Tag: robot

Categories
Maker/Development

Musio robot may be music to the ears of AI fans, kids

The most widely-used personal assistant application remains Apple’s Siri. But, as many iPhone and iPad users know, it is pretty difficult to engage in a true conversation with Siri because its software can only do what it’s been programmed to do by Apple.

Musio is a cross between a robotic toy along the lines of Sony’s long-discontined AIBO and a personal assistant. The Android-based device features artificial intelligence and was designed to engage and grow with its user, while its Arduino-compatible board enables the device to do whatever the user asks, its maker says. It is being fielded in three separate versions, each featuring a different brain.

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Augmented Reality Connected Objects

ARBot can appear as a tank or race car, makes augmented reality a ball

From ANKI Drive to quadricopters, humans love guiding robots around for enjoyment, especially from their smartphones and tablets. The shapes and features of these machines, however, are often defined by their physical form, which can curtail the imagination factor in paying with them.ARBot

That limitation may be greatly reduced by the likes of ARBot. A spherical robot with a groove in its center that follows the trail of Sphero, ARBot can be controlled by a tablet. However, a companion app allows the ARBot to appear as a race car, tank, or just about anything else. Different kinds of games can take advantage of its different appearances inside the app. Up to 60 ARBots can engage in a battle royale. The battery lasts between 1.5 and 3 hours.

ARBot seeks to raise $30,000 by June 19th. A standard ARBot costs $119 and should be available by January 16th. A special carbon edition si also available for 10 times that amount.

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Categories
Features

Out There: BorderBot patrols the land to dispatch intruders with inhuman efficiency

Out There is a feature that highlights weird, wacky or woeful projects.

Immigrants and other pesky intruders plague our borders and homes. (Bear with me here). Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to patrol for such unwanted guests?

The potentially aptly named BorderBot (the product actually doesn’t have a name, but this will do) helps patrol borders and homes to keep them secure. This impressive robot can walk over blocks, as shown in the animated video (you were expecting actual prototype?). The campaign fails to detail exactly what the robot does if it finds intruders. Will it shoot them down? Will it call for reinforcements from more animated robots? Or will it turn them to ash to be whisked whence they came? Backers must donate to this campaign in order to find out! For $5,000, backers won’t actually receive the robot, but will get a t-shirt. Score.

The Portland, Oregon-based creator needs to watch the Terminator movies in order to get some ideas for immigrant handling since he’s clearly against free-range intruders. BorderBot is looking for $245,000 in funding. But really, who could put a price on apocalypse-welcoming security?

Categories
Kids/Babies Maker/Development

Codie steers its way to teaching kids simple programming concepts

There are many apps and Web sites that help teach young minds how to program. In addition to being a worthwhile pursuit in and of itself, it helps students learn lessons in logic and problem-solving. However, in this era of connected devices, it’s helpful to see the ways in which coding can affect objects in the real world.

Codie is a small robotic set tank tread that has various sensors in it. Unlike many kits that combine development and robot-building, it is ready to go right out of the box. A companion app allows beginning programmers to implement very simple instructions and logic to control the bot via Bluetooth. Codie includes a microphone, proximity sensor, light sensor, ultrasound sensor, accelerometer and gyroscope. Not everything Codie does depends on its wheels. It can even be used as an alarm clock.

Codie includes a rechargeable lithium ion battery that allows it to run for about four hours of continuous play.. Codie’s use of Bluetooth and simple companion app are part of what set it apart from Romo, another crowdfunded kid-friendly programmable tread-based robot.

The makers of Codie compare it to Lego Mindstorms, a far more expensive and elaborate — albeit expandable — early robotics kit that is used in introductory robotics. Codie is certainly better geared toward younger kids and has a lower price. The Budapest-based team seels $70,000 by May 15;  Codie costs $169 and should be delivered by November.

