ROBOTS DREAMS

Spykee Robot's Stealth Introduction

Going through our notes and wish-lists (did anyone say 'Santa'?), we noticed that there hasn't been much press or flurry over the Spykee robot from Erector. Conceptually, it seems very attractive and feature packed, especially with its tank like mobility which could position it well for use as a hackable robotic platform. With all it seems to have going for it, and with the holiday season right around the corner, we're wondering when the buzz about this new robot will start.

 

The Happy Couple... of Robots

Well, it looks like Christmas came a little early, at least for this robot loving home. The happy robot couple pictured above joined our collection a few days ago, and we've been having an absolute blast exploring their features and foibles. Needless to say, we'll be posting some detailed reports and videos featuring both the Tri-Bot and Femisapien robots from WowWee.

Robots Are Everywhere!

CIMG4957
Originally uploaded by Tempusmaster.

At least, they are everywhere here in Japan. We spent yesterday at the 2008 Tsukuba Matsuri (summer festival), and sure enough even this very traditional celebration included a robot or two.

As usual, we took lots of photos of the event. Enjoy!

Cylons - For Real

BlazeEagle asked if the awesome Cylon in our previous post comes with the menacing scanning red eye(s). The answer, we are happy to report, is absolutely yes!

The full scale (1:1) Cylon was created by Fred Barton. Check it out, along with many of Barton's other robot replicas over at http://www.the-robotman.com.

The Semi-Bionic Man

DSC06247
Originally uploaded by Tempusmaster.

We joke sometimes about how wonderful modern technology is. Perhaps as 'payback' for our joking and sarcasm, we were blessed with a week long opportunity to experience the wonders of modern medical technology upclose and personal for a full week this month.

CT scans, EKGs, blood pressure, blood sugar (4 times a day), endless blood samples (the hospital is secretly operated by a group of vampires), ultrasound test (3), x-rays, apnea monitoring, - the list goes on and on. At times we felt like a used car getting it's annual inspection and emissions tests.

The results? All good news - no medical problems other than really needing to loose weight and exercise more. And, all joking aside, the technology really is wonderful, and getting better all the time.

By your command...

by your command
Originally uploaded by brentopolis.

We really have to find some way to make it to the next Comic Con. The photos from Comic Con 2008, especially those of robots, cylons, and other SF gear, are really compelling.

EMA Female Robot Way Overpriced Here

EMA (Eternal Maiden Actualization), the female robot designed by WowWee and marketed in Japan by Sega Toys, it ready to hit stores here next month. According to the local Amazon website, he surprisingly agile humanoid robot will go on sale September 25, and is priced at 18,900 yen - or slightly under USD$200. While we understand the need for some price premium due to changes to meet local safety requirements and documentation localization, Sega seems to have gone way overboard with EMA's pricing. The same WowWee robot, named the Femisapien outside of Japan, can be easily purchased for under USD$80.

About a week ago, we had the chance to play with one of the EMA robots on display at a big electronics superstore, and were very impressed. Its mobility and design were quite a bit better than we imagined. It would make a perfect addition to our collection of robot humanoids, but not at over double the US price. As much as the Japanese public loves, and goes bananas for robots, EMA isn't likely to pick up many fans here, outside of the small circle of robot fans that have seemingly unlimited budgets and credit cards.

RCA Victor Dog And Robot

Robot and Dog
Originally uploaded by lukeroot.

It sure looks like the old RCA Victor dog, but it obviously isn't hearing "His master's voice."

Battlebot

Battlebot
Originally uploaded by Lane Brown.

Just a cool battle robot created by Lane Brown.

New Robot Controller Jam-Packed With Features

John Palmisano, the founder and CRG (Chief Robotics Guru) over at Society of Robots, developed a new, feature packed, robot controller board, named the 'AXON". Unlike many of the off-the-shelf, multipurpose controller boards, the AXON was "... designed by and for a robotics hobbyist." In other words, John incorporated all the features he felt were lacking, or falling short, in existing commercial controllers.

Based on his experience as a robot designer, John included a wealth of I/O (55) including 16 ports for analog sensors and as many as 18 for interrupts. Lots of UART capability, including one that can be used for a USB connection to a PC.

At the same time, John recognized that the hardware is only the beginning. He's included many other features to make the robot experimenter's life with AXON easier. For example, the controller includes a built-in programmer (bootloader) so you don't need an additional external programmer. And there is lots of source code and tutorials provided.

John feels that the AXON will see lots of use with bipeds, robot spiders, and robot arms. It will be interesting to see how users take the AXON way above and beyond that.

Robot Dog Gains Attention and Recognition in Japan

We were really glad to hear that the new HPI G-Dog robot canine landed the cover of the next ROBOCON magazine. ROBOCON is, without a doubt, the leading Japanese robot focused periodical. So when the magazine's editors pick a robot to grace the cover, it means that they like it a lot, and think it will do quite well.

The issue featuring the G-Dog will hit stores on August 18th, and includes a four page article covering the robots design, features, and appeal. We got some hands on time with the robot dog at RoboGames 2008 (see video), and were definitely impressed. HPI hasn't disclosed their release schedule for the US market yet, but we're sure it will be a winner when they do.

Tsukumo Robot Athletic Meet Coming Up

The annual Tsukumo Robot Athletic Meet is coming up in less than two weeks. Scheduled for August 23rd/24th at the Mansei building (8th floor). There are numerous events scheduled, including the Tsukumo tournament that pre-qualifies the winner for the next ROBO-ONE competition and hands-on training sessions with some of the robot products sold by Tsukumo.

