Not all robots are being made to look like humans, after all. But its funny how it is those humanoid robots that usually get the attention. There are robots developed that don’t seem to capture the imagination of people, even though they might be more useful in a number of situations. Just consider this new Recon Scout Throwbot, a far from the usual design for what others may call a robot, but a useful robot … Read More » 

It is certainly interesting that people can now use robots to do some of the housework nowadays. They may not yet look like those conventional humanoid robots that you see in the movies, but the robots that do some of the housework today may just be as effective. One such example is the iRobot Scooba 230, the floor mopping robot.
The iRobot Scooba 230 is somewhat the relative of the Roomba Robot Vacuum. But this ti… Read More » 

Humans never stop at developing stuff that would make life easier for them. We have seen the most innovative inventions and even the craziest novelty items. And in this post, we see what could be the future of farming.
Meet Prospero, a seed-planting robot. It has a Parallax Propeller chip mounted on a Schmart Board, enabling it to navigate in any direction and avoid getting bumped into obstructions. The robot h… Read More » 

As we all know, robotics is serious business in Japan with different companies trying to outdo other companies’ robots with newer functions and updated intellect. One such robot that is in the running is the mini humanoid PALRO made by Fuji Soft, which is now being developed to speak in English. And we mean not just talk, it can actually converse with humans.
Apart from its female voice, PALRO features 20 j… Read More » 

For people who have nothing to do while sitting bored at their office desk, having something to play with may come in handy. But some people may not interested with just about any toy. For those who look for advanced toys to play with, they may want to check out this new Trekbot Robotic Micro Racer by Desk Pets International.
The Trekbot Robotic Micro Racer is a hubless wheeled robot that you can play around using… Read More » 

At a recent trade expo, Fujitsu unveils their “social robots” that appear as innocent teddy bears on the outside, but have a pretty sophisticated design on the inside. The bears have 12 joints, multiple touch sensors, microphones, speakers, and accelerometers.
The robots have sensors built into their noses, which detects human movement and responds to certain actions. Waving your hand in front of the … Read More » 

The Tokyo Summerland theme park has a newest attraction in the form of a very cute robot that serves ice cream. Yaskawa-kun automatically prepares and serves frozen delights to curious park patrons.
Customers select what they want on the touch screen, from the size of the cone, the sauce, and toppings. After paying, a delightful rendition of The Prelude from Carmen by Georges Bizet sung with praises for the robot… Read More » 

Squse, a Kyoto-based company, revealed the robotic hand they have developed. The Robot Hand H-Type looks and moves very similar to a human hand, with “bones” made of polycarbonate and “skin” made of silicon rubber. The hand alone weighs 340 grams and can lift objects up to 1.5 kilograms. It moves with the help of 16 joints and 22 actuators.
The Robot Hand H-Type is primarily marketed for… Read More » 

There have been progress to aid wheelchair-bound people with their daily lives during the past decades, but still not all buildings have ramps, not all elevators can accommodate a wheelchair, they still could not climb stairs, and the sidewalks are still not friendly to people on wheels.
But a pair of robotic legs could just be savior to the paraplegic. A New Zealand-based company has been developing the Rex exos… Read More » 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled a new Asimo-like robot, which they intend to use in “sensitive jobs,” according to government newspapers. The report did not elaborate what the robot can do apart from dragging its feet across the floor.
Soorena-2, which was named after an ancient Persian warrior, measures 1.45 meters (4 feet 9 inches) in height and weighs 45 kilograms (almost 100 pounds). It wa… Read More » 

A newer version of the EMIEW2 (Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate2) humanoid robot by Hitachi has been introduced with a series of videos demonstrating its smoother movement. It can now scoot around on uneven ground, as long as the bumps are up to 1.5 centimeters high, thanks to its new “adaptive suspension control.” The robot can also recognize and distinguish different human voices (t… Read More » 

The University of Bonn’s Autonomous Intelligent Systems Lab has come up with an “omnidirectional mobile robot” that moves around using four Roombas. To keep the Roomba QuadDrive from walking at the direction where dirt is located, each Roombas is equipped with a Robotis Dynamixel RX-64 servo for steering purposes.
According to the AIS Lab, the QuadDrive can support loads up to 20 kilos and can move at a … Read More » 

The Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR) in Japan has unveiled its robotic creation that can be controlled using an iPod Touch (either by WiFi or touching the screen).  The robovie mR2 stands 30 centimeters and weighs about 2 kilograms.  According to ATR, this cutesy-sounding robot (who is a “he,” by the way) can “use information gathered with the iPod by means of gestu… Read More » 

Robots powered by smartphones are nothing new, but robots powered by Nokia smartphones are a rarity.  Make has recently introduced Niko, a robot made from Lego Mindstorm NEXT 2.0 components and uses a Nokia N900 as its brain.
This video shows Niko roving around and taking photos whenever it bumps into objects.  It can now also accept commands and post messages and photos on Twitter .  Of course, t… Read More »