This excellent little critterbot is far smaller than the other robots in use by the military, and is being considered as a way to scout possibly-hostile buildings and areas. I was skeptical of its usability until I saw its little flippers come out and get it up that curb. It looks simple but it was probably very difficult to get the weight and center of gravity right on this little thing. It weighs less than a pound and fits in a big cargo pocket.
Several of these guys can form a small network and report “findings” to each other and beam video back to whoever deployed them. They seem to be able to navigate surfaces pretty well, and if they make about a billion of them, they could be practically throw-away. They’re made by iRobot, of Roomba fame, which explains how it’s so good at getting around.
In other news, Brightcove needs to fix their embeds so they actually center and/or can be resized. Those of us who care about things like page layouts find the above configuration quite offensive, and if you check the source you’ll find it’s ignored div and resolution parameters.
[via Danger Room]