The Festo Robot Seagull
15-Apr-11
via fastcompany.com
People of a certain age will probably remember “Bubo” the mechanical owl from the Clash of the Titans. I certainly wanted one when I was a kid. Now, Festo, the German automation giant, has developed an artificial flying seagull that’s almost as amazing as Bubo.
As described in this Fast Company article:
“The robot isn’t stuffed with helium, instead it relies on ultra-light materials like carbon-fiber and sensitive control electronics to give it a total mass of around 0.4 kilograms (33% less than an iPad 2).
The design secret behind its seemingly effortless flight is the fact its wings don’t simply beat up and down like many other ornithopter designs (the technical term for flying drones like this) but they also twist at “specific angles” much like a real gull’s wing will do–positioning the wing tips at the best angle for generating lift and spilling less waste air. An “active articulated torsional drive” is at the heart of it, aided by clever wing joints, accurate sensors for calculating the wing’s position in real time, and a low-weight motor that eats up just 25 watts. The bird even communicates its flight data back to the remote operator in real time, letting them adjust fine parameters like wing torsion in real time to achieve optimum flight.”
Such robots will likely come to place in increasingly large role in our lives–as toys, as extensions to our sensoriums and as companions.
Automatic Mechanical Self Replication
21-Nov-10
via vimeo.com
The notion that inanimate matter can self-replicate is counter-intuitive to many people. Using wooden mechanical machines, this video does a great job of explaining how it can happen.
via youtube.com
A visually arresting short. I wish there were more.
via venturebeat.com
Woo! Congrats, Erin!
“Silicon Valley startup Anybots is entering the increasingly competitive field “telepresence robot” market today with the release of its first robot. Telepresence robots work as stand-ins for people who operate them remotely.
A telepresence robot can, for example, tour a plant in China while the person controlling it follows along from their office in California. The tour guide could talk to the robot like they’re talking to the person on the other end and can soon forget they’re talking to a robot.”
Posted via email from crasch’s posterous
via trickgoclothing.com
Posted via email from crasch’s posterous
Okay, the future is officially here. A few days ago, the team from Mountain View-based startup Anybots swung by TechCrunch headquarters to deliver a special new addition to our office: Anybots robot model QB, which stands around five feet tall and can zip around the office at 3.5 miles per hour on a pair of sturdy wheels. It looks like a cross between a Segway and E.T., with some optical sensors and cameras making up its ‘face’. Oh, and it’s currently being controlled by my boss, Michael Arrington, who has been using it to remotely roam the TechCrunch office to make sure we’re working hard while he’s up in Seattle. At least, that’s what he’s supposed to be doing — he’s spending most of the time gleefully running over our feet as he blinds us with a green laser beam. The future really is amazing.
via techcrunch.com
Hilarious interview.
Posted via email from crasch’s posterous
LittleDog Robot
23-May-10
via youtube.com
Posted via web from crasch’s posterous
via scientificamerican.com
“It may look like a floor lamp mounted on a vacuum cleaner, but Anybots, Inc.’s new QB is actually the latest in surrogate robotics. QB is designed to serve as your eyes, ears and voice when you can’t be there in person. Even better, it’s mobile, rolls around on two wheels like Rosie (from The Jetsons) and can be navigated remotely via the Web and a Wi-Fi connection.”
Posted via web from crasch’s posterous
Towel folding robot
22-Apr-10
via youtube.com
Go laundrybot go!
Posted via web from crasch’s posterous