Robotics

Sony aibo First Litter Edition was revealed this morning in order to bring the robot puppy to the United States. This is the first time it's been released in any major form in the United States, original or re-release. The First Litter Edition for Sony aibo in the USA was listed as a package deal, including the aibo, a 3-year AI Cloud Plan, an individually numbered dog tag, and a set of aibo accessories (aibo toys.)

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Years ago, the word “robot” would evoke images of perhaps clunky metallic automatons, mostly in humanoid shape. These days, “bots” can mean anything from that to chatbots to, well, wearable robots. LG is definitely stretching the definition of a robot with the LG CLOi SuitBot a machine that looks more like the lower half of a futuristic exosuit. And since they say form follows function, that’s exactly what it is, with a pinch of AI, of course.

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There's a new robot in town, and it's basically Rosie from The Jetsons made real. This is the second-generation friendly two-tread rolling robot called Vector, from Anki. That's the same company best known for their super-sweet racing remote control car toys and their first-generation robot, the always entertaining Cozmo. This new robot called Vector looks a whole lot like Cozmo, but it's got a new set of inside parts that take it out a WHOLE new door.

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Ford has been working on a trial of a slick-looking exoskeleton that is not meant to make its production line employees stronger. This exoskeleton, called the EksoVest, is meant specifically for workers on the assembly line that must reach above their heads repeatedly during their shifts. Ford says that the vest helps workers that must lift the equivalent weight of a bag of flour or watermelon over their heads up to 4,600 times per day.

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Neato has released a software update for its Botvac D7 Connected smart vacuum, adding a pair of major new features. The vacuum itself is already available to purchase for $799 USD; existing owners will soon see an update notification from the mobile app. After updating, the Botvac D7 Connected will be able to learn the layout of more than one floor in the owner's home, as well as intelligently boost its charge to finish a job.

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Mayfield Robotics, the startup developing the companion 'bot Kuri, has halted operations, another fatality in the tough home robotics space. The company, part of the Bosch Startup Platform, announced the news today, along with confirming that all pre-order deposits that had been placed for the robot will be refunded.

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The United Kingdom has announced a new deal with Airbus that will have it develop a special Mars rover for the European Space Agency (ESA). Unlike the two rovers NASA currently has operating on Mars, Airbus' rover will be able to ship samples back to Earth, giving scientists physical access to soil and rock dust from the Red Planet. This will mark the first time Mars samples have been delivered to our own planet.

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The following robot presentation was made by Disney Imagineering - a group making some terrifyingly delightful conceptual works a reality. The project includes a number of animatronics - robots you might see at a theme park - but also high-flying stunt double-like amalgamations of metal and smarts. These creations are called Stuntronics, and they've developed their way to a place that's unsettlingly realistic, to say the least.

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Researchers are on the verge of creating electronic skin - a component of robots of the future made with "soft" features. Softness here means the opposite of rigidity. The softer the part, the more the part can be bent, molded, and shaped to meet challenges. The problem, said researchers this week, is that existing robots have set of necessary parts that aren't by their nature soft. These researchers presented a "skin-like electronic system" with which the gap between hard and soft can be bridged.

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Researchers with Disney Research have been exploring the possibility of creating robots that can perform acrobatics, the company has revealed. During the 2018 International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the team introduced Stickman, a robot shaped like a "z" that can perform select acrobatic tricks. Joining that is a newly published video showing the robot in action.

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Boston Dynamics is upgrading from merely terrifying us with the sight of its lifelike robots to actually selling them, with sales of its dog-like 'bot expected to start next year. The company is currently owned by SoftBank, which has already launched robots of its own, though none quite as advanced as those Boston Dynamics has developed over the years.

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Boston Dynamics has released a couple new videos featuring its robots, chief among them being one of the humanoid Atlas running outside without a cable tether. In addition to running on camera, Atlas also leaps over an obstacle, demonstrating how much progress the team has made over the past few years. This is the same robot that once struggled to simply walk outdoors.

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