ROBOTS DREAMS

ROBO-ONE Space: Attitude Competition (Video)

The ROBO-ONE organization has quite a few initiatives in addition to the biannual major competitions. They vary from technical conferences, to special high performance obstacle course events, to the ROBO-ONE in the Space event currently targeted for October, 2010.

Many of the initiatives are linked, in one way or another. For example, to make the ROBO-ONE in the Space event a reality, quite a bit of research and development has to take place. So, some of the ROBO-ONE on PC events have included challenge themes that help move that R&D along.

In a related fashion, some of the ROBO-ONE builders have been actively competing in an 'Attitude' event. During the event they get three chances to toss their robots into the air, have it land without damage, and walk around - all without losing it's orientation. The second competition was held last weekend, in conjunction with the 2nd ROBO-ONE Soccer event. We were able to capture the action at true 300 fps, which some readers may find a bit slow and boring. Hopefully the builders will get some benefit from seeing how their robots actually faired.

Kondo 4th KHR Anniversary: Cool Moves (Video)

Over the years, we've seen a lot of really cool humanoid competition moves, but in reviewing our video footage from last month's Kondo 4th KHR Anniversary Celebration we ran across one that we just had to share with our readers.

The black robot, Black Tiger Neo, positions itself perfectly - orthogonal to the opponent which allows it to attack directly under the opponents COG and provides minimum exposure with maximum stability against any counter attack. Then it presses forward while dropping down, then extending and lifting it's leading arm, knocking the opponents legs right out from under him. So cool.

2nd ROBO-ONE Soccer Competition (Photos)

CIMG0369
Originally uploaded by Tempusmaster.

We had an absolutely fantastic time at the 2nd ROBO-ONE Soccer Competition this weekend, and just finished uploading our raw photo set.

The robots, and the competition, just keep getting better and better. We took a lot of video also, so stay tuned!

RoboBuilder Humaniod Robot Metal Bracket Option (Video)

When we first saw the RoboBuilder humanoid robot from Megarobotics, we thought it was pretty neat, but had some concerns about the durability of the plastic body parts, especially since we like to get down and dirty, ROBO-ONE style, with our humanoids.

Now, according to the folks over at RoboSavvy, there are plans to release a metal bracket set for the RoboBuilder. Not only will this improve the robots durability, it should also open the door for some interesting hacks and mods. Metal brackets are a lot easier to fabricate or modify in a home workshop.

The robots price point is competitive, and should put a lot of pressure on older kits that are getting long in the tooth - like the Robonova-1. And, with metal brackets, it should also provide some competition for the higher end kits like the Kondo KHR series and the MANOI robots from Kyosho.

We're really anxious to see how the RoboBuilder is accepted by fans in the robot community, and how long it will be before we start to see them show up at robot events and competitions.

RoboGames 2008: Scanman and Liz - Robot Art Par Excellence (Video)

What can we say? There is absolutely no way to describe Liz Mamorsky, no way to do her unique and wonderful personality justice in mere words. The subtitle on her LiZLAND website offers "Functional & Dysfunctional Art", which is a good enough start, we suppose. But, Liz is much, much more than just an artist. She literally bubbles with enthusiasm, energy, and insight.

And, robot fans beware - Liz has recently discovered robotics, thrown caution to the wind, and is diving in with both feet. Her 'Scanman' static artbot took home the Bronze Metal in its classification at RoboGames 2008, which is quite an accomplishment considering it was her first introduction to robotics and she had absolutely no idea what to expect.

We had the opportunity to chat with Liz (video below), and bask in her rays of boundless energy, last month at Fort Mason. Be sure to drop by her website and offer some encouragement to this new recruit to our robot community. We can hardly wait for the next time we link up with her, or get the opportunity to visit her gallery in San Francisco.

RoboCup - Small Size League Demonstration (Video)

The ODENS Team from Osaka Electro-Communication University staged a demonstration of the proposed next generation RoboCup Small Size League during the RoboCup Japan Open 2008 competition this past May in Numazu.

As you can see from the video below, the robots were built based on the popular Kondo KHR-1HV platform, but are operating totally autonomously with no human intervention (other than to pick them up and set them back on their feet from time to time).

Their cute little hats include colored dots that are tracked by an overhead camera. The actual play strategy is determined by a separate computer with instructions sent to the robot players on the field. From what we've seen so far, they are very likely to give the Aldebaran Nao humanoid a run for its money, at least on the RoboCup soccer playing field.

RoboGames 2008: Stair Climbing Challenge

Climbing a flight of stairs is something we carbon-based biped lifeforms seem to take for granted. We pop up and down them with the greatest of ease, at least most of the time.

