Robotics News, Knowledge & Insight since 2008

Hobby / Kits / Toys

Ugobe Pleo is coming back -

The little green dinasour robot pleo, which faded into extinction a while ago, is coming back to the market. There will be a few upgrades for the current version, as well as future planned upgrades. The price for now will stay the same. It is good to see that Pleo didn’t face the same fate as the famous AIBO from Sony, which was taken off […] Read More

Intrepid -

ROBOT NAME: Intrepid CATEGORY: Navigator APPROACH AND OVERALL DESIGN: Intrepid is a moderate budget outdoor navigation robot with no laser scanners or Industrial grade IMU devices. A Traxxas E-Maxx 4WD R/C vehicle has been used for the chassis. Twin Parallax HB-25 motor drivers has replaced the motor controller, feeding the motors. Intrepid doesn’t currently move very fast, only due to safety reasons, but still fast […] Read More

Botone -

ROBOT NAME: Botone CATEGORY: Navigator ASKING THE BUILDER: So, this is the first dive into electronics for me. Coding isn’t a problem, but hardware is totally new to me. So, I built ‘Botone’ from stuff laying around and a shiney new Arduino Duemilnove. The drive servos are Futaba S3004 that have been modified for continuous rotation. The wheels are from RC airplanes. A Ping))) sensor […] Read More

Movie of real life robot avatars: Surrogates -

The new robot movie “Surrogates” that opens Friday does not seem very unreal to some scientists and movie makers. The movie pictures a world where noone is victim of a murder because in place of humans walking on the streets, robots took their place, where the real humans just sit in their homes see the world through their robot avatar’s eyes. Current technology is already […] Read More

Puker -

ROBOT NAME: “RALPH” Also Known as: Rocketeer’s Awesome Launcher Puker Hurler CATEGORY: Lunacy Competition Robot CONTACT INFO: www.team20.com contact@team20.com ABOUT COMPETITION: The competition is sponsored by US FIRST. FIRST, “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” is an engineering competition founded by inventor extraordinaire Mr. Dean Kaman. When the competition was first started, it was a small, local event in the Northeastern United States […] Read More

Robini-i to combine real and virtual world robot gaming -

The new toy robot “Robini – i” introduced by the South African company Robonica is going on sale end of september for $250. The robot will first be sold at specific stores such as Amazon.com, ToysRUs.com, Schwartz and Fry’s. The kit also includes base stations, gaming cards, remote control and hubs to arrange multiplayer gaming areas. With this robot you can connect to online community […] Read More

Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 is here -

Lego is officially launching the next version of its famous robotics kit Mindstorms NXT as of August 1st.The pre-selling already started on July 1st on a few websites such as Amazon.com. The updated kit has a bigger number of elements – now 619 pieces – and 4 new robotic models. Additional touch sensor and a long awaited color sensor are also included in the new […] Read More

Robot baby seal -

A new robot baby seal has been developed by a Japanese company called Therapeutic Robots, and has been shown to public at the recent Las Vegas Tech exposition.The machine’s whole body is covered with sensors that will enable it to understand all touching by its owner. Its AI also enables it to remember the previous experiences, as well as recognizing its given name. There are […] Read More

I-Sobot cuts price -

The humanoid robot toy I-Sobot has just cut its price to $100…Last year’s price was $300. For this price, the robot has an amazing 17 servo motors, voice command recognition, 200+ word vocabulary, gyro sensor, preprogrammed moves such as karate moves and dancing with sound effects. In the video below, you can see how thr robot shoots an arrow to smash its target…. Read More

The smallest humanoid toy robot -

World’s smallest humanoid toy robot has been unveiled in Japan by Tomy Co. The robot is able to operate for 5 minutes on a 30 minute charge and can find its way through mazes, and there is also a remote controlling option. The price is $35. For more, please visit the link below. Reference: crunchgear.com/2008/10/15/robo-q-tomy-unveils-thumb-sized-walking-robot/ Read More