Japanese Robotic Wheelchair Automatically Follows You Around
Filed under: Computers Strolling around with your wheelchair-bound loved ones might one day be a whole lot less stressful, thanks to a new robotic wheelchair created in Japan. Designed by researchers at Saitama University's Human-Robot Interaction Center, the wheelchair uses distance sensors and built-in cameras to keep track of a pedestrian's position, allowing the chair to remain on the...
Read MoreDIY Robotic Paintball Sentry Blasts Holes in Cardboard Boxes
Filed under: Computers The appeal of paintball is lost on us, but that doesn't mean we don't recognize a cool robotic paintball turret when we see one. Thanks to Ubergizmo, we found this particular one, a DIY project by some nerdy paintball enthusiasts at Alter Robotics. It's a pan-and-tilt, robotic tripod turret, equipped with an electronic paintball gun (that looks infinitely cooler than the...
Read MoreDjedi Robot to Explore Great Pyramid’s Secrets, Hopefully Avoid Curses
Filed under: ComputersRobots are adept at many things, among them pouring beer and giving us nightmares. But oft overlooked is their ability to squeeze into tight spaces. Leeds University and the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt will be relying on a tiny bot, equipped with a drill, a camera and some lights, to weasel its way into tiny shafts and through doors in the Great Pyramid of Giza...
Read MoreAcroban Robot Moves Like a Human… Maybe Too Much Like a Human…
Filed under: ComputersFolks, we hate to keep repeating ourselves, but all those old sci-fi scenarios are really, truly coming to pass. Take the Acroban robot, for example. Child-like, doe-eyed robot? Yes. From a futuristic manufacturer with a creepily sunny name? Yup: the bot's developers refer to themselves as Inria Flowers. Super-creepy, lo-fi video of real human children playing alongside said...
Read MoreAutom the Weight-loss Robot Will Coach You to a Healthier Life
Filed under: Computers If other dieting solutions just haven't worked, why not try a personalized, robotic weight-loss coach? It may sound odd, but according to The Wall Street Journal, Intuitive Automata, Inc. hopes that its talking robot, Autom, can help people lose weight and lead healthier lives. Autom -- which will launch in the U.S. next year as a trial, and later for $500 plus a monthly...
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