Scout Lego Robot Here's a prototype of the Lego robot made by Belisario Russefl de la Torre. The young man, aged 28 today, built his first robot when he was 10 years old. Scout is the project of a robotic helicopter with two fans. It still doesn't fly but the foundations of the project …
An unusual style for a robot, here's a prototype that you've surely never seen before: the bridge robot! Even if the model shown below is a miniature the size of a toy, the principle could certainly be replicated on a scale the size of a military vehicle, for example. The Stilzkin EXT3 robot …
Boston Dynamics' LittleDog has made progress recently. Not only was this little robotic critter able to move alone over difficult terrain, but now it does so with greater confidence: It jumps, climbs stairs, and reacts to real-time obstacles. "Little Dog" means "petit chien" in French, and it i…
The Advanced Security Guard (ASGuard) is a design by the Center for Robotics Innovation at the University of Bremen in Germany. This robot prototype can go underwater and on any type of rough terrain. Its role is to intervene in rescue operations during accidents or natural disasters. Asguard …
Here is a pretty amazing performance by a small humanoid robot. Surprising for two reasons: The first is that the stunts are rather sophisticated: he can do a handstand comparable to a great gymnast. The second is more mysterious: the music that accompanies the video is a song by Jacques Brel's …
In the Netherlands, some robots are already replacing gas pump attendants. The robot's code name: Tank Pit Stop. So, you no longer need to leave your vehicle; it's a little like the drive-in at fast-food restaurants :-) This robot was invented in 2008 and costs 75 000 euros. Its effectiveness…
This sculpture is actually a robotic cube capable of keeping its balance by itself with an automatic stabilization mechanism to shift the center of gravity. The modules sway and can maintain the balanced position. Even more incredibly, the structure can be pushed and still not fall. Of course, …
The German Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics presented, at the IEEE 2010, a safety demonstration with an industrial robotic arm. In this case, they wanted to study the contact between a robot handling a sharp tool (scissors, kitchen knife, saw, scalpel) and human skin in order to prevent acci…
Ji-Dong Yim and Chris Shaw, two researchers at Simon Fraser University have developed a telephone robot capable of walking, expressing emotions and even being used as a telepresence robot. Callo, which is 23 cm tall, is mounted on a Nokia cell phone. It has two arms, legs and can even dance. Y…
Do you remember the acrobat robot? Now here's another more advanced version with BallP which can even withstand heavy loads without falling. BallP, which is 51 cm tall (20 inches) and weighs 7.5 kg (16.5 pounds), balances on a ball with the help of 3 stabilizer wheels, gyroscopes, micro-control…
Here's an example of an application of an interface using the Apple iPad to store then retransmit commands to an industrial robot (arm). The technician first writes a "Robot" text on the iPad, then stores it. Then it sends the information to its iPhone which retransmits the command to the robot. …
We've already told you before about Lego Mindstorms robots which are able to solve a Rubik's Cube with ridiculous ease in record time, such as CubeStormer. This time, here's MultiCuber, the expert in Rubik's Cubes regardless of the number of faces. MultiCuber starts with a 2x2x2 and ends its exer…
The DFKI and its Robotics Innovation Center in Bremen, Germany, are developing a multitude of robots with numerous possible applications. The video below presents many of the robotics projects underway. The projects are supervised by Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchner. DFKI Robotics develops mobile robot…
Quince is a rescuer robot prototype ready to respond to natural catastrophes (earthquakes, landslides, etc.) or work in buildings which have been damaged following explosions (gas, for example), terrorist or biochemical attacks. This robot can go on practically any terrain thanks to its 4 indepe…
Stanford University's Biomimetics Laboratory has developed a drone which is able to cling on walls and stay fixed. The airplane clings on walls thanks to small spines on its front feet. The main difficulty with this technology is being in a position to be able to make the plane land on a vertic…
The best Tetris players now have competition from this Lego robot that plays the Tetris game all on its own. Branislov Kisacanin has created a robotic player prototype with the help of Mindstorms parts, a webcam and a computer. A Texas Instruments DSP board (TI DM6437 DSP board) decrypts what happ…
