Robot Living

The good folks at Willow Garage have now modified a PR2 robot to not only fetch beer, but to fetch your choice among four beers and to actually open the bottle for you!

Using a custom web application called Beer Me, the user selects their beer of choice, a delivery location and then hits the button Beer Me.

PR2 then goes off to open the fridge by itself and look at the available selection.  If your beer selection is unavailable, PR2 will alert you and let you pick another beer.

PR2 then selects the beer and puts it in a delivery tray mounted to its base. The refrigerator door is then shut and PR2 returns and delivers your beer.

Awesome job guys.  When can I get one?

Tags: PR2, willow garage

While the real word cup continues, the International Humanoid Robot Olympic Games is now over. Besting out teams from the United States and South Korea, China has won the International Humanoid Robot Olympic Gamesthat was held recently in Harbin, China.

Link via (Shanghaiist)

Tags: China, robots, world cup

Hitachi unveils a robot that can roller skate, sort of.

Called EMIEW2 (Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate), the robot can walk on uneven surfaces thanks to legs with wheels and shock absorbers.

The robot stands 32 inches tall and weighs about 31 pounds.  EMIEW2 also sports 14 microphones in it’s head, in order to better hear voice commands in noisy environments.  Hitachi envisions this robot as the usual secretary or receptionist.  No word if it will start out working at the mall, like some other robots.

Click through for a video of this little guy in action.

Link via (Yahoo News)
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Tags: japan

CHARLI-L (Cognitive Humanoid Autonomous Robot with Learning Intelligence) L is for light, is a giant leap forward for robotics in the United States.  This is the first untethered walking, arm and head moving humanoid robot built in the US.

CHARLI-L is already walking, will soon be kicking and is expected to make an appearance later this year at the Robocup in Singapore.

Sure we have seen some impressive stuff from  Japan like Asimo, but this robot is homegrown.

Virginia Tech has already started working on a second robot called CHARLI-H.

CHARLI-H, H is for heavy,  is being developed to walk on uneven surfaces thanks to custom-designed actuators and will one day be able to run, jump. kick and pick up objects.

Click through to see CHARLI-L in action.

Way to go Virginia Tech!

Link via (Endgadget)

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Tags: CHARLI, dennis hong, virginia tech

ATR and Vstone have unleashed another new robot called Robovie R3.

This robotic platform will be used to research ways of helping the elderly or handicapped.

Robovie R3 has 11 touch sensors, 2 cameras for eyes, 2 microphones and a speaker.The robot is also able to amble around omnidirectionally at a whopping 2.5 kmph and will soon be available to research facilities for just over $41,000.

Vstone is the maker of other awseome robots like Black Ox.

Link via (Endgadget)

Tags: ATR, japan, Vstone