While we wait for the first Rovio reviews, WowWee are drubbing up enthusiasm for the WiFi-enabled remote webcam with some new demo videos. Intended to give an overview of the robot and its functionality, the three clips show everything from using Rovio remotely through the web interface, using the webcam on its adjustable arm, and directing it to return to the charging base.
I’m all for random, seemingly useless gadgets and the Robotic Junkyard Dog fits right in since it has no real purpose than to entertain and possibly annoy. But that’s okay. It’s a robot dog, after all and there’s something to be said about that, right?
This little robot is seemingly made from scrap parts and can perform a bunch of tricks and various moves, when he wants to, of course. It can cock its head, wag its tail, run around, sit and stand. The robot is affixed with infrared sensors that make it easier for it to react to its surroundings such as obstacles, movement and even steps.
WowWee’s Rovio doesn’t officially start shipping until next Friday, but our friend Robert Oschler at RobotsRule has managed somehow to score a pre-release sample. He’s put together an unboxing gallery to keep us sated while he reviews the WiFi-enabled mobile webcam, including the Rovio itself and the NorthStar docking and recharging station that creates a digital map for the robot to follow.
WowWee’s Rovio remote surveillance robot, announced at CES 2008, has finally shown up for pre-order in the US. Previously an exclusive with UK-based retailer Red5, the WiFi-enabled mobile webcam platform is now listed at Hammacher Schlemmer (although, as usual, not by brand name) with a pre-order tag of $299. Ship date is given as September 26th.
While we are years away from the sort of sentient AI depicted in the movies, that isn’t stopping scientists from working on getting some of the mechanics down now. Of particular concern is somehow preventing robots in all their metallic goodness from hurting people.
Scientists at the University of Pisa’s Faculty of Engineering are currently focusing on fool proofing robot arms. What sounds like a straightforward operation is actually quite complicated in that it must account for malfunction, software bugs and glitches, problems with sensors and more. Even human error must be taken into consideration to completely make robot arms safe.
A team at Oregon State University have apparently taken another step toward giving walking robots a more human-like – and energy efficient – gait, by fitting them with artificial tendons. Existing robotic limbs struggle to recover energy through a springy gait, but the Oregon team have introduced steel cable tendons and fibreglass springs made from the same material as archers’ bows that allow far smaller motors to be used.
Check out the demo video of the hopping robot leg in action after the cut
Calculators aren’t known for being a lot of fun or even interesting, for that matter. But the Poseable Robot Calculator brings back the fun to math.
Anybody waiting anxiously for the latest robots from WowWee’s stables should grab their credit cards and begin whistling with glee, as both the Femisapien (aka Sega’s Kissing Robot) and Tri-Bot models are now available to buy. Femisapien, you may remember, is the first “female” ‘bot from WowWee, with a clever new programming system in which you merely have to reposition the robot’s limbs in order to teach her new routines.
A group of scientists at Reading University in the UK have developed a robot that is controlled by rat neurons. In case you’re wondering why anyone would take rat brain cells and stuff them in a robot, the answer is simple: to learn more about the human brain, how it works and potentially make progress in the battle against degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Bristol UK researchers have created a new robot that can display emotions and apparently, bring about emotional reactions from humans. Heart Robot looks rather pale, but people seem to really react to his lifelike features and movements.
This puppet-like robot responds to sound, light and movement and shows this by means of eye movement, a heartbeat and breathing. He’s made of a soft plastic and wrapped in Egyptian cotton. The bot’s “nervous system” is made up of five computers and motors to move his hands and eyelids and make his heart beat faster or slower depending on his stress level.
SlashGear Japan
