Robotics

Every exoskeleton concept we’ve seen has been made for adults. What about the children? What about their fragile bones and muscles? Hell, if we had exokeletons for kids we could get them into the workforce by the age of 6. The 5.25 foot tall Kid’s Walker is a snack-sized bipedal robot suit for kiddos. At first glance it might seem ...

When you need to tidy up after the incineration of a Jedi’s corpse, there’s only one vacuum cleaner powerful enough to withstand the midichlorian count of such a powerful master is the R2VAC2, rendered by DeviantArt user Agent-Spiff. You don’t even want to know where C-3PO’s nozzle hose is located. Link [via]

York University engineers have been experimenting with their cute underwater robots for a few months now, but this is the first time we get to see the little guys in action. These Aqua robots are controlled through tablet computers shielded with a waterproof shell. The tablets are operated by trained divers who can get a robots-eye-view of the ocean from ...

First there was Shawn Michaels and The Rock, now prepare for SHN MC-LS and The Metal. Dekinnoka takes the concept of professional wrestling, a la the WWE, and turns it on its big fat non-metallic head. Broadcast live online from Ustream TV, Japanese Professional Robot Wrestling pairs machine against machine, programmer against programmer, robot against robot. The next scheduled show ...

Audi has taken over London’s Trafalgar Square for the next week, transforming it into “an interactive message center” called Outrace. Eight giant, industrial robots from Audi’s production line will have LED lights attached to their arms. The robots will use the LEDs to scrawl messages in the air, much to the pleasure of the onlookers. But there is so much ...

Scientists for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences of the University of California at Berkeley have created an electronic skin that can give robots an almost human-esque sense of touch for the first time in technological history. The pressure-sensitive skin, made using germanium and silicon, is controlled via built-in capacitors which interpret changes in the skin�s thickness. Depending ...

General Electric engineer Ralph Mosher created Hardiman, the first serious attempt at creating a robotic exoskeleton that could transform a human into a super-powerful cyborg. Hardiman allowed the average person to be able to lift over 1500 lbs without a struggle. Unfortunately the exoskeleton weighed in at three-quarters of a ton, not to mention working the legs meant uncomfortably herky-jerking ...

With how frequently a single sock goes missing in my house, I’m not sure what good a sock matching robot would be, but the concept is a novel one. UC Berkeley researchers programmed the PR2 robot to not only match up pairs of socks, but to also flip the inside out socks back to their outside in form. The robot ...

Things just haven’t been the same at the annual family picnic since Uncle Charlie passed away. The way he ruffled my hair every year like I was still seven. The hard gravel of his nicotine stained voice. The waft of tobacco and cheap cologne that would stick to the walls for months following his visits. Nope, things just aren’t the ...

Japan’s newest media darling, unlike similar stars in the U.S., is famous for all the right reason. He puts a smile on the face of Japanese children and he makes ice cream. No meltdowns (at least none that aren’t caused by actual heat), no drunken photographs. Just the promise of sweets and a fun robotic show. Lovingly called Yaskawa-kun by ...