Awesome Robots

Developed by the Suzumori Endo Lab and A2Lab, this hilariously awkward, yet somehow endearing robot walks around on six spindly legs, like a giant insect. It weighs just about 8 pounds, and is one of those rare robot’s we’re not worried about hunting down and killing us.

We’ve seen machines that could solve simple Rubik’s Cubes very quickly, but this impressive build is not only made entirely from LEGO Mindstorms, but can solve an insanely complex 9x9x9 cube. It takes it about 35 minutes, but we’d like to see you do better.

One of the coolest concepts we’ve seen on the LEGO Ideas‘ website, Brett Cuviello’s Iron Giant build is simply spectacular, and does a great job replicating the giant robot from Brad Bird’s 1999 animated classic. The 2,000 piece set would have to be pricy, but we desperately want one.

Reach Robotics’ MekaMon is a modular spider-like robot that you control via a mobile app. The robot is agile and has an animated and endearing way of moving and acting. You can play solo in augmented reality mode or fight another MekaMon player.

One-man toy studio Michael Sng aka Machination Studios is ready to sell his first collectible. Like the Colossus prototype, the Mk. 1 Cyclops is a remote-controlled mobile fortress inspired by World War I technology. You can get it as a DIY kit or fully assembled.

“What is my purpose?” Redditor andredotcom modified a smartphone controlled toy tank and made a 3D printed body for it to make it look and sound like the existentially devastated butter robot from Rick & Morty.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab shows off a small robot that’s capable of driving straight up the side of a building. One version uses gecko-like microsuction to stick to smooth surfaces, while another uses insect inspired microspines to grab onto rough walls.

We’re not sure we’d ever give a robotic arm a circular saw or power drill to gut us with, but it’s still pretty cool to see how these mechanical marvels can be trained to perform tasks normally reserved for skilled humans.

Corridor got their hands on a prototype of the year’s most hotly anticipated new toy, the Anki Cozmo Robot, and sent him on a mission to take on an army of angry machines, a couple of which happen to come from Anki’s biggest competitors. Behind the scenes here.

A robotic play set that teaches preschoolers the basics of programming without text or complex rules. Cubetto is a cubic robot that is controlled by placing direction blocks on a control panel. It comes with maps and story books to make play time more fun.

Kobi is the ultimate lazy man’s robot. It has three swappable modules: one to mow the lawn, one to grab leaves, and one to blow snow. It can work on its own and use weather forecasts to schedule cleaning, or you can manage it via an app. Drops 2017 for $4,000+.

Stålenhag’s follow up to Tales from the Loop, Things from the Flood is still filled with paintings of Nordic countrysides invaded by mechanical beings and relics. But here a flood from a “huge abandoned underground facility” washed up strange organic creatures as well.

Currently in alpha, Dual Gear is an upcoming turn-based mecha RPG. Heavily inspired by anime and Front Mission, the game will feature 30 single player missions, 30 customizable mechs, 60 weapons and pilot skills. Coming to Windows, MacOS, Xbox One and PS4.

The best part of waking up is caffeine in your cup. Thanks to the fine folks at ThinkGeek, your favorite droid can be part of your morning ritual. This R2-D2 coffee press holds up to 32 ounces of liquid, and is ready to be of service just in time for holiday gift giving.

“Now we know our cockpit wasn’t built for this, but we didn’t expect to die from paint.” In preparation for their upcoming mech battle, MegaBots conducted impact tests on their prototype to see how their pilot would fare against giant weapons.

Researchers from MIT developed a tiny flat robot which folds itself into a different shape when heated, scampers about, then dissolves itself. They’ve also created a variant which could be swallowed in a capsule and used to perform surgery or deliver medications inside your body.

This Japanese robot battle has a decidedly different flavor than Battlebots. Each robot is fully autonomous, and tasked with a single objective – to push the other robot out of the wrestling ring as quickly as possible. In the end, it’s a battle of speed vs. power.

Serbian artist Dragan Ilic voluntarily strapped himself onto the end of an industrial robot, while holding onto a box filled with paintbrushes, then allowed the robot to move him around a giant canvas and put him to work as a painter.

(PG-13: Language) Simone Giertz and her friend use the remote control from her Deal With It Robot to make a robot arm that’s supposed to spread jam on bread. They ended up making a rage quitter. Put peanut butter jar on bread. Efficiency level: robot.

Filmmaker Patrick Boivin created this all too short video simply described as “The world as a five-year-old boy sees it.” What makes it truly special is how amazingly realistic the toy animation looks. Impressive VFX work, Patrick.

Guinness World Records shares this video of an army of tiny robots, all dancing in sync during the Qingdao Beer Festival in Shandong, China. In total, over 1000 robots participated. There were also a number of other robots on hand serving beer, ice cream, and performing.

If you thought that machine that could balance itself on a single point was cool, check out Andreas Eder and Tobias Glück’s robot, which can swing three pivoting sections upright and keep them balanced. It can’t hold on indefinitely, but we’d like to see you do better.

BattleBots recently featured a showdown between front-spinner bot Hypershock and orbital spinner Warrior Clan. The highlight of the match was the last minute addition of a garden rake which Hypershock used to swat Warrior Clan’s companion drone from the sky.