We are in awe of Nemo Gould. The artist creates robotic sculptures out of various materials that include old appliances, furniture and other recycled items. His detail is incredible. Look into the center of the Little Big Man, and you get the little dude. Both were made out of a vintage wooden radio cabinet, street lamp poles, vacuum cleaner parts, an industrial food processor, antlers, chair legs, a dining room table top, a floor polisher, pieces of hardware and scrap metal, and motors and lights. The bot has a motion sensor that makes him react when anyone passes.
Some of his work, in addition to robots, includes animals, vehicles, even a UFO. If you are interested in seeing more of him/them, he often displays and sells them. Contact Nemo on his site Neomatic or join his mailing list.
We spent weeks scouring the Internet to bring you some Black Friday deals, making them all our Must Have Robot(s) of the week. Well, maybe not that long, but we did manage to come up with a few from Amazon. Here then, since you are probably too tired to do much beyond shop from your 'puter, are our picks.
Still haven't found what you want? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide and this kewl book with gift ideas, Robots Rising, for only $0.01 (really!) Happy shopping!
P.S. We found one more! A whopping $100.00 has been taken off the Playskool Kota My Triceratops Dinosaur, which reduces the animated creature to $299.99. This is a third off. Not bad, eh?
If you cannot afford the real thing, how about a Paper Robot? They come in all shapes and sizes. Choose between a basic blank robot, Megatron, Magnus Style Prime, and Optimus Prime, who actually transforms into a truck. These, and many others, have plans that are free to download.
Paro is a "Mental Commitment Robot," designed with such sweetness that it provides relaxation and motivation, psychological and physiological effects for its owner. Created by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Denmark has purchased 1,000 of the robotic baby harp seals for health care facilities and is hoping to complete the adoption process by 2011. The AIST says there is an improvement in vital signs and social skills when in play and we suspect the furry bot has earned his title of "World's Most Therapuetic Robot" by Guinness.
You can't help but admire the new MechRC Humanoid and we recently discovered that he is available Stateside for a less expensive price than we originally found. With high torque metal gear servos, LiPo batteries for longer run times and a 3D visual software programming interface, he comes with its own remote from Trossen for $599.99. With that kind of savings, you can buy an iSOBOT and have robot wars.
Because iRobot has yet to create a winterized Roomba, perhaps a viable alternative is to adopt Roofus. The bot can collect and dump snirt (dirty snow) both autonomously and by remote. Designed by Michal Glogowski, the prototype can also be used with attachments to mow your lawn and clean your house. Roofus has 2 electric motors, caterpillar tracks and sensors on each side for navigation.
While we know that some robots want to kill us humans when we sleep, this Robot Lamp will warm up your bedroom, office, or bathroom and keep away the bad ones while spreading electronic love. Made of polypropylene, the light is 50cm tall, has a black plug, switch and cable, and a £24.99 (~$37.99) price.
Darpa's BigDog is about to go through a robotic hormonic step up. While he can already carry more than 300 lbs. for about 13 miles, the organization wants to eventually allow the drone to be able to carry 1250 lbs. at 10 mph and operate by GPS, as opposed to its current remote. The project has been dubbed "Legged Squad Support." They would also like the 4-legged L3 bot to be quieter while sneaking up on the evil enemy. We suspect that's not going to happen anytime soon.
We have such sad news to report. The Rutgers University undersea robot RU-17 went 3,500 miles towards its destination of Spain, then disappeared about 250 miles northwest of Flores Island in the Azores. Scott M. Glenn, the head of the team says that he believes it is on the bottom of the ocean. The Scarlet Knight was last heard from Oct. 28. when it sent a message that its internals sensors detected a leak.
While the project may have accomplished its mission of getting students more involved in oceanic sciences, we still hope that maybe RU17 will phone home or be found. Another trek is planned next March.
You know how demanding those robots can be. This NEC Teller prototype recently debuted at the iExpo trade show in Tokyo. The company foresees it being employed as a ticket taker. The user selects the e-money icon and swipes their cellie over the reader/writer in its left hand. NEC says they can also add voice recognition, a handy tool to catch all those terrorists at Disneyland and to suggest attractions according to said tourists' age and weight.
Here's the skinny on Elmo Live, our Must Have Robot this week. We recently took him out to play and made a quickie video to share. Our kitten Radar couldn't quite figure him out. We guess he thought he was for him.
So the bad news. Elmo doesn't move his legs. That is not that big a deal, but we would have liked that to be incorporated into his design. He sheds. Not much, but enough to keep babies away from him. He sometimes makes so much noise when flapping his arms, etc. that it is difficult to understand him.
The good news is that he will be adored by younger kids, toddlers (and kittens.) He tells stories, jokes, dances, and is easy to interact with once you get the hang of him. Squeeze his nose, left foot, tummy or back and he does his thing. By the way, he comes with 6 AA batteries. Make sure that you put him on a flat surface or he will fall over as he did at the end of the video. Yeah, we know you can hear us snigger when he does.
