Robot Mouth

There’s something to be said about robots and how they can definitely be used to make our lives better. Like this mute quadriplegic who was able to scratch an itch by himself for the first time in 10 years. Imagine not being able to scratch an itch! I would go nuts.

Then there are those robotic creations that I am just not so sure about. Like this robot mouth created by professor Hideyuki Sawada from Kagawa University in Japan. There really is no better description than that – robot mouth. The robot is a mouth. A robot mouth. I am still feeling the remnants of my freaking out as I watched this robot mouth in action, so bear with me.

Anyhow, this robot mouth is not without merit. For one, it is a rather accurate representation of the human mouth. From the lips to the oral cavity to the tongue (made of silicon) – this robot mouth has got it all! To complete the setup, there is even an air pump, which functions as the lungs. There is even a nasal resonance cavity. You get the picture. The creator of the robot mouth wants it to be as real as possible. For what purpose, I can only hope it is better than what Wolowitz did with the robot arm in one of TBBT episodes. And in case you need to be reminded of that, here is a clip from YouTube. (I would have loved to embed it, but the feature is disabled for this video.)

Going back to today’s freaky exhibit, the robot mouth has the ability to “listen” to itself speak. Basically, there is a feedback mechanism by way of a simple microphone. As it hears the sounds it produces, the robot mouth can make the necessary adjustments. Now I am not so sure as to what practical purpose this creation can have. I am pretty sure that the creator has something useful in mind, but for the life of me, I cannot think of it right now. Then again, I might just still be totally freaked out. After watching this video, you will understand why.

By the way, that is supposed to be a Japanese children’s song called Kagome Kagome. You can listen to the song over at Wikipedia, but do not expect to see a lot of similarity. Freaky or what?

WIN: +1
Google receives 1 skill point for reinventing the wheel as they roll out their Facebook “like”-esque feature called “+1”, which allows users to share content they enjoy with others. To use +1 you need a public Google profile; your name will be displayed along with your vote. The feature isn’t fully implemented yet but Google users are invited to participate in an experimental phase via Google Labs. Because of Google’s tremendous popularity this may well be a sure-fire win amidst Google’s long string of social media fails.

FAIL: Just Plain Panic
This week’s hysteria over the story that Samsung shipped machines with a keylogger installed was, it turns out, completely unnecessary. After further investigation it was revealed the keylogger was a false alarm created by an antimalware program. The false positive was triggered by multi-language support in Windows. Now, why did a simple story about an alleged keylogger under investigation by Samsung and security companies cause such wholesale panic? Somewhere along the line a supervisor at Samsung who spoke to Mohammed Hassan of Network World on the phone confirmed that a keylogger was indeed installed by Samsung in order to monitor the way their machines were being used. Samsung has yet to comment on what exactly the supervisor was smoking at the time.

FAIL: Copyright Infringement
Or at least Boston College’s definition thereof. A “helpful” university document intended to instruct students what activities constitute copyright infringement contained all the usual suspects, but one addition that you’d not expect to find. Boston College considered the use of WiFi to be an intellectual property no-no. That’s right – using a wireless router leads to copyright infringement, according to a leading university. Puzzled? Me too. It’s worth noting that the college has removed the reference to WiFi violating copyright since the story broke yesterday – hence my usage of the past tense throughout this paragraph.

WIN: Privacy
It’s not often these days that privacy enjoys a good old fashioned win, but following the Google Buzz privacy fiasco last year, the FTC and Google have reached an agreement that gives security a shot in the arm. Google must now submit, and by all accounts will do so willingly, to independent privacy audits on a regular basis for the next 20 years. Also included in the settlement between the FTC and Google are stipulations that Google must develop and uphold a stringent privacy program, and must get users’ consent before sharing their information with third parties.

WIN: Robots
Yet again, robots are winning. This time the US is sending special robots to Fukushima to help gather data about radiation levels in areas of the plants too unsafe for humans to enter. The robots will need handlers, who are accompanying them to Japan, and it’s unsaid how near to the robots they will have to be. Presumably a safe enough distance, however, or these would be very pointless robots indeed.

