BlogCadre - robots

Cameo Appearance Made by R2-D2 in 'Star Trek'

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:03:27 +0000

Gizmodo has spotted R2-D2 in the highly popular prequel Star Trek. It looks like the scene when the Enterprise trails behind the other Starships when warping to Vulcan and are surprised by wreckage when finally reaching the planet.

I've seen the movie both on big and small screen, but hadn't known about the R2-D2 cameo. I may have to watch it again.

Link via [Yahoo! Buzz Log & The Nerdery]

iRobot Creates Morphing Blob Robot

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:57:04 +0000

iRobot has developed a blob robot that is able to move by inflating and deflating ("jamming") itself.

As a new kind of chemical robot (or chembot), the blob bot has stretchy silicone skin, which is composed of multiple cellular compartments that each contain a "jammable slurry." When some of these cells are unjammed, and an actuator in the center of the robot is inflated, the robot inflates in the areas of the unjammed cells. By controlling which cells are unjammed, the researchers can change the shape of the robot and make it roll in a specific direction.

Link

Previously on BC:
iRobot Create: programmable robots for sale - Link

Giant Gundam found in Japan

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:24:14 +0000

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Gundam Mobile Suit robot franchise, this 18-meter Gundam will be on display from now to August 31. It is also part of Tokyo's campaign for the 2016 Olympics. Link to photo (via vtbarrera)

Related:
More information about the giant Gundam - Link

A Robot That Anticipates A Human's Reactions

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:44:57 +0000

It seems that the days of "Cylon" occupation are not far off...

Researchers from the JAST project have created a robot that is able to predict a human's intentions:

The JAST robotics partners have built a system that incorporates this capacity for observation and mirroring (resonance).

“In our experiments the robot is not observing to learn a task,” explains Wolfram Erlhagen from the University of Minho and one of the project consortium's research partners. “The JAST robots already know the task, but they observe behaviour, map it against the task, and quickly learn to anticipate [partner actions] or spot errors when the partner does not follow the correct or expected procedure.”

The robot was tested in a variety of settings. In one scenario, the robot was the 'teacher' - guiding and collaborating with human partners to build a complicated model toy. In another test, the robot and the human were on equal terms. “Our tests were to see whether the human and robot could coordinate their work,” Erlhagen continues. “Would the robot know what to do next without being told?”
By observing how its human partner grasped a tool or model part, for example, the robot was able to predict how its partner intended to use it. Clues like these helped the robot to anticipate what its partner might need next. “Anticipation permits fluid interaction,” says Erlhagen. “The robot does not have to see the outcome of the action before it is able to select the next item.”

The robots were also programmed to deal with suspected errors and seek clarification when their partners’ intentions were ambiguous. For example, if one piece could be used to build three different structures, the robot had to ask which object its partner had in mind.

Link to article and video (via MarkBrent)

Long-Exposure Shot of a Roomba's Path

Sat, 09 May 2009 21:51:23 +0000

Call me lame, but I find the above photo very fascinating. It is a long-exposure shot of a Roomba's cleaning path.

Signaltheorist did something really neat with a new Roomba he got. He shut off all of the lights in his room for 30 minutes and captured a long exposure of the path that the Roomba makes when it goes about cleaning the area. The resulting photo is a mess of circles and lines that somewhat resemble flight paths. I wonder what the paths would look like in a bigger room. I should get our Roomba out and see.

Link (via Gizmodo)

Brass robot smaller than a quarter

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:09:13 +0000

WJN milled this itty-bitty robot from a single piece of brass. What amazing craftsmanship. Link [via]

Crabfu's Swashbot 3

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:40:04 +0000

Crabfu has designed yet another Swashbot, called Swashbot3. It's still a three-legged robot based on R/C helicopter eccpm swash control, but this Swashbot has a more organic design. Check out the video here and photos here. (Thanks, I-Wei!)

Previously:
Swashbots
i-Wei Huang interviews with Star Wars Blog
Crabfu Steamworks happenings at Maker Faire 2007
Crabfu Steamworks, I-Wei Huang
Howto: Draw Steampunk Machines

Swashbots

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:10:37 +0000

Check out the newest creations, SwashBot1 and SwashBot2, made by I-Wei over at Crabfu Steamworks. They aren't his typical steam creations. SwashBots are three-legged robots based on R/C helicopter eccpm swash control. Link to photos and video. (Thanks, I-Wei!)

