Patty has a video of the bot and teases another bot that we get no details on called Squiddy. Patty is an interesting tool.

The students designed and built their project for a three-week long course in Experimental Robotics. There were a number of other projects developed during the course with one that can grill a burger and add ketchup to it for you afterwards. One of the bots even plays golf. The sword fighting bot is the coolest.

I would like to see the thing control its force and actually go at you full speed. I know robot arms can be faster than the project arm is. It would be sort of like a fencing training bot that would actually try to hit you. That would be cool. Check out the videos below to see the robot arms in action.

[via Spectrum]

Willow Garage is working with Evans to explore ways that the man can use the PR2 as a surrogate. The bot does all sorts of things for him around the home including helping him to shave and the PR2 scratches Evans’ back when he itches. Evans was able to scratch his own itch for the first time in a decade when the PR2 came to his home.

The work with Evans is a way for Willow Garage to find out how the PR2 robot can be used in the home to help people with disabilities function. Evans is using a variety of experimental user interfaces that allow him to control and interact with the robot. This is a very cool project and it’s nice to see Willow Garage helping people do the little things we take for granted using one of its expensive robots.

The first step in the build project was to make the top of the can with its flapper style lid one piece and attach the Droid antennae. After that, the dude started to install the electronics inside the bot to allow it to be controlled remotely. An Arduino microcontroller board is the heart of the bot for controlling the lights and other stuff. The bot has a LCD on the lower part of its body. It uses a rechargeable battery that gets juice from USB.

The robots arms can move up and down and instead of little stubby legs, this robot has wheels that it rolls around on. The bots eyes are made with a pair of green LED lights. The power switch is on the back and you can see the robot in action in the videos below. That Android fans and fans of DIY will get a kick out of out of this cool project. Hit the source for tons more pictures.

[via Android Community]

The exoskeleton, which is a controllable leg brace, was developed by Homayoon Kazerooni, a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Berkeley, and his team of researchers. Austin Whitney, the student who got to demonstrate and use the exoskeleton on stage at graduation, was able to press a button and stand up, and then move his legs with the exoskeleton. He also used a walker to balance as he moved across the stage. It was a very exciting moment for him: “The second I pressed the button and stood up, I was flooded with a series of emotions,” Whitney told UC Berkeley’s media office. “It was overpowering…I’ve stood in the [exoskeleton] machine a lot of times before, but I knew that it would be different up here [on stage], and it truly was.”

In 2000, DARPA funded Kazerooni’s research to investigate ways to help soldiers carry heavy loads for longer periods of time. That military-focused exoskeleton was unveiled in 2004. Dr. Kazerooni described it this way: “We set out to create an exoskeleton that combines a human control system with robotic muscle. We’ve designed this system to be ergonomic, highly maneuverable and technically robust so the wearer can walk, squat, bend and swing from side to side without noticeable reductions in agility. The human pilot can also step over and under obstructions while carrying equipment and supplies.”

In 2010, the research team had come up with eLegs, which is an exoskeleton designed to help paraplegics walk. Whitney said that he hopes “today’s success will provide hope to other paraplegics that in their lifetime, they will see affordable machines that can help them regain some of their mobility.” Dr. Kazerooni also wanted to let people know that this technology is out there, and that he is not anywhere near finished. “This technology can be accessible to a large number of people, and that is our mission,” said Kazerooni. “We’re telling the community that this is possible. This is just the beginning of our work.” We can’t wait to see what is coming next.

[via UC Berkeley News Center]

Robot Lightsaber Duel

At this year’s International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Shanghai, China, Yaksawa Industrial demonstrated the dexterity of the robots from their industrial line by having them duel with lightsabers. Unfortunately, no sparks flew, and it wasn’t really death-defying excitement, but it’s pretty cool to watch the robot arms spinning the lightsabers around. Check out the video:

Kibot Cute and Cuddly Monkey Robot – Hands On

Our own Chris Davies travelled to South Korea this week, and had the opportunity to do a hands-on of the Kibot robot, which is intended as a toy for kids. The robot features NFC, video calling, and WiFi, and can be controlled by a cell phone. Chris has speculated on a darker purpose, though: “Kibot is carrier KT Telecom’s attempt to condition children to the inevitable AI takeover.” Our commenters think he wouldn’t last five minutes in the hands of American kids, though. Check out the video. He’s so cute!