Categories
Maker/Development

Quirkbot marries straws and brains for childhood fun and games

Strawbees made it so that everyday straws could be connected together to construct all kinds of interesting shapes and forms. Its simplicity stems from its incredibly basic, small structure that is easily understood by all.

Now, another campaign has come along with the intention of expanding the possibilities of Strawbees. The makers behind Quirkbot have created an Arduino microcontroller that can serve as the brains of any Strawbees creation, allowing users to breathe life into them by programming lights, sounds, and motion. Quirkbot is an extremely versatile “toy to make toys,” and as such imagination is the only thing limiting the potential of what comes from the marriage of both. A donation of $63 gets backers the Quirkbot starter kit with one Quirkbot, 10 LED lights, and one Servo motor. The $55,000 campaign is looking to have the product out by August 2015.

An easy to use visual programming interface tries to make Quirkbot accessible to anyone, so that creations like dogs and hula-hooping humanoid figures can be created. Backpack extensions expand on functionality by adding additional sensors, and when it isn’t being used as the centerpiece of a figure, it can be programmed to act as a controller for any game of application. However, these creations are facing an environment filled with imaginative, creative toys all vying for children’s attention, like Snaak and CubeCraft.

Categories
Technology

Luna personal robot juggles affordability, an open platform, your breakfast

Countless pieces of literature, television shows, and films have all hinted of a future where human beings live side by side with robots. For the most part, robotics of this kind are currently either too simple, or far too advanced and exuberantly priced as a result. As a result, there isn’t much of a middle ground, unless the something like Luna personal robot is considered.

Honda’s AISMO is a great example of a human-sized personal robot that has been attempted, but that was ultimately a dud in its potential for real-world applications. Luna differs in that its sole purpose is to exist as a personal, completely open, and affordable robotics platform for the home. Being that Luna is based on Linux, it presents developers with a familiar platform for creating applications for Luna’s app store. In addition to expanding Luna’s capabilities with apps, easily upgradeable internals along with its seven USB ports make it so that Luna can easily grow.

The Luna lasts about eight hours, making it useful throughout the day for a variety of purposes. With its movable arms and HD camera, Luna can watch over the elderly, provide light security, and even provide nursing assistance in a hospital setting. All of these functions are only limited by the community’s imagination in the kinds of apps it creates. Backers can enjoy a $300 discount on Luna’s $1,499 retail price with a reservation of $199, while a developer model can be reserved for $999. Luna is expected to ship in December 2015, should the campaign’s reach its $500,000 goal.

Applying the same apps, services, and accessories model for other smart devices to a robotics platform is a smart way to go in this category. Though its price will have to go down to get it as mainstream as it would like to be. The device is sleek and charming, but will face the same challenges most technology like this faces in its integration with the rest of people’s lives.

Categories
Pets

Pawly shows that the cats will play when the owner’s away

The Premise. Pets are like children for most cat or dog owners. Leaving them to go to work can be heartbreaking and some pets don’t do well on their own all day. Some opt to keep the radio on all day just so their pets don’t feel alone.

The Product. Pawly is an interactive toy for pets to play with. It connects to the owner’s iPhone or Android and allows them to have fun with their pet remotely. With the app, they can control the movement of Pawly, shoot out treats and even take photos or videos. Pawly itself has four all-terrain wheels and is about the size of a laptop. It’s covered by an orange rubber shield to ensure its durability through rough play.

The Pitch. This campaign video tugs at the heartstrings of pet owners watching, showing cat and dog owners leaving their home in the morning. Never fear! They get to play with them from their office desks. If you want to see a rundown of features as well as the bone that tracks the fundraising status, check out the rest of the campaign. Pawly is looking to raise $80,000 on indiegogo.

The Perks. Watch out backers, your pet can be treat-blasted at with this Canadian product for $399 USD if you’re early enough or $449 USD if you’re on the slower side. Reward tiers climb up to $10,000.