Algaster is a clever little bot that harvests up to 100kg of algae at a time. Designed by, Stefano Pertegato, Philipp Frank, Marco Nicoletti, Francesco Schiraldi, and Eloisa Tolu, he can be used in areas that are heavily polluted. He stores what he reaps in 10 containers that come up to the surface by hot-air balloon. Several are needed but they are autonomous. Each is controlled by GPS and works on robotic legs so that the ecosystem is not harmed. We would love it if they would design a smaller version for our fish tank.
If you already have your Robbie the robot wind-up, we have found 2 more related items. The Coin Bank also functions as a digital alarm and slot game. Standing 10" high, he displays your balance, lights up as his chest moves back and forth, and talks. The bank is available for $39.95. Your collection wouldn't be complete without the original Forbidden Planet from 1956 that starred Walter Pidgeon and Ann Francis. It's available in DVD for only $10.99.
R. Stevens has created the webcomic "diesel sweeties" with his own take on robots, humans, and the relationship between them. Needless to say, this can be more than just casual and often goes beyond a G-rating. There are over 2,000 to date and you might want to bookmark the site as they come out daily. If you really like his work, he also designs t-shirts, socks, totes, and other goodies.
We admit it. Roaches may be one of God's creatures, but the site of them makes us cringe in horror. UC Berkeley's Biomimetic Millisystems Lab has developed RoACH (Robotic Autonomous Crawling Hexapod) that equally creeps us out. At a size of 35 x 14 x 13 mm, the bot has a flexible polymer skeleton with 2º of movement and two sets of legs that bend forward or backwards. It can move one body length per second for about 9.5 minutes on its battery power before needing a recharge. You can build your own roachbot for about $1,000.00, but honestly, would you want to?
While the diminutive iSOBOT by Tomy usually retails for $149.99 up to $199.99, Trossen has them on sale for only $95.99 for those who live in the U.S. That's up to 50% off, people! At a height of only 6.5" and a weight of .77 lbs., he has 17 servos to control his action. He also has a built-in gyroscopic sensor, voice-recognition, pre-programmed motions and a 200+ word/phrase speaking vocabulary. His 3 AAA NiMH batteries are included in the price.
Honda Kindly Creates Strap-on Help for Factory Workers
Honda has devised a new strap-on Walking Assist Device for workers. The device supports body weight, reduces stress on the knees and helps when going up and down stairs and crouching. Engineer Jun Ashihara says it will also be useful for standing in long lines and making deliveries. Don't count on it for dancing, moving sideways or climbing uneven surfaces. Honda will begin testing the prototype later this month with its own assembly line workers.
We keep reading snippets of info about Disney's future movie "Pet Robots." They have picked up the option of the graphic novel which is about 4 kids who get lost on a field trip, come across 4 military bots named Rock, Wind, Aqua and Skye and apparently they bond. There is not much other news although we know it is being produced by the company Binderspink and the screenplay will be written by Colin Trevorrow. By the way, we actually found a paperback copy of the original book by Scott Christian Sava for $11.04 if you want to get an idea of what the movie might look like. Visit Blue Dream Studios to see the birthplace of the Pets.
Shimon is a second generation project from Georgia tech that can play the marimba with help from Haile, a robotic percussionist. Working on algorithms, Shimon boasts richer sounds and is more interactive by giving visual cues and bouncing its head to the beat. He/she can also analyze harmony, rhythm, and melodies to improvise while playing. We wonder if they have met ASIMO, who would surely like to sit in. You can catch a clip of the two in action here.
Jules is a copycat robotic head created by robotics engineers at the University of Bristol in the UK. He mimics facial expressions and lip movements of humans. The head has 34 servo motors and a video cam that maps images to his flexible rubber skin's electronic motors. David Hanson, the team's head, sees future applications in health care settings. While some studies show the humans sometimes reject bots that resemble themselves, others say that the closer they get to realism, the easier it will be to accept them.
It's a double Must Have Robot Friday. "Wall-E" is coming to home video Nov. 18. Pre-order the Blu-ray Three-Disc Special Edition for $22.99 now to get one for the holidays for family fun. You also get a download. There is a widescreen single DVD available for $16.99.
If you are an extreme fan of the movie bot, iRobot has teamed with Disney/Pixar to create a limited Wall-E themed 530 Roomba. Due to come out the 20th, 400 special editions are similar to others of the series. It will clean three rooms with help of wall transmitters and knows to return to its dock for a recharge. Contact iRobot if you can cough up the $860.00 deluxe price.
Now there is a Robot Toothbrush holder to go with your TP Holder. At a size of 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5", it comes with a suction cup holder and will also support a razor, thermometer, or magic wand. The robots come blind-boxed, which means you don't get to choose the color, but at a price of only $8.00, we figure that is a really fair deal.
We have discovered some Limited Edition wooden Deathbots that are too kewl. One Gama-Go bot wears lederhosen and toasts Oktoberfest with his beer stein for $22.00. The same price applies to the Undertaker. The Deathbot Gold just looks evil, doesn't he? He comes at a price of $60.00. Death Detective will also set you back $60.00. Each is 5 or 5.5" in height.
