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  Seismologist Robot Can Predict Earthquakes Hours Early

  JP 12:54 am on February 10, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Dodge (2), earthquake detector, engineering, Haiti (11), India (3), microwave frequencies, nbsp (1,002), Read (820), Robot, surat india

  Filed under: Computers

  

  As Monday morning quarterbacks around the world continue to discuss the structural, long-term steps that could’ve been taken to mitigate the enormous damage inflicted upon Haiti, a group of engineering students in India have designed a new robot that may help dampen the effects of an earthquake in the short-term. Inspired by the horror they saw unfurl in Haiti, students from JT Engineering College in Surat, India went about designing a robot capable of sensing earthquakes before they happen, and sounding the alarm bells. As student Hiran Patel explains, the so-called Earthquake Detector Robot senses “when the Earth starts vibrating,” and “informs about the danger in advance.”

  It does so with the help of two transmitters and one receiver that have been attached to the robot. The transmitters are wirelessly connected to a sensor underground, which monitors the earth’s temperature and water levels. When the sensor picks up on seismic trouble approaching, it sends out a signal to the robot via microwave frequencies. As DVice reports, the bot can pick up on earthquakes a full three hours before they hit, which to us, seems pretty amazing. We’ve gotta admit, though, that we don’t really understand why this kind of detection service has to be implemented in a robot, per se. Unless the system’s effectiveness is somehow dependent upon being mobile, we’re a bit puzzled by the choice to go bot–especially when there are a few smaller, non-cyborg detection devices already on the market. But robotics aside, the underlying technology seems pretty sound, and if it can help people get out of Dodge and save lives, that’s all that really matters, anyway. [From: OneIndia; via: DVice]

  Continue reading Seismologist Robot Can Predict Earthquakes Hours Early

  Seismologist Robot Can Predict Earthquakes Hours Early originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Robovie the Robot Helps Grandma Get Groceries

  JP 12:54 am on January 1, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: culinary choices, home monitoring systems, nbsp (1,002), prune juice, Read (820), Robot, Robovie

  Filed under: Computers

  GPS shoes can keep tabs on our beloved elderly relatives. High-tech clothing and complex home-monitoring systems can track their heart rates. But how do we remotely remind Grandpa to pick up his weekly supply of prune juice? A new robot named Robovie can do just that, and more.

  Developed by Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Robovie is designed to accompany our grandparents to the grocery store, assist them with their shopping, and help them to make healthier culinary choices. Once Meemaw enters her shopping list into a menu-driven device, the robot then follows her around the aisles, holding the grocery basket, and reminding her to pick up items she may have forgotten about. Robovie’s most interesting feature, though, is its health-monitoring capabilities, allowing it to keep track of the owner’s vital signs and to recommend the appropriately healthy foods. As with most new robots, there’s the whole humanoid side to Robovie, too, as evidenced by his pseudo-natural commentary on the aesthetics of the food selected. (See a video demonstration here.)

  Continue reading Robovie the Robot Helps Grandma Get Groceries

  Robovie the Robot Helps Grandma Get Groceries originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Dino-Napping! Thieves Abscond With $100K Animatronic Beast

  JP 10:10 am on December 11, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: corn fields, Dino-Napping, dinosaur, Guadalajara, guadalajara mexico, K Animatronic, Mexico, nbsp (1,002), Read (820), Robot, U.S. What, walking with dinosaurs

  Filed under: Computers

  

  Straight from our WTF files — thieves managed to walk off with the $100,000, five-foot-tall, remote-controlled robot dinosaur from the ‘Walking With Dinosaurs‘ show on opening night in Guadalajara, Mexico. How the crooks got past security and into where the dino-bots were being held, or even how they managed to walk out the door with an animatronic beast the size of an eighth-grader isn’t exactly clear. The staff noticed the dinosaur was missing after the show ended and just before it was time to pack up and head north of the border for a tour around the U.S.

  What exactly the thieves plan to do with the robot is unknown. We’re pretty sure something that large, that expensive, and that hilarious looking would draw a lot of attention on the black market. But heck, maybe they’re just going to use it to pull a plow through corn fields.

