http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/817277&feedurl=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/rss/&autostart=false&brandname=CrunchGear&brandlink=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/ While it’s no Nintendo R.O.B., National Instruments is showing off a robotic arm using its proprietary control system that can accept inputs from almost anything, including the Wiimote. Not much else to say but it is cool to say there is finally a robot add-on to the Wii, even if it can squeeze your eyeballs out of your head. → Read More
Click To Play Powercast exhibited their power transmission technologies by “shooting” LEDs with energy and making them light up. These guys make the CES rounds so we’ve seen them before but their plan here is to embed their technology into wireless robots and simply send the power along with the control commands as the robots traverse scary terrain. So far they can replace a set of 4 AAA batteries, depending on the situation and implementation. → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/817156&feedurl=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/rss/&autostart=false&brandname=CrunchGear&brandlink=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/ National Instruments makes the code inside Lego Mindstorms. Lego Mindstorms hurts me. Kill National Instruments. Kill! → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/817262&feedurl=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/rss/&autostart=false&brandname=CrunchGear&brandlink=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/ This is a prototype of a wheel/track component that can change from wheel to track when the situation demands. The tracks have hooked treads that can pull the robot up a steep incline and it can right itself when it falls, something I discovered when it fell off of the ramp and I tried to catch it, almost cutting my poor, meaty hands. → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/817065&feedurl=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/rss/&autostart=false&brandname=CrunchGear&brandlink=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/ Sadly, this odd platform wasn’t working today due to firmware problems. However, as you can see from the video, it’s basically a moving platform that can move in any direction without turning. You can basically turn at a 90 degree angle while moving forward and the thing runs as if it were on rails. It’s a Segway prototype right now and can be embedded in almost any configuration, including this odd table thing that never falls over. The devices move so smoothly it’s eerie. → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/817026&feedurl=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/rss/&autostart=false&brandname=CrunchGear&brandlink=http%3A//crunchgear.blip.tv/ Got to see CMU’s Snake Robot up close and it’s really something. The bugger rolls around the floor and can climb up pipes and through holes with ease and, in a vaguely David Lynch-ian sense, scares me yet excites me at the same time. This is just a prototype but it’s definitely cool to see it working in real life. This model was wired but it had enough mobility to coil around and climb a cardboard tube. Just think what it can do to your colon. → Read More
