Awesome Robots

Kurzgesagt asks some of the most difficult questions that will become exponentially more relevant in the years to come. Do robots deserve rights? Would they even need or want the same rights that humans have?

We spent a couple of weeks living with the latest generation of Sony’s impressive high-tech robot dog, Aibo, and really are gonna miss the pup now that he’s gone. While he was here, we managed to capture just a handful of his tricks, along with his ebullient personality. Fetch our full review of Aibo on Technabob.

We’ve seen footage of a factory where they make animatronic dinosaurs but never really got a look at how they’re made. This clip from the Discovery UK edition of How It’s Made walks us through the process of transforming foam and metal into a moving, mechanical monster, with a focus on sculpting and molding its body.

Researchers from Keio University in Japan have devised a wearable mechanical device that gives humans a moving, vertebrate tail. While it might look ridiculous, the air-powered appendage can be used to improve balance, much in the way that animals use their tails.

A pair of AUBO i5 robot arms performs a delicate and almost ritualistic process, as it gently scoops Chinese tea leaves, places them in a pot, adds hot water, then pours cups for our enjoyment. The music was so relaxing, we thought we just went for a massage at the spa.

Design studio Animade shares one of their fun little projects. Robot & The Robots is a computer animated short film about a band of musical instruments that play themselves. Watch them perform their (only) song, Robot_Song_03.mp3.

We don’t care if Tom Coben’s idea for a robot that can bowl was faked with CGI. We still want to see these things in action the next time we go to the bowling alley, hurling 15 lb. balls and banging out perfect 300 games while terrifying onlookers.

Mocking footage of Boston Dynamics taunting its Atlas robot, The VFX artists at Corridor envision a robotics company that subjects its humanoid robots to all kinds of indignities during testing. While Bosstown Dynamics’ robot has a high threshold for humiliation, he eventually snaps. Behind the scenes video here.

Designed by Shunji Yamanaka for the Future Robotics Technology Center, this incredible work of mechanical engineering can transform between walking, rolling, and spinning, and even climbs stairs. The robot was designed as a study for potential future vehicles. More here.

Drone manufacturer DJI applies their R/C vehicle expertise to an educational, but fun robotic plaything. The RoboMaster S1 has 46 programmable components, a stabilized HD POV camera with object recognition, mecanum wheels that can drive sideways, and even a blaster on board.

Bandai has released an impressive Soul of Chogokin action figure of the super robot from Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, aka the Vehicle Voltron. All 15 vehicles are here, and snap together to form an 11″ tall mech. It comes with a ton of weapons and four pairs of hands.

The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and Moog Robotics’ HyQReal robot looks a lot like Boston Dynamics’ Spot, but this guy appears to be much stronger. Watch as the hulking quadruped manages to pull a small plane all by itself. But only after an intro sequence befitting a pro wrestler.

In the distant future, Daughter is a teenager lovingly raised by an android in isolation. She believes that she is the first of a new generation of humans that will repopulate a barren Earth. But one day a woman barges into their home. Netflix’s sci-fi thriller premieres 6/7/19.

Worx’s updated robotic mower (WG140) can automatically cut lawns up to 1/4-acre, and minimizes the need for edging tools. It runs on an interchangeable 20V Lithium battery, and can be controlled remotely using a mobile app which is smart enough to even avoid mowing on rainy days.

The Q show off another one of their awesome low-budget builds, a robot arm that’s made primarily from cardboard and popsicle sticks, and controlled by plastic syringes filled with colored liquid. If there’s anyone we’d want to be stranded on a desert island with, it’s these guys.

During Japan’s RoboCon 2018, high school students presented their designs for single-purpose robots made specifically to toss bottles filled with liquid, and land them perfectly with way more consistency than most humans could. There’s bottle-flipping action here.

Watch and listen as 10 of Boston Dynamics’ Spotpower robots work together to pull a truck along a slight uphill grade. The clacking of 40 robot dog feet marching in unison is a sneak preview of what awaits humankind in the coming robopocalypse.

Design studio Giò Forma was hired by Timberland to create a giant robot sculpture out of recycled plastic bottles. On display for Milan Design Week 2019, it’s a nod to Timberland’s ReBOTL material, a key part of their sustainability efforts.

Engineers from Princeton University and Google Brain Robotics show off a pair of robotic arms which work together with custom algorithms to toss and catch small objects. Machine learning allows the system to quickly figure out how to toss new objects accurately.

Developed by Stanley Robotics, this fully-autonomous valet allows drivers to drop their car off, lifts the vehicle by its wheels, then carefully delivers it to a parking space. When the driver returns, it fetches the car and brings it back to the delivery bay.

A enchanting contraption that cranks out knife-cut noodles, and flings them into a pot. Commenters point out its likely to result in inconsistent cook times, but that’s supposed to be part of its charm. Check out a similar machine compared to a human chef here.

This robot kit from Japanese toymaker Tamiya lets you build a creepy crawly insect inspired by real-life giant centipedes. This 15″ long critter isn’t quite as indimidating as the real deal thanks to its blue body, but anything with this many legs creeps us out.

Engineers from MIT’s Biomimetic Robotics Lab show off a small version of their cheetah-inspired robot that can not only run, sidestep, and balance itself better than just about any ‘bot we’ve seen, but it can do backflips, and right itself if knocked down.