Robonaut 2 To Make Television Debut on Super Bowl Sunday

Robonaut 2. Credit: NASA

Robonaut 2, NASA's dexterous humanoid robot, will make its television debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011. Millions of viewers will be able to watch the state-of-the-art robot during a General Motors segment to air during the Super Bowl pre-game show on the Fox network.

Robonaut 2, or R2, was developed and built by NASA and General Motors via a Space Act Agreement. Using the latest technology, it's a new humanoid robot capable of working side-by-side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future R-2s could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants.

The two organizations, with the help of engineers from Oceaneering Space Systems of Houston, developed and built the current iteration of Robonaut. Robonaut 2, or R2, is a faster, more dexterous and more technologically advanced robot. Its capabilities include the use of fully-functional hands and arms to do work beyond the scope of prior humanoid machines.

Like its predecessor Robonaut 1, R2 is capable of handling a wide range of tools and interfaces, but R2 is a significant advancement over its predecessor. R2 is capable of speeds more than four times faster than R1, is more compact, is more dexterous, and includes a deeper and wider range of sensing.

Advanced technology spans the entire R2 system and includes: optimized overlapping dual arm dexterous workspace, series elastic joint technology, extended finger and thumb travel, miniaturized 6-axis load cells, redundant force sensing, ultra-high speed joint controllers, extreme neck travel, and high resolution camera and IR systems. The dexterity of R2 allows it to use the same tools that astronauts use and removes the need for specialized tools just for robots.

One advantage of a humanoid design is that Robonaut can take over simple, repetitive, or especially dangerous tasks on places such as the International Space Station.

Source: Reprinted news release via NASA

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Rest In Peace Sony Rolly, The Dancing Music Player

Remember the Sony Rolly, that cute robotic device that could play music and dance at the same time? Well, it wasn't long ago that Sony was marketing the device with very high expectations. However, with the price tag of around $400, and just 2GB of space, plus the sucky dance automation AI, it was tragically a flop. If you wanted your Rolly to dance as good as Michael Jackson, you had to learn how to use the Choreography software that came with it.

May you rest in peace, Sony Rolly



Image: Chen Hao Hsuan

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Attack Of The Coca-Cola Vending Machine Robot [Video]

Okay, Wtf? In this Japanese video there is a Coca-Cola vending machine robot that likes to blow crap up and protect the nation from evil. Seriously, this is obviously a commercial, but what are they trying to portray? Coca-Cola saves the day? The video series was created in Tokyo back in 2007 as part of a promotional campaign for Coca-Cola. They also had a man in a suit that walked around town scaring away small children.



Image: Sanchome
Via: Laughingsquid and Singularityhub

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NASA Tests New Propulsion System For Robotic Lander Prototype

The robotic lander prototype's propulsion system, shown during a hot-fire test. Credit: Dynetics Corp.

NASA's Robotic Lunar Lander Development Project at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has completed a series of hot fire tests and taken delivery of a new propulsion system for integration into a more sophisticated free-flying autonomous robotic lander prototype. The project is partnered with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., to develop a new generation of small, smart, versatile robotic landers to achieve scientific and exploration goals on the surface of the moon and near-Earth asteroids.

The new robotic lander prototype will continue to mature the development of a robotic lander capability by bringing online an autonomous flying test lander that will be capable of flying up to sixty seconds, testing the guidance, navigation and control system by demonstrating a controlled landing in a simulated low gravity environment.

By the spring of 2011, the new prototype lander will begin flight tests at the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal Test Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The prototype’s new propulsion system consists of 12 small attitude control thrusters, three primary descent thrusters to control the vehicle’s altitude, and one large "gravity-canceling" thruster which offsets a portion of the prototype’s weight to simulate a lower gravity environment, like that of the moon and asteroids. The prototype uses a green propellant, hydrogen peroxide, in a stronger concentration of a solution commonly used in homes as a disinfectant. The by-products after use are water and oxygen.

"The propulsion hardware acceptance test consisted of a series of tests that verified the performance of each thruster in the propulsion system," said Julie Bassler, Robotic Lunar Lander Development Project Manager. "The series culminated in a test that characterized the entire system by running a scripted set of thruster firings based on a flight scenario simulation."

The propulsion system is currently at Teledyne Brown’s manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Ala., for integration with the structure and avionics to complete the new robotic lander prototype. Dynetics Corp. developed the robotic lander prototype propulsion system under the management of the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation both located in Huntsville, Ala.

