Millions of years of evolution and thousands of years of civilization has brought humanity at a critical point: the stage of giant robot battles. We’ve been waiting for giant robots to go into an all-out battle for decades now. It seems the battle will happen next year, when the MegaBot Mark II of USA takes on Kuratas from Japan.
Kodomoroid is Japan’s latest newscaster, who is quite different from the hundreds of newscaster the country has seen before her. Kodomoroid is an Android developed under the guidance of Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro. If that name rings a bell, that’s because the Professor has developed some of the most talked about robots in recent years.
BugJuggler the robot is the next big thing that will make circus jugglers look like the noobs that they are. This robot is massive; standing at 70 feet tall; and it’s built for singular purpose, that of juggling cars. The gigantic bot will pick up a car, throw it in the air, and catch it again. We suppose it could do the juggling with any car model that ever existed, but it seems partial to the VW Bug; hence the name.
A twist on the 3D printer, the PancakeBot specializes in making delicious pancakes in custom shapes. The bot makes use of a squeeze bottle filled with pancake batter. A vacuum pump pushes out the batter and lets the bot draw these wondrous shapes.
As you can see here, micro robots can do very interesting and impressive maneuvers. Taking a leaf out of ant colonies, where ants are mostly specialized in a particular jobs, the micro robots can be programmed to handle some specific job as well. Diamagnetic Micro Manipulation (DM3) use magnets to move under a circuit board, and can be pre-programmed to follow a certain path and do specific jobs, even while navigating the terrain of the surface.
Honda recently showed the new and improved ASIMO robot, and all the things the humanoid bot can do. The new Asimo stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, a name that it earns by being able to accomplish complex movements, and even a bit of dance. Asimo can walk around on its legs, assess its surroundings, and make intelligent decisions based on input from its sensors.
![Robo Strippers Shake Their Metallic Booty in Germany [video]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pole-dancing-robots_2.jpg)
Its the future folks, and the future don’t need no meatbags to be strippers. Robots can do all the pole dancing and gyrating strippers do, and perhaps do it better. German developer Tobit Software showed up with these pole dancing robots in tow at the CeBIT computer expo in Hanover. Movements and the LED colors of the robots can be controlled by users by means of a smartphone app. Apparently, you can even take one of these robots home for $39,500.
Know fear and be scared of this robotic spider who is willing and able to use a laser as a weapon. As you can see from the bot in action, the 2 Watt blue laser can fry several things in its path, like the hapless balloons it is using to demonstrate its power. You can still find solace in the knowledge that the bot does not (yet) have a brain of its own, and is controlled by remote.
Cubli is a tiny cube, measuring just 6 inches for each side. But the tiny little cube is darn impressive, especially given its ability to maintain its balance. Cubli can balance itself on its corner, then you could push, goad, spin the little cube or even dramatically change the angle of the surface it sits on, but the cube staunchly refuses to budge.
NASA’s new robot is named Valkyrie, is 6.2 feet tall, weighs 275 pounds, and has a name inspired by god-like females of Norse myth. The robot has been built to compete in the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), where it would be required to do several maneuvers like driving a utility vehicle, walking over uneven terrain, clearing debris, breaking through a wall, closing a valve, and connecting a fire hose. The humanoid Valkyrie looks all fit for the job description.