Self-assembling robot. A self-assembling chair. A swarm of robots attempting to assemble. (All you-tube links.)
posted on Aug 31, 2008 - View this thread

David Byrne writes three thoughtful essays on robots, song, and the uncanny valley on the occasion of the creation of a robot which sings in his voice at a Madrid museum: Visiting the robot factory in Texas, regarding the uncanny valley, on machines and souls.
posted on Aug 8, 2008 - View this thread

The uncanny valley just got deeper. "Treat yourself to the perfect woman."
posted on May 27, 2008 - View this thread

Amazing video of BigDog. Described by its developer, Boston Dynamics, as "The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth."
posted on Mar 18, 2008 - View this thread

Noelle can't stop giving birth.
posted on Jan 3, 2008 - View this thread

Remember that X-files episode? The one with the robot cockroaches from outer space? Well, scientists in Belgium have created robots that act like cockroaches, and are accepted by the real cockroaches because they smell sexy to them. Better yet, the scientists were able to use the robots to change how the cockroaches behaved.
posted on Nov 17, 2007 - View this thread

New surgical robots are not only capable of working more precisely than human hands, but they have no metal or electrical parts, so will work under MRI machines on tumors that would otherwise be invisible. The NeuroArm will set you back $27 million, but may confer more karma than that trip to space.
posted on Apr 17, 2007 - View this thread

Dr. Rajesh Rao of the University of Washington has created a brain-computer interface that allows a human to control a small humanoid robot (video link) through brain activity alone.
posted on Dec 18, 2006 - View this thread

Issac Asimov's first Law of Robotics has been broken.
posted on Nov 3, 2006 - View this thread

Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robots — Overview: an experimental mechanism that uses a living Madagascan hissing cockroach atop a modified trackball to control a three-wheeled robot. If the cockroach moves left, the robot moves left. Infrared sensors also provide navigation feedback to the cockroach, striving to create a pseudo-intelligent system with the cockroach as the CPU. Garnet Hertz, creator of Fly with Implanted Webserver and Cockroach with Wireless Video, has used Gromphadorhina portentosa on three generations of autonomous roachbots (YouTube video and Ars Electronica 2005 gallery).
posted on May 22, 2006 - View this thread

Perhaps you'll remember one of the most popular bits of actual home robotics from the distant past, the venerated Heathkit Hero -- as seen on the teevee show Whiz Kids and other geek-facing programming. As I kid I thought they looked RAD and would nearly killed for one. Those days of everyman robo-lovin' I thought were well past, their niche filled with Aibo and other toy-based robots. Until today, however. The White Bot Robotics 914 rekindles dreams of a telerobotic presence lovingly slaved to robust hardware. Sadly, reports put the pricetag enticingly out of reach at $10K and the thing by default runs on XP, but in theory it's expandible. Also, the same report cites an $1,200 "less featured" model that "may" be forthcoming. Via
posted on Aug 18, 2005 - View this thread

With My Special Partner, I can drink my way back to the 7th Millenium BCE for ancient music, and the fish’ll tell me how to get home.
posted on Apr 13, 2005 - View this thread

DUBAI (AFP) - The United Arab Emirates is to mount robot jockeys on racing camels later this year after a ban on using children in the region's popular sport.
posted on Apr 11, 2005 - View this thread

Honda has upgraded Asimo. They've added jogging, autonomous continuous movement, some new joint designs, and better intelligence, expanding the range of humanoid robots, which includes, the Qrio from Sony, Isamu, and Toyota's offering that entered the fray earlier this year (previously discussed). (More)
posted on Dec 16, 2004 - View this thread

Koolio is a traveling autonomous refrigerator robot ... a cross between R2D2 and a vending machine.
posted on Apr 21, 2004 - View this thread

Towards a robot-based economy. Lots of interesting ideas here regarding what might happen and possible solutions to economic and social problems when robotics and automation become as cheap as computers did in the 90s.
posted on Aug 31, 2003 - View this thread

The Man Who Mistook His Girlfriend for a Robot When David Hanson set out to build a robotic head, he saw no reason not to make it look just like a human. Then he stumbled into the Uncanny Valley. (For contrast and comparison, a similarly-themed prior post).
posted on Aug 13, 2003 - View this thread

But what about the terrible secret of space? Inteligent robot escapes, then gets run over by a car. The driver makes a bad joke.
posted on Jun 19, 2002 - View this thread

The robot with the mind of an eel. Doesn't this scare you just a little bit?
posted on Apr 17, 2001 - View this thread

The best idea for a PDA in a long time! I love my palm but I think this would be even better yet.
posted on Oct 9, 2000 - View this thread

Boba Fett hired by NASA.
posted on Jun 14, 2000 - View this thread