Listening to: Run to the Hills - Iron Maiden

I have been a fan of BEAM robotics for a years… this is one of the best I have seen in a while:

Twin Engine Solar Roller

Originally uploaded by m27debord.

The flickr set has a bunch of great BEAM bots:

src: MAKE:blog

Listening to: Perfect Hair - Dangerdoom

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have designed a robot that balances on a single spherical wheel:

They have a couple of great videos that show off the stability:

• Video of it struttin’ it’s stuff.
• Video of it being monstered by one of the researchers.

Listening to: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police

As a medium I really like styrofoam and readers will be well aware of my interest
in robots so…
Robots + Styrofoam… almost a perfect combo, especially when you reach this sort
of scale:

src: we make money
not art

Listening to: The Garden Of Allah - Don Henley

Kondo have announced their second generation
Robo-One robot, the KHR-2HV (Japanese):

In addition to changes in the mechanical design like simpler resin
plastic joints that should make assembly much easier than the KHR-1, Kondo has also
added some nice touches like the addition of a main power switch. Interestingly, the
robot interface is USB totally eliminating the prior need for a RS-232C port or conversion
cable.

Robots Dreams has more details (in
English).

Listening to: The Party’s Over - Talk Talk

I stumbled across this little gem this morning. Not only is a robot that uses dry
adhesion to stick to windows really cool… but the site has
lots of information about the control and design of the little critter.

Listening to: A.T.H.F. (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) - Dangerdoom

Here’s a bunch of stuff that I have collected, but for one reason or another haven’t
posted:

• When Isamu met Bucky

  The Noguchi Museum in Queens NY just opened a new exhibit about the friendship
  between sculptor Isamu Noguchi and Buckminster Fuller.

• 3D
  Milling service for virtual worlds

  And so it begins! Mark over on 3pointD has a bit about a new 3D printing service
  for virtual world avatars / objects, looks like it might be $50 a pop

• Death
  of video games and the renaissance of “play”

  Cyril has an interesting post about the “death of video-games”. IMO
  video games creativity is not dead. What is dead is the video game development model
  which suck and is so publisher-driven that it kills innovation. Garage studios are
  no longer viable, in-house studios are following the headquarters order and cut innovation;
  and even when it comes to outsourcing, there is nothing good out of

• What
  about the beta mindset in pervasive computing

  cph127 has a good point about what they call “the rise of beta”: the
  very fact that . everything is launched as beta and everything happens to be unfinished. My
  take … beta is evolving into the english term for kaizen.

• European researchers develop robotic roaches

  In news that will surely give your local bug exterminator a severe case of indigestion,
  NewScientistTech is reporting that European researchers have managed to create a robotic
  variant of everyone’s favorite pest, the humble cockroach.

• New levels
  of Experience Design

  I’m not sure about you, but I don’t know too many people who started
  university studying to be a doctor, but eventually graduated with a degree in fashion
  design. But then Liisa Puolakka isn’t one to worry about convention as her new
  job title - Head of Brand Visual and Sensorial Experiences - for Nokia

• Chair wear

  Issey Miyake’s latest innovations, to debut in fall, 2006, build on the computer-driven
  manufacturing process he first developed, with design engineer Dai Fujiwara.

Sorry… I should’ve put some effort into presenting these. It had gotten to the point
where these links were starting to fester at the bottom of my to do list… great
fruit at the bottom of the barrel, starting to turn.

Listening to: Dirt Off Your Shoulder - DJ Danger Mouse

• Building One
  Of The Robo-Ones: Deciding On Moves (Video)
  
  Gulliver, our KHR-1 robot, is entered for the 2nd Anniversary Celebration events
  here in Tokyo next month. We only have a few weeks left to create, test, and debug
  all the combat moves we’ll need.
• Building
  One Of The ROBO-ONEs: A Handy Shortcut
  
  We installed the larger feet on Gulliver, our KHR-1 robot, and added some make-shift
  soles to give him more traction and less slip. Of course, changes like that require
  adjusting all the motion sequences since weve effectively changed the robots basic
  geometry.

Listening to: Make Podcast: Bathsheba Grossman’s Geometric Art - O’Reilly Media,
Inc.

Robots Dreams have an extensive series
of the articles about building a Robo-One robot:

• Building One Of
  The ROBO-ONEs: Kondo KHR-1
• Building One Of
  The ROBO-ONEs: Part 2 (Video)
• Building
  One Of The Robo-Ones: KHR-1 - Learning How To Walk
• Building
  One Of The Robo-Ones: KHR-1 A Mental Model (Step 1)
• Building
  One Of The Robo-Ones: Decoding The Motion Files
• Building
  One Of The ROBO-ONEs: Learning How To Dance (Video)

Listening to: Carnival - Natalie Merchant

From Pink Tentacle:

In an effort to further promote Japan’s robot industry, the Ministry
of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) plans to establish an annual Robot of the Year
Award to recognize outstanding robots developed and put into practical use each year.

Beginning
this July, the ministry will begin accepting applications for this year’s candidates.
After review by a panel of experts, the results will be announced at an award ceremony
held at the end of the year.

… Please don’t let Bender win!

Listening to: Contemplating A Quiet Mind - Micronism

Check out the great kinetic sculptures by Nemomatic (Nemo
Gould):

I love the use of metal and wood to create something that is meant to be so high-tech.

src: MAKE:Blog