Food delivery bot

The ‘Cifu’ delivery robot has been designed as the latest piece of equipment that will enable a more streamlined method of getting packages delivered in an urban area. Boasting a simple yet functional design, the unit is able to be packed with whatever parcels need to be delivered and sent off to autonomously get them where they’re going.

The ‘Cifu’ delivery robot is packed with a series of cameras and sensors that enable it to seamlessly navigate the streets of an urban area. Once the robot has made it to the delivery point, the scrolling display will direct users on how to access the contents before speeding off back to the base for its next job.

Salamander Robot

The video demonstrates the locomotive capabilities of this amphibious robot. Bright yellow and lithe, the robotic salamander easily navigates both bare, smooth surfaces as well as transitioning easily right into the water. Not only is this unit functional, it is almost as beautiful and breathtaking as if Mother Nature designed it herself. I am impressed by the ‘natural’ motion achieved by this design team. Developed by the Biorobotics Laboratory at Switzerland’s EPFL, Salamandra can scuttle over sand, wind effortlessly through a pool of water, or adjust to lake conditions. It appears that even the swans  in this clip are neither curious nor threatened by this bright yellow bot.

The video below is an article and another demonstration of the bot’s motion from WIRED magazine:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/biomimetic-robots

Boston Dynamics Big Dog

The last time I checked on the progress of Boston Dynamics’ BigDog, it was a loud, headless backward-legged robot developed for hauling soldiers’ gear along rough and uneven terrain. The BigDog’s upgrades and improved functionality are expanding the boundaries of machine/robot motion.

The video shows BigDog’s new trick: picking up and tossing a cinderblock.

Once headless and even spoofed by a performance art group (who grabbed each other’s shoulders, bent heads toward ground and trudged through the snow in black bodysuits), Boston Dynamics has seen fit to add this fifth appendage. It’s not really a head: It’s an arm-like limb, almost as long as the robotic legs, and it terminates in a gripping claw. The grabbing strenght, as demonstrated here, is sufficient to lift the brick and then hurl it awkwardly away as if sorting debris.

A robot to replace your remote

The uncanny valley is definitely avoided in this latest gadget currently being developed by Toshiba. The cuteness factor exceeds most people’s expectations and also psychologically imparts a kind of implied subservience through the use of its oversized eyes and adorable computerized voice. This robot’s name is ApriPoco:

The ApriPoco (the name being derived from the Italian phrase for “little by little” ), this service robot has the ability to take in voice commands and perform small electronic tasks such as turn on the lights in your living room or change the channel on your television. Just as his name suggests, the robot slowly implements the common controls used on various remotes throughout the home so that eventually, the use of your voice command will signal the appropriate electronic action.

This little guy, as of March 31, 2008, is still not yet commercially available, but Toshiba plans to release it very soon.

View this video to get a more detailed overview of ApriPoco: