XEAI: The accident at the crossroads of art and technology » Science & Nature

Awesome Robot Penguins

robert — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:49:20 +0000

iRobot unveils new Cybernetic Vacuum with Hamster Intelligence

robert — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:13:37 +0000

It’s just some kind of experiment by the mad-vacuum scientists at iRobot but the result of this robot + hamster is compelling if not bizarre:

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Robot Able to Unload Dishwasher

robert — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:25:16 +0000

Researchers at Stanford have built a robot capable to handling delicate glassware.

Also, Japanese researchers in concert with Panasonic are working on a robot that can pre-wash, load, and unload the dishes. They believe it will be available for retail purchase within 5 years.

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New Big Dog Video

robert — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:48:32 +0000

New video from Boston Dynamics:

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Dustbuster-asaurus unveiled by National Geographic Society

robert — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:14:30 +0000

The first skull and skeleton reconstruction of the Nigersaurus was unveiled today by the National Geographic Society. The dinosaur has a unique head that has an uncanny resemblance to a dustpan…or maybe a vacuum cleaner stairs attachment.

From MSNBC: Dinosaur found with vacuum-cleaner mouth

Image from National Geographic Society

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Why eat your young? We say why not?

robert — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:33:35 +0000

Funny we were just having a conversation in the carpool about why some animals choose to eat their young…then this article appeared on MSNBC: Cannibalism was found to increase the parent’s reproductive rate

We wonder if there are any historical cases of human infanticide/cannibalism?

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Happy Robots: The Robot Menagerie (part 3)

robert — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:01:33 +0000

James Andrew Smith is a biomechanics researcher whose work on robot locomotion takes robotic cuteness to the next level. The excited gallop of his Scout II robot and his puppy-like PAW robot convey a happiness and sheer joy that other robots can’t compete with. Just look at how adorable they are!

Excited robot puppies are not far now.

Scout II: Look at that happy gallop!

PAW: It’s bounding! The leash is a nice touch.

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Oldest Living Creature Found, Promptly Killed.

robert — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:11:49 +0000

Sclerochronologists¹ from The University of Bangor (Wales) dredged a 405-410 year old clam out of the ocean near Iceland in 2006. The creature, a quahog clam, Arctica islandica beat the previous record of 374 years also held by an Artica.

It is believed that the clam would have lived even longer had it not been dredged out of the ocean by scientists seeking long-lived animals.

¹ Sclerochronologists count the rings in clam shells to determine age. Imagine the banter at office parties!

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Murderous Meteorite Fetches Headline, $1,554.

robert — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:23:45 +0000

CNN ran an article about a recent auction of meteorites including a 30lb hunk of the Willamette Meteorite which is the largest recovered meteorite to have hit North America. The auction comprised 50 well-documented specimens and had bids that ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars (those bids were canceled when they fell short of some 7-figure estimated values).

Scientific and historical value aside, according to CNN, the most interesting items for sale included a mailbox that had been struck by a meteorite (it went for nearly $83,000) and a meteorite whose claim to fame is that it caused the only known, recorded fatality (mass-extinction events excluded).

CNN’s headline to this high-profile, important auction? “Cow-killing meteorite sells for $1,554″ That’s good stuff.

The killer space rock, known as the “Valera” fell in Venezuela in 1972 and killed a cow. Compared to the mailbox price it really says terrible things about the value of a cow’s life. At least that death was not in vain, CNN was able to use it to disguise a science article in a way to make it interesting to the common folk.

Oh, here’s a shot of that mailbox:

Oh, and back to the Willamette Meteorite… that meteorite has been the source of controversy due a claim by The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde who say that the main 15.5 ton mass is a sacred object sent to Earth by some Sky People that they believe in. (The meteorite has been permanently housed at The American Museum of Natural History in New York City since 1908).

CNN: Cow-killing meteorite sells for $1,554

Meteoritical Bulletin no. 85: Valera

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The Robot Menagerie (part 2)

robert — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:24:08 +0000

Continued from: The Robot Menagerie (part 1)

Mowgli is a robot being developed by The School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies at the University of Tokyo and the Intelligent Systems Research Institute (AIST) in Japan. This interesting “frogbot” (if you will) uses a pneumatic muscular system to make incredibly smooth jumps and landings. See for yourself:

The BBC reports that various cities are installing robotic falcons to scare off pigeons. These devices called “Robops” are made by a company named likewise.

Robops’ company website has a strange look and feel. Rather than learning about robotic pigeon-terrorizing systems, it seems more like you are reading a mystery novel. Check it out: Robops.co.uk

Boston Dynamics, maker of “BigDog” (aka the Robot Mule), has a prototype of an exploration robot that they call “Little Dog.” Check out the video:

The same company is also working on a bug-like climbing robot called Rise:

Ryomei Engineering Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. develops a variety of engineering and environmental control machinery and, in their spare time develop robot fish. Check out their robotic koi:

Stanford is working on a line of roach-inspired locomotion systems called Sprawl Robots” . Their website hasn’t been updated since 2006 but they did note that they last had a Sprawl running at 15 body-lengths a second!

This isn’t an animal but it is the undercarriage of a JPL Mars Rover platform…and in this video it is driving over XEAI regular Miss Jennifer!

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