Monday, July 30, 2012

Meet Kuratas, The Million Dollar Robot Which Weighs Four Tons

Rush hour: If you have grown weary of a traditional commute Kuratas is fully functioning on the road - but will not get you to work any faster as its top speed barely hits 7 mph

Dial Carefully! Meet Kuratas, The Million Dollar Robot Which Weighs Four Tons, Shoots When You Smile And Is Controlled By iPhone -- Daily Mail

* Robot unveiled in Japan today will go on sale for £900,000
* Kuratas can be controlled by motion sensor technology in the one-man cockpit or through any phone with a 3G connection
* As well as auto targeting your enemy it is easy for those looking for sweet vengeance - the robot's heavy artillery fires 6,000 bullet per minute when the pilot smiles

A Japanese electronics company has unveiled a 13ft super-robot which can be controlled by an iPhone.

But be careful with the jokes if you are on the phone to the pilot as the robot, made by Suidobashi Heavy Industry in Tokyo, brings a whole new meaning to ‘trigger-happy’.

'Kuratas' is fitted with a futuristic weapons system, including a gatling gun capable of shooting 6,000 BB bullets a minute, which fires when the pilot smiles.

Read more ....

My Comment:
The Japanese and their robots always make me smile.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Friday, July 13, 2012

Robotic Hand Also Doubles As A Human Exoskeleton

Festo's robotic ExoHand also works as a human augmentation device.

Sophisticated Robotic Hand Also Doubles As A Human Exoskeleton -- Singularity Hub

It may be time to jettison the notion that robots in the future will have grippers or claws for hands. The German robotics company Festo recently unveiled the ExoHand, a sophisticated robotic hand that is capable of the fine motor skills that allows the human hand to have a delicate touch or perform complex manipulations.

The ExoHand comes in two forms: as the extremity of a robotic arm or a wearable exoskeleton glove. The system is designed so that the glove can aid assembly line workers performing repetitive tasks with their hands or be used for the remote manipulation of the robotic arm by a user wearing the glove.

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Monday, July 9, 2012

The Closest Robotic Legs Have Ever Gotten To Mimicking Human Gait



Video: The Closest Robotic Legs Have Ever Gotten To Mimicking Human Gait -- Popular Science

Getting a robot to walk is doable. Getting it to walk exactly like a human? Not so easy. But now we're getting there, with researchers from the University of Arizona unveiling a first-of-its-kind set of biologically accurate robot legs.

To make it possible, researchers set up a fake half-center, a simple neural network of two neurons that fire interchangeably, producing the rhythm of human walking, while sensors in the robot send feedback about its environment. Researchers believe babies might operate on a similar half-center system, even before they walk, and that a half-center might be what provides a framework for people with spinal cord injuries to re-learn how to walk.

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My Comment:
Getting better with each new development.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

A Music-Robot Companion

Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. (Credit: Image courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology)

Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2012) — Wedding DJs everywhere should be worried about job security now that a new robot is on the scene.

Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Tech's Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive "musical buddy."

Read more ....

My Comment: Wow .... they have gone a long way on enhancing our appreciation for music.