Sports Robots
March 11, 2010
Robot Football Players Big Hit at CeBIT
Rajesh, Penny, Sheldon and Leonard apparently thrilled the crowd at the CeBIT Fair in Hanover, Germany when they performed in a football exhibition match. The University of Bemen's Wiebke Sauerland says that they use color and lines to "see" the orange ball, pitch it towards green and head for the yellow and blue goals. The team is planning to compete in the 2010 World Cup for robots this June in Singapore at the same time the "real" tournament will take place in So. Africa. Want your own sportsbot? It will set you back $13,500 dollars.
Via Google News
February 4, 2010
Candy-05 Tees Off
The Hajime Research Institute, with funding from NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization,) developed Candy-05, a 120cm tall robotic caddy on wheels. His cameras help him find a golf ball, determine the location of the hole and putt. Designed for Japanese golfers, maybe we should import one to bring back the fun of the game that seems to have suffered with Tiger's withdrawal from the sport.
Via Plastic Pals
November 16, 2009
Strike With 900 Bowling Ball
When those around you are scoring bigtime and you keep throwing out those gutter balls, whip out your 900 Global Bowling Ball and show 'em who is the man. The remote controlled ball has an internal weight on a threaded shaft inside it and it was designed for kidlets and those with physical limitations. Pulling this one off will cost you $1,500.00.
Via Popular Mechanics
October 16, 2009
Play Football with MaruBot Game
The MaruBot Robot Football game was designed for those who don't have the proper reflexes for foosball. Designed for 2 or 4 players, the bots are controlled by joystick. Available only in Korea for now, the robotic players react when a score is made. The company claims that it will encourage cooperation with its players and "minimize individualism, isolation and violence of online gaming." Then again, it might encourage bickering, illegal moves and robot rebellion.
December 23, 2008
WiigoBot Gets a Perfect Score
Take a Lego Mindstorms NXT, a Wii Controller, and a little ingenuity and the result might be the WiigoBot. The robot was programmed to bowl and, not surprisingly, had a perfect game. We expect that when the novelty wears off, Will Gorman will teach him to perform a grand slam or a perfect hole in one.
Via BattleBricks
December 2, 2008
Hockey MANOI - A Work in Progress
Erin, aka "RobotGrrl," has created a Hockey MANOI. The Stanford EPGY Summer Institute student obviously has a ways to go, but she has managed to get him to move forward 6 times, shoot 3 times, go backwards 6 times and shoot again 3 times. Future plans include a wave shield and some tunes to play while he moves along. The sporty bot may not be perfected, but Erin has certainly made a valiant effort.
Via RobotGrrl
July 28, 2008
PutterBot Golfs for You
For those who need a golfing buddy, Crabfu has yet another new bot to add to his already impressive collection. The PutterBot has 2 servos for tracks, one for the putter and one for its head. It also has a chassis made from a Tamiya kit. He mounted the head/light directly on the servo for a better gravity center and because "it just looks cuter." A right stick controls the bot's movements and the left takes care of the head and putter.
Via Crabfu
July 3, 2008
Machine Science, Affordable Robotics Kits
Machine Science is a site that features robot kits that would turn any budding Science Fair entrant into a winner. Choose between a Starter Kit, a Mobile Robot Space Kit, a Text Messenger Kit, and others. They carry free project guides, tools, and miscellaneous parts with prices starting at about $40.00. They also hold annual Sumo Robot Wrestling Tournaments. We figure this video will provide a bit of an incentive.
Via Machine Science
July 1, 2008
Robo-Pong, for the Ping Obsessed
There is always one person at every gathering that wants to play ping pong to the point that you just want to paddle him/her. What better gift than Newgy's Robo-Pong? Available in 3 models and several packages, the basic entry level 540 has low speed and frequency levels and a manual trajectory change. The package includes a ball thrower, bucket, control box, transformer, connection cable, and 48 robo-balls at a price of $229.00. Go for the premium Robo-Pong 2040 and it will capture and toss back for $695.00. Note that the commercial call its "ultimate opponent" a new species.
Via Robo-Pong
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