KURMET Jumping Robot

The KURMET (get it, Kermit, KURMET…ha ha) robot was designed by researchers at Ohio State University and the University of Notre Dame to do demonstrate controllable, repeatable jumping. KURMET can move himself by jumping, and also clear obstacles. The bot learns to jump using a fuzzy control system. They hope to eventually teach the robot to do flips and even play hopscotch (which would include jumping on alternate feet). The eventual purpose could be for military purposes, as a jumping robot would be useful travelling over rough terrain. Video:

A Robot Ultra Marathon Walker

The Ranger robot had accomplished a 14.3 mile walk in 2010, and we were impressed then, since it accomplished it on a single charge. But now, the Ranger has increased that distance to 40.5 miles. This is a distance record, but certainly not a speed record. It took the Ranger 30 hours, 49 minutes, and 2 seconds to walk those miles. It started at 2 p.m. May 1 and then stopped walking when the battery went dead at 9 p.m. May 2, walking at 1.3 mph. But the impressive thing here is that the Ranger did this on a single charge once again. There were faculty and staff taking turns guiding the robot on its journey as well. I’m still aspiring to 26.2, so good going to the Ranger!

Luna Robot Personal Assistant, is Rosie Finally Here?

You remember Rosie from the Jetsons, right? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t want a robot assistant that can do all your household chores for you. Luna isn’t exactly that but it is described as the “world’s first personal robot”. It has three important features, it is expandable via expansion ports, it’s fully programmable with open standards, and it is affordable (but we don’t know the price yet). There are still a lot of details to come on this robot, and it is as yet just a concept. Here is what Fred Nikgohar, the CEO of Robodyanmics said, ““We conducted an exhaustive search for a design studio who could deliver exceptional design within the context of a technical and engineering challenge that is inherently entailed in bringing world’s first personal robot to market. With SchultzeWORKS, we found a partner who has enabled our company to articulate an exceptional visual and artistic design, while simultaneously helping us mitigate the stringent technical and quality standards contained within Luna. This ability to work both within an artistic and technical framework is indeed a rare gift that Dave and his team brought to the table for us.”

Ok, so not terribly informative, but we’ll keep watching for details.

Hasbro Android Robot Toys get I/O video playtime,

Our new favorite monkey robot, Kibot, may be stuck in Korea, but Hasbro has wider ambitions for its Nexus S powered Robot Toys. On show at Google I/O this week, the Android-bots are basically self-powered motorized cradles into which the Samsung smartphone docks, hooking up via Bluetooth. You can then hold races and use object recognition, just as you will see in the video. My favorite part is where one of the robots falls over and actually loses a screw. Definitely still in development. Vincent Nguyen was disappointed that the robots couldn’t make out, since there is a boy and a girl. Maybe they can work that in. But you can shake them and, thanks to the accelerometer, they get dizzy; rub the touchscreen and they’ll cheer up. Awww.

While it would be easy to slap some wheels onto a dock and call it a day, Hasbro has gone further than that. Each robot has feet rather than wheels, and they use object-recognition via the Nexus S’ front-facing camera, as well as other sensors in the phone, to react to their environment. Shots are sent to Google’s cloud servers where they’re processed in real-time; the robot then knows whether to get curious or to run (slowly) away.

More details in the video:

More Google I/O Robotics: Sphero Robotic Ball Debuts Developer Program

Since the PlayStation Network is down, have you considered other forms of game play? Well, how about a robotic ball that can be controlled directly from your smartphone to do all kinds of crazy maneuvers in the real physical world? No? But Orbotix has. The company created a robotic ball called Sphero, the first of its kind. Now, they’re opening up the API behind what controls this amazing sphere by unveiling their Sphero developer program at Google I/O.

Orbotix is touting an open and absolute killer of an API and they are seeking the smartest developers to help reinvent the concept of play with Sphero. Developers who register for the program will have access to the full SDK for both Android and iOS platforms, sample apps, developer guides access to developer forums and an idea portal, exclusive hack-a-thons, bounties, contests, and educational discounts. Developers that register now can get a Sphero at a special discounted rate with early delivery, early access to software features, access to new prototypes, and may even have a chance to win a free Sphero.