In previous years the event was held later in the year, at a much more visible location. However, this time around Tsukumo seems to be trying to catch the attention of the large number of Japanese robot enthusiasts during the traditional Japanese summer holiday period. The Mansei building, an Akihabara landmark for decades, is easily visible from the main street in the Electronic Town area and can be recognized by the happy cow logo.

By the way, some of the webpages for the event show the 7th floor, while others show the 8th floor. We believe the 8th floor is correct, but don't worry - it will be obvious where all the robot action is once you get there.

Remote Control Driving Game Down Under

We have to admit that we've been holding out on you. Howard, over at Surveyor Robotics passed a link on to us a few days ago, and we wanted to try it out before posting. Then, we got so hooked that we kind of held back a bit, not wanting to increase the waiting queue for this great online robot driving game.

It turns out that BP down in Australia commissioned an online robot driving game to promote their environmental activities. You can go to the site, get in the queue, then drive one of five robot vehicles around the course (it isn't as easy as it looks). The robots are modified versions of the popular Surveyor SRV-1 robotic vehicles used by universities, research labs, and robot experimenters all over the world.

Please note, since the robots derive their power from solar panels, and the actual course is in Australia, the game's operating hours are during the daylight times down under, Have fun! 

Got A Robot Vacuum Cleaning Up My Life... (Video)

Mr. Pitful's ode (video below) to the Roomba robot that's cleaning up his living room, kitchen, relationships, and even the deepest, darkest corners of his mind, is mind blowing. We're not sure it will make us run out and buy a new Roomba, but it has already made us check out and order the other Mr. Pitful Band creations. After all, who pass up lyrics like "... the dirty dust balls of my mind..."?

Madge - Our Hands Down Nerd Robot Favorite

Madge


Originally uploaded by nerdbots.

Nerdbots on Flickr has an awesome robot creations posted. Although most of the parts could be found at your local DIY shop or swap meet, their personalities and striking designs really shine.



Madge (above) is our favorite, and definitely seems like a robot version of "Madge the Manicurist" from the old television commercials.

Robot Lion Skinned and Autopsied

Dedicated robot hackers are never content to leave well enough alone. They feel compelled to dissect, hack, and mod any semi-defenseless piece of electronics that will hold still long enough for them to crack it open. For them, that's when the real fun begins.

Grandlarseny37, over on the Robocommunity forums, certainly feels that way. They just posted Part 1 of a multi-part Dissection of the WowWee Alive Lion Cub. So far, the helpless cub has been skinned, had its tail pulled, and was subjected to other indignities. Part 2 is promised to be 'Coming Soon'...

Many thanks to Robert for alerting us.

Nothing New Under The Robotic Sun

A couple days ago we posted about Mr. Tentacle's Hexateuthis robot, and questioned the feasibility of equipping it with a ring of sensors. Thanks to Kevin, a regular reader of Robots Dreams, we found out that the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is already light-years ahead of us.

It turns out that the JPL LEMUR (Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robots) designs are equipped with a stereo camera system that moves on a circular track that rings the robots body. This allows the robot omni-directional stereo vision in the plane of the body, and, of course, the cameras can be tilted by using the robots legs. 

According to the JPL website: "The technologies developed on this platform will be used to build an advanced system that will climb slopes up to and including vertical faces and overhangs while reacting to forces to maintain stability and do useful work (e.g., sample acquisition/instrument placement)." 

And we learned that the JPL staff also has a good sense of humor and loves puns when they wrote: "The current Lemur IIa platform represents the jumping-off point toward two more-advanced robotic platforms that will support NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, which calls for a sustained presence in space." 

 

Worth Checking Out: Caveman Robot

We've just started to dig into it, but from what we've seen so far the CaveMan Robot is definitely worth exploring further. There are videos, comics, a really cool paper model (worth the visit by itself), artwork, and even references to a CaveMan Robot Musical. What more could any true robot (or caveman) fan ask for?

Starting Our Christmas Robot Wish List Early (Video)

Yes, we know that it's way too early to be thinking about Christmas wish lists. But, what the heck - we just saw a video clip (see below) of the Mr. Clock Radio robot and figured it's as good an excuse as any to get the jump on the holiday season.

Not only would this make a neat Christmas present, it also appears to offer endless opportunities for creative hacking. What would it take to link up that talking robot head to our PC and have it giving email arrival alerts, doing Elvis imitations, or just causing general havoc? We can hardly wait to find out. So, if you have even the remotest thought about sending a Christmas gift this way, Mr. Clock Radio would definitely find a welcome and appreciative home, well stocked with other interesting and challenging robotic friends. 

Hexateuthis: Sensor Placement on a Six Legged Robot (Video)

Hexateuthis sensor array
Originally uploaded by mr_tentacle.

Mr. Tentacle's Hexateuthis six legged walking robot (video below) presents some interesting challenges to think about in terms of sensor selection and placement. From a practical design perspective, the sensors need to be placed on the robots body, but that requires them being quite a way behind the ends of the legs. That triggered two, possibly impractical, ideas for us.

1) Is it possible to mount the sensors on the ends of the legs? Is there any advantage to doing it that way?

2) The current sensor placement defines a de facto Front and Back for the robot. What about a ring of sensors - say six to twelve - that would make the robot totally omni-directional, assuming the control software could take advantage of it.