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‘robots’ Stories

Panasonic Fukitorimushi floor-cleaning inchworm robot [Video]

Chris Davies, May 7th 2009 Discuss [0]

Given how much people like to anthropomorphize their robots, what sort of lovable personality could you assign to an autonomous floor-cleaning inchworm? Designed by Panasonic, the Fukitorimushi ("wipe-up bug") drags itself across floors, wiping up dust and dirt with its nanocloth underbelly. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

WowWee Rovio taught to play soccer

Chris Davies, May 6th 2009 Discuss [0]

With the weather picking up, there's nothing like stepping outside and kicking a ball around with some friends. Or so I hear; I'm too busy inside glued to my laptop. But a team of Rovio robots over at NYU decided to have a kickabout, their student trainers coming up with software that allows the WowWee 'bots to recognize a bright yellow tennis ball and shovel it toward the red goal. Read The Full Story

Surveyor SRV-1 WiFi webcam robot

Chris Davies, May 4th 2009 Discuss [0]

If WowWee's Rovio whet your appetite for a remote-controlled WiFi webcam robot, but it's just too big to surreptitiously scurry around your office, then how about the Surveyor SRV-1 Mobile Robot. Small enough to fit into a (relatively meaty) palm, the SRV-1 connects via WiFi b/g and can beam back video from its 1.3-megapixel camera. Video demo of the SRV-1 after the cut Read The Full Story

Rovio Fire Extinguisher mod

Chris Davies, Apr 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Sentry robots like WowWee's Rovio are all well and good - wandering around your house while you're away, and allowing you to log-in remotely and make sure nothing amiss is taking place - but they generally fall short when it comes to actually dealing with a problem. That was the starting point for RoboCommunity member Colt45, who hacked his Rovio into a remote fire extinguisher. Read The Full Story

Pleo gets remote-control Wii Nunchuck hack

Chris Davies, Apr 24th 2009 Discuss [0]

Pleo's fate may be decided by a bankruptcy sale, but the robot dinosaurs already out in the wild are too busy being hacked to worry about IP. Modder Andrey has developed a system which allows him to remotely-control his Pleo via a Wii Nunchuck, with the head, tail and basic movements all mapped to the Nintendo controller's buttons and motion-sensors. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

Ugobe Pleo IP could be hot property in bankruptcy sale

Chris Davies, Apr 22nd 2009 Discuss [0]

Further details of Ugobe's bankruptcy have emerged, including hints regarding whether the Pleo-maker's dinosaur robot will be scooped up by a rival toy firm. According to CEO Caleb Chung, the financial collapse came about when European and Asian customers - who made up 90-percent of Ugobe's business - failed to secure their own funding, leaving Pleos sat in crates across the world without the money to pay for them. Read The Full Story

Tapescape sound-glitch robot gets Instructable, video demos

Chris Davies, Apr 22nd 2009 Discuss [0]

After we wrote about the Tapescape robot yesterday, maker Michael Columbo and his co-creator Ilan Schifter flagged up an Instructable with directions to make your own tape-following machine. If you've ever wanted a bizarre looking 'bot that plays glitchy movement, and a way to get rid of an old boombox, this is the project for you. Video demo of the Tapescape robot after the cut Read The Full Story

Wiimote hacks: WoW control & self-balancing robot

Chris Davies, Apr 22nd 2009 Discuss [0]

It must be a week for Wiimote hacks, as there are two interesting implementations of Nintendo's wireless motion-sensitive controller on offer today. First up comes a hack using DarwiinRemote, that allows you to play World of Warcraft using the Wiimote; then, there's a self-balancing robot made of LEGO NXT, that can be remotely controlled with it. Video demos of both projects after the cut Read The Full Story

Tapescape robot built from old boombox

Chris Davies, Apr 21st 2009 Discuss [2]

Crafted lovingly from the guts of an old boombox, this Tapescape robot is intended to snuffle about your desk, following a strip of tape. The handiwork of Michael Colombo, the Tapescape 'bot is able to track forward, backward and turn, while playing music. Read The Full Story

Ugobe files for bankruptcy: no more Pleo

Chris Davies, Apr 21st 2009 Discuss [0]

Robot dinosaur maker Ugobe have confirmed that they are filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, as rumored earlier this month. The company, responsible for the Pleo dinosaur toy, dismissed all employees on Friday, but still owes $353,500 in unpaid royalties to the Pleo and Furby creator. Read The Full Story

Sony gaming robot patented

Chris Davies, Mar 19th 2009 Discuss [0]

Sony are looking to patent a robot gaming peripheral that would interact with both a game and the user. The patent, submitted in June 2008, describes a mobile robot equipped with a camera, microphone and speakers, together with a display. Read The Full Story

WowWee RoboReptile gets lifelike makeover

Chris Davies, Mar 16th 2009 Discuss [0]

WowWee's RoboReptile design is all well and good if you like, well, robotic reptiles, but what if you long for a real lizard? Turning the WowWee robot into a more realistic animal was the challenge taken on over at RoboCommunity, and the re-dressed results look pretty impressive. Video after the cut Read The Full Story