Archive for March, 2009
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Sorry, that’s not actually Dark Helmet, it’s a researcher demonstrating the latest Brain Machine Interface (BMI) cooked up for robotics. While it’s not looking too portable, it’s a far nimbler setup than the original MRI Scanner first concocted by Honda to control robots in near real-time back in 2006. This time, Honda Research Institute in coordination with Advanced Telecommunications Research (ATR) and Shimadzu Corporation have achieved robotic thought control using a sensor cap to measure electrical potential on the scalp and cerebral blood flow. While we’ve seen much of this BMI tech applied to video games in the past, Honda claims its technology achieves the world’s highest accuracy at 90% without special training. Impressive, although it’s clearly R&D work for now. Check the video after the break.
[Via Akihabara News]
Continue reading Honda’s ASIMO could be thought controlled in Spaceballs 2
Filed under: Robots
Honda’s ASIMO could be thought controlled in Spaceballs 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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So you’ve seen those “12 volt camper coolers turning up at garage sales and thrift stores, [now] here’s a neat little idea for turning it into a customizable mini-fridge powered by a USB port.” Video after the break.
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Do you want a Smartphone with a bit more style? The LG GD900 is a “7.2Mbps HSDPA slider with world’s first transparent glass (not plastic as originally assumed) keypad will be functional.” Continue reading for one more picture.
We know that the GD900 features vibrational haptic feedback and that the transparent keypad seems to double as a touch-sensitive mouse pad (like that on your laptop) when surfing the web or navigating the UI.
[via Engadget]
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We don’t have any official word on this as of yet, but as our main man Ryan Block noted in a tweet earlier (and Wired speculated on back in February), it looks like Pleo-maker Ugobe may — in fact — be extinct. As of this writing, the company’s site was offline, and calls to the dino-bot factory have gone unanswered (though their voicemail system seems to be humming along just fine). While we haven’t heard a peep one way or another from the folks in charge, Wired reported in its article that the company was struggling months ago to stay afloat in our sinking economy. Could it be that people just don’t have a spare $350 to drop on a robotic toys these days? Say it ain’t so. Whatever the case, you can be sure that just like actual dinosaurs, the legacy Pleo will leave behind is rich, storied, and often violent. How about you there in / on the Interverse… heard any news about Ugobe lately?
Filed under: Robots
Has Pleo-maker Ugobe folded? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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At $1050 on eBay, this NES test cartridge was supposedly “given to game stores to test their Nintendo Entertainment Systems and to be returned,” once finished. Auction page. Continue reading for one more picture.
Any NES Collector could appreciate the value of such an item. There’s wear on the label as can be seen in the picture.
[via eBay]
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The last we heard from the gang at TORC their tech was being used to snag third place in the DARPA Urban Challenge, and now Engineering TV has a couple programs highlighting some of the company’s more portable technology. Compared to other control units, WaySight is relatively small (under three pounds), and can be used to sight the robot either by selecting GPS waypoints via laser range finder in real time, or — if the GPS is unavailable — by sighting the robot and then the waypoint in relation to it. If the operator doesn’t find any of that appealing, the unit can be used to steer the robot using the unit’s built in accelerometer. The unit has a range of up to 400 meters. The AutoNav-Mini, which is installed on the robot, features a GPS unit, low level obstacle avoidance and detection sensors, laser range finder, radar, and more. This technology has all sorts of practical and legitimate uses, for sure — but none so satisfying as the fun we’d have chasing our tiny sister around the living room with it. Hit the read links for all sorts of crazy videos.
Read: WaySight
Read: AutoNav-Mini Filed under: Robots
TORC shows off WaySight and AutoNav-Mini for small, pricey robots originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The $162,000 Nissan GT-R SpecV features a “lightweight carbon-fiber body parts, overboost turbo control, carbon-ceramic brakes, unique suspension setup and special tires.” Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.
At this price, the SpecV could be a hard sell in Japan, even if Nissan is building only 30 examples per month. There are no plans to bring the SpecV to the U.S.
[via Edmunds]
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It’s the weekend, folks, and you know what that means — time to blow off a tiny steam. By way of example, the folks that brought us that Wiimote coil gun a while back have returned to the scene with a little something they like to call OfficeDefender. Using the very same servo and ioBridge module as the last time, this hack finds the gun replaced with a Beretta 9mm replica airsoft gun. Also note the nice use of Construx in a non-beer or iPhone related context. If that weren’t enough, this bad boy has a full-auto mode, moves 180 degrees horizontally, can be sighted with the head-mounted webcam and fired via Wiimote. We’re not telling you that you can use this to hassle folks in the office come Monday, but you totally could. Videos after the break.
[Via Engadget German] Continue reading Remote control airsoft gun MacGyvered out of Wiimote, ioBridge, and Construx
Filed under: Robots
Remote control airsoft gun MacGyvered out of Wiimote, ioBridge, and Construx originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ken Block, founder of DC Shoes, is officially the new face of DiRT 2. This game is set for release in September 2009 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii home console platforms. Video after the break.
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Posted by: in Technology
Ken Block, founder of DC Shoes, is officially the new face of DiRT 2. This game is set for release in September 2009 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii home console platforms. Video after the break.
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