Orbotix will be hosting various Hack-a-thons for their developers to code and test with the robotic ball present. If you want to register for the Sphero developer program go to www.goshero.com/developer

Watch the Sphero robotic balls in action:

German Researchers Take Out After a Robot With Baseball Bat

No, they aren’t trying to defend themselves from an alien robot invasion, they are testing the toughness of the DLR Hand Arm System, an ultra-tough system with 52 motors and joints that absorbs energy the way human hands and arms can. These crazy guys at DLR, the German Aerospace Agency, have all the fun. We saw the Rollin’ Justin Robot last week, and then they have also have smashed robot’s hands with a hammmer, and have given a robot a knife and let themselves be stabbed. Really!

So they want their robots to be tough in order to prevent breakdowns in industrial settings. The arm worked just as well as before after being whacked with a bat, more than we could say for a human arm. That’s because the arm has newly designed floating spring joints, which help dissipate energy better than a rigid structure could. The arms also have two motors, one to control the joint and another small one to adjust its stiffness. The hand also has 38 tendons which are tougher than Kevlar, according to IEEE Spectrum. The tendons are attached to a spring-based elastic mechanism, which also allows the fingers to release and store energy.

You can see the human having way too much fun taking a what at the robot in the video:

DIY R2-D2 rolling trash can, not a robot, but still pretty cool

Those trash cans we put out on our curbs are pretty boring, kind of gross, and not really something you want to think about too much. But this one is different. It’s been improved to look like R2-D2, probably with masking tape and paint, and a lot of time. To whoever made this, though, keep it away from our writer Shane McGlaun. He’s got his eye on it.

That’s a wrap for this week’s SlashGear Science Week in Review. We hope you enjoyed all the Robot action. See you next week!

The fight between the Jedi and the red and black spiky dude was epic. One of these Yaskawa industrial robots is wielding the traditional Jedi lightsaber and the other has the dual sided staff-style that the pointy Sith used. I don’t think you need a good reason at all to have robots fighting with lightsabers, but this does show off just how dexterous and agile these bots are.

The robots are from the Yaskawa Motoman industrial line. They look like the sort of bots you would see on a car assembly line. The fight starts slow and boring and then things speed up and it’s actually pretty cool. Check out the video below for yourself to see the battle between Darth Roboticus and Master Indu Robo.

[via Akihabara News]

While it would be easy to slap some wheels onto a dock and call it a day, Hasbro has gone further than that. Each robot has feet rather than wheels, and they use object-recognition via the Nexus S’ front-facing camera, as well as other sensors in the phone, to react to their environment. Shots are sent to Google’s cloud servers where they’re processed in real-time; the robot then knows whether to get curious or to run (slowly) away.

Shake them and, thanks to the accelerometer, they get dizzy; rub the touchscreen and they’ll cheer up. Right now they’re just prototypes, but we’re guessing Hasbro is at least considering a commercial launch. More details in the video below.

[via Android Community]

Made by iriver, the Kibot hardware is cutesy and eye-catching. A simple hoop design, this is no Sony AIBO: it can basically turn its head and flash lights in its cheeks, eyes, ears and elsewhere, while movement is a slow, child-friendly crawl. The oddly tonsured top is in fact a button: tapping it brings the ‘bot to life, as well as making it talk to you (in Korean, naturally; phrases supposedly include “that feels good” rather than “prepare to bow to your silicon simian overlords”) A 1.3-megapixel webcam sits above a 3.5-inch touchscreen, while an NFC reader is hidden in the nose.

That NFC chip uses specially-tagged books and cards to load different features and trigger differen functionality. Hold up a story book to Kibot, for instance, and it pulls up an animated read-through shown on-screen and played through the robot’s speakers. Cards showing parents’ faces initiate video calls with their cellphones.

Alternatively, parents can remotely access Kibot and control its movements using their cellphone, watching streaming video of what’s happening around the plastic monkey. KT Telecom is offering various apps, content and games for download, with new content added each month.

Kibot is priced at 480,000 KRW ($450) with a 7,000 KRW ($6.52) monthly service fee; alternatively KT Telecom offer the robot on a subsidized plan. No word on whether it might be coming to the US or Europe, unfortunately.