"This is the second phase of a robotic lander prototype development program," said Bassler. "Our initial "cold gas" prototype was built, delivered and successfully flight tested at the Marshall Center in a record nine months, providing a physical and tangible demonstration of capabilities related to the critical terminal descent and landing phases for an airless body mission."

The first robotic lander prototype has a record flight time of ten seconds and descended from three meters altitude. This first robotic lander prototype began flight tests in September 2009 and has completed 142 flight tests, providing a platform to develop and test algorithms, sensors, avionics, ground and flight software and ground systems to support autonomous landings on airless bodies, where aero-braking and parachutes are not options.

For more photos of the hardware visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/roboticlander


For more information about NASA visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

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Robotic Mouse Finds Its Way Through A Maze In 5.5 Seconds [Video]

Have a hard time finding your way through huge mazes? Could you run through a maze in 5.5 seconds? I don't think so. When it comes to everything (so it seems), robots, of course, do it better.

Watch as this little robotic mouse things makes its way through a huge maze in 5.5 seconds. I guess it's part of some competition they play in Japan. Fun times.




Via Dvice

Click here for more sweet vids

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Echo The Flying Robot Quadrotor Plays Jingle Bells On The Piano [Video]

Echo decided to get some creative juices flying and perform for us some Jingle Bells on his favorite keyboard.

Echo is a flying robot of the quadrotor kind. He has a solid black frame and 5 sexy sets of blades. Any fembots interested? He's single!

Echo was filmed at Flying Machines Arena in Switzerland by Sergei Lupashin, Markus Hehn, Angela Schöllig and Raffaello D'Andrea.



 Via Gawker


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Michio Kaku On Transferring Human Consciousness Into Robots [Video]

Here is a video of Michio Kaku discussing the idea to transfer human consciousness into robots. The concept could theoretically make us immortal, given that your consciousness is literally teleported to another location and not copied. However, we still need to answer the age old question:

What exactly is human consciousness?




Via BigThink

Check out Michio Kaku's latest book Physics of the Impossible.


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Scientists Building Computers That Can Understand Human Emotions

Cambridge University professor, Peter Robinson and his team are developing computers that can read human emotions.

"We're building emotionally intelligent computers, ones that can read my mind and know how I feel," Professor Robinson says. "Computers are really good at understanding what someone is typing or even saying. But they need to understand not just what I'm saying, but how I'm saying it."

Here is a video documentary explaining the process:


I guess in the future there will be no need for human to human contact? If computers can read your emotions and behave in a way that simulates a human being; who needs friends? Hm, I can imagine this technology being used to replace psychologists in the far future, can't you?

Hehe, that would be funny. That is until the created turn on the creators and with there new found knowledge of the entire human psyche, what could stop them?

Source: Cambridge University

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Robot Beethoven Plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star On The Piano [Video]

This Robonova Humanoid robot is a natural at the piano. He was taught by Drexel University Music Entertainment Technology Lab student, Alyssa Batula. Watch as he elegantly displays his musical talent with a performance of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.




Don't you find this extremely adorable?

Via Botjunkie

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Is Santa Going To Be Replaced By Robots?

Well, it's that time of year again. The shopping, the eggnog, the cookies and the dread of the future family gathering. Lets stop right here and take a step back for a moment and think about the man behind the Christmas cheer; Santa Claus. Do you ever think about what Santa thinks about Christmas? Don't you think he may be getting a bit tired of the cookies and milk and the thousands of dirty diapers staining his beautiful red pants? I think so. That's why I propose that robots take his place!

Is Santa really going to be replaced by robots? Hey, it could happen but probably won't. I think the old man deserves to retire.

Watch these videos and see how these robots get their "ho" on.






Merry Christmas everyone!

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Guy Makes $1,000 Mecha Walker Halloween Costume

What would you do if you had an extra $1,000 laying around? Would you spend it on booze?  Would you spend it on dirty magazines?

How about spending it on creating the coolest robot Halloween costume ever!

That's exactly what DrWormsie did for Halloween this year (2010). He spent countless hours and over 1 grand to create the robot costume of his dreams. He also created a little accompanying costume for his wife. I bet every child in the world wishes this couple was their parents!

I hope the amount of candy he received from trick or treating made up for the effort he put into this!


