Video Solar Powered Chariot Robot Brings Ancient Rome and Green Technology Together

The Maker Faire is a place where weird and wacky inventions are welcomed and championed, which is surely why Bob Schneeveis and Grant Grundler decided to debut their crazy solar powered electric chariot there. The chariot is a modern-day renewably powered take on the ancient Roman cart which is pulled around by a roller blading robot who glides with the greatest of ease. Video of the chariot in action after the jump.

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Mini space robot could run on mud

Navy researchers are exploring whether lowly bacteria found in soil can help survey the outer reaches of space.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory yesterday detailed a project to design a “microrover” robot that would be able to explore planetary bodies for long periods of time without human intervention.

To overcome the limitations of today’s batteries, researchers intend to use a microbial fuel cell to generate power for a small robot that would weigh about two pounds.

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As we know it

The emergence of the super-yachts began in the beginning of the twentieth century, when many private owned yachts became a growing rage with the super rich. This opulence naturally became an interest for the press to highlight its popularity. These super-yachts began to appear in magazines which again highlighted the industry boom of these yachts. In the present day, there has been a massive growth in the popularity, size and growth of these luxury yachts. Some of these are operated as charter yachts for businesses and some are available for part time charter but privately owned.

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Ocean-faring robots set sail on Guinness record attempt

Four robots left the Golden Gate today on an across the globe mission to set a world distance record and demonstrate new data-gathering tools that could help save the planet.

The robots, known as Wave Gliders, were built by a Silicon Valley startup known as Liquid Robotics. And starting today, the four autonomous sea-faring craft are heading out on journeys to Australia and Japan with the intention of setting the Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled on the surface of the Earth by a robot.

The four Wave Gliders are thought to be capable of traveling across the world without any fuel or outside propulsion. But setting records is really just a “stunt,” said James Gosling, one of the creators of the Java programming language and now Liquid Robotics’ chief software architect. By that, Gosling meant that going for the record would draw attention to the robots’ real work: helping bring scientists, educators, students, industry, and many others access to a level of data about the world’s oceans that may never have been possible before.

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It’s not a bird! It’s not a plane! It’s a dragonfly, and researchers are using a microchip attached to its belly to understand the complex mechanics of its flight.

Dragonflies capture their prey mid-flight, requiring precise control of horizontal and vertical movement to line up their meal with their mouths.

“Dragonfly wings almost swim through the air,” says electrical engineer Matt Reynolds from Duke University. “They have many more degrees of freedom than an airplane’s wing.”

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35-Foot Robot Snake Weighs a Ton, Causes Nightmares

This is Titanoboa, a 50-foot long robotic snake weighing over 2,000-pounds that was modeled after the actual prehistoric snake of the same name and size. I say we kill it and turn it into cowboy boots. Or lady’s handbags — I don’t f***ing care, the important thing is that it’s killed.

The final product will have a more polished-looking skin and, if all goes well, be able to move underwater. Eventually, Titanoboa will support a rider, just like its relative, the Mondo Spider, which was built by the same group.

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Back Camera

Engineered Arts Ltd.’s Robothespian is probably one of the first professional robotic actors who made it into the real world (sorry, T-1000). Its elegant movements, extraordinary body language and emotion-conveying skills make it a great communicator. It may not be capable of helping the elderly, it’s not nearly as agile and athletic as Boston Dynamics’ PETMAN, and it’s unlikely to be of any use during eye surgery. But that’s OK. Robothespian is an artist. A robot burdened with the task of exploring the ephemeral territory of the arts and claiming it for his robotic brethren. And it seems it is extremely well equipped to get the job done.

Thanks to LCD eyes that convey emotions and feelings to match what is being said, along with emotive LED lighting in its body shell, Robothespian has become proficient at the art of mesmerizing its audience. If you need a captivating story-teller, just hire a professional voice-over artist once and then leave Robothespian to deliver the same powerful act over and over again.

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honda-electric-concept

Robot creator Masahiko Yamaguchi has demonstrated a robot which can balance, steer and correct itself while riding a fixed-gear bike.

“A feature of this robot is, it pedals the bike with its own feet, and keeps its balance just by using the handlebars. I think this is probably a world first.”

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Robot-Seeing-Eye-Dog-1-537x392

It might be some time before one of these is bounding through the local park but a new ‘robo-dog’ could make life easier for blind people.

The robot was created by Japanese developer NSK, along with the University of Electro-Communications, and uses a Microsoft Kinect image and distance sensor to create a 3-D visualisation of obstacles ahead.

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Humanoid plant workers wow crowds at iRex

Robots were out in force in Tokyo today as the International Robot Exhibition (iRex) kicked off with sophisticated humanoid industrial robots thrilling visitors.

With nearly 300 companies and groups taking part, iRex 2011 has the usual large-footprint booths by major robot makers like Fanuc and Yaskawa. With the power shortages that followed the March 11 earthquake and tsunamis, energy savings is a prominent theme, as it was at the Ceatec 2011 high-tech show here last month.

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