Diffbot, the super-geeky/awesome visual learning robot technology which aims to “see” the web the way that people do, is today announcing a new infusion of capital. The company has closed $2 million in funding from a number of technology veterans, including EarthLink founder Sky Dayton; Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems; Joi Ito, Director of MIT Media Lab; Brad Garlinghouse, CEO… → Read More
I’ve been following Autom for years now, first interfacing with this happy little robot in China and then watching her grow into a young, intelligent diet robot. What does she do? She’s designed to help you lose weight by talking to you every day and getting to know your habits and peccadilloes.
Autom sits on your counter and asks what you’re eating. You tell her, through on-screen prompts, and… → Read More
This robot, made by the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon, is named Sarco. He is a human analog that can move just like a human being while balancing on two legs. In the video above, Sarco dances for his creator by mimicking a motion captured session. Sarcos is not happy about this but is not yet sentient and so will remember the indignity of this moment but will not act on it until he is free… → Read More
Shhhh…. sit down. Relax. Take off your shoes. That’s right. Just unclench that fist. Ok. Ok. That’s right. This is not an iPad-powered robotic seal. No, don’t worry. Sit back down. Ok. Look. This seal plays basketball. I know, right? Swish! Nothin’ but net! → Read More
The KeepOn, if you recall, is a tiny robot that dances in time to music and cuddles. It was made as part of the CareBots initiative to design robots that for special needs patients. This little $40 robot isn’t as smart as the original KeepOn but it is still pretty cool. [This robot] captured the essence of the Keepon character while replicating the robot’s most engaging interactive… → Read More
This is, my friends, the SIL-BOT, an odd robot from Korea designed for telepresence teaching and assistance with dementia patients. Not only does it look like a sassy little lady bug, they can dance, too! Click through to watch him tango. → Read More
Nexi is kind of old news but she’s getting some new friends in the form of a Mark III robot that is being built at MIT’s Media Lab. Nexi here follows your eyes and can sense who you are via RFID. She is very scary.
Click through for video. → Read More
http://player.ooyala.com/player.swf?embedCode=JhYW1xMTpv_-XezigxCCVrpwww6ZlcsV&version=2 I recently went to fabulous Salt Lake City to the Raytheon Sarcos facility to see the real life version of the Iron Man suit, the XOS 2. And while this suit isn’t powered by some futuristic kind of reactor embedded within a person’s chest, it’s still very impressive. → Read More
Meet the hottest geek dad device of next Easter: the Egg-Bot. Developed by the wacky inventors at Evil Mad Science, the Egg-Bot will draw repetitive geometric shapes on any round or egg shaped surface. Think of this as a high tech version of the stencil kit you used to color eggs as a kid, without the colored water and wire egg lifters. → Read More
So the Skitterbot is a slightly creepy, mostly cool little remote control robot that’s being advertised as “the world’s fastest legged micro-robotic toy”. The Skitterbot is available in four different colors, each representing a different frequency so you can race, battle, or just torment your cat with them. I like the fact that they charge off of a USB port, and are quite… → Read More
So you just woke up. You had some cereal, some coffee. Hit the old elliptical and then took a shower and went to work. You fire up the old PC, get the TPS reports ready, and while the FTOPS are loading you visit CrunchGear. You play the video above. You realize that your entire world, one day very soon, will change. You discover that LittleDog is the robot that will kill and macerate you. → Read More
What the deuce? This looks like some sort of Swiffer/robot cyborg that mated with an Apple power supply. Apparently the Mint floor cleaner is available for $249 and is now on pre-order. The sweeper dusts and wet mops floors and you can add Swiffer cloths to it. It’s much smaller than the Roomba and I’d actually wager it’s a bit more handsome. This is truly an exciting time for… → Read More
Have you ever wanted to reach out and strangle someone during a conference call? Well now you can. MIT’s crazy MeBot is a tiny robot that sits on your desk and moves around, allowing remote communication partners to roam around your office when you’re talking to them. → Read More
You probably haven’t heard about the Da Vinci surgical robot, but it’s been out for a little while. I had the chance to see it last year (and even try it out a little bit) and it’s an amazing piece of machinery. It’s also extremely expensive and in high demand, so it’s difficult for doctors to find time to train in it’s use. → Read More
We covered various products from Tokyo-based robotics venture ZMP in the past, including a mini robo car, but we never had the chance to blog about an actual robot car (from any company actually). Granted, it’s just a one-seater and not really “robotic”, but the so-called RoboCar G [JP], which is an electric vehicle, doesn’t look too bad and might be the beginning of a new trend. → Read More
