A Bigger and Better Robotics Industry for Europe

The European Commission recognizes Robotics as a key industry for the future of Europe

The European Commission has recently agreed to launch a Public Private Partnership in Robotics (PPP) between academia and industry for 2013. 

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Robotic Feeding Assistants

A new Swedish product takes us far away from this classic scene of chaos!

For anyone who’s a Charlie Chaplin fan, this scene from the 1936 film Modern Times is a must watch! When Chaplin’s forced to give it a go as this feeding machine’s first customer he’s treated to a lovely meal…all over his shirt as well as numerous ensuing side dishes of slaps to the face!
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What's the Fastest Robot on Earth?

Check out the ¨Cheetah¨

We all know that the fastest land animal is the cheetah, capable of running up to 120 km/hr in short bursts- but has it met its match in robot form? In terms of speed, the great cat faces little competition. Nevertheless, today, no legged robot is speedier than Darpas’s new Cheetah bot which can run 30 km/hr in cheetah-like fashion.
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Making Robots Social

Leading experts tell us how it’s being done

Researchers look at human social intelligence from different perspectives but when it comes to integrating that  into  robots, social intelligence must be narrowed down to some key components.
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Canine (Robot) Companions

DARPA’s pup has been trained to follow the pack!

Militaries around the world view physical exhaustion of their soldiers as one of their main challenges, since soldiers often have to carry loads of up 50kg on their backs through rough, volatile terrain. So why not ease the load with the help of a four-legged robot?
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Boxie: The Chatterbox Bot

New research from MIT involves a cardboard box-like robot

This cardboard box isn’t meant to be packed into a moving van! In fact, it’s not really a cardboard box at all but rather, a story collecting robot, of course. Meet Boxie, another one of the MIT Media Lab‘s creations.
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Shakespeare and Robots

A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Mechanical cast members

The video above features a special performance of a Shakespearean classic put on by Texas A&M University several years ago. The students and professors involved in the production thought this would be a great way to see how people respond to and interact with robots. Continue reading

Robot Companions: Student Design Competition

Calling all art and design students from Sheffield Hallam University!

What will the next generation of robot helpers look like? If you’ve got a vision,
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Meet the Mask-bot

it’s more than just a pretty face…

At first glance it’s a generic plastic mask fixed in front of a projector. Switch it on and you’re looking at the most realistic ¨talking head¨ yet. Researchers from the Institute of Cognitive Systems (ICS) at the Technische University in Munich have collaborated with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan (AIST) to create a life-sized talking head, the Mask-bot.
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