The costs of materials he used:
"Sheet metal, aircraft aluminum, and other parts: $600.
Rivets, bolts, hardware: $250.
Tool purchases/rentals: $200.
Spraypaint: $90.
Truck rental to carry costume: $210.
Hours: 250+.
Looking like you could take down a tank: priceless."

Some photos of him and his wife in their costumes


Watch him take the robot costume for a stroll

 [Gizmodo]

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Panasonic’s Hospital Delivery Robot To Begin New Trials In 2011

New trials for Panasonic's Hospital Delivery Robot (HOSPI) are set to take place in January, 2011 at the Matsuhita Memorial Hospital in Japan. Since its creation back in 2004, HOSPI has been upgraded with some new improvements. It now has the ability to ride elevators all by itself, can plot its own route through a building, and has better obstacle detection.

The question still remains, do people want to robots involved with medical care? (Read: This Robot Can Wash Your Hair While Squeezing Out Your Brains)

The sales of this robot are not doing so hot. So they gave it some updates and let Matsuhita Memorial Hospital put it to trial. For the record, Matsuhita is Panasonic's parent company. If it fails the trials, the future of HOSPI is extremely bleak.

The hospital plans to start the trials by deploying 2 robots that will work the nigh-shift. In April, 2011, they hope to deploy another 2 robots for the daytime.

The robots will be used to help transport drugs throughout the hospital. The work will supposedly ease a big burden for hospital employees that normally have to slave the drugs around. Is this the future of medical care? Using robots to do the slave work?
 [PlasticPals]

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Igaa-san's 4-legged 4-wheeled Spider-like Robot

If you're in the mood for a cool little robot, you need to check out Igaa-san's latest prototype. It's nothing groundbreaking but it's very very cool.

If you have seen the Tachikoma mecha robot that was made for Ghost in the Shell, you will notice that Igaa-san's robot is pretty similar.

The robot is unnamed and still needs some cosmetic work, though, he's planning on giving it a face lift sometime in the future. It's also relatively small, about the size of those RC cars you find at toy stores.

The movement, which I think is a lot like a spider, comes from its four legs that all have wheels attached to them for feet. Watch the video below and see what only a couple of days of motion programming can do. It's neat!



Now, it's nothing spectacular or groundbreaking, but, I have to say, I find it rather amusing. What do you think?

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The Singing And Dancing Human-like Robot 'HRP-4C'

The HRP-4C Japanese humanoid robot has one special talent. It can sing! The robot was demonstrated at Japan's CEATEC (Comprehensive IT and Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition) 2010 trade show and was developed by AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology).

The singing robot, which is nicknamed "Diva Bot", can sing beautifully while making extremely realistic facial expressions. She is about five feet, two inches tall and sings so damn well, she may make Simon Cowell think twice about leaving American Idol.

To make Miss Divabot (maybe it's a Mrs., who knows.) look so realistic while singing, she uses a new technology created by researchers, called Vocawatcher. Vocawatcher records video of a real human singer and translates the facial expressions directly into HRP-4C. So when a singer opens their mouth, blinks or moves an eyebrow,  the robot will copy the movements.

For the singing sound, the robot uses another new technology called VocalListener, which takes sound and synthesizes it into a computer. It's like one of those voice changing toys for kids, just way better. Last year (2009) they used Vocaloid, a voice synthesizer created by Yamaha but this year they decided to take it up a notch with VocalListener.

The video explains it all.



Is it just me or is this the type of thing that comes and eats out your brains in the middle of the night? I mean, don't get me wrong, I find this robot very attractive. But she is also so freaking scary at the same time!

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Upgraded 'XOS 2' Robotic Suit Is One Step Closer To 'Iron Man'

Do you want an Iron Man suit of your own? If you do. Join the club!

How about the next best thing?

Meet the Raytheon XOS 2, a wearable exoskeleton robotic suit that can climb stairs, lift upwards of 200 pounds, walk at speeds up to 3.5mph and punch through 3 inches of solid wood! It's no Iron Man, but is still damn awesome! Que AC/DC music.

The Raytheon XOS 2 is the second, upgraded version of the previous XOS 1, which was owned by Sacros at that time. Raytheon (a major US defense contractor) bought the company and gave the exoskeleton robot some really nifty upgrades.

The first thing they changed was the power consumption. It now uses 50% less power and is lighter, faster, stronger than its previous version. Even with the power consumtion reduced, the suit's biggest problem is still its power source. For the time being, it will need to be tethered to a cable for power. However, Raytheon plans to develop some kind of internal engine, eventually.