Did you know that TOTO makes GreenMax 4.8 liter toilets? And did you that in Japan these toilets are revered as deities? What you’re seeing here is a TOTO action figure called GMAX whose catchphrase, “Protect the Earth, GMAX! Ready – Switch, on!” is now part of the Japanese National Anthem. It’s true! → Read More
Fair warning to anyone trying to do evil in Odessa, Ukraine – they have a giant robot guarding the port. While he doesn’t seem to move much, I don’t think he has to. This silent sentry warns anyone coming in to Odessa to be good, or he will smite you with his mighty steel rod. → Read More
Beware the coming of the spider! This strange creature was seen in a back alley, eating cats, small dogs, and any memory chips it happens to find. It has the capability to disguise itself as the Lian Li T1 Pitstop, which is a Mini-atx case with room for a full size power supply. Of course, no word on pricing, availability, or even if we’ll see this case in the US, but it’s a fun video… → Read More
Here’s your chance to change history, and influence the future. The makers of the Pleo are holding a vote to decide exactly what color the new Pleo should be when they change it later this year. Oh, and if you like the original color scheme, you can get free shipping until the end of February. → Read More
Most of the robots we cover on CrunchGear have been built for research or entertainment purposes, but some of them do become available for the general public at some point. And today we can give you the Palro (Pal+robot) [JP], a soon to be marketed humanoid developed by Tokyo-based Fujisoft.
The little guy stands 39.8cm tall, weighs 1.6kg and boasts a whole range of features: 20 joints, five… → Read More
Every year men and women feel the same anxiety over Valentine’s Day. Will he ask me out on my dream date? Will she like the jewelry I picked out for her? Will I be sitting at home alone? But all any of us really want to do is snuggle and say that we actually have someone to hang out with that day. So why not eliminate the anxiety and buy yourself a girlfriend. No, I’m not talking about… → Read More
Walking vehicles, also known as mecha, don’t play a big role in today’s robotics industry, but that might soon change. (You might remember one of the protagonists in Avatar sitting in a mecha, called AMP in the movie, during the final fight.) Now Tokyo-based robot venture Activelink, a Panasonic spin-off company, says it can make one for you, too.
The startup has begun accepting orders for their… → Read More
It’s always good to hear that some robot makers are focusing on the development of machines that actually have the potential of helping people in their everyday life. And the so-called Indoor Personal Mobility Robot, which is particularly geared towards the elderly, is certainly one good example.
The main idea behind the robot is to make life easier for people who have trouble moving indoors. → Read More
Men have often dreamed it, but it hasn’t become a reality until today: the sex robot. The technology was developed by Douglas Hines of True Companion, an electrical engineer and computer scientist who formerly worked in the artificial intelligence lab at AT&T Bell Laboratories. Roxxxy, the sexy bot, is a completely anatomically correct and customizable companion (from features to hair… → Read More
We have seen mannequin robots already, machines that may sometime replace real models in fashion shows and similar events. Needless to say that the company behind those robots is based in Japan. And it was clear that the first robot maker marketing a new line of robots as “recyclable” would come out of the same country, too. And Osaka-based Eager [JP] is combining both ideas by offering recyclable… → Read More
A big problem almost any robot nowadays has is limited agility. While this isn’t an issue for industrial and other “practical” robots, humanoids can only move in a slow, mechanical and chopping motion. Honda’s Asimo, for example, is considered super-advanced, but doesn’t move too elegantly either.
But Japan-based Himeji Softworks raises the bar in that area. Their JO-ZERO robot kit shows we… → Read More
A Japanese researcher called Hiroshi Liu has developed a robotic hummingbird, which, just a real one, can flutter freely in mid-air by rapidly moving its wings (up to n impressive 30 times per second). Liu, who works for Chiba University just outside Tokyo, says his hummingbird is powered by a small motor and has four wings. It can be remote-controlled through infrared. → Read More
It’s another humanoid from Japan, it doesn’t have an official name yet, but it’s pretty cool: This new robot [JP] is the result of a collaboration between various Japanese companies and institutions, namely the Nippon Institute of Technology, Harada Vehicle Design [JP], ZMP and ZNUG Design. Based technically on ZMP’s Nuvo robot, it stands 1.26m tall and weighs 15kg. → Read More
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