  Continue reading Dino-Napping! Thieves Abscond With $100K Animatronic Beast

  Dino-Napping! Thieves Abscond With $100K Animatronic Beast originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Moaning Robot Heads Shatter Psyches at Miami Art Basel

  JP 12:52 am on December 9, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Art Basel, art basel miami, art basel miami beach, Miami (2), miami art basel, Miami Beach, Nathaniel Mellor, nbsp (1,002), Read (820), Robot, Switched (7)

  Filed under: Computers

  

  We’ve seen tons of terrifying bots here at Switched: the tiny goose-stepping, vaguely racist Ropid; a convulsing, swine flu simulating, artificial cadaver; and most recently, a robotic school girl that dances like a marionette possessed. But all of these horrors pale in comparison to the $75,000 piece of art by Nathaniel Mellor on display at Art Basel Miami Beach 2009.

  The work features three horrifying disembodied heads (video after the break) that, thanks to computer-controlled servos and a set of speakers, “sing.”

  Continue reading Moaning Robot Heads Shatter Psyches at Miami Art Basel

  Moaning Robot Heads Shatter Psyches at Miami Art Basel originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Terrifying School Girl Robot Dances, Elicits Cowering and Whimpers

  JP 10:43 am on December 3, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: batusi, Dancing, Harumi, nbsp (1,002), Read (820), Robot, robot competition, silence of the lambs

  Filed under: Computers

  

  Dancing robots have definitely become passé. No matter how awkward or disturbing they may appear, the gyrating automatons just don’t seem quite so terrifying or creepy anymore. But, one (hopefully last) horrifying entry in the ROBO-ONE GATE dancing robot competition has managed to transcend that boogie-bot cliche.

  The Doka Harumi robot, whose blank, schoolgirl face and wig look like wardrobe castoffs from either ‘Psycho’ or ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ is a truly horrific and nightmarish mechanical grotesquerie, that, should you want a disturbing scare, is available after the jump. It’s almost impossible to endure the entire freakish routine, as even the host looks uncomfortable and ready to flee when the bot begins its unsettling ‘Batman’ Batusi. While the Doka Harumi creation may just be the most disturbing dancing robot yet, we can at least take solace in the fact that it doesn’t goose-step like this fascist little terror. [From: Engadget]

  Continue reading Terrifying School Girl Robot Dances, Elicits Cowering and Whimpers

  Terrifying School Girl Robot Dances, Elicits Cowering and Whimpers originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Robot Kit Lets You Build Slightly Creepy Girlfriend

  JP 1:05 am on December 1, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: creepy (3), international robot exhibition, nbsp (1,002), news robot, Read (820), Robot, robotic head

  Filed under: Computers

  

  If you ask us, hands-on education is the best way to learn. Along that line of thinking, Kokoro, a Japanese robotics company also known for this creepy bot, unveiled an exciting new kit for students at the International Robot Exhibition 2009. According to Akihabara News, ‘Human-Type Head Basic’ teaches students how to build their own robotic head — complete with movable mouth and eyes (which also function as camera lenses). The company wants to show students that joining together simple mechanisms can result in complex functions — as evidenced by the expressions on the robot’s face. To drive this point home, Kokoro slapped some prosthetics on one of the models to make the robot look like a real girl. While her facial expressions are certainly realistic (a smile, her mouth open in shock), the end result is more creepy than anything else.

  Judging by its laundry list of specs, we’re assuming this kit is meant for college engineering students. With all those motors and pneumatic devices, this robotic head wouldn’t be too easily mastered by high-schoolers. Well, unless you’re this dude. [From: Akihabara News]

  Robot Kit Lets You Build Slightly Creepy Girlfriend originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  MIT's AIDA: The Friendly GPS Robot for Your Dashboard

  JP 12:55 am on November 4, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: GPS (3), gps system, nbsp (1,002), personal assistant, Read (820), Robot, tech computers

  Filed under: Car Tech, Computers

  

  Ever wish your GPS system could be something more than just a bodiless voice? Ever wished you had a pretty face to associate with that mellifluous, alluring car voice? Thanks to scientists at MIT, you might soon be able to entertain all your wildest robot fantasies.

  AIDA, short for Affective Intelligent Driving Agent, is like a GPS-fueled Wall-E-meets-personal-assistant, a nifty little robot that can not only help you find the fastest route home, but can also learn your favorite after work activities, alert you when you’re running out of gas, and adjust its directions to traffic conditions. The best part, though? It has a head that pops out of your dashboard. And it can smile. If you’re nice, it’ll even wink.

