Friday, February 16, 2007

K9 of Doctor Who

It's Fiction Friday again boys and girls. Now I'm going to wax poetic about K9.

K9 is just the sort of robot I would actually shell out some cold, hard cash on. Or accept as a gift by a space-station scientist returning home to planet Earth, as the Fourth Doctor did in Doctor Who. K9 is the Doctor's personal robot. He ran down stats for him. Played chess with him. Quipped with him. (I absolutely refuse to harbor a robot without a sense of humor.)He even had a laser beam that came right out of his nose. Now that, boys and girls, is a good dog.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Sarcoman the Sexbot

Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

Sarcoman is an entertainment robot. That does not suggest to me that he is a public relations tool, which is what he is. His creators will pimp him out to anyone who is having a conference or a product unveiling or what have you. To me, the term “entertainment robot” belies a more personal purpose. If they decide to take the more personal route with this robot, however, they will have to change his name to something that doesn't make him sound like he has delusions of being a superhero.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Repilee Q1expo and Repilee Q2

Some freaky things are going on in Japan. These guys are serious about their robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). The android Repilee Q1expo (how would you like to have a name like that?) and her upgrade Repilee Q2 have the ability to make convincing facial expressions and hand gestures. It is predicted that, if research goes well and later versions of these girls are loosed on the world, you could very well find yourself seated next to an android and not even know it. Oh, just think of all the real-world applications.

Friday, February 9, 2007

Doonesbury Comic Project Robot

Guess what guys and dolls. It's Fiction Friday. Some of the sexiest robots you will ever see are, unfortunately, confined to the screen and the page. The little guy appearing lately in the Doonesbury comic is not one of those sexy 'bots. It looks kind of like a bug. Cute, but more in a Mini Me kind of way. To check it out, go here.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Wowwee Releases Dragonfly Ornithopter

Wowwee releases the Dragonfly March 2007. That's next month. It's a toy robot, a wing-flapping, remote-control insect. According to New York Times reports, people went absolutely bonkers over it during the unveiling and were ready to shell out $50 a pop on the spot. I want to know if it does anything other than fly around an look cute. Does it wash dishes? Give a back rub? Run a bath? When robots are washing dishes and cooking dinner, get back to me.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

RoboCup 2007

This year, the annual robotics conference – where you can see the presentation of robotics research and robotics demos and just generally drool over these lovely tin men – will be held in the capital of my home state. The event will be held at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA, from July 1-10. You can promote the advance of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and the future existence of sex robots because you know good and well that's where all this hard work is going. You think people are just like, “Hey, I really want to see if I can make a tin can walk”? No, my friend. This is all about sex. Don't delude yourselves. I wonder if they're accepting donations?

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Hexapods: Robots That Play Doctor

They sure are cute little monsters. They sort of look like swiveling barstools. Something to give you that “Geez, I shouldn't have had that last Red-Headed Slut” kind of feeling. (That's a drink, people. Don't get too happy.) These robots must have very sensitive machinery though, because they are all about nanopositioning and micropositioning. (Sex with midgets?) I don't know what the difference between nanopositioning and micropositioning is, but they seem to suggest that these little guys are very adjustable. Looks like they have applications in medical technology as well, probably for positioning things like beams and mirrors. How cool is that? Some of the features of these robots are “smaller package size” (quit your snickering) and “higher stiffness” (ok, now you can snicker). They also have “better dynamic behavior” and “reduced runout errors.” I want eight of them right now. Go see them right here.

Monday, February 5, 2007

Mind Control and Robots

If you think mind control is a product of sci-fi geeks' too-active imagination, think again. The geeks have taken over and are making it happen. If you are sitting in the correct lab and wearing a cap with electrodes picking up on your brain waves, you can tell a robot to go forth and choose a particular object. At the moment, people are having trouble telling it to pick up the correct object, but that's beside the point. It's mind control, people! Mind control of robots! Do you know how freaking cool that is?? And can you imagine what would happen if that electrode cap were sitting on President Bush's head? Not a pretty picture, boys and girls, but tons of fun to think about. Click here for more juicy details.

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