Robotster

For years our wildest imaginations have depicted robotic forms in various media - movies, novels, and even games. In all of these depictions the robots were part of a future world, but with all the robot games and technology available today, the question must be asked - is the future now?

For a long time technologists have been working on various robotic projects. We have seen robotic pets of various shapes and sizes, able to do various things that have impressed us over the years. In the medical arena robotic technology has been developed to aid surgeons with various intricate processes, and robots have even been used to perform some basic tasks in households. Now, robot games are a thing of the present and no longer a distant imagining of a future world.

There are many different types of robot games, and indeed the term “robot game” can be taken to mean many different things. One application of the term could be used to describe the way in which artificial entities behave in various games. In these games they truly behave in the manner we would attribute to robots if we were still thinking in the futuristic sense, and many would be amazed at how much has been accomplished thus far. Many online games available today make use of robotic intelligence that was not possible in the not too distant past.

Another description could be robot games in which people play games with actual physical robots. On the television show “Prototype This” this phenomenon was depicted in which the team built robots that were almost life-like and operated them from a distance, making the robots battle each other in response to the users’ punches. This is but a small example of how close to the “future” our present technology actually is.

Information technology and business process outsourcing have become an important part of the global business arena. In spite of the recent economic downturn, the outsourcing industry has been able to register slow, yet steady growth. Operation costs, in most industries, had to be reduced due to the economic downfall. This had a direct effect on the level of recruitment. Instead of hiring professionals, most organizations started outsourcing their jobs to call center employees.

What are the challenges faced by the call center industry? To reduce wait-times, and enhance customer satisfaction, call centers use predictive dialers. A predictive dialer is a computer system that automatically places an outbound call, and routes answered call to agents. Predictive dialing systems automate the processes, and thus help maximize agent-output.

For decades science fiction writers have fascinated about a robotic age. In films they even moved a bit far away from the present, and have presented stories of robotic revolutions from time to time. It is always true that stories like robotic invasion and human fight back always been best sellers in the market. Success stories of the Terminator series prove the fact. Now is it the beginning of the era? The recent venture of iRobot Corporation may hint that way.

Taser International Corporation announced that they have teamed up with iRobot Corporation to produce a new generation of robots that will be capable of delivering a shock charge to people. As it is already visible, the robot can be used in sentry operations. May be these will be the new generation of robots carrying a weapon, non lethal for the time being, but seems that the fictions are going to come true.

In preliminary discussions it has been revealed that this prototype will be sold to police or military and will be used in situations where use of lethal weapons is not possible. In cases of demobilizing a suspect in everyday police operations or while pinning down a terrorist in military activities this prototype can be proved very useful.

For the time being this robot will require a human interfere in its operation. Before it tries to subdue a victim it needs a human instruction. But with the advancement of AI it is inevitable that sooner or later the software used will be smart enough to decide go along without fleshy interference. When this robot will be off the assembly line is yet to be decided. The first place of its deployment is also not confirmed. But its operations are confirmed and critics all over the World are worried about a probability of science fictions coming true. Can you sniff a Terminator 3: rise of machines story readers?

Source: Slipperybrick

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has now come up with a unique way to develop LANdroid WiFi robots, which are intelligent crawling radio-relay robots with size equal to that of a deck of cards. LANdroids are there on the DARPA’s technology wish-list. DARPA is requesting for intelligent self-directed radio relay nodes that could set up mesh networks in urban settings.

Conceptually pictured above, the LANdroid WiFi robots will boast a radio, robotic platform, battery, and small processor. Warfighters will carry a many of them and would be able to drop them anywhere on the move. Collectively, these units would create a self-healing mesh network. In case, a unit is sighted by the enemy and grabbed, the network will course around the lost transmitter. The LANdroids are expected to be about the size of our palm.

Via: Technovelgy

World’s first robot that acted as master of ceremonies at a South Korean wedding of Seok Gyeong-Jae, one of the engineers who designed it.

This Trio robot features a cone-shaped body, two arms and a dark-glassed face with eyes and a mouth of flashing lights that indicated smiles for guests. The robot introduced the couple to the guests in male voice and performed its programmed duties.

Hanool Robotics manufacturer of this smart robot claims that it is for the first time a robot has been used as master of ceremonies at a wedding.

