Although the temptation is so hard to bear, the Bloodbot told me personally that if you’re a good boy, it’ll try not to stab you in your face with its needle.
Bloodbot was made to give nurses more time to read their gossip rag magazines and to swoon over the new hunky residents. Those five minutes of patient interaction was just a bit too hard on their feet. So, if you already have a fear of shots, get ready to add a fear of robots into the mix.
Developed and built by robotics man Drew, this “walking machine” resembles a four-legged spider and walks with an unusual hoppish gait. Designed to entertain, entertain it does.
Costing around $1000 to produce, one of the coolest things about this arachind bot is that it’s controlled with two sets of modified Wii Nunchucks. If you want to test the waters and attempt to make your own walking machine, you’ll need steel plate, copper, aluminum tubing, brass, a 7.4V 1100mAh lithium-polymer battery, a pair of XBee radio modules for communication, Pololu micro SSC board and eight HX12K servos. Check out Flickr for an awesome video of this little guy.
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Japanese robotics company ZMP have created the Robocar Z in hopes that it can teach us more about the future of robot-controlled automobiles. The vehicle has a protruding which holds two cameras which connect to a state of the art image recognition system.
The Robocar is thought to be an ideal platform for testing robotized vehicle automation before heading to the big time. The Robocar Z has its very own API and runs off of Linux, so developers are apparently encouraged to work their magic. The basic model costs a staggering $7,ooo to produce.
No, that isn’t just the work of some handy alliteration. Although, this post does happen to be brought to you by the letter “R.”
The Fuamen Ramen restaurant in Nagoya, Japan is manned by a team of robots who expertly prepare the customers’ bowls of noodles. The owner claims that the benefits of using robots are the consistency of taste and the accuracy in their timing. Just wait until they start adding nuts and bolts to the recipe. Check out a vid and the finished product after the jump.
Let me be straight up now, so I don’t drag you along for the ride. This iPod dock is a limited-edition gadget so it costs around $340. If you’ve got the dough, great, but I just thought you’d like to know before you read further and soil yourself in excitement.
With only 100 made, the Music Label – Exile “Perfect Year” Convoy iPod Docking Bay includes a set of built-in speakers and is compatible with every iPod size except for the Shuffle. The coolest part is that Optimus transforms from a iPod dock / trailer thingy into his robot form. Not too bad of a disguise if you ask me.
Not having much luck with the “ladies-with-actual-organs” circuit quite yet? She might not be a Lucy Liu bot, but she’s about as close as we’re going to get for now. This HRP-4C unit got the royal treatment, dressing up in a Yumi Katsura wedding dress and strutting her synthetic stuff all over the runway.
If you’re attracted to open-mouthed soulless glares, the HRP-4C will fill your every desire. Check out a vid of the event after the jump. Cross your fingers that the future holds more robots in wedding dresses.
Some Transformers are better at disguising themselves than others. Some like to add a little sophistication to their disguise. And a few just don’t understand the concept of deception.
This Robots In Bad Disguises t-shirt shows what happens when a Transformer is under-educated in the art of deception. Master of disguise, he is not. Though I am digging the facial hair.
A lucky three-year-old geek is fortunate enough to have a mother who succumbs to his geeky urges. These butter frosting robot cupcakes look absolutely delicious. Any leftovers? I’d hate to have to hold that kid ransom for some damned baked goods.
Don’t worry, robot readers. If you’re a good little bot maybe your programmer will install a taste simulation program. No world domination for you, mister.
Digital? We don’t need no stinkin’ digital! This camera is balls-to-the-wall old school. It uses that 110mm film you used to buy for cheap cameras. You know, the ones you’d win at the local arcade in the crane machine. That aside, this is a Voltron robot (the original!) equipped with a working camera. That SLR lens is just for show, by the way. Great for that Transformers 2 premiere this summer! Burn!
Ah, yes! Do you remember Lockwasher? He’s the ultimate DIYer, creating robots and sculptures from metal junk. I know, that was awhile ago but he’s back with some really awesome creations this time around. This one is called Beer2-D3 and you can easily make your own with a free afternoon, random parts and a case of Heineken it seems:
What is Beer2-D3 made from?
Beer2’s technical specs:Head – 1945 chrome BLC utility light shell.
Eye – vintage movie camera lens w/adjustable spring-loaded aluminum casing.
Body – 4.7 liter “adult soda” mini-keg.
Legs – propane tank valve handles, brass spacers, drilled-out washers, pair of aluminum Lady Josephine shoe butler (wall-mounted shoe shine holders).
Feet/base – 3 mini bread loaf pans, lamp hardware and a 1/2? precision drilled aluminum base plate.
+assorted nuts, bolts, screws and, of course – lockwashers!
Slammin’. Tell you what. Lets make out own robot. You come up with the schematics and assemble it, I’ll drink the beer.