Orbotix is touting an open and absolute killer of an API and they are seeking the smartest developers to help reinvent the concept of play with Sphero. Developers who register for the program will have access to the full SDK for both Android and iOS platforms, sample apps, developer guides access to developer forums and an idea portal, exclusive hack-a-thons, bounties, contests, and educational discounts. Developers that register now can get a Sphero at a special discounted rate with early delivery, early access to software features, access to new prototypes, and may even have a chance to win a free Sphero.

To develop a killer app for the Sphero you wont actually need to have one. However, Orbotix will be hosting various Hack-a-thons for their developers to code and test with the robotic ball present. It may take them awhile to deliver the Sphero into developer hands, but they’d like to build up a community of active developers first. They will be at the opening reception of Google I/O this evening.

To register for the Sphero developer program go to www.goshero.com/developer

Watch Sphero robotic balls in action:

R2 is going to be useful in space thanks in part to his agile hands. NASA isn’t the only space agency that is working on robot designs. In Germany, the DLR has a new flagship robot that looks like a toy compared to Robonaut. The German robot is called Rollin’ Justin and when it comes time for the robots to play baseball, RJ will be a good catcher. The bot has been designed with the ability to catch a ball thrown at it with 80% accuracy. That is about as good a catch percentage as my 6-year-old has.

Rollin’ Justin is able to use sensors to detect the flight path of the ball thrown at it and then move its hands within 2cm of the predicted flight path. The hands adjust really quickly too. Rollin’ Justin can move his hand to the predicted spot in only five milliseconds. RJ can also be seen in the video below making a cup of coffee. Once it can clean toilets and wash dishes I am buying one. The processing power needed to predict the flight path is so large that RJ relies on an external computer. The Germans should have started teaching RJ to catch with a wrench; if you can catch a wrench, you can catch a ball.

[via Plasticpals]

The Sarcos is a full body humanoid robot that stands and balances on its own two feet with movements that are fluid thanks to the use of hydraulic actuators. Ben Stephens, a Ph.D. research student at Carnegie Mellon, works with Sarcos to develop its balancing abilities. In the first video below you will see him demonstrating Sarcos by having it perform a dance that was programmed from recording human movement via motion capture.

The second video actually shows Sarcos getting pushed with a stick and being able to step forward to adjust its balance without falling over. That’s a good skill to have considering Sarcos is probably not cheap nor lightweight and could cause both monetary and physical damage. What’s interesting in both videos is that Sarcos is not just playing back programmed joint movements, but is actively adjusting balance throughout each movement. Now imagine if they wrap Sarcos with the freakishly human-looking skins of the Geminoids.

[via Geek]

Both of these projects have videos demonstrating their articulated operation. We’ll start by looking at a short clip demoing bad pixel’s smartphone stand.

You see, it’s a relatively simple project. The levers and gears come together to make something workable so bad pixel could get his Wiimote-driven GameBoy emulation on in peace. It’s a decent solution to a specific problem using stuff he already had laying around. But here, check this out. He used this really awesome piece of software to design the whole thing. It’s called SR 3D Builder. Here’s a quick screenshot.

This piece of software lets you design LEGO projects in a slick little 3D interface. SR 3D Builder was designed by Sergio Reano out of Italy, and you can pick it up here. It’s free. Knock yourself out. It’s still under active development. Sergio released version 0.5.6.9 on the 8th of April. Oh yeah, bad pixel’s instructable.

Next, we have this bad boy. Watch this video of Shepherd’s Lego NXT robotic factory demonstration.

Shepherd here created this project because he has been fascinated with this style of Delta Robot for quite some time.

They are known for moving small objects very quickly, usually at two hundred or more moves per minute. Parallel robots (another name for Delta Robots) are often used in many industries such as the food industry where the payload is small and light and the production rates are very high. Many times a series of parallel robots are used to do things like assemble cookies, package small items, stack pancakes and much, much more.

The positions of the robotic arms are controlled by independent servo motors and the actuation of the gripping hands are controlled by a pneumatic system. There isn’t really much I can say about this with any air of authority. He explains the whole process on his blog, Tinkernology. He goes into significant detail on the design aspects of each aspect of this robotic system. It’s a good read.

[via Singularity Hub]
[via xda-developers]

The packbots had the important job of taking radiation and temperature readings from inside the rooms that had been sealed since the disaster. TEPco has not released these finding to the public just yet. Rest assured, you don’t want to go in there. The bots also feature a video camera with a live-feed to operators at a safe location. The iRobot packbots are notable for their use in US Military operations in Iraq and Afganistan as bomb defusal bots.