WIN: Pioneering TV
The significantly popular show Pioneer One‘s third episode debuted online on Monday – and in fact, online is the only place you’ll find it. You can stream episodes on blip.tv or download the .torrent files from VODO’s web site. Pioneer One is an entirely web-based “television” program. Regular readers might recall an in-depth review I wrote about Pioneer One‘s first two episodes some time ago. Expect a review of episode three next week. Meanwhile, tune in and enjoy!

The competition is called Antimov Competition, and it was held last October 16 in Boulder, Colorado. The concept behind the competition is to create robots that complete trivial tasks “in the most inefficient and laborious way possible.” Additionally, the robots need to destroy themselves while completing the tasks.

For someone who absolutely loves watching the MythBusters blow things up or set things on fire, I had a lot of fun watching some of the videos sent in as entries. The event was actually held live, but many participants submitted video entries, partially due to fire restrictions. Here’s the video entry that bested all the others.

A robo-waiter setting things on fire, taking itself down as well – how can you go wrong? I envy the kid I kept hearing in the background! Now he probably wants a robot like that for his next birthday party!

Now here’s a video of the winning live entry.

Believe it or not, the people behind this winning entry are kids aged 13 and 11 – the children of the guy behind the flaming robo-waiter in the first video. Talk about passing on talent to your offspring!

These robots may be “fails” in the eyes of Asimov, but judging by the reaction of the viewers (yours truly included), they are definitely “wins”! Definitely worthy of the Dept. of Awesomeness, don’t you think?

Oh, and just in case you need a refresher course on the Laws of Robotics, here:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Nurse: Where is the rest of the robot?

Wolowitz: I only made the arm/hand.

Nurse: Oh, because that is all that you need, isn’t it?

Now go watch that episode – you won’t regret it!

This is not about TBBT, though. It’s about this new robot arm that a team led by Eric Brown has developed. Dubbed the Universal Gripper, the prototype does not have a hand as we conventionally perceive one. Instead of fingers and a palm, the robot has a beanbag. This beanbag is essential in the proper handling of things – force of the grip and the like. I think it is better if you actually see the Universal Gripper in action.

Imagine that – from a tiny light bulb to a heavy shock absorber to a delicate raw egg, this robot can pick them up! It can even write!

One question does stand out: can a simple blob ever replace the functionality that four fingers and a thumb provide? As cool as this robot arm is, I don’t think that Wolowitz will choose it over his own version of a robot arm. ;)

I’m all for building robots that can handle simple everyday tasks, what I don’t understand is why you would give the robot a mohawk and then send it scurrying up a ladder.

Invented in Utsunomiya, Japan by Professor Sekine, the robot (pictured above) can scurry up a ladder with a single command and spray insecticide (via a remote) at angry nests of wasps.

The robot is fairly large at 5’6″ and is made out of wood and lightweight metal which makes it perfect for scaling ladders and killing nests of bees and other bugs.

My only question for Professor Sekine is “why would you create a humanoid looking robot, just for the task of killing insects.” Surely a long tube that shoots insecticide would have worked just as well and the entire mohawk could have been avoided.

Does anyone else find the entire outfit with mohawk to be a bit strange?

Called the HRP-4, the robot is 5 feet tall, built with 34 joints and weighs just 86 pounds, 8.8 lbs less than last years model from the company, the HRP-4C fembot.

I’m still not sure how the demonstration shows off the “helper” part of the robot, after all they simply had it stand on one foot, twist its waist and follow a few spoken commands.

On the other hand the ability to recognize faces and track objects is rather impressive. The robots five fingered hands also allow for better control than previous models.

If you want one of the robots you’ll have to wait until January 2011 and then throw down 26 million yet, that’s approximately $305,000.

Here are a few more pictures of the HRP-4 Athletic Robot:

[Sources: Nikkei, PinkTentacle]

The only thing more impressive than this Johnny Five from Short Circuit built entirely out of LEGO bricks? The amount of flawless detail crammed into a LEGO build this small.

Every single detail of Johnny Five is absolutely perfect. There’s his three-pronged hands, his face with the eyebrows and huge eyes, the tiny little radio dish on top of his head, his hydraulics, the red toolbox he added in Short Circuit 2 (yes, I watched those movies way too many times when I was young), and treads that actually work. And did I mention that the red toolbox actually opens and has tiny tools inside?

