ROBOTS DREAMS - Robot news and robot hacks from a true robot geek

Magical Robot Mystery Tour (Video)

As we mentioned a while back, Takahashi’s karakuri robot creations are really amazing. Of course, the attention to fine detail and craftsmanship are excellent, as you might expect from a Japanese artist of his ilk. But, even more striking is Takahashi’s magical and delightful “world”, the context and ‘story’ that he created in his imagination as the natural environment occupied by flying mechanical fish, insect size solar planes, fiddle playing elves in bottle houses, and much, much more.

Luckily we were able to capture some of his creations in motion in the video clip below.

More On The Dustbot On-Demand Trash Robot

Some new photos and a YouTube video:

Dustbot Robot

[From the Robots Dreams iPhone]

Collective Transport of Robots & Ideas... (Video)

One of the most valuable attributes of the internet and applications like YouTube is the fact that they enable communication at a distance, often between people and groups that would never be able to connect and share information under other circumstances.

We happen to call Chiba, just east of Tokyo, our home, yet we, and thousands, if not tens or even hundreds of thousands of people like us with a common interest in robotics and artificial intelligence can instantly view and benefit from work being done on the opposite side of the globe

For example, this morning we were enjoying, and pondering over, the work being done at the USC Robotic Embedded Systems Laboratory in California:

 

 

Dynamizer Cooks! (Video)

Diagonal View, one of our favorite creators of odd yet delightful video clips, visited the Japan Food Machinery and Techology Expo 2009 here last month, and were quite surprised with the wide range of food preparation and service robots. Without a doubt, their favorite was Dynamizer, created by Tomio Sugiura interviewed in the video above. 

Chibotica 2008: Humanoid Kung Fu-William vs. Boomer (Video)

German Robot Fountain (Video)

From Goettingen, Germany.

First Things First, Especially With Robot Help (Video)

In considering future applications for home and personal robotics, it’s critical to priortize. To be successful, and acheive market acceptance, robots will have to assist us in important ways, like making sure that we don’t forget to watch Jeopardy….

Actually, given that both our parents used to be huge fans of Jeopardy. The program was a delight to them and certainly they would have welcomed a robotic reminder.

Tarantula Revisited (Video)

Really reminds us of a robot tarantula…

NAO Robot Dances A Tribute to Michael Jackson (Video)

NAO, the leading edge humanoid robot created by Aldebaran Robotics, may not be able to match Michael Jackson in a showdown on the dance floor, but he does have some pretty amazing moves that were shown off to spectators and competitors alike at RoboCup 2009.

Transformers Galore! (Video)

Cars that transform themselves into robots. Robots that transform themselves into trucks, or planes. Humans that transform themselves into robots that transform into cars and trucks…