There are a number of remote controlled robots in use for the repair operations in the Fukushima Daiichi reactor. TEPco started with remote controlled helicopter drones to get sustained closer looks at the damage throughout the reactor complex. They’ve also been using remotely controlled excavators and transporters. Much of the debris and rubble left from the disaster is too radioactive to safely deal with directly.

[via Technology Review]

This first one is a homebrew bot built from an old Tomy Omnibot. If you weren’t around in the 80s, good for you, it was a terrible time. Lots of people were attempting to make things that they called robots or what-have-you. Instead we ended up with stuff that ended up being a hacked together hunks of plastic that were as infuriating as they were disappointing. DJ Sures is a crazy hacker weirdo, and I use the term with more affection than you can even begin to understand. He took apart one of these twenty year old robots and rebuilt it from the inside, making it stronger by adding servos to the arms, making it smarter by loading in all kinds of programming he swiped from his other ‘bot projects, adding a camera to give it vision, a microphone for voice response capability and it has an ultrasonic sensor for navigation. It can see and hear better than your new puppy.

In this video the Omnibot++ watches some TV for a little while and then seems to just… get bored… and wander away of his on volition. This video is particulary cool because it gives you a look from the ‘bot’s POV.

[via RetroThing]

Next we have a begger bot. Dubbed the DONA by designer Min Su Kim, this dimunitive ‘droid is designed to do a task usually taken by volunteers. It solicits donations. There aren’t many details of the the specifics on how this thing works, but it seems to respond well to the people. It looks down whenever someone throws in a donation and blinks cutely. Is it just me or is this some kind of robotic cross between Red Riding Hood and a shyguy?

[via Yanko Design]

Plastic Made From Mystery Meat

Since Mad Cow disease made it clear that using old meat and bone meal (MBM) as animal feed was a really really bad idea, millions of pounds of the stuff are ending up in landfills. Scientists, presenting research at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, have proposed a new use for the nasty stuff.

The ground up animal slurry can be used to make partially biodegradable plastic, which uses less petroleum. Then, when the material is mixed with ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), it creates a very durable material with the bonus of being partly biodegradable. And any of the infectious agents in the material would be removed during manufacture.

Okay, but don’t ask me to eat off of it.

[via American Chemical Society]

Clouds, Contrails and Climate

The air travel industry has been under fire for the carbon emissions generated by planes and their possible impact on the climate, but carbon emissions might not actually be the biggest climate problem associated with air travel. According to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change, the clouds, or contrails generated by planes may have the biggest impact.

Over time, the clouds produced through contrail water vapor evolve into “contrail cirrus” clouds, losing their linear features and looking more like naturally occurring cirrus clouds. The problem is that though low-altitude clouds cool the planet by reflecting sunlight, high altitude clouds such as cirrus are insulating and cause more warming. Though these aircraft-generated clouds suppress the formation of natural cirrus clouds, partially offsetting the impact they make, they are still the largest contribution to climate related to aircraft.

One upside is that if we can find a way to change the cloud formation caused by aircraft, the impact would be seen immediately.

[via Wired]

Artificial Leaf Could Provide Cheap Power to the Developing World

Scientists at the 241st Meeting of the American Chemical Society released details on a new design, an advanced solar cell married with fuel cells. Instead of transforming sunlight into stored sugars for a plant’s metabolism, the artificial leaf uses the energy to transform water into hydrogen and oxygen for later combustion.

Daniel Nocera, the MIT chemist responsible for this amazing piece of technology, said: “Nature is powered by photosynthesis, and I think that the future world will be powered by photosynthesis as well in the form of this artificial leaf.”

Researchers claim that this device could power a home in the developing world. Wired UK reports that the scientist has negotiated with Tata Group of India to produce a power plant smaller than a car. Should we think of that like an artificial tree? Nocera said, “One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.” The deal is slated to wrap up late 2012.

The fuel cell technology sounds a bit similar to the Bloom Energy Server we wrote about recently.

A commenter on our story expressed skepticism that big power companies would ever let something like this come to light. Here’s hoping he’s wrong about that, and that the spread of information and easy access to it will make it harder for things like this to be squashed.

