Tag Archives: robotics

Yet Another New Rubik’s Cube Record Set

by Noemi Twigg
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Solving the Rubik's Cube

Every time I read or hear about someone (or something) setting a new record with the Rubik’s Cube, I think to myself: “How many times can the record be beaten?” After all, there ought to be a minimum time that is humanly (or mechanically) possible to solve this puzzle! Earlier this year, a 15-year-old kid set a new record by solving a 3x3x3 cube in merely 6.24 seconds. As I said before, that time is so short that the average person might not even have the time to take in what he has to do to solve the puzzle. It’s not all about humans wanting to set a Rubik’s Cube Read more »

Robot Mouth is the Freakiest Thing You’ll See Today

by Noemi Twigg
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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 Read more »

These Robots Make “Fails” Look Like “Wins”

by Noemi Twigg
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These Robots Make “Fails” Look Like “Wins”

Pop quiz, guys!  Can anyone tell me the Three Laws of Robotics according to Isaac Asimov? I have no doubts that you all were able to rattle out the three laws without hesitation, but have you heard of this competition that actually aims to break the Second and Third Laws of Robotics? I can hear you thinking “Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” 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 Read more »

Dragon*Con 2010: Who's Going?

by Noemi Twigg
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Dragon*Con 2010: Who's Going?

Mark your calendars! From September 3 to 6, the annual Dragon*Con is going to be held in Georgia.  My love for dragons is not a secret, though this convention is not really just about those magnificent creatures.  What started out as a project of a local science fiction group and  gaming group (Dragon Alliance of Gamers and Role-Players) has now become one of the largest multigenre conventions in North America.  The name Dragon comes from the founder’s (Ed Kramer) Dragon Computer. This year marks the 24th annual Dragon*Con – it was founded in 1987 – and it will be held in four Atlanta hotels: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Read more »

CubeStormer: robot solves Rubik's Cube in record time

by andy
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Though plenty of new puzzles have come from the house of Rubik since the Cube, there’s no denying it still holds a special place in the heart of geeks and enthusiasts. 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 Read more »

Meet Roxxxy: The Sex Robot With a Personality

by J. Angelo Racoma
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Meet Roxxxy: The Sex Robot With a Personality

Trust the adult industry to be at the forefront of technological innovation. Over at the recently concluded AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, robotics company TrueCompanion unveiled its Roxxxy sex robot. The robot is touted to be as close to human as possible. [S]he … knows your name, your likes and dislikes, can carry on a discussion and expresses her love to you and be your loving friend. She can talk to you, listen to you and feel your touch. She can even have an orgasm! Roxxxy, said to have been developed over several years, is supposedly an anatomically correct robot that can respond to user interaction based on Read more »

Self-Charging Robots That Sense Wall Outlets

by J. Angelo Racoma
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Self-Charging Robots That Sense Wall Outlets

A common issue faced by any robot designer would not only be how to power the machine, but how the robot will recharge. If you’ve watched WALL-E, you’ll know that this cute little critter has to bask in the sunlight for a few moments to recharge his batteries (after which the familiar Apple-like sound would signal his “booting up”). How about other robots? Imagine having to plug in your robot at the end of each day. That would be tedious, wouldn’t it? And it would defeat the purpose of having a machine that should be autonomous in the first place. There have been research that looked into robots plugging themselves Read more »