Previously:
i-Wei Huang interviews with Star Wars Blog
Crabfu Steamworks happenings at Maker Faire 2007
Crabu Steamworks, I-Wei Huang
Howto: Draw Steampunk Machines

Gort from "The Day The Earth Stood Still" up for auction

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:26:54 +0000

My husband and son would kill for this robot model of Gort from the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still" that is up for auction on eBay.

From BoingBoing:

Ths eight-foot-tall animatronic model of Gort, the robot from The Day The Earth Stood Still, is currently up for auction on eBay. According to the ad, "the robot hasn't been activated in years." So be careful! Current bid is $4051. From the auction listing:
Specifications:

* Created by Fred Barton Productions, Inc., hand assembled in the USA.
* Originally purchased from FBP, Inc., in 2003. Since then it has been on public display.
* Full size fiberglass reproduction. High quality, durable construction.
* Originally equipped with tilting visor with sound effects.
* Animatronics controlled by an infrared remote control.
* Dimensional specifications were obtained from the original robot.
* The original infrared controller is included.

Link.

My Little Blue Robot

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:36:03 +0000

This past Christmas Zachary received "My Little Blue Robot" by Stephen T. Johnson from his grandparents. It's a hands-on book that your 3- to 7-year-olds -- and even you -- will just love. Follow the directions on each page, pull out the cardboard parts of the robot, "screw" the robot parts together, and by the end your kiddo will have his very own walking and talking robot!

Zachary loves this book and has even named his robot "Marty". Attempts to take "Marty" apart and put him back into the book ends in tears, which definitely means this present was a winner. I love this book because it's both a fun and educational project to do with my son.

Even if you don't have any kids or they are all grown, you should still check out this book. It will bring out the kid in you.

Books by Stephen T. Johnson:
My Little Blue Robot - Amazon.com
My Little Red Toolbox - Amazon.com
My Little Yellow Taxi - Amazon.com

Yuki-taro, robot snowplow eats snow and poops bricks

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:31:39 +0000

Yuki-taro is a self-guided robot snowplow in Japan that uses GPS and cameras to eat up snow and poop out snow bricks. Link to video. [via meshly]

R2D2 Translator

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 05:11:50 +0000

Now you can speak R2D2 with this R2D2 Translator and even download the translation to your mobile phone. Link.

Previously:
R2D2 trash can, Transforming R2 Droid Robot

Cockroach Robots Infiltrate and Influence Cockroach Communities

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:15:21 +0000

They don't look much like cockroaches, but the robotic cockroaches created by Belgium researchers managed to infiltrate and influence cockroach colonies' behaviors.

Halloy and his colleagues suspected that a group decision emerges because every individual follows these simple rules: Wander around randomly, but spend more time in a place if you sense that it is (A) dark and (B) has other cockroaches.

So the researchers made sure their robotic cockroach could follow those rules. The robots had wheels, plus a light sensor and an infrared sensor to detect nearby roaches.

When they put these robots in with the living roaches, they all began to interact. Before long, the robots and cockroaches were huddled together under the same roof. "The robots and the cockroaches behave as a group," Halloy said.

So then the scientists decided to reprogram the robots and change one of their rules. "We change their preference for darkness," Halloy said. "We make the robots prefer lighter places than darker ones."

And they presented the group of robots and roaches with two shelters. One was dark, and one was light.

What the scientists found was that the whole group would generally end up resting in the brighter place, even though normally roaches would prefer a darker one.

The experiment, published in the journal Science, showed that just a few individuals can dramatically alter the behavior of the whole group.

Link [via digg]

Transforming R2 Droid Robot

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 04:10:25 +0000

Jason over at meshly writes:

Craig from the Twin Cities Robotics Group demonstrated his homemade R2-D2 droid at Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry.

Here's a link to the video. Check out how it's able to transform to and from biped and 3 wheel mode.

Previously:
I-Wei Huang interviews with Star Wars Blog

Beauto, a DIY Roomba Alternative

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:48:41 +0000

Beauto is a Roomba alternative that you building yourself. It runs on 4 AAA batteries and can be hacked to become battle-bots or moving display cases for your favorite stuffed animal. Product page (Japanese)