[via Kevin Fubar, SlashGear]

Fighting Fires – No Water Needed

In more news from the recent meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), a new application of an old technology could aid in fighting fires – sans water. The device is a backpack with a wand attached, which shoots a beam of electricity into flames. The electricity can snuff out the fire, or at least make fighting it easier. Ludovico Cademartiri, Ph.D., and his colleagues in the group of George M. Whitesides, Ph.D., at Harvard University, “described a discovery that could underpin a new genre of fire-fighting devices, including sprinkler systems that suppress fires not with water, but with zaps of electric current, without soaking and irreparably damaging the contents of a home, business, or other structure.”

The concept of using electricity to control flames is around 200 years old, but there has not been much research done to develop the technology. But now, researchers have connected a 600 watt amplifier to a wand, and used it to beam electricity into flames reaching one foot or higher. In the tests, the flames were quickly snuffed out over and over again, using only electricity. It appears that carbon particles, or soot, is the key to this phenomenon. Soot particles can become easily charged, and respond to the electric field, making the flames unstable. “Combustion is first and foremost a chemical reaction – arguably one of the most important – but it’s been somewhat neglected by most of the chemical community,” said Cademartiri. “We’re trying to get a more complete picture of this very complex interaction.”

This could potentially be used remotely, when firefighters cannot easily get to the flames, and the researchers note it is best used in tight spaces. And best used with caution, since 600 watts could do quite as much damage to a person as it would to the flames.

[via TreeHugger]

Offshore Solar Power Plants

In more environmental news, Australian solar power company Sunengy is partnering with India’s Tata Power to build a floating solar power plant off the shore of India. Sunengy, whose mission is “To bring viable and affordable solar power to the world,” produces Liquid Solar Arrays or LSAs. The LSA uses traditional Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) technology, consisting of a lens and a small area of solar cells that tracks the sun throughout the day.

Since the LSA floats, it doesn’t need expensive supporting structures. The lenses submerge in bad weather, and being on the water has the additional benefit of cooling the solar cells, increasing their life-span and efficiency. Construction of the pilot plant in India will begin in August, and Sunergy plans to go into full production sometime after 2012.

Here is the LSA in action.

[via TreeHugger]

T-Rex’s new cousin, or at least, his cousin’s jawbone

Palaeontologists have identified a giant predatory dinosaur, similar in size and stature to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The dinosaur is named Zhuchengtyrannus (meaning “Tyrant from Zhucheng”) magnus, and was probably about 4 meters (13 feet) tall, 11 meters (36 feet) long, and weighed 6000 kg, or 6 1/2 tons. The palaeontologists have only found some skull and jaw bones, so the actual size is estimated. However, the bones are only a few centimeters smaller than the largest T. rex specimen. The bones were found in the city of Zhucheng, in the Shandong province of eastern China.

The dinosaur ran on strong back legs, with puny front limbs, just like the T. rex. The Zhuchengtyrannus is different from other tyrannosaurines because of some unique features in the skull. Scientists found a piece of lower jaw containing seven partly to fully erupted teeth, and another piece of jaw bone containing eight teeth. The bones were found in a quarry which contains one of the largest concentrations of dinosaur bones in the world.

Read the full paper here.

[via BBC]

And now for the robots…

iMobot Intelligent, Reconfigurable Modular Robots

The iMobot robots are small modules that link together like a chain to form larger robotic modules. The modules have two joints at the center which can rotate 180 degrees. The robots have four degrees of freedom, so they can stand themselves up, roll end over end, stack themselves, and inch along like a caterpillar. And, they are going to be available commercially soon. See them in action:

And read the full story here.

[via SlashGear]

Robotic surgical instruments make tiny paper airplanes

From Shane McGlaun, SlashGear:

I guess considering that these little robot tools can be used to fix hearts and other critical parts of the human body I shouldn’t be surprised that the things can fold tiny little paper airplanes, but I am. I had no idea these tools had so much dexterity.

This isn’t what bored docs get up to just to stay warm in surgical suites; this is how Dr. James Porter shows off how precise his fancy da Vinci robot really is. I am impressed Dr. Porter, but can it make an origami swan?

[via SlashGear]

Reeti puts the “personal” in personal computer

If you’ve ever wished that your computer was more personable, and could maybe even have a conversation with you, Reeti might be just what you’re looking for.

From Chris Davies:

The desktop companion is both a PC, a webcam and a telepresence ‘bot, capable of streaming live video from his webcam eyes, responding to touch thanks to various embedded sensors, and making facial expressions.

