Finch trailer out there

Really excited about this one.

Edit: 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

More tiny flying robots!

This is just incredible. Only a matter of time before I have my own flying GoPro to follow me on my long runs. Of course, so will everyone else.

http://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-robobees-closer-to-pollinating-crops-2014-6

Outrunner Running Robot

Pretty cool stuff.

Kickstarter campaign

Incredible Robotic Dragonfly

Robotic researchers at Georgia Tech have created a wonderfully scary robotic dragonfly. I have always loved flying my mini-helicopter around the house but it is difficult to fly and the battery only lasts a few minutes, tops. This appears to be the answer to all the problems.

Just imagine the endless number of uses. Police and Fire departments, sporting events, photography, even the military (imagine pinpoint drone attacks where NO innocent civilians are hurt) could benefit from such technology.

Yes, the good always comes with the bad. You can imagine just as many bad uses for such a device. But let's face it, if we always focus on the bad things, we are destined to a life of suffering and disappointment.

Read all about it here at Tech Crunch.

T-Hawk UAV enters Fukushima danger zone, returns with video

T-Hawk UAV enters Fukushima danger zone, returns with video: "

We'd love to head on down to Fukushima with a DSLR and some iodide pills, but that's obviously not going to happen. Sending in a flying robot seems to be the next best thing, though, and that's exactly what Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) has done. T-Hawk, a US-made MAV (Micro Air Vehicle) commonly used to search for roadside bombs in Iraq, made its Japanese debut last week when it photographed the nuclear plant from above, providing a detailed look at the interior damage a month after iRobot's visit. Small enough to fit in a (rather large) backpack, officially the T-Hawk is named for the tarantula hawk wasp species, but could just as easily have been named for the T. Hawk Street Fighter character, who also swoops in to attack his opponents from above. As expected, things look pretty nasty at ground zero, so head past the break for a video of the damage."

Video: Those Flying Fish Are Called Air Swimmers

Video: Those Flying Fish Are Called Air Swimmers: "


Would you buy a toy fish that flew in the air wagging its tail as if it were swimming? If you answered yes, then check this out: it’s called Air Swimmers. Air Swimmers consist of a helium-filled balloon with motorized fins
that flap in the air. From the video you can see it looks pretty cool and the ‘swimming’ doesn’t look too bad either. One battery in the fish, three in the remote, and the bag of helium should last a few weeks.

They’ll be about $40 when they come out in July.

Aerial News Drones

It's only a matter of time before they are over most of the country. Think of them as the news helicopters of the 21st century.

Domestic Use of Aerial Drones By Law Enforcement: "PatPending writes 'Aerial drones are now used by the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, Colorado; the Miami-Dade County, Florida, Police Department; and the Department of Homeland Security. But what about privacy concerns? 'Drones raise the prospect of much more pervasive surveillance,' said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. 'We are not against them, absolutely. They can be a valuable tool in certain kinds of operations. But what we don't want to see is their pervasive use to watch over the American people.''

HRP-4: Meet Japan’s New And Awesome Humanoid Robot (Video)

HRP-4: Meet Japan’s New And Awesome Humanoid Robot (Video): "

Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has done it again.

After having developed one of the most advanced cybernetic human robots out there (namely the HRP-4C we covered previously), it is now time for the next humanoid. Meet the HRP-4 [JP].

The HRP-4 is primarily designed for use at R&D facilities at universities and companies. It stands 151cm tall, weighs 39kg, and boasts a total of 34 degrees of freedom. Buyers can mount a laptop on its bag to add further functionality.

The robot can strike poses in response to voice commands, and it can also detect and track human faces and certain objects.

AIST and co-developer Kawada Industries plan to start selling the HRP-4 in January next year. The robot itself plus the software necessary to control it will cost $325,000.

HRP-4: Meet Japan’s New And Awesome Humanoid Robot (Video): "

Robot Butterfly Means Breakthroughs for Biomimicry in Aviation (Video)

Robot Butterfly Means Breakthroughs for Biomimicry in Aviation (Video): "

Image via YouTube video

While butterfly populations worldwide struggle to stay afloat as the global temperature rises and changes their migration patterns and food sources, scientists have been hard at work coming up with their replacement - the mechanical butterfly that can survive anything but perhaps an attack of rust. Researchers successfully built and flew a flapping-wing-powered swallowtail butterfly, which could have big implications for the field of aerodynamics - after all we saw those videos of early airplanes that attempted to fly by flapping wings and they sure didn't work. Though from the video, how we can tell this...Read the full story on TreeHugger

New Telecommuting Plan

This is my ultimate telecommuting dream. Just imagine rolling this up to a conference table and saying "Helloooo!". If you think about it, the technology is already out there. Someone just put it all together.

Robot Avatar Lets You Go to Meetings without Actually Going There: "


Robotics firm Anybots proposes that its robotic avatars could replace the physical presence of people at far away locations. In the future, you’ll be able to attend workplace conferences and tour facilities remotely by controlling one of their robots:

You log in through the Internet and after a few keystrokes the ‘bot, called QB, comes alive, leaving its charging station and ready to meet, brainstorm, greet visitors or just generally creep people out.[...]

The robot avatar isn’t actually meant to replace videoconferencing, but the idea is to be able to participate in more than just meetings. With QB, you can observe a workplace, participate more directly in tasks, or just be there for those casual conversations — all from thousands of miles away.

Three years ago, Alex wrote about another invention of the Anybots company: the world’s first dynamically balanced robot.

Micro Air Vehicles

This is a really cool video. The technology doesn't seem that far off either. It's really amazing what the military will think up to kill people =)

---

How the Air Force Biomorphic Micro Air Vehicles Will Spy and Kill Unnoticed [Weapons]: "
I thought the Micro Air Vehicles would be small hovering robots but, according to this video from the Air Force Research Laboratory, they will be more like robotic birds with spy and attack capabilities, capable of blending with the environment.

Not only these things would be able to position themselves to perform long-term surveillance duties, but they would be enable to engage enemies individually, attacking humans with incapacitation chemicals and even explosives. The future is going to be a lot of fun. [Design World Online]