You gotta love Peter Reid aka "legoloverman's" cast of characters. Who knew there could be so much imagination in one human? Take a peek at his entire Photostream on Flikr, which encompasses about 20 pages, and is composed of lego robots like these Omicrons, space ships, and almost all things sci-fi.
We're not sure how we managed to miss this one before Halloween as it certainly creeps us out. Several students at the HTL Saalfelden engineering school came up with Hexapodmeisterschaft. He won last April's Austrian Hexapod Championship, his six legs getting down to the Mambo #5. You go, bot! While he is quite competent with all those limbs, maybe by next October we can grab ourselves a WowWee Roboquad and Mask and come up with our own G. W. Quadmeisterschaft.
Oki and Okimura have gotten together to create a concept model seat that "can embrace the sitter through robotic technology." The idea is based on human skeletons and muscles as a child that is sitting on her/his parent's lap. With a carbon frame and cushion shape, we think the prototype certainly sounds promising, but we are just not sure that we want the botty chair to have that much control.
The Phoenix Mars Lander is apparently no more. And so we say goodbye to a robot that we came to think of as almost a pet. Perhaps he will make one more valiant effort to phone home, although with the weather conditions unfavorable, it is doubtful.
Combine a UFO, helicopter and lightshow and you get the ROBO-P. Suitable for indoor use, it comes in blue, pink or orange. With built-in batteries, it will fly for 6 minutes on a 25 minute charge from its included station. At a size of 3.5 x 3.2cm, it has a range of 16.5" and also comes with a controller and face stickers. Unfortunately, the manual is in Japanese, but hey, you don't need it, do you? The ROBO-P comes at a price of $43.00.
We recently saw an episode of Grey's Anatomy that featured the simulator Stanley, so we decided to research him a bit. Last year, the dean of Des Moines University's College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kendall Reed, created an entire $1.5 million sim laboratory with 6 of the mannequins, 2 adults, 2 kids, and a birthing center with mom and newborn. Each one breathes, blinks his/her eyes, has a heartbeat and a pulse, and can go into several clinical scenarios. Unfortunately, while the one on teevy seems almost human, the bots only speak through a faculty member using a mic in an adjoining room.
One of our favorite sites, Akihabara News, recently reviewed Takara-Tomy's Aero Spider. The diminutive R/C car runs on the floor, walls, windows, and the ceiling. The principal of the technology is an internal vacuum system that helps it adhere to the surfaces. While we may not understand it fully, we can see it works. The Aero is available in red, black, blue or grey at Geek Stuff 4 U for $48.00.
Someday when you are stuck in your high rise cubicle, you may look out the window and find yourself er, face to face with Skybot. The robotic system consists of a computer to control a lifting crane and a bot with adhesion technology. After the robot is in place, the computer controls and monitors its work via sensors. The company is quick to let you know that their product is green, as it utilizes environmentally friendly detergents.
Plasticland has just let us know that these Retro Robot Glass Ornaments have been restocked, however they are in limited supply. They therefore qualify as our Must Have of the week. Each one is 4.5 x 2 x 1.5" high. The set of four is limited to one per person and will not become available again until next year, so we suggest if you want them to grace your tree this year, you should head over to their site and plunk down the $28.00.
Serious collectors would love the 50th Anniversary German ST-1 Strenco Robot this Xmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa. Standing 7 1/2", he is a gold-painted sheet metal robot with clockwork drive and comes with his own embossed box with a numbered letter of authenticity. This limited edition of 2000 bot is available for $79.99.
We realize that the French company Adebaran is working to make us all a better life through robotics, but there is something so comical about their Nao video that is difficult to take him seriously. Between the happy music and the juvenile voice, we wish he would just be quiet and pick up the rubber duck already! Nao should be available next year for about $15,000. That's a lot of bucks for an android that will clean up your room.
This robot seems to have multiple personality disorder. His head has a color LCD that will display different modes, such as comedian and fortune teller. Others are available by download. Wowee's Mr. Personality can converse with you, has 64MB of memory and an SD card to download a few more. He also has an omni-directional base with seven motors which allows him to move in and around obstacles, 4 IR sensors, and comes with a remote. Mr. P needs 6 C batteries (not included) to be his charming self and is available at a $240.13 price.
If you were one of those that bought Takara Tomy's Flower Rock, one of the first robotic gadgets that moved to music, then you will be pleased that they are celebrating their 20th anniversary with the new 2.0 speaker. Connect your MP3 player to either the soft or sharp petal version and be just as amused/annoyed as you were back in 1988. The musical device is available for $89.99. The video demo may be in Japanese, but you will get the gist of it, nonetheless.
Transformers aren't just for kids anymore. AOK's 13 x 9 x 15" Remote Controlled Robot Car may start out upright, but can also turn into both a sports car and truck. Controlled by two joystick commands, it can go left or right and dance when standing. After changing shape, it can go forwards, backwards and turn. Use the AC adapter for 4 hours to get 30 minutes on its rechargeable batteries. The RCRC's remote also needs one 9V battery (not included,) has a 100' range and comes at an $89.95 price.
Nemo Gould Makes Art From Recycled Junk