The suit was designed to help out by enabling soldiers to lift things without getting tired. Repeated lifting can put strain on the human body, causing injuries. One person operating the suit can do the work equivalent to about 3 soldiers. 

You could expect see the XOS 2 on a soldier in about 5 years. Watch the video below to get a better view of the thing. If the idea of a robotic suits gives you the chills. Here are some words of advice:

Human life is destined to be destroyed by autonomous robots no matter what. So don't worry, enjoy the ride!


Source: Nextbigfuture

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This Robot Can Wash Your Hair While Squeezing Out Your Brains

The hair washing robot by Panasonic. Credit: Panasonic

You wake up one morning to find out that your local barber is on vacation. You look in the mirror. You brush your teeth. You look in the mirror again. You say, "wow, I look like shit, my hair is nasty!"

The only problem is... no barber = no nothing.

You make one last phone call to the same barber hoping that he/she will miraculously be back from vacation.

This time, you do get an answer.

It's Panasonic's hair washing robot! That's right, it's a robot that can wash your hair! Finally we can rejoice for the world is now whole! Like washing your hair has been such a hassle for centuries. Ha!

The robot comes with a nice reclining chair. It has 16 mechatronic (human-like) fingers that can rinse and gently wash your hair. It has the ability to personally memorize user data, meaning it will remember you. The 2 arms that will scan a 3D image of your head will make sure it doesn't squeeze out your brains. No worries.

The robot was designed to help ease the burden on health care workers. Since many patients can't always be attended to, for like shampooing and such. The robot will provide those services so health care workers won't have too. It's all about making life better for the elderly and disabled. I guess in Japan, they have a hard time keeping up with the requests from in need patients. One little mistake and out goes the dentures!

I'm not sure if humanity's robot technology is good enough to take care of the elderly. The elderly deserve the nurturing of real people. Not robots. That's my opinion.

To dye or not to die. That is the question...

Source: Engadget

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Cute Little Robot Making 300 Mile Trek Across Japan

The Evolta mascot will make a 300 mile (500-kilometer) trek across Japan from Tokyo to Kyroto as a publicity stunt to help promote Panasonic's Evolta batteries.

Cute little, Evolta. Credit: Sankei News, Panasonic

The robot was created by Tomotaka Takahashi, founder of the Japanese company Robo Garage. It weighs a whopping of 2.2 pounds and is powered by 12 AA batteries. The robot can travel at speeds of around 2-3 miles per hour. At those super sonic speeds, it is estimated that his 300 mile journey will take him about 49 days. That is, if he makes it. The thing is only 7 inches tall and 16 inches long. It's like the size of a Chihuahua. I hope he looks both ways before crossing the street! Ouch!

It's not the first time this cute little robot has made a journey that would rival the energizer bunny.

Back in May 2008, the thing climbed up a 1,740 foot rope from the bottom of the Grand Canyon! Also, in August of 2009 it walked for 24 hours straight at the Le Mans race circuit and completed 14.8 miles. Take that energizer bunny!


The day before Evolta left on its journey.


Evolta left on September 23, 2010 and should arrive in Kyoto on December 10, 2010. If all things go as planned. The journey is dubbed Evolta World Challenge 3.

Catch the thing doing its thing live on ustream here, and follow its tweets here. Further reading - Pinktentacle.

Do you think it's going to make it?

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Humanoid Robot 'Core' In Development

The latest thing in humanoid robot technology is being developed by the guys from Japan's Chiba Institute of Technology. This robot, named "Core," can carry roughly 220 pounds
(100 kg)-- is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs in at 507 pounds (230 kg). It can also absorb 80% of its own floor impact to help it walk smoothly.

The model is a prototype of what they hope to develop into a robot that can carry disabled people and be of some help in a work environment.

Core strikes me as being very similar to the humanoid robots in the movies Avatar and Alien. And almost resembles one of those walkers on Star Wars.

I strongly feel this technology is the first step in that kind of direction. I know "Core" is only legs right now, but when this thing gets mastered, they will only keep developing it further. Eventually, I think something like this will be the foundation for humanoid robotics in the future. Let's just hope the Military doesn't get a hold of this. If that happens, we may all be screwed. Skynet (hint hint).

Eh, we probably don't need to be taking it that extreme quite yet. The guys at Chiba say "Core" should be ready in a couple years. So we have some time before we need to panic...

Watch this video to see "Core" in motion.


Okay, on second thought... maybe we should start panicking?

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