MetaFilter posts tagged with robot and robotics

Kill all humans / assemble self into chair

Artw — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:18:21 -0800

The Best Robots of 2008 (via)

Modular robot takes a kickin' and keeps on tickin'

pyramid termite — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:40:53 -0800

Self-assembling robot. A self-assembling chair. A swarm of robots attempting to assemble. (All you-tube links.)

You may ask yourself, how do I work this? David Byrne on robots

whir — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:50:55 -0800

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.

sudo apt-get install creepyrobotgirlfriend2.0

loquacious — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:40:04 -0800

The uncanny valley just got deeper. "Treat yourself to the perfect woman."

Robot Dog

qldaddy — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:33:11 -0800

Amazing video of BigDog. Described by its developer, Boston Dynamics, as "The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth."

Lifelike robot helps train doctors in delivering babies

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:09:38 -0800

Noelle can't stop giving birth.

Sexy-smelling deceptive robot cockroaches!

gingerbeer — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:00:13 -0800

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. The researchers see this as the first step towards other animals: "In a review of biologically inspired devices, Rolf Pfeifer of the University of Zurich describes robot insects, spiders, snakes, lobsters, dogs, monkeys and humans. Such robots, Pfeifer suggests, offer the opportunity to study different patterns of movement, locomotion, navigation, orientation, manipulation, imitation and cooperation. Ultimately, he wrote, these might result in machines that are 'adaptable, robust, versatile and agile.' 'Exciting times are ahead of us,' he wrote." Of course some people are already raising ethical questions, and wondering how robots will change human behavior. Previously. And more previously.

Surgical robots work under MRI.

weapons-grade pandemonium — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:02:44 -0800

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.

Control of a Humanoid Robot By Means Of A Brain-Computer Interface

jason's_planet — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:57:35 -0800

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.

A chilling precident

icosahedral — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 12:53:49 -0800

Issac Asimov's first Law of Robotics has been broken.

Getting the bugs out (and about.)

cenoxo — Mon, 22 May 2006 20:58:22 -0800

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).

I for one...

Ogre Lawless — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 14:26:21 -0800

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

Robot Friend Ancient Music Fish

dfowler — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 07:57:16 -0800

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 .

Robot camel jockeys

Tlogmer — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 23:57:37 -0800

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.

Robot Evolution

effwerd — Thu, 16 Dec 2004 09:04:45 -0800

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)

Koolio

lola — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 22:08:35 -0800

Koolio is a traveling autonomous refrigerator robot ... a cross between R2D2 and a vending machine.

Towards a robot-based economy.

skallas — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 18:25:32 -0800

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.

The Man Who Mistook His Girlfriend for a Robot

LinusMines — Wed, 13 Aug 2003 08:57:15 -0800

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).

delmoi — Wed, 19 Jun 2002 20:53:56 -0800

But what about the terrible secret of space? Inteligent robot escapes, then gets run over by a car. The driver makes a bad joke.

PWA_BadBoy — Tue, 17 Apr 2001 17:32:53 -0800

The robot with the mind of an eel. Doesn't this scare you just a little bit?

Brilliantcrank — Mon, 09 Oct 2000 22:43:42 -0800

The best idea for a PDA in a long time! I love my palm but I think this would be even better yet.

Nyarlathotep — Wed, 14 Jun 2000 11:08:20 -0800

Boba Fett hired by NASA.