Toyota unveils robot ‘busboy’ that clear tables, wipe countertops to help Japan’s aging society

Toyota unveiled a new robot that can tackle domestic chores like clearing tables and wiping down countertops and other surfaces. A human can easily tell an object apart from its reflection, but ‘transparent or reflective items commonly found in the home befuddle today’s robots,’ according to a statement from the Toyota Research Institute (TRI). ‘Since … Read more

J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot to explore UFOs in new Showtime docu-series inspired by recent reports

J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot to explore UFOs in new Showtime docu-series inspired by recent reports US government is taking the phenomenon seriously By Dailymail.com Reporter Published: 23:52 BST, 16 June 2021 | Updated: 00:01 BST, 17 June 2021 J.J. Abrams is set to produce a four-part documentary for Showtime dealing with UFOs (unidentified flying objects) … Read more

Ollie, Tencent’s foot-tall robot on wheels, can leap chasms, somersault, and even bring you a latte 

Secretive Chinese tech firm Tencent’s foot-tall robot on wheels can leap chasms, somersault and even bring you a latte Ollie is Tencent’s first bipedal robot, using wheels instead of feet In a promo video, the bot takes stairs, sloped terrain and even a climbs a wrecking ball without stumbling Ollie flips 360 degrees to bridge … Read more

‘Blind’ robot learns to navigate a flight of stairs for the first time by feeling its way

Engineers in the US have devised a robot that can easily climb staircases in the dark. ‘Cassie’ ascended the steps at Oregon State University with 80 percent proficiency, all without eyes or other sensors. The bipedal robot was trained to use ‘proprioception,’ or body awareness—to navigate uneven surfaces. Researchers say that’s important if fog, dim … Read more

‘Safety nets’ built by army ants could help engineers design self-healing robot swarms 

 Teamwork isn’t just a human characteristic: Colonies of army ants will form living ‘scaffolding’ to protect members from falling. The insects are blind and have no designated leader but, according to new research, they’re able to use simple behavioral rules to develop these safety structures without the need for direct communication. Once a scaffold was … Read more

Scientists make Pepper the robot ‘think out loud’

Scientists have modified Pepper the robot to think out loud, which they say can increase transparency and trust between human and machine.  The Italian team built an ‘inner speech model’ that allowed the robot to talk through its thought processes, just like humans when faced with a challenge or a dilemma.     The experts found Pepper was … Read more

BBC director Stuart McDonald who worked on Strictly and was voice of Robot Wars dies in car crash 

A ‘brilliant and witty’ senior BBC director who was the voice of Robot Wars and worked on shows including Strictly Come Dancing and Top Of The Pops has died.   Stuart McDonald, described by friends as ‘one of the greats’, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning following a car crash.  Many of the … Read more

BBC director Stuart McDonald who worked on Strictly and was voice of Robot Wars dies in car crash 

A ‘brilliant and witty’ senior BBC director who was the voice of Robot Wars and worked on shows including Strictly Come Dancing and Top Of The Pops has died.   Stuart McDonald, described by friends as ‘one of the greats’, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning following a car crash.  Many of the … Read more

Vladimir Putin shows off his fearsome robot tanks

Vladimir Putin’s fearsome special unit of TANK ROBOTS will go into action ‘soon’ in the Russian Army amid fears of war in Ukraine Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu attended a firepower demonstration  He witnessed Russia’s unmanned Uran-9 robot tanks operating remotely  Russia is preparing to deploy its first unit of five Uran-9 in the near … Read more

Vladimir Putin shows off his fearsome robot tanks

Vladimir Putin’s fearsome special unit of TANK ROBOTS will go into action ‘soon’ in the Russian Army amid fears of war in Ukraine Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu attended a firepower demonstration  He witnessed Russia’s unmanned Uran-9 robot tanks operating remotely  Russia is preparing to deploy its first unit of five Uran-9 in the near … Read more