Robot Living

Researchers for Intel are working on a robot that senses before it touches an object. The hand uses something called an electric-field proximity sensor.

In one demonstration, the robotic arm sizes up three soda bottles. Two of them are full and one is empty. Without touching them, the arm senses all three and determines which one is empty. It then knocks over the empty one.

Sounds like this could be useful for when we finally get domestic robots to clean up my messy crib.

Link via (ABC News)

Recycler the robot helps kids learn about recycling. The robot even has a recycling rap and sings in a female voice. Click through and check out the video of Recycler rapping to a group of school kids.

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For those of you who haven’t seen Iron Chef America, it is a show on the Food Network where a challenger picks to battle one of 4 chefs in Kitchen Stadium. The 2 chefs then have a limited time to prepare dishes using a secret ingredient that has just been revealed to them. The chefs then serve their dishes to the three judges and are awarded points based on presentation, taste and plating.

We now have the real iron chef created by retired Chinese professor Liu Changfa. This 5 foot tall robot has an induction cooker with a pot in it’s torso. Recipes can be programmed through a computer.

I wonder who would win the challenge in Kitchen Stadium if the robot battled Mario Batali?

Link via (Engadget)

Hektor the robotic spray paint can is a project by Jürg Lehni with help from Uli Franke. Utilizing 2 motors and belts, the spraycan moves much like a plotter would, expect it is hung on a wall.

The spray cans motion is controlled by an automated computer program. The spray can can be programmed to paint almost anything, including words or abstract designs.    I wonder if they can program in graffiti style, something like what you might see on New York?

Click through for a video of the beast in action.

Link via (Make)

The actor who played Spiderman, Toby Maguire, is looking to produce and star in a movie based on the 1980’s Japanese cartoon called Robotech. The cartoon made it’s first appearance in 1985 and still has a growing fan base today. The sci-fi epic is a story about Earth surviving alien attacks using giant robots.

The success of the Transformers has spurred studios to make other similar movies and another studio has picked up the rights to Voltron, another 1980’s cartoon.

Link via (Reuters)