Inside is a 1.8GHz dual-core Atom CPU paired with NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics, a 500GB hard-drive, WiFi b/g/n, ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, digital audio outputs, Blu-ray, and more, running Ubuntu with some custom robotics tools preloaded. Hooked up to a display, keyboard and mouse, and you can use REETI as your regular desktop.

Your normal PC probably doesn’t have cheeks that light up in various colors depending on mood, a head that can turn and track people in 3D (or be remotely controlled by an iPad app), or respond and track sound and key commands. REETI is also capable of reading out RSS, Facebook, Twitter and other sources, or acting as a robotic receptionist to welcome people to your business.

See the cute little guy in action:

[via SlashGear]

Video demo after the cut

Inside is a 1.8GHz dual-core Atom CPU paired with NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics, a 500GB hard-drive, WiFi b/g/n, ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, digital audio outputs, Blu-ray,  and more, running Ubuntu with some custom robotics tools preloaded. Hooked up to a display, keyboard and mouse, and you can use REETI as your regular desktop.

Your normal PC probably doesn’t have cheeks that light up in various colors depending on mood, a head that can turn and track people in 3D (or be remotely controlled by an iPad app), or respond and track sound and key commands. REETI is also capable of reading out RSS, Facebook, Twitter and other sources, or acting as a robotic receptionist to welcome people to your business.

It reminds us of a far more complex Nabaztag, but then Robopec is positioning REETI as an open-source development platform rather than just a simply entertainment device. No word on pricing at this stage.

[youtube P3R45YbEM2M]

[via Plastic Pals]

Did Life on Earth Originate on Mars?

Researchers at MIT and Harvard are working on a device that would help us determine whether life on Earth originated on Mars, or vice versa. The SETG (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes) device is designed to take a sample of Martian soil and process it to find any living or dead organisms, at least within the last 10 million years.

The SETG prototype includes a 1 inch by 1 inch chip with fluidic circuitry and tiny channels that feed in soil samples. The samples are analyzed by using blue light to excite flourescent dyes which help identify DNA within 3072 cubic chambers. Each chamber is about the width of a human hair.

The chances of finding any intact DNA on the surface of the red planet are slim due to the ultraviolet radiation bombarding the surface, so scientists hope to drill down as deep as possible for soil samples.

The instrument is not yet ready to be launched, but scientists hope to have it up and running in about two years. Before being used in space, it would be tested in Antarctica or Chile’s Atacama Desert.

When it actually gets to Mars, all analysis will be done on the planet. You never know, your great, great, great…grandcestor might have been a Martian.

[via Space.com]

A New Phase of Matter?

Strange behavior in warm superconductors has puzzled scientists for over 20 years, and now researchers at the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science (SIMES), which is a joint institute of the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, are looking for answers.

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency, losing nothing to resistance. But there is an “energy gap”, or “pseudogap” that appears when the material enters its superconducting phase.

Electrons pair off at a lower energy to begin superconducting electric current. But now, the scientists have discovered that in one type of copper-based warm superconductor, the electrons are not actually pairing up, they are reorganizing into a distinct order. This new formation remains even after the material begins superconducting. And the new formation may exhibit a new phase of matter, which is not solid, liquid, gas or plasma. In the photo below, the circular formations at the bottom are electrons pairing off, and the orange plumes are the new order forming.

The press release from SLAC is located here.

[via PopSci]

Robotic Cloud Could Cool Qatar’s World Cup Stadium

One of the concerns (aside from terrorism and the treatment of women) about having the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is the blistering 120 degree F heat. Saud Abdul Ghani, the head of the mechanical and industrial engineering department at Qatar University has a possible solution. He has proposed a remote controlled robotic cloud-like structure that would hover over the stadium, shielding it from direct sunlight. The cloud, made of a lightweight carbon structure, would be injected with helium to make it float, and it would be kept in the air by four solar-powered engines. It would be programmed to follow the path of the sun, blocking the sunlight from the stadium as the day progresses. A video showing the cloud in action is here.

[via Discovery Tech]

Play Music Using Only Your Mind

Eduardo Miranda, composer and computer-music teacher, has created a system where someone can play music with their mind. The brain-computer interface tracks and picks up neural impulses from your brain and translates them into musical notes.