But, for humanoid robots at the hobby, personal researcher, level, negotiating a staircase is anything but easy. To make matters even more challenging, the stage we used for the stair climbing event at RoboGames 2008 was slightly off level. Never the less, some of the entries still managed to successfully climb up, across, and down the official regulation stairs.

UK Micromouse Competition Results

Pete Harrison posted the UK Micromouse 2008 Competition results for the event held last weekend. Very, very respectable times. Check out the MicromouseOnline blog for more information on the mazes and other competitions held in the UK  by the same organization.

Robot Bartender From Asahi (Video)

The Asahi Bartender robot can pop a top, pour a cool one, or just entertain the heck out of you. And, for some unknown reason, it banters with a very distinct British accent.

While we don't condone mixing robotics and alcohol, we have to admit that this particular robot is pretty neat, and extremely fast. Check out the Asahi Robot Bartender video. Note: Please use the link on the left since the embedded version doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

Robot Girl in a Robot World (Video)

Our friend Robert, over at RobotsRule.com, definitely has too much time on his hands, too much talent (way more than we do), and apparently way too much disposable income to spend on his robot addiction.

Now he's put together a creative music video parody (we think it's a parody, though he may be completely serious) that features 3 (yes, three!) WowWee Femisapiens - also known as the Sega E.M.A. Kissing Robot. Check it out below.

Warning: If you're the type of person that really dislikes puns, or word play like rhyming "plastic" with "spastic", you're going to absolutely hate this music video. For the rest of us, it's a pure delight.

UPDATE: The Robot Girl Video is currently off-line. We hope the outage is temporary, and short term, and will update this post as soon as it comes back on-line.

UK RoboSavvy Humanoid Event-Part 3 (Video)

Not only can they sprint, the UK humanoids can also get down and dirty during a Kung Fu/ROBO-ONE style match in the ring. Check out the videos below for a glimpse of the action.

UK RoboSavvy Humanoid Event-Part 2 (Video)

Here are a couple Sprint competition videos posted by Vangos253 (Papacostantis on Robosavvy):

UK RoboSavvy Humanoid Event-Part 1 (Video)

Almost instantly after we mentioned that we would like to see some photos and videos from the UK humanoid event that was held last weekend, Orac pinged us with a pointer to the files. It looks like everyone had a fantastic time.

ROBO-ONE style robotics had definitely taken hold in the UK, which is extremely encouraging. Hopefully it will motivate some of the humanoid robot kit manufacturers to take the market and customers outside of Japan seriously.

We're going to post several of the videos from the event, which was organized by active UK based members of the popular RoboSavvy robot forums. To get things off to a good start, here's a highlight video put together by OraNova (BillB).

UK Micromouse Competitors World Class (Video)

The UK Micromouse competition took place last weekend, and they have already posted a great composite video (see below) summarizing the event. From what we can see, their robots are definitely world-class and would do well at competitions here in Japan or Singapore.

We also understand that there as a humanoid robot gathering that took place at the same venue, and would love to hear, and see more!

RoboGames 2008: Mark Galt Interview (Video)

Of course the action, and the robots, at RoboGames are fantastic, but for us the most important factor is always the people. This year at RoboGames 2008 we had the opportunity to interview several unique robot builders and get some insight into their background and motivation.

Early on during the event, we met Mark Galt and got the chance to hear how he originally got involved with robotics, and his Mechanical Woman artbot design.

Robot Pandas Rule!

Giant robot panda piloted by...a panda
Originally uploaded by Dave_N1.

"Giant robot panda piloted by...a panda"

Unintentional Robotics

Robot in Agoncillo
Originally uploaded by Sebastian Böhm.

This must be the robot version of the Law of Unintended Consequences. It might be fun to create a flickr group just for "things that unintentionally look robotic" if it doesn't already exist.

Is Wall-E Worth Waiting For?

sam choi
Originally uploaded by will not erase.

It's going to be quite a while before the latest robot movie hits screens here. We've read the newspaper and online reviews, but what we really want to know from our readers is if Wall-E is worth waiting for. Did you see it?

If it's definitely a 'two thumbs up' flick, then we'll be very careful to avoid reading any spoilers or plot analysis. On the other hand, if it's disappointed you, then we'll wait for it to come out on DVD and get it from the local rental store.

Simple Robot Love

robok en proceso
Originally uploaded by yampi84.

Robot experimentation and creation doesn't have to be expensive or time consuming. It's amazing how much you can do, and learn, with tools and materials as simple as an Exacto knife and some paper.

i-SOBOT Plays William Tell (Video)

Our friend Paxshikai is an i-SOBOT wizard without peer, and keeps coming up with new, surprising, and totally inventive, tricks and hacks for his favorite robot.

This time, bring back memories of William Tell and his son, Paxshiai has equipped his i-SOBOT with a crossbow and has it popping balloons off the head of a brave volunteer.