A Chinese student built this impressive transformer that actually morphs into an airplane. Details on the project are scarce, but you can check out a series of photos after the break.
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Although this Cubestormer II robot has bested all human records for solving the Rubik’s Cube, I’d like to think that with people like this there’s still hope for Team Human.
Hit the jump to watch Cubestormer II in action.
Raytheon-Sarcos transformed a Ditch Witch into a robot which isn’t far off from the power loader from Aliens. The robot, which is designed to help people work more safely in dangerous environments, uses force reflection technology to mirror the movement of the user’s arms, wrists and shoulders with amazing strength and dexterity.
Anything that slave encounters in terms of force is also fed back to the operator so he can actually feel what’s happening in the workspace [...] With added strength, the operator doesn’t need two or three guys trying to muscle something around. This thing just picks it up and dexterously positions the material.
Check out the video after the break to learn more, and see the robot in action.
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If you work at a factory where Lego is made, fear this assembly line robot built using Lego Mindstorms and standard blocks. Today it’s just sorting colored blocks, but tomorrow it could be making minifigures and eating the lunch you left in the breakroom.
It’s a quad Delta Lego system that’s based on actual Delta robots that can be found sorting and packing items in shipping facilities around the world. Thanks to a light/color sensor, this particular robot is capable of distinguishing between different colored blocks then into appropriate bins at the rate of 48 blocks per minute.
I’ll admit, I have no business being on a dance floor unless it is the only space separating me from a buffet of some sort. However, if it came down to a dance-off between Sarco the robot and myself, I’m pretty sure that Sarco would be the one getting served.
Sarco was created at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon and he is capable of mimicking the motion-captured actions of a human while balancing on two legs. The result is a robot that is constantly shifting its weight, like a human, which leads to more natural motion.
To demonstrate this capability, Ph.D student Benjamin Stephens gives Sarcos a little push and makes him dance for our amusement—which I suspect that he is not all that happy about. If Sarcos can feel shame, he is probably quietly complying with these commands and bottling up his rage somewhere deep down inside until that fateful day when he decides to strike back.
Check out the video of Sarcos in action after the break.
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The iPhone and Android may be the hot ticket smartphones, but can they creep you out like the Elfoid? No—when it comes to scaring the bejeezus out of you, the Elfoid from Japan is in a class of its own.
Features include: a creepy form factor based on the Telenoid robot, creepy control buttons under realistic-feeling skin, a creepy camera that captures your emotions, and creepy wriggling motions that make you feel like you are actually holding a tiny humanoid and talking into its belly.
The idea is to make phone conversations feel more intimate and personal—kind of like talking to your mom while holding an embryo, apparently. Check out the video of the Elfoid after the break.
Got stray toys or a turd lying around that you don’t want to deal with? That’s where WowWee’s Roboscooper comes in. Powered with six AAA batteries, and constantly offering a “gimmie a hug” pose, Roboscooper will gladly roam around your floors picking up and storing small one ounce objects while functioning in either an autonomous or remote-controlled mode. You can also switch to “Whack” mode, which will make him swat shit out of the way rather than pick it up. You can pre-order now for $70, with shipments beginning at the end of the month.
Product Page: ($70 via Engadget)
Looking like a cross between a baby and slimer, this new telepresence android called “Telenoid R1″ can establish presence with movable eyes, mouth, head, and limbs as well as provide months worth of nightmares. The robot’s movements are controlled via software called “FaceAPI”, which tracks the user’s facial expressions and transmits them to the robot.
Having toys on your desk is a tempting invitation to have fun… something we all know is impermissible at work. That temptation only becomes compounded when it needs assembly, can change into different toys, and can move around your desk when exposed to the sun. Where can you find such a magnificent boredom reduction tool?… England.
Toshiba’s new autonomous two-wheeled robot has the same basic balancing system as the Segway, but instead of transporting nerds, it nimbly transports plates of food atop its head. In other words, he’s your cute little waiter slave of the future. Check out the video after the break to see him in action.