To make the system work, the uses wears an EEG skull cap and concentrates on four “buttons” on a screen. When the user is focusing on the button, their brain fires off a unique series of impulses specific to each button. The impulses are captured by the skull cap, and then a series of notes are played. The device has to be calibrated for each user, which takes about two hours right now, but Miranda hopes to streamline the system so it can be dialed in more quickly.

[via Rue Liu on SlashGear]

The Supermoon, Did You See It?

A week ago today, March 19th, the moon was at the perigee of its elliptical orbit, meaning it was at the point in its orbit where it is closest to the earth. This time was extra special, since the moon was both at its perigee and it was full. This occurence only happens about once every twenty years. This time, it had been a little less than that, since the last occurence was 18 years ago, in March of 1993. The visual size of the moon was 14% larger, and our own Kevin Fubar was howling extra loud. How about you? Were you howling, or did you miss the sight? I’m ashamed to say I missed it, but my excuse is that it was cloudy that night (I think…). Check out the original post for a great video explaining the Supermoon in more detail.

[via Kevin Fubar, SlashGear]

Hexacopter Senses Motion and Breathing Through Concrete

TiaLinx has unveiled its Phoenix 40-A unmanned hexacopter (helicopter with six blades) which can sense breathing and motion in buildings on the ground. This is the newest addition to the line of life-sensing bots that includes the Cougar20-H, a rolling ground-based robot that can detect breathing through a concrete wall.

The copter is able to travel long distances and record video in both day and night vision formats. It uses a narrow beam of multi-gigahertz radio frequencies to penetrate reinforced concrete and detect breathing and movement inside a building. It can land on top of a building and perform a scan for human presence, or it can scan while flying.

The copter can also generate the layout of a multi-story building and send that information back to troops or law enforcement so that they have an idea of what they are walking into before entering a building. It has many applications: military surveilance, search and rescue, even locating landmines.
[via SlashGear]

More science stories from SlashGear:

A brown dwarf star not hot enough to boil water

A single lens creates microscopic 3D images

Video demo after the cut

The idea, the Japanese researchers suggest, is that you can now take a friend shopping with you, even if they’re thousands of miles away. A directional speaker funnels their comments into your ear, and a microphone means they can hear you too. Skype is used for the audio and video streaming, while the robot’s movements are managed by a smartphone over a Bluetooth link.

Right now the whole thing looks a little cumbersome, and we’re not sure we’d want to go on a mammoth shopping binge with a heavy ‘bot on our shoulder. Still, with video calling finally gaining traction, perhaps there’s room for a smartphone app with on-screen eyes.

[via CrunchGear]

There’s also a microphone, so that you can hear what people near the vacuum are saying, along with low-light video support. Noise during cleaning is apparently 48dB, and there are various vacuum modes including edge and turbo.

Samsung expects the Tango View to be priced at 799,000 won ($703) when it goes on sale, which is about double what you’d pay for a Roomba. Of course, with iRobot’s vacuum you can never be sure if it’s slacking off and drinking your liquor while you’re out of the house.

[via Akihabara]

If you’re not up to speed, Qbo is Francisco Paz’s attempt to bring DIY robotics to a more affordable price point, using a combination of off-the-shelf hardware and custom software. The latter will be released under an open-source license, meaning anybody can build their own ‘bot; we’re presuming that the option to buy an official chassis – and maybe even a completely pre-built Qbo – will also be on the cards.

Head molds for the robot arrived back in January – shown below – though it seems we’re still some way off having our own personal voice-activated butler. Expect stereoscopic vision, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, obstacle avoidance and more when Qbo finally reaches release status.

Although I’d have nightmares of Kaspar due to his uncanny resemblance to Chucky, he apparently doesn’t frighten autistic children. A four-year-old autistic girl named Eden Sawczenko improved a lot on social interaction after having several 10-minute sessions interacting with the robot alongside a scientist who controlled the robot with a remote.

Kaspar is programmed to smile, laugh, frown, blink, and wave his arms. There are several versions of Kaspar and the most advanced one can play the Nintendo Wii. The latest version also now has silicone patches that feel like skin. Built by scientists at the University of Hertfordshire at a cost of about 1,300 pounds or $2,118, Kaspar has already helped almost 300 autistic children in Britain.

[via BuzzFeed]