It’s so good, it makes me wish LEGO would market and sell it so I could get the instructions on how to build it for myself. (‘Cause I could never figure out how to do something this perfectly-proportioned on my own.)

LEGO Johnny Five’s builder, Brickshelf user rack911, has a major spot for robots. In addition to J5, he’s also constructed remarkably realistic replicas of Gundam’s iconic RX-78-2, WALL-E, and more. We’re looking at serious talent here. Could “rack911″ be the next Nathan Sawaya or Sean Kenney?

Yes, indeed, the Splitterbot is a friendly little white guy (I mean he’s made from white plastic) who sits on your keychain waiting for your need to share a banging tune with one of your mates.

At this point, his head conveniently comes off (completely, mind you, not just tilting back like our R2-D2 trash can) so you can plug him into your PMP and then (kids, look away now) shove a couple of headphone jacks into his eyes.

I feel more could have been made of this robot. Maybe a Splitterbot Deluxe is called for, where his antennae become useful switches or dials that control volume.

Take a look at those feet, though. They’re almost LEGO-like. Of course, they’re not, but how cool would it be if he could stand around at home with your collection of personalised LEGO people on a piece of that weird chunky bobbly green plastic grass?

Anyway, Splitterbot is yours for the tidy sum of $7.99. Grab one now.

Via

For that reason, and for the joy of combining the Rubik’s Cube with robotics, we present CubeStormer from RoboticSolutions.

The claim is that this Lego Mindstorms RCX Speedcubing Robot can solve any 3³ in under twelve seconds. The video shows this: I’m happy to take their word on the machine being handed random cubes.

Just brilliant.

Kinda makes your human attempts at solving the cube rather futile, eh? Never mind. You can always dress up as a Rubik’s Cube instead.

Via

There are only 50 units fabricated of PLEN, each costing 2999 dollars. So this is a very expensive limited edition android-robot. The PLEN is sold as an assembly kit, you’ll only need a cross point screw driver and some time and patience to get it assembled and going.

This robot looks like a true collectors item for robots fans out there. The fact that you can program its own motion makes it even more attractive to have. If it wasn’t that expensive I might consider buying one, I always wanted a robot which I could program basic motions for. Much cooler way to learn the basics of robot programming instead of using Karel the Robot.

Check out more details about PLEN on its own website or go ahead and order one at Audio Cubes.

Give robot lovers this tiny Choro Robo Q.

Though it’s not as advanced (and certainly not as big) as Loki or some of the other robots we’ve featured, its 3.4cm tall body still hides a powerhouse of versatility.

Versatile, that is, so long as it can perform its task within five minutes — that’s how much use you get from a 20-minute charge.

It comes with an infrared remote control unit, offering full directional control, or it can be put into auto mode where it runs (err, walks) around, chasing the supplied football or avoiding obstacles.

It’s never going to win any prizes for AI but two or more of these little chumps darting around your desk or kitchen floor could be fun — until the dog eats them of course.

Check out the video and note the robot swagger.

£19.95 ($33) each, but you just know you have to get at least two.

Product page

Constructed from some simple bits of LEGO, servo motor, LEDs and simple microchip, the Rovin’ Pumpkin isn’t exactly a hit on the dance floor, but with its glowing green eyes and sneaky little movements, it could scare a few trick or treaters this weekend.

Via

I hurt one of my legs last week and I swear I was walking a bit like this robot when it reaches 3.2mph (granted, I couldn’t walk that fast).

PETMAN’s main purpose is to test chemical protection clothing used by the US Army. It has a range of versatile movements, being able to balance itself when pushed, walking, crawling and “doing a variety of suit-stressing calisthenics”.

It will take two-and-a-half years of design, build and installation before PETMAN is delivered in 2011.

PETMAN (Via)

This four foot tall robot not only looks fantastic but seems to be highly functional, thanks to some nifty systems and programming by its creator, Dave Shinsel.

There’s a ton of video over at Dave’s YouTube page which really gives a flavour of what Loki can do.

