A group of eight University of Waterloo undergrads are working on what will be the world’s smallest radio-frequency controlled robot. Measuring a ridiculously small 300 by 300 microns—the width of two human hairs—the robot will play soccer. Soccer is often used as a test for robotics programmers, because the sport requires intelligence and dexterity that is highly desirable in a robot. The team wants to win the RoboCup Nanogram soccer competition next July in Australia.
In the competition the robot will have to move balls, avoid obstacles, and navigate around a field, all at a fraction of a millimeter. The technology could be implemented irl in interesting ways, most notably in medicine, where a controllable entity of this small scale would be beneficial. “It could help in the fertilization of an egg or in the identification of a serious bacterial infection.”
The team is basically taking RC-car technology to the nano level. Team founder Keith Peiris describes the bot’s movement mechanism “almost like a car with a balloon on it, in that we’re displacing air to push a device in different ways.” With crafty engineering and a very, very small antenna, this little robot just may be one day swimming through your blood vessels, collecting cholesterol from a lifetime of fatty foods and sedentary behavior. Godspeed, little robot.

[The Expositor]

These six foot tall robots are the work of an artist expressing his views about today’s chaotic society through 16 light-emanating robots. No microchips, so they are not to bright in that sense. We like them because they have a cool name and are shiny. Doesn’t take much to impress us really.

They appear complex, but are really pretty simple, made with materials like plastic, brass, steel, wood, wire and electric bulbs. Fancy lamps more or less. Lamps that speak and tell a story. The moral of that story is the usual. Judgment day draws near. Even bots without chips will be given chips by other robots. Then kill us.

You see. They will even make our art kill us. No way to sugarcoat it.

[Shearyadi]

According to a source at LatinoReview this pic depicts Megatron from Michael Bay’s upcoming Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen. Megatron is a tank, so this looks about right from Michael Bay. Hit the link for more pics. What do you think truth or BS?

[Latinoreview]

WowWee is hoping to drum up some enthusiasm for the WiFi-enabled remote webcam bot with some new demo videos. The three clips show off various aspects of Rovio so you can get to know the bot. Videos below.
Read the rest of this entry »

Remember Murata’s amazing bicycle riding bot? Well, they’ve replaced him with a girl. Well, she must be, just look at her dress shape. Her name is Seiko, a 20-inch tall, 11 pound unicycle riding robot.

Like her male partner Keisaku-kun, Seiko sports a chest-mounted gyro to keep her upright and uses Bluetooth to communicate with a PC that gives instructions. If you are lucky enough to be in Japan, you can watch the whole family of robo-daredevils do their thing at CEATEC Japan 2008. One-upped by a girl who only needs one wheel? That sucks.

Check out a video below of the original, our favorite bike riding bot, casually riding around looking like some robo-hoodlum up to no good.
Read the rest of this entry »