Robotics

This one is blowing my mind, so see if you can follow along. Toyota today announced a “partner robot” that is supposed to help carry you around. Also known as a PTA (Personal Transportation Assistant), you could think of it as a Segway with AI. It’s called the Winglet and it will come in three different models: The “L”, “M” ...

This robot may not be well versed enough in sports to partake in Robot Soccer, but it’s certainly lazy enough to be a sports fan. With three different modes of control: universal remote, beacon navigation, and thermal sensor following, the RoboStool tries its best to find you, so it can take the weight off your feet or die trying. Labeled ...

Toilet paper isn’t exactly the most exciting thing in a household. I’d say it borders somewhere above Q-tips and below the dishtowel. Now you can spice up your bathroom with this $50 TP holder from Japan. It’s called the Airyusha Robotan Toilet Paper Holder and comes in either black, red, yellow or silver/metallic. Made from ceramic, the toilet paper is ...

Japanese mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo is experimenting with this mind boggling approach to mobile device control that’s sure to give anyone an eye headache worse than TV coming through your glasses. How does it work? Firstly, no hands are needed. Simply move your eyes up or down to raise volume, accordingly. To skip a track, look right twice. Currently, ...

Crazy people are an endless source of entertainment. One of the best nutcases I’ve come across recently who mutters to himself and makes garbage robots like the one pictured above at a cafe near my house.

Dong Han Kim and his team at the Seoul National University of Technology in South Korea have designed a robot that can jump up stairs using two empty plastic soda bottles. In spite of all the amazing crap robots can do, they often have trouble navigating steps. Kim’s ScoutRobot solves this problem with an aluminum cylinder that blasts compressed air ...

We like art. Whether it be fusing plastics together, or building an impressive LEGO display inspired by Terminator, art is art. Especially if it’s art inspired by robotics, like these City Foundry Bots. Graphic designer and illustrator Juan Carlos Federico creates some fascinating digital collages that resemble living creatures gone robotic. They’ve ditched their organic ways for a body of ...

Art Institute of Chicago’s Ed Bennett has designed the ArtBus, a hardware bus and communications protocol for low speed and low data rate command with control of discrete sensors and actuators. It is useful for small embedded systems in kinetic, robotic, installation art or design projects, like Vince’s Arduino sound project, or Ard-e The Arduino Robot. Though, it is a ...

Happen to be in the New York City area? Then check out the robots on display at the City Foundry, 365 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. These robot sculptures were created by Gordon Bennett out of a mixture of random objects found which are both old and new. These aren’t robotic bartenders trying to get you drunk so they ...

For those not familiar with the Facebook application Cityware, it uses Bluetooth technology to monitor tens of thousands of people around the world via their mobile phone and then dumps the data on Facebook. The best part? None of these people give their consent to be monitored. You say your boyfriend got the sweats when you asked him how The ...