  Continue reading MIT’s AIDA: The Friendly GPS Robot for Your Dashboard

  MIT’s AIDA: The Friendly GPS Robot for Your Dashboard originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Ropid, the Dancing Humanoid Robot: Creepy or Cute?

  JP 2:35 pm on October 30, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Adorable (2), big eyes, creepy (3), droid, Executive Producer, humanoid robot, Josh, Lee (3), Leila, Lord. Consider, Matt, nbsp (1,002), Pinocchio, Read (820), Robot, Terrence, Thomas (2), Warren

  Filed under: Computers

  Yesterday, our pals over at Engadget reported on Ropid, the humanoid robot that proudly parades around, runs in place, and hops a quarter of its own height (video above). Today, more videos emerged of the little guy, and some of the Switched staff was torn. Some of us were horrified, especially after seeing earlier in the week the Army-produced, disembodied pair of legs that can run in place and clearly points to a robot (r)evolution. Others saw the big eyes and rotating torso (which help with balance), and became charmed by the pint-sized, enthusiastically accommodating bot. We took an office poll, but be sure to chime in with your own comments. Ropid: Adorable droid or creepy computerized terror?

  • Thomas H: “Creepy. Imagine waking up with that standing next to you, dancing a horrible jig.”
  • Terrence: “Creepy. It’s subservience makes me uncomfortable. I know it’s only a robot, but when someone asks you to jump you don’t just nod and do it.”
  • Leila: “Adorable. Look at those big eyes. It’s like Pinocchio, but without the lying.”
  • Lee: “Good Lord. Consider this my notice. If you need me, I’ll be in my heavily fortified lean-to, deep in the woods.” Guess that’s creepy, right, Lee?
  • Warren: “Adorable for a few seconds… until it starts goose stepping.”
  • Matt Z.: “Creepy. Behind those saucer-sized eyes is a droid waiting to jump adorably on your corpse.”
  • Josh F. (Executive Producer): “Totally cute.”

  Continue reading Ropid, the Dancing Humanoid Robot: Creepy or Cute?

  Ropid, the Dancing Humanoid Robot: Creepy or Cute? originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Creepy Two-Legged Robot Walks Like a Human

  JP 2:35 pm on October 30, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bipedal robot, Boston (7), boston dynamics, legged robot, nbsp (1,002), Petman, Read (820), Robot, U.S. Army

  Filed under: Computers

  

  It’s not going to win any foot races, but a new robot being developed for the U.S. Army still has a leg (or two) up on its competition. The “Petman” prototype is a bipedal robot that simulates human walking (video after the break) more realistically than any other robot we’ve seen. According to Wired, the robot, which is being developed by Boston Dynamics, will be used to test how protective clothing responds during chemical warfare. It walks with a heel-to-toe motion at 3.2 mph and can maintain balance if pushed or bumped. Plus, the robot simulates human environmental and physiological factors — like temperature, humidity, and “sweating” — to provide even more realistic testing conditions.

  There’s a slew of walking robots out there, but “Petman” stands out in the crowd. It’s hard to pinpoint what’s most amazing — the ‘bot’s balance or the walking motion. Just as long as the Army is really using “Petman” to test clothing, and creating a plethora of robot super soldiers. [From: Wired]

  Continue reading Creepy Two-Legged Robot Walks Like a Human

  Creepy Two-Legged Robot Walks Like a Human originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Creepy Japanese Robot Simulates Swine Flu

  JP 12:54 am on October 25, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: high tech toys, nbsp (1,002), Read (820), Robot, Swine, swine flu (2), Tokyo (4), world health organization

  Filed under: Computers

  

  Most people do anything they can to prevent viruses from infecting their high-tech toys. One group of Japanese scientists, though, have created a robot that actually embraces an especially virulent (and topical) strain: Swine Flu.

  The robot , unveiled at the recent Security and Safety Trade Expo (RISCON) in Tokyo as part of a series of flu-prevention devices, is designed to exhibit symptoms of sweating, moaning, and convulsing that are typical of patients infected with the H1N1 virus. If not properly treated, the symptoms deteriorate, and, dramatically, the cyborg stops breathing. The humanoid, according to scientists, aims to assist doctors and medical professionals in their treatment of and education about a virus that, as of October 11, had already led to 4,735 deaths worldwide, as well as around 400,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization.

  Continue reading Creepy Japanese Robot Simulates Swine Flu

  Creepy Japanese Robot Simulates Swine Flu originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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