However, some other small robots were also present at the ceremony to guide guests or to show their skills but Trio whose value is 200 million yen (some 215,000 dollars) after performing its marital duties will also soon get up gradation to perform various other functions too.

Via: Davesdaily

Based on Guy Hoffman’s Ph.D thesis on human-robot fluency and nonverbal behavior a new robotic desk lamp has been developed called AUR or robotic desk lamp or a collaborative lighting assistant.

The design of this lamp features an existing 5-DoF robotic arm, though the lamp don’t have any human-like specs but still it manages to develop personal relationship with its human partners via abstract gestures and nonverbal behavior.

Constructed in 3D animation system this lively lamp also uses custom pipeline to enable active management of behaviors. Catch the video to see this so-called objective lamp in action.

Via: Engadget

Researchers from University of Madgeburg have unveiled an innovative robot that is shaped like a millipede and can function to detect and extinguish forest fires.

This eco-friendly and autonomous machine called ‘OLE’ can patrol throughout the forest at speed of 20 to 30 km per hour and exploits infrared and biosensors to detect potential forest fires to extinguish it subsequently via an impulse appliance.

The robot can roll up in a ball alike bug and can retract its legs when senses danger to function on its ceramic-fibre compound fire resistant shell that can endure 1,300 Degrees Centigrade temperature.

Thirty OLEs are being claimed by the researchers to be efficient to protect 2,700 square miles of forest area. Hope those wild animals don’t mind these OLEs strolling freely in their territory!

Via: Research-in-germany

German product designer, Martin Postler has come up with a project “Life/Machine - Scenes from a roboted Life” that explores human-robot interaction while sharing a common environment and the “what ifs” of human-robot coexistence.

The ideas that has come out this project has been creatively expressed with pictures featuring a fabricated robot. It shows how our households will look like if robots are used to aid in certain basic tasks of our lives, like how it will be used in preparing food, in hygiene; like cleaning a man’s ear, or its role in entertainment.

This project brings out the funny and bizarre side of a possible human-robot coexistence, for instance the robotic ear waxing picture - actually looks like some drilling machine is making a hole on a mud pot. The other one that shows a shaving process going on - reminds me, those brutal beheading videos on the internet !

Via: gearfuse

If you are looking ahead to get some extra leg power, Matsushita Electric’s Power Pedal robot suit, a wearable exoskeleton can offer you up to seven times more leg power that you possess.

In this so-called suit robot legs are controlled by a sensor-equipped foot pedals and with six axes of movement that facilitates legs solidity even on rough terrain.

This robot suit is especially developed by keeping in view those disabled and elderly people to walk easily but I don’t think that it is so affordable that disable consumers will easily get it because for this you have to shell about $167,000. However, it is also noteworthy that with in ten years Matsushita expects the price to fall around $30,000 but still I do not think that it will also make any difference if the suit is really developed to help those elderly and disabled people.

The suit will hit the market in August of this year.

Via: Ohgizmo

Remember Arnold Schwarchenegger in the Terminator series movies. What happens if in reality we have such Terminator clones where robots function as soldiers? The idea that at present might sound plucked out of any science fiction might soon become a reality if governments worldwide accept the new creations from the Silicon Valley robot manufacturers ‘ Robotex.

A two feet tall robot that could move at the rate of ten miles per hour and spins on a dime wields a gun that with deadly accuracy blow a ten-inch hole through a steel hole from a distance of 400 meters. The robot is controlled by a remote over an encrypted frequency that jams nearby radios and cell phones.

Robotex, the manufacturer of the robot AA-12 that could replace human soldiers is based in Palo Alto. It is the brainchild of Terry Izumi, a reclusive filmmaker who worked for DreamWorks and Disney and even trained Secret Service agents.

In 2005, Izumi picked up Nathan Gettings, a former PayPal software engineer and founder of Palantir Technologies along with his brother Adam who was associated with both PayPal and YouTube. They also roped in Jerry Baber founder of Tennessee-based Military Police Systems, manufacturer and distributor of arms. Baber brought his $8000 Atchisson Assault-12 shotgun and his pilotless mini-helicopter called the AutoCopter, which holds two AA-12s to test the dexterity of the soldier-robot.