NerdBeach

ROBOTOPS Unveils New Robot and Potential Warrior (In Our Opinion)

 

 

Tadano Ltd recently unveiled a cool dual-armed quadrupedal robotic crane.  The robot culminated a 60 year anniversary celebration for the ROBOTOPS company.  Its development took over a year, and the device features dual treads, four legs and two arms.  The appendages are designed with many 29 degrees of movement (six for the hand and arm, 2 for the shoulder, 12 for the feet, and more) in its body, allowing it to do things that a standard crane simply could not do. 

 

Of course, with a look at the top picture, I have one thought that
comes to mind first – time for an old fashioned robotic throwdown.  Get
together two of the robots (if two even exist at this time), and come
out swinging.  Now this is what Robot Wars needs to interject some life
into the program. Check out the reach on the potential contender – nothing could even get close to it.  Not
to mention the way it could plant its feet to deliver a knockout
punch.  And with those grapplers it could grab and throw (or at least off balance) the
competitor.  Even better, it could start ripping apart the unlucky opponent, grabbing anything that was handy.  As a
crane it is very cool, but as a warrior this thing could be legendary. 

The robot also incorporates several CCD cameras and a control system that allows for remote control via joystick (important so that the human component of the combat system escapes immediate injury).  The unit measures at 2.1 x 3.84 x 2.1m, and weighs in at 2.7t.  No word yet on future availability or coliseum appearances.

 

 

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Breakdancing Robotic Kits From Japan

 

 

You knew it was going to happen eventually – robots taking to the streets and break dancin' all over the place.  Why not – after all, they have the solid neck support to do the head stands (and having a spinning motor on their crown puts them in an elite class of spinning capability). They also have impecable timing (we're talking miliseconds here), as long as their hardware can keep up.

 

 

The sad news is that robotic hordes will probably be invading shows lilke Dancing with the Stars, replacing the celebrity hacks with something that could be hacked.  Imagine, high speed highly accurate stars that literally live to perform their best, and no wrapup talk required. 

Hey, I think I like this! The Manoi GoRobotic Kit could be the forerunner in this shift of dancing from the aesthetic to the robotic.  And if we can teach robots to dance, maybe this whole global disaster of Terminators taking over humankind can be avoided. Don't repress them, let them dance!

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Bicycle Riding Robot Proves Robots Can Have Keen Balance

Robots can now ride a bike, and probably better than a lot of people. Murata Boy was developed in Japan, and proves to be an excellent cyclist.

Gyro sensors detect position and balance, and cameras can detect surface quality and obstacles.  A remote computer receives images and processes them for further analysis.  Murata Boy can navigate a wide variety of obstacles and still keep on riding.

 

 

The goal of the project is to create a robot that can lift heavy loads and assist in rough and perilous terrain.  Like a pack mule of times past, you could theoretically load up a bike riding bot and he would follow you over the mountain and through the woods. 

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Robocup 2009 to be held in Graz

Robocup Announcement

Robocup 20090 will be upon us before you know it, and this time it looks like it will  be held in the Austrian city of Graz.

The robotic soccer tournament, first held in 1997, is all about building a team of robots that can one day (2050 is the goal) take on human World Cup Champions.

The Robocup challenge has five divisions, including a humanoid robot league, a virtual simulation challenge, and a four legged league.

In addition to the soccer matches, there will also be events surrounding the further development of rescue robots.

Around 500 robotic contenders are expected to compete in the games.  Sounds like a fascinating event.

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