robots

Our dystopian all-robot future just got hit with a minor setback: Mercedes-Benz is ditching some of its robot workers in favor of humans, citing the human ability to move faster and perform a wider array of tasks. The reason largely revolves around Mercedes’ increased array of customization options — there are so many different individualization options at the moment that robots aren’t able to deal with them all. Humans, the auto maker says, are saving the company money.

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No matter how fast you get at solving the Rubik's Cube, you'll never be robot-fast. The race has been on to build a robot that outperforms other robots, solving the colorful cubed puzzle at record-breaking speeds. It was astounding when a robot solved the puzzle in a little more than two seconds, and especially exciting when a new sub-1 second record was set. Now a creator has published a video of his own results, and it takes things down to a mere 0.887 seconds.

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Everyone has something that they're good at. Something that they've practiced for years, and done their best to perfect. And sometimes someone else comes along that's new to whatever that activity is, and puts you to shame. Well, golfers everywhere will be disappointed to see a new robot roll up to the tee and sink a hole-in-one.

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The ATLAS robot, when it’s not busy going for an outdoors run or being kicked, is busy living the mundane life — one that involves sweeping the floor, rearranging furniture (well, ladders), and using the vacuum. IHMC Robotics showed off the robot doing these tasks and more in a new video published today. While it won't be replacing your Roomba, ATLAS does make it a little easier to imagine we're nearing the Jetsons age.

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Robot Wars is one of those classic shows that fans of robots, remote controlled devices, DIY, and flailing death machines always wanted. The show was cancelled a while back, but it has been announced that Robot Wars is making a comeback on BBC Two. The show is listed to be a 6x60' series which is presumably six episodes of 60 minutes each.

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The future of robotic pets looks bright, and to help usher it in comes WowWee and its’ newly introduced robotic dog CHiP. Unlike some robotic pets, CHiP is said to come with a dose of realism thanks to artificial intelligence; WowWee describes CHiP as having an “AI personality.” Joining CHiP is LUMI, an indoor drone for playing games, and R.E.V Air, another model in WowWee’s Robotic Enhanced Vehicle lineup.

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There’s a new four-legged robot on the block, and it doesn’t care if you kick it over — the quadruped can stand back up on its own in just a few seconds and continue on its merry way. This is in stark contrast to most other four-legged robots we’ve seen, and makes it especially suitable for rough terrains, such as rocky landscapes where footing isn’t reliable and travelers — including robots — are likely to stumble every so often.

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We've seen a lot of upgrades to remote-controlled flying machines over the last few years. So much so, that it seems like everyone has a drone or a quadcopter these days. However, the RC car seems to have been left in the dust. After all, who wants a toy that is limited to driving on the ground? Well, Disney is working on a new car that will take you to new heights.

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It is probably a sad day for the robotics community. LS3, more popularly known as "BigDog" or even "AlphaDog", is practically being shelved. The quadruped robot, built by Boston Dynamics (before it was bought by Google) for DARPA, will no longer be the US military's dreamed pack mule in the field. Despite having all the flexibility, agility, strength, and even autonomy they'd want in a robot, BigDog apparently failed in one very critical criteria: it was just too noisy, making it dangerous to have around you in a hush hush operation.

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We're just days away from the Christmas holiday, and to help usher it in is a new video from Boston Dynamics, the company behind robots like Spot the 'dog'. Its' new video doesn't give us a creepy glimpse of the future, though, or reveal a new type of robotic hellhound. Rather, it gives us a real-world twist on classic Santa imagery: a sleigh being pulled by three robotic reindeer.

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Quadcopters are fun, especially given how many miniature-sized versions are now on the market. The problem is safety — though some designs have taken steps to protect people from the rotors, many drones still pose safety risks. Improper use or a simple accident can end catastrophically. That’s where Fleye comes in — it is a drone in the broadest sense, but not like any drone you’ve seen before. Its’ makers call it a ‘personal flying robot.'

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Could driverless racing ever as exciting as events where there's meat behind the wheel? Formula E believes so, with ROBORACE expected to kick off during its 2016-17 season. Billed as part of the support package for the FIA Formula E Championship, the races will see autonomous electric cars going up against each other as teams compete to hone the best AI.

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