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• Google gets first license for a driverless automobile in Nevada

  In Breaking News, Computers, Geeky, Robots

  

  I’m not sure how much trust we can put in robots, especially if we consider that historically speaking, at least in Hollywood movies, robots have amounted to little more than enslaving humans, or literally trying to wipe them out altogether. Google? No. Their current robot is built into a car, and it’s a car that drives itself, by itself. The state of Nevada has issued a license to allow Google’s driverless automobiles to roam the [...]

   

• Swarming Nano-quadrotors [video]

  In Robots, Videos

  

  The video that you see below is a demonstration of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory at U Penn. Their work with nano-quadrotors is nothing short of amazing. The tiny rotor craft are able to fly in some pretty big formations and avoid simulated obstacles. At this point there probably isn’t much application for swarming nano-quadrotors, but the big brains at DARPA will probably figure something out. [Ubergizmo]

   

• Six-foot-tall Robot Boxing Machines Make For Lots of Very Expensive Fun

  In Robots

  

  This pair of six-foot-tall robot boxing machines seems a good way to settle just about any conflict. Just climb into the protective steel cage and battle it out using a thumb-triggered button and two joysticks. They are powered by a Honda gas engine which holds about five hours worth of juice. They are pricey… but if you ever aspired to being a carny, this would0 be a fairly cheap way to get started. Price: $17,000 [...]

   

• Ultima Creator Uses Robot to Work From Home

  In Robots

  

  Big companies have their telepresence, but you know what? It is for suckers – robot presence is so much more awesome. Richard Garriot, AKA Lord British, the guy who brought us the Ultima franchise, uses a robot to stay on top of things in his Austin-based Portalarium development studio, when he is at his wife’s place in New York. The Anybots, inc. machine uses a webcam, speakers and a laptop to project his presence across [...]

   

• Japan brings us the first spherical flying drone

  In Robots, Technology, Toys

  

  It was an iPhone 4s moment, where everyone at first is stunned, then disappointed, then later everyone feels silly for having felt disappointed over something that’s never been done before, and all that because it simply runs with a propeller. Sure, it looks eerily like the light saber practice drone in Star Wars, and I suppose everyone there might have been disappointed for not having been shot with a tiny laser, and I must point [...]

   

• The Baguette Vending Machine in Action

  In Robots

  

  Like most baked goods, a freshly baked baguette will taste at least a million times better than one that has been sitting on the shelf all day. There are times, however, when getting fresh bread is not really practical… or should I say hasn’t been practical because French baker Jean-Louis Hecht looked at that little problem and saw automated opportunity. Hecht now has an automated baguette machine sitting out the front of his bakery and [...]

   

• Foxconn to Replace Unhappy Humans With Mindless Drones

  In Robots

  

  As far as jobs go, working on the Foxconn assembly line as got to be up their with the worst. If various reports are to be believed, they pay very little, have draconian rules and poor working conditions – not to mention their employee suicide problem. So it may actually be a good thing that they are aiming to replace their mostly human workforce with an army of robots. At the moment, Foxconn has 10,000 [...]

   

• Chicken Boning Bot Bones a Chicken in 2.5 Seconds

  In Robots

  

  If you bone chickens for a living then meet the robot that will probably have your job sometime in the not too distant future. I won’t go into too many specifics (you can catch that from the video) – but basically the system works using cameras and some very precise circular saws. At maximum speed it can turn out 1,500 birds per hour – the most skilled butcher can manage about 150. Obviously, chicken boning [...]

   

• Have Your Floors Cleaned By Robotic Puppy

  In Concept, Robots

  

  Cleaning sucks, I hate it with a passion and avoid it whenever possible – but I might be more inclined to keep my mess off the floor if I had a team of robotic puppies automatically vacuuming my floors each day. The Puppy Robotic consists of four robot puppies and a mother dog base station. When they are in cleaning mode, the little dogs run around your house picking up dust. When they are full [...]

   

• Lego Sorting Bot Can Sort 48 Bricks Per Minute

  In DIY, Robots

  

  If you hate sorting your own Lego bricks, then you could try building yourself your very own Lego Quad Flexpicker. The machine uses four bots to sort Lego bricks at breakneck speed – 48 bricks per minute to be precise. Unfortunately, as always, there is a catch. Aside from the difficulty of the build, you are going to need some fairly pricey parts – namely: 6 NXT microcontroller bricks, 22 motors and servos, and 26 [...]

   

• Guy Makes Robotic Punching Bag That Hits Back [Punching Pro]

  In Robots

  

  The thing with regular old heavy bags is that they don’t hit back – they are good for learning how to punch properly and for getting a workout but that is about it. Kris Tressider’s contraption, on the other hand, has the potential to teach a little more. The Punching Pro uses 2 12-volt windshield wiper motors to punch back at you – so you have to avoid getting hit while you go about your [...]

   

• Clean your pool, zero your footprint: Solar Pool Skimmer

  In Robots, Toys

  

  There’s nothing worse than diving into your pool only to surface in a pile of leaves, dead bees, frogs and “Snickers” bars.  But before you overreact, don’t hire a pool boy; save yourself a little money and reduce your carbon footprint with the Solar Pool Skimmer from Sharper Image. Since it runs all the time (so long as it’s sunny, at least) the Skimmer catches leaves and other unwanted debris before it can sink.  Also, [...]