robot – Techcitement*

iBooze: Precision Cocktails With Party Robotics

Megan Moten — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:00:32 +0000

Who has not dreamed of a robot butler of their very own? Who could resist a loyal robot whose only desire is to provide you with intoxicating libations after a long day? Well, through the creative application of a built in WiFi network, a peristaltic pump, and a series of food grade tubes, that dream […]

Oh God, This Robot Can Fling Cinderblocks At You

Ben Masten — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:00:59 +0000

A little under a year ago, Techcitement published a list of murderous robots, partially because the Powers That Be here wanted to protect the future of humanity from the mechanical hordes. People mostly laughed at the aforementioned list. Robotic research think tank Boston Dynamics, who we previously described as a “nightmare factory”, have upgraded its […]

Recycled R³bots Rule

Justin Davis — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:30:42 +0000

Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000. K-9 from Doctor Who. Marvin the Paranoid Android from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Fiction is full of robots that charm us, whether it’s from their unique designs or their witty dialogue or their programmed personalities. For myriad and often debated reasons, robots hold […]

Robotic Rings — Insert “Talk To The Hand” Joke Here

Matt Algren — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:00:37 +0000

Japanese inventors have a way of blowing my mind. This time researchers at Keio University’s Anzai-Imai Laboratory (LMAI) have come up with robotic “Pygmy” rings that look like blinking eyes and a mouth so you can make faces with your hand. Graduate student Masayasu Ogata put on his best suit and sweater vest to demonstrate […]

Minds Control

Jon Clinkenbeard — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:09:36 +0000

I’ve always thought about mind control in such an abstract and magical way, but it’s really quite simple. The more we analyze the patterns of the human brain, the more easily we can aggregate that data and turn it into simple, then gradually more complex, input. To get started, we just have to collect that […]

Talk To Me, Inanimate Objects!

Jon Clinkenbeard — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:05:10 +0000

At New York’s Museum of Modern Art, a new exhibit entitled “Talk to Me” focuses on the way humans interact with technology, either in communicating with each other or speaking with the objects themselves. If that sounds like a pretty broad subject, it is. Everyone will definitely find something intriguing among the 200 or so […]

Robot Pets Help Elderly Japanese Cope In Tsunami Aftermath

Matt Algren — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:22:08 +0000

Last week we talked about a Singapore research team for making a robot that is supposed to “love” its user like a person does. Today, let’s look at PARO, a marvelous robot from Japan designed to look and act like a baby harp seal and give the user a simulation of interaction with a pet.

A Robot That Loves? Singapore Researchers Say It’s Coming

Matt Algren — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:23:24 +0000

Have researchers at the National University of Singapore designed a robot that knows how to love? According to project lead Hooman Samani, they’ve made significant progress. Lovotics, the robot that loves you back, observes user behavior through motion sensors and cameras, then mirrors that behavior. Get closer to Lovotics, and it moves closer to you. […]

Anime Expo Exclusive Interviews: Mechanized Propulsion Systems, Inc. Makes Mechs, Obviously

Jeremy Goldstone — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:20:06 +0000

Somebody’s making a mech. Not just for entertainment purposes to make all the nerds drool with the prospect of having a giant robot, but as an actual, industrial tool. That company is Mechanized Propulsion Systems, Incorporated, a company out of Southern California. They’re building giant, bi-pedal, human-driven robots, primarily for industrial purposes and search and rescue, but […]