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Image credit:
Gnsin
Links
Life-like walking female robot (video)
Ultra-Lifelike Robot Debuts in Japan
Kokoro Actroid DER2
Geminoid
Intelligent Robotics Laboratory
Joey Chaos video
Jules
Eva the female robot
Girl robot sings
Project Aiko |
Life Like Robots
Robotic engineers are
designing the next generation of robots to look, feel and
act more human, to make it easier for us to warm up to a
cold machine.
Realistic looking hair and skin with
embedded sensors will allow robots to react naturally in
their environment. For example, a robot that senses your
touch on the shoulder and turns to greet you.
Subtle actions by robots that typically go
unnoticed between people, help bring them to life and can
also relay non verbal communication.
Artificial eyes that move and blink. Slight chest movements
that simulate breathing. Man made muscles to change facial
expressions. These are all must have attributes for the
socially acceptable
robots of the future.

Image credit:
angela n.
The brain behind the beauty will be the key
to turning a realistic looking machine into a life like
robot. AI plays a pivotal role in
successful human/robot interaction.
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Rovio
Rovio™, being developed by WowWee®,
is a WiFi enabled robotic webcam that can be accessed and
controlled from anywhere in the world using a web enabled
pc or cell phone.

The Rovio robot moves in all directions
with ease and can be controlled remotely using any web
accessible device including a cell phone, PC or video game
console. Through a built-in camera, microphone and speaker, users can view and interact with Rovio’s
environment,
through streaming video and audio transmitted via the robot.
The Rovio robot with self-docking and a micro-GPS system,
enables the Rovio robot to know where it is, locate
the position of other objects, and navigate from place to
place with pinpoint accuracy, entirely under its own
control.
WowWee

Robots to the Rescue Imagine yourself lost deep
in the forest on a cold autumn night and nightfall is
rapidly approaching. Too windy for search aircraft and too
dark for ground teams, this could be a life threatening
situation. Fortunately for you, it is ten years into the
future and hundreds of tiny intelligent robots will be
combing the woods for you throughout the night.
All terrain robots (ATRs),
will truly function as a team by sharing their locations,
discoveries, search patterns and more. Large ATRs could
carry many smaller robots and provide them with localized
control and power.
These smaller more
specialized robots will have cameras, sonar, heat sensors,
motion detectors and can be sent out by the large ATRs as
needed. Smaller robots might work together to perform
tasks such as moving a large obstacle.
Related Articles
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survivors
Researchers investigate evolving 'swarm' robots
Robot Dials 9-1-1
Robot-Assisted Rescuers
Robots go where scientists fear to tread


BallBot
Carnegie Mellon researchers develop a new
type of mobile robot that balances and moves on a ball
instead of legs or wheels.


Robotic
Insects

Insects have come up with many interesting
solutions for the problems that future robots will have to
deal with like cooperation, specialized movement and
adapting to changing environments. Robotic engineers are incorporating examples found in nature
into their designs.
Robot Insects

Modular Robots
A research
project that focuses on reconfigurable robots is the
SuperBot. A modular, multifunctional robot being developed
by a team at the University of Southern California's
Polymorphic Robotics Laboratory.
Superbot
UPENN MODular Robotics LAB

When completed, the robot, named Nico,
will serve as a test-bed for theories of social
learning. Designed to resemble a 9 month-old baby,
Nico will be able to take part in standard child
psychology experiments, allowing its cognitive
models to be tested under the same conditions as
undergone by human babies.


The
Talking Robot

A talking robot dubbed WT-7 from Takanishi Lab. is
mimicking the human speech process. WT-7 has vocal
cords, lungs, a tongue, velum, lips and a jaw made
of thermoplastic rubber that can reproduce a
human-like voice.
Talking robot

A Helping
Hand
Prosthetics are one of the best uses for
robotics and man-machine interfaces.

Related articles and links
Man controls cybernetic hand with thoughts
Shadow Hand
Cyborg-style 'iLimb' hand a big hit with Iraq veterans
The future of hand prostheses
Robot Hand
Yokoi Robot Hand
Applause For The SmartHand

Walking Robots
Flame
is a walking robot developed at the Delft Biorobotics
Laboratory. Check out the video and you'll see that it not
only walks with a natural gait on level surfaces, but can
handle walking on uneven surfaces equally as well. Flame
weighs approximately 15 kg (33 lbs) and is a little over 4
feet tall tall (1.3 m). It walks at a speed of 0.45 m/s
and is able to handle stepdown disturbances up to 8 mm.
Bipedal robots at Delft Biorobotics Laboratory
The Cornell Ranger Walking Robot 2006
Linxmotion
Bipedal Walking Robot Lucy
Cyborg-walkers stride toward Japan's robotics future
PETMAN
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