Loki has remote control and logistics over Wi-Fi, vision processing, speech recognition, indoor pathfinding and basic artificial intelligence.

Lots of data on the web site if you’re inclined to have a go creating your own Loki. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the show.

Via

In fact, that’s the most technological part of the whole effect. If you’re comfortable gaffer taping your beloved Apple phone to the inside of a crisp box, by all means try it out yourself.

Here’s the video with detailed instructions for doing just that. Should your first fancy dress idea of turning up to a party dressed as a Rubik’s Cube not work out, you can always fall back on this one.

Via

“Created for entertainment purposes. It is made to dance and entertain people at conventions and parties.”

It’s a radially symmetrical four-legged robot that’s operated from two modified Wii Nunchucks. It has taken two years of “hobby” time to get to this point and probably cost around $1,000 in parts/replacements.

It’s made from some custom-cut steel plate, copper, aluminum tubing, brass, a 7.4V 1100mAh lithium-polymer battery, a pair of XBee radio modules for communication (has a range of around 20 feet), Pololu micro SSC board and eight HX12K servos.

Check out the video below or Drew’s Flickr photo set.

I’d kind of hoped that the robot had some of its own sensors on board so that it would avoid objects, but to be honest the level of control Drew has over it makes up for that. Next project perhaps?

Drew’s Robots (via)

Here’s a video including slow-motion replay:

At present the pitcher can only throw fast balls (well, 25mph balls), but researchers want to get it up to 93mph and vary the types of ball it can deliver.

The batter will be trained to consistently hit balls to the same target.

Via

Watch this little robot, apparently something that’s available to buy (somewhere) coupled with an iPhone 3G S. Let it wake you up, teach it movements, and watch it “dance”.

Not sure whether this big-eyebrowed smiley robot will ever make it into production, but it’s a cool little experiment.

Via

Actually, there’s a lot of other stuff besides robots, but that’s what caught my eye. The pic above is Industrial-Grade P-8 Lifter Robot. Be sure to check out the original artwork.

How about this Crusader:

Or how about Gundeer:

Really, go and check out the rest, they’re awesome.

Reaver’s Etsy listing.
]]> http://www.forevergeek.com/2009/06/hommage_cylon_inspired_jet_robot/feed/ 0 http://www.forevergeek.com/2009/06/find_cool_pewter_robot_pendants/ http://www.forevergeek.com/2009/06/find_cool_pewter_robot_pendants/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:49:44 +0000 andy http://www.forevergeek.com/?p=12817 I’ve just found these fantastic little pewter robot charms on Etsy.

They only stand an inch tall but have good detailing on them. They’re being sold for $4.98 per pair, but apparently the seller has a huge bag of them so you could probably create your own army of them if you wanted.

Check out more pictures over the jump.

Troy Rogers, Steven Kemper and Scott Barton of Expressive Machines Musical Instruments, that’s who.

They’ve created Madi (the Multi Mallet Automatic Drumming Instrument) which uses various brushes and sticks connected to a controller to beat out one heck of a cacophony of noise.

“We are a group of composers seeking new modes of acoustic sound generation. Our goal is to develop and compose for instruments that maximize temporal, timbral, dynamic, and harmonic possibilities. This quest has led us to create robotic musical instruments.”

Nice work, guys, and I’m sure you could get it to calm down a bit for more genuine performances. In the meantime, you’ve built a great device for getting your own back on those neighbors in the next block who woke you up at 4am with their drunken hollering.

(Via Hacked Gadgets)

I think it’s a good thing too, because if you head on to Radio Shack today Rovio is on sale for roughly around US$130. Not available for online purchase though, but if you show up at many of their shops in the US you’d see that Rovio IS on sale.

I’m guessing we’d see Rovio II any time soon. Nonetheless Rovio 1… rocks. Check out the features below:

- Wi-Fi enabled robotic webcam/ led illumination/1 x speaker/1 x built in microphone
- Detects your computer settings for you and guides you though the process
- Interactive audio and video streams from ROVIO to the PC
- Control from web accessible devices
- With stored location points ROVIO can navigate itself around the home

It was on sale for US$250 at Amazon. Grab THIS chance!