I'll resist the temptation to make a joke about just how ironic it is that such a small thing is such big news, but a group of Dartmouth researchers just recently created, what's now dubbed, 'the world's smallest robot." Whether that's actually true or not, it's pretty darn small - measuring 6…
I just heard from a friend about the possibility that Vex has (finally) come out with their programming kit. He says:"Saw a radio shack ad – the Vex SW kit is now available – C based"It's currently listed on Radio Shack's website as "In Store", but for my zip code it…
Continuing with our "robots saving lives" theme, check out the robotic CPR machine that a Staffordshire, UK ambulance service has put in 100 of its ambulances. The Daily Mail says, "In only 20 seconds, the machine can be ready to perform compressions on a sick patient, which ma…
Three cheers for the US Army and for robots! SpaceWar.com recently reported that an unmanned US robotic drone, one of the popular Predators, successfully attacked a group of Iraqui insurgents about to attack a military base in the region. The insurgents were about to launch a morter attack on the b…
The folks at McGraw Hill graciously sent me a copy of Edwin Wise's new book, Robotics Demystified, for me to review. Unfortunately, I got it right around the time that I left for Hong Kong (study abroad) and I'm just now getting around to actually reviewing it. The title calls it a "self-teaching…
Yep, you read that right - it's a robotic pizza vending machine. Wonder's never cease over what you'll find on Delicious. I know it's not terribly related to this site's content, but I couldn't resist. Apparently, Wonder Pizza USA wants to bring "fresh", delicious, and nutritious (?) piz…
PC Magazine has published a review of WowWee toy's latest robotic amusement item - the Robopet. Retailing for $99, the Robotpet is next in the line of robot toys created by Mark Tilden and marketed by Wowwee. First came Robospaien, then Roboraptor, now Robopet, and hopefully before this x-mas, Robo…
Dear God, Katrina raped the gulf coast of the US. Consider a donation to the Red Cross or your favorite aid charity. In related news, MSNBC published a report on robotics and hi-tech gear involved in the rescue process. Mentioned in the article is the University of South Florida's Institute for …
It is exactly the catchiest name I've heard (but volumes better than "Qrio"), but Wakamaru is the latest in Japan's bid to take over the world with robots. That and help out their rapidly aging population. Wakamaru, weighing in at 30kg, 3ft tall, and anywhere from $9,000 to $14,000 USD …
Here's your chance to win $5,000! The Lantronix wireless design contest, sponsored by, you guessed it, Lantronix, the makers of our favorite really small webserver. The goal is to "Wirelessly network-enable your machine or device with a Lantronix WiPort™ ... and you could win $5,0…
Here's a quick roundup on robot related stuff in the social bookmarking scene (aka, Digg and Delicious). Robot spy plane - Shape-shifting like Odo! Well, not quite. "Small robotic spy-planes have been developed that use shape-shifting wings to switch from being stable gliders to ultra-mano…
Via, Akihabara News. See what 300 Euros will buy you in Japan? Judging from another picture on Akihabara, it seems you get about 9 servos, lots of wood, 3 battery packs, and some sort of proprietary controller board. The results? ... I have no idea, because the company website is in Japanese. Looki…
I found this off of Digg. It's a pretty impressive short film showing the Honda ASIMO racing an old man on an airport people mover. Especially note how "easy" it is for ASIMO to transistion from running to walking and vice versa. They've got a 30 second and a 60 second version. You'll nee…
Dan Gates, with Southern Oregon Robotics, is selling their extended Mini Sumo chassis kit for $30. This about 33% off the regular price of $45. The kit includes hardware, wheels (from Tigerbotics), and two servos. Keep in mind the servos aren't modified, but are easily hacked. The platform is ripe…
Ah, back home to North Carolina where the tea is sweet (very sweet) and the humidity makes it feel 15 degrees hotter. As promised, I'm here to provide closure to NCSU's journey to San Diego. And, no, we didn't place in the competition. We were so very close - one of the top contenders actually…
Well, it's 10:21 AM. Our first preliminary run starts at 11:00 AM. As of now, two teams have made it through the gate, and two teams haven't showed up. One team, I think the University of Florida, navigated to the acoustic pinger and surfaced. We also have another run tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.…
