Awesome Robots

Prepare yourself for six minutes of weird and wild machines that are ready to fuel your nightmares. Since putting together this amazing showreel back in 2012, London animatronics designer Gustav Hoegen has gone on to run the creature effects department for the latest round of Star Wars movies.

Builder Navin Khambhala aka “Mr. NK” shows us how to create a nifty, low-budget RC car that can climb stairs thanks to its Mars Rover inspired wheel mechanisms. It’s made from easy to find parts like PVC, hose clamps, and off-the-shelf motors and wheels.

While the world certainly can feel like a horrible place some days, it’s videos like these that give us hope for the future. Watch in awe as a man who is paralyzed from the neck down was able to walk and move his arms thanks to a prototype robotic exoskeleton controlled by his own brain. More here.

Boston Dynamics’ agile humanoid ATLAS robot continues to develop its acrobatic and balancing skills. In this clip it shows off a variety of moves which combine movements of its legs, torso, and arms to perform a brief gymnastic routine.

Designed as a proof off concept to help combat labor shortages in the EU, the Sweeper is a specialized robot that can pick vegetables all on its own. It uses computer vision to identify sweet bell peppers that are ready to harvest, then cuts them down with a tiny saw.

Artist Hah Jeong-hee started making felt toys for her kids. She’s made dozens of small toys, but recently she became interested in making robots. Her creations are so detailed that people sometimes mistake them for model kits. Turn captions on.

Engineers from ETH Zurich and the CERBERUS team worked together to create ANYmal, an autonomous robot which has wheels at the ends of its legs, making it capable of moving quickly, and negotiating over difficult terrain. Its moves kind of remind us of the wheelers in Return to Oz, but not as creepy.

Artist Mike Slobot has been making cool robot sculptures and other robot art for 15 years. To celebrate, he’s created a series of fun mid-century style prints of robots made from vintage radios and TV sets. They’re available in eight designs, in a variety of sizes. Awesomer readers get 15% off purchases over $25 with code 15years.

We’ve seen designer David Weeks‘ articulated wooden robots at art museum shops before, but this multi-colored series is our favorite. Each one is made from beech wood and elastic, allowing you to pose them into various positions, including a cube. Sold individually in 4.25″ tall and 6.75″ tall sizes.

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.