Category: Robots
5 interesting things to experience at CES 2017, including smart smells, robots and fertility trackers!
CES kicks off this week in Las Vegas. The world's largest technology expo, it promises thousands of new and exciting products from manufacturers right across the globe. And while the show has already caused some controversy this year with the organiser Gary Shapiro claiming the UK government is not doing enough to help its…
Sony pulls plug on Aibo repair. RIP to the robotic dog!
I remember when the Sony Aibo was launched way back in 1999. It was the robotic dog that was supposed to revolutionise pet ownership by providing companionship without actually pooing on the floor and needing walkies every few hours. Although it was very expensive, it was undoubtedly the most exciting robotic dog since Doctor Who's…
Sphero launches Darkside connected toy – Ollie’s mischievous alter-ego!
Connected toy company Sphero has announced its latest toy Darkside is now available on Firebox for £99.99. Billed as mischievous alter-ego of Ollie, which launched last Autumn, Darkside is the first toy in the Sphero family designed with a personality and brought to life through the app experience and physical toy animations. The user becomes acquainted with…
Yangyang fembot unveiled at Beijing conference – looks a bit like Sarah Palin!
A creepy new female robot called Yangyang has been unveiled in Beijing at the Global Mobile Internet conference - a conference aimed at getting younger people into robotics. A joint project between Japanese robot guru Hiroshi Ishiguro and Shanghai robotics professor Song Yang, the young robot can shake your hand and accept a hug. Dressed in…
Tokyo Institute of Technology demonstrates world first swimming robot, the Swumanoid
Robots aren't just being used on dry land to carry out various tasks. The Nakashima Laboratory at the Tokyo Institute of Technology has developed the world's first swimming robot, nicknamed the Swumanoid. In this case, the robot is actuated by 20 motors and uses all four limbs to get across the body of water (albeit…
WATCH: The robots in Interstellar were REAL (well… not CGI anyway)
Instellar was one of the biggest hits of last year, and two of the stand-out stars were the film's robots, TARS and CASE. What's surprising though, is that in many cases the two robots were physical puppets and not simply computer generated, like you might expect. Check out the above video to see how it…
WATCH: Disney beach robot that can draw pictures in the sand
Could Nemo soon be appearing on beaches worldwide? Or what about giant crop-circle style patterns? Check out this video from Disney, which has built a robot that if it were the 90s, would put Art Attack's Neil Buchanan out of a job. Here's the creators explaining how it all works: Conceived by Disney Research and…
The Digest: Facebook goes to work… and 5 other things people are talking about today
[nextpage title="Next"] Facebook targets workplaces with new professional networking site | The Guardian "Facebook is taking aim at the likes of Google and LinkedIn with a bid to drive business users to the social networking site. The company is developing a site called Facebook at Work that will allow users to chat and collaborate on…
The Digest: Spotify vs Taylor Swift… and 4 other things people are talking about today
[nextpage title="Next"] Spotify defends itself against Taylor Swift's criticism | BBC News "Spotify's chief executive has defended its business model, saying it has paid out $2bn (£1.2bn) to the music industry to date. Daniel Ek's lengthy blog post follows a high profile move by pop star Taylor Swift to pull her entire back catalogue from…
Is Tesco building ROBOTS?
Tesco is expecting robots, wearable technologies and "cognitive computing" to become commonplace within the next five years, according to the company's Chief Information Officer. According to Brand Republic, the executive has been speaking at the IGD Convention, where he has used a lot of business buzzwords to explain the inevitable: "We’ve only scratched the surface,…