The Potential. Remote pet care is nothing new. We’ve seen a ton of products on Backerjack that handle this very same thing like PetPal and Kittyo. Neither of them move like Pawly, but have more practical functions like feeding the pet while you’re away. In addition, Kittyo comes with a laser for cats to chase around. Also, both have speakers so that they can talk to their pet as well as videotape them. Pawly’s mobility is cool, however it has limited function compared to these other two products. In addition, the price is somewhat obscene for a glorified pet watcher. For those who are really concerned about their pets’ burgeoning loneliness, a paid sitter might be a cheaper option.

Categories
Home Technology

Multi-Surface Cleaning Robot wants to clean glass and take names

multisurfacecleaningrobotRoombas are great, but what if they could climb walls and ceilings, leading to unexpected and horrifying jump scares like those found in any good horror movie? The Multi-Surface Cleaning Robot is a robotic cleaner that can cling to any window or mirror and clean thanks to a vacuum motor that keeps the device from falling, even if it runs out of battery life. A safety rope also assures owners they won’t have to risk their necks trying to attach and detach it. While Multi-Surface Cleaning Robot sounds useful, the amount of time saved compared to manual washing probably isn’t enough to say “Multi-Surface Cleaning Robot.” Die-hard robot enthusiasts can clean one less thing by hand by picking one up for $199 in August 2015.

Categories
Smart Home

JIBO robot puts pets to shame by taking pictures, ordering food, and more

The Premise. The dream of a household robot is so alluring because it falls somewhere between faithful pet dog and trusty, capable butler. Now that homes are more readily equipped with Wi-fi and several connected smart home devices, the perfect environment exists in which to bring in a truly sophisticated but accessible home robot.

The Product. JIBO, a robot that looks like a cross between a desktop fan and EVE from the Pixar movie Wall-E, seems to be the first step in blending functionality with companionship. Sitting cheerfully wherever he is placed, JIBO will learn faces and voices as he interacts with people around the house. As he continues to learn and develop, JIBO will be able to interact with household devices and services like lighting, voicemail, and email. JIBO also functions as a digital camera capable of taking photos and video and even as a telepresence robot during video calls. JIBO developers can create for him like any other platform, offering a variety of apps and features in the future.

The Pitch. JIBO’s pitch video shows the friendly robot blending in and being a part of the family, helping set up steamy dates over Chinese takeout and playing with kids inside blanket forts. Movie buffs might be a little unsettled by the simulated “first-person” JIBO scenes, which seem oddly similar to scenes from Terminator, but the device seems functional and friendly enough for now. The development team behind JIBO needs to raise $100,000 to finish the internal design and testing of JIBO.

The Perks. A JIBO Robot along with the developer’s JIBOAlive Toolkit will cost backers $499, although the device won’t ship until February 2016. If that sounds like too long to wait, some charity will get one sent a little sooner. Those who pledge $799 will get a JIBO in December 2015 along with donating an identical unit to the Boston Children’s Hospital. Likewise, a $899 donation will offer the same perk albeit with the Developer Edition.

The Potential. JIBO seems like a great digital assistant and communication device at its base, with the promise of more to come. JIBO’s disposition seems to be bright and cheerful enough to dissuade any fears of the robot uprising, and the lack of mobility emphasizes this although limits something that would make JIBO a huge leap forward for personal robotics. Those looking for a friendly face in the home that doesn’t need to be walked or cleaned up after will be excited to rush out and make friends with a JIBO as soon as possible.

Categories
Connected Objects Pets

iCat blends the security of a watchdog with the stubby charm of a Roomba

icatThe house tends to feel sadly incomplete without the presence of a family pet. Sometimes for companionship, other times for home security, a pet can be a great friend and a great responsibility. The curious iCat is a little robotic pet that emulates pet ownership without the messy cleanups, odors, and costly food purchases. With touch sensors and a camera, iCat will be content to roam the house, or can function as a long-distance home monitor on kids or against intruders. While the little robotic pal is cute, most people will probably want more traditional home security methods/pet options. iCat is headed to homes everywhere January 2015 for $59.