Robots are pretty powerful, but they can’t defend themselves against customs in Seattle. 17,600 NFL toy robot figures similar to the one shown here were seized at customs recently.

The toys were made in China Where else?) and found to have 6 times the acceptable level of lead in them. So they won’t be invading American homes anytime soon. The toys are valued at about $96,000 and will be completely destroyed.

[Robotliving]

This Heineken Bot” was made by the folks at Middlesex University and he recently showed up at the Kinetica Art Fair in London. If humans move their hands above its sonar-sensing head, and then place a cup in its holder they will be rewarded with some beer.

After he serves up the good stuff, he continues to wander along a pre-programmed path, waiting on others.

[Engadget]

A small German shop by the name of General Robots has designed some pretty intense, wooden robots that will smoke up your place. What looks to be hand-carved, the wooden robot is rigged with an incense burner, in the place of its spine. I’m not sure how it works, but the top half of the body is removable from the bottom half, so the incense stick can be placed. Where it gets the oxygen when the top half is placed back on, is what i don’t know. Standing at only 6 inches tall, it costs €39.90.

[Technabob]

Tichno is a robot built by Vstone, that is meant to advertise for window stores. Usually Vstone develops robots that are meant for hobbyist to robots that are champions of the Robocup, but now they are reaching out to the advertising field. Tichno advertises by dancing, singing, talking, and doing other gestures such as hand waves.

Tichno is designed with an outer shell that is androgynous, so it can be determined to be a male or a female, depending on the customizable suit. The control board is identical to the ones of the DIY kits, but Tichno is 130cm and weighs 26kg, including 22 DOF. It is equipped with built-in speakers and a voice recorder, allowing it to play pre-recorded messages and songs, which it can dance to. The price is unknown, but there’s expected to be a cheaper version along with this one. Watch Tichno demonstrate its skills.

[PP]

The folks over at Engadget got some hands on time with the Robonica Roboni-i. Since becoming available, the price has gone from $299.95 to $159.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer. So what did they think?

In general they like it. Control is easy, but the turning could be better. At the current price, many people can only buy one unit, which is obviously not as entertaining as two. All in all they seemed to have a good time with the little bugger. Hit the link for the full review.

[Engadget]

DARPA has put up an interesting job posting. It involves a new research and development program called ARM. DARPA wants to build a robot that can use its arms to autonomously grasp objects.

The robot should be able to “hold an inert grenade with one hand, and pull the pin with the other hand” without any help from humans. The human who is the target should be able to leap up in the air, paddle his feet furiously and then zip away like Bug Bunny.

Thanks DARPA. You sure don’t make it easy to sleep at night.

[PP]

We’ve seen several bots adept at the twists and turns of Rubick’s Cube and this guy is the latest. It uses Lego Mindstorms parts, a Lego programmable robotics kit and even a Nokia N95 mobile phone.

The ARM armed Nokia N95 sits above the cube, scanning it with its camera as it solves the puzzle. Interesting take on a cube solving bot.

[Gizmodo]

The exhibition is titled “I… You… We… Robot: A Visual Homage To Our Inner Geek”. This is robot art at it’s coolest, featuring artwork inspired by robots in various mediums, by over 70 artists. The exhibition is up from Jan. 29 to Feb. 10 at Space 242 in Boston. Gallery hours are Friday evenings 6:30-8pm and Saturdays 11:30am-1pm.

[io9]

Check out this awesome robot toy. Not every toy will give you robot guts. The Crystal Nekosaur is 6 inches tall, and comes with a paper insert that creates the illusion. He’ll cost you $79 and was designed by Alen Yen. It looks badass.

[BB]

In a recent TED talk, Dr. Dennis Hong talks about some of the creepier candidates in the world of robots, including the spider-like STRiDER and the amoeboid ChIMERA (Chemically Induced Motion Everting Robotic Amoeba).

ChiMERA achieves locomotion by moving its silicone skin and can squeeze through spaces half its diameter, and travels up to half a meter per second. It could be powered by chemical actuation, electroactive polymers, and air-driven tubes. Video below.

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