Robothespian Can Take the Part

Need to program your own spokesperson? This guy never takes a day off!!



The eyes kinda scare me.

Robots designed after nature

Using insects, salamanders, geckos, water striders and cockroaches, scientists are designing robots for various purposes. At the end, the self-rearranging robot climbs up a suitcase and does the limbo.



I'm officially requesting the beta for the foot massaging robot who also trims toenails -- maybe designed after a caterpillar? Maybe not.

Where are the robots?

I remember playing with some of these I think -- but I want the full size ones now!! This robot with sparks could have been the inspiration for Spark Skating Barbie.



There are 32 other "Trippy Space Ads" from Life Magazine. Here's the website:

http://www.life.com/image/90006825/in-gallery/34572/trippy-spaceage-toy-art

Robot with Bones

Though these robot bones are made of plastic and the muscles are motors, this robot moves more like humans than any other robot.



With kite strings for tendons and elastic to aid movement, it more closely mimics human movement. But I still don't want to shake a robot hand -- is that intolerant?

Here's another animatronic rocker -- very fun and starring at Universal Orlando.

Robo Bones singing "Mustang Sally"!!

RoboBones from Chris on Vimeo.

Here's "Robo Bones" My Space page:

http://www.myspace.com/robobones

Lego Sudoku Solver

Having problems solving that Sudoku puzzle? Well, worry no more because someone had the idea to construct a robot to do that for you. Now you can sit back, relax and drink your morning coffee without having to worry about all those pesky little numbers. The robot is built from the ever versatile Lego Mindstorm kits. There's also one that solves a Rubik's cube. Head over to Tilted Twister to check it out.

Beijing theatre builds own Transformer

As part of promoting the new Transformer movie, this movie theatre created a VW Passat Transformer.



Here's a link to a story about the car and more pictures:

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/beijing-mall-builds-its-own-transformer-out-of-vw-jetta/

No information on if it really works.

Bud Battle Bots

I'm not sure why Budweiser has some of the best commercials; perhaps the creative staff is under the influence of the product.



No mercy!!

A Third Helping of Food Related Weirdness

A UK school has banned students from including bananas in their lunchboxes, because one teacher has a severe allergy to them. The teacher from the Plymouth school is said to have a "potentially fatal" reaction to bananas (so is presumably also unable to visit supermarkets or parks), causing her council employers to recommend the fruit be excluded from her work environment (Mirror)

Somewhere that teacher may want to cross off her list of holiday destinations is Wilmington, Ohio as the town has just held its 15th annual Banana Split Festival in honour of the supposed invention of the dish, in Wilmington, in 1907. The festival also features the "Banana Split Master’s Competition", now in it's 5th year, won this year by Pete Kramme for his "Sweet and Salty Banana Split", which adds cream cheese and pretzels to the traditional recipe (Wilmington News Journal).

Speaking of odd flavours, here's a two-fer. First up, the Double-Down Saloon is offering two-for-the-price-of-one on it's 'eye watering' bacon-vodka martini on Jun 19th, in celebration of National Martini Day (Examiner). Also, a UK barman hopes to beat the credit-crisis this summer by selling beer flavoured ice-cream. The barman, David Wardleworth, is keeping the exact recipe a secret beyond saying that is does include "Thwaites Original" British cask ale. Despite a historic reputation for liking their beer warm, the ice-cream is apparently proving popular with the British public (Burnley Express).

And it turns out weird flavours are not the only way the recession is impacting the world of ice-cream. The poor economy, combined with lower gas prices, has apparently fuelled a boom in ice-cream trucks, whose drivers stand to make from $100 to $200 a day. And it's not just the money and the lure of being your own boss that drivers find rewarding, according to driver John Jones "You get to see a lot of happy people, you get a lot of smiles." (Wichita Eagle).

And the ice-cream business certainly looks about to boom in Linden, NJ, where police are preparing to hand out tickets for free ice-cream to any kids they see wearing a helmet when cycling; the tickets will also include information about a recent law change, that makes helmets compulsory for under-17s. Even better, no child will be left out as the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey is supplying free cycling helmets for children, also available from those friendly boys in blue (My Central Jersey).

More >>

Transformers Are Real! … Well, Sort Of

A few years ago, a neighbor of my parents, a man who owned a construction company, parked a backhoe in his driveway. The surrounding neighbors nearly had a riot over how the machine was lowering the value of their property just by being there. So you can imagine how this guy's neighbors might feel. Carlos Owens of Wasilla, Alaska, a former Army mechanic, had a dream. His dream was to create a giant metal robot that could mirror the movements of its human pilot. Now the "mecha", as he calls it, has become a reality. It has taken him four years and cost approximately $25,000, but just think of all the fun you could have with one of these.

Eyeborg

Rob Spence, a filmmaker in Canada, who lost his right eye has now replaced that eye with a camera. Engineer Kosta Grammatis designed a video camera and transmitter that would fit into a prosthetic eye. Just think of all the possibilities. Waring: video does contain a very brief scene of eye surgery in the beginning. Eyeborg

Eyeborg Phase II from eyeborg on Vimeo.

All original content in posts is Copyright © 2008 by the author of the post, either Alex Boese ("Alex"), Paul Di Filippo ("Paul"), or Chuck Shepherd ("Chuck"). All rights reserved. The banner illustration at the top of this page is Copyright © 2008 by Rick Altergott.