RobotShop is putting together a list of the most noteworthy and outright coolest robots for 2010 and we need your help. You can participate by voting in a poll on the RobotShop Forum that will decide which are The Ten Coolest Robots of 2010.
We have selected twenty of the coolest robots from a cross section of the robotic market. Robots are presented in alphabetical order to remove bias. Keep reading for a brief description of each of the robotic contestants for the 2010 RobotShop Top Ten Coolest Robots.
Aldebaran Nao
Aldebaran Nao
The Nao form Aldebaran Robotics has been very present this year performing all sort of dances and rather cute actions. It is the only fully autonomous humanoid in the market today with such great capabilities at a (sort of) reasonable price.
Anybots QB
Anybots QB
The QB form Anybots is a new and upcoming telepresence robot that is intended to be user friendly and allow you to be present at a remote location in an instant.
AR Drone Parrot
AR Drone Parrot
The Parrot form AR Drone is the first affordable UAV that can be intuitively and easily controlled though a web enabled device such as an iPhone or laptop.
BAE Systems Taranis
BAE Taranis UCAV
The Taranis by BAE Systems is an Unmanned Combat Aircraft System (UCAS) developed for the UK military. This stealth “swept delta” aircraft is intended to be fully autonomous.
Boston Dynamics Little Dog
Boston Dynamics Little Dog
As a derivative of Big Dog, Boston dynamics‘ Little Dog is a smaller version of the popular quadruped robot. This robot is intended to navigate very challenging terrain and cross large obstacles. The dog can learn and quickly adapt to a wide variety of terrain and recover form unexpected situations such as slipping or sudden terrain modifications.
DLR Justin
DLR Justin
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) produced the very impressive Justin. This humanoid robot can assist astronautics with space walks and could will the Jackrabbit Slim’s Twist Contest” from the movie Pulp Fiction.
Dr. Robot Jaguar
DR Robot Jaguar
Dr Robot created a very nice tracked professional robotic platform intended for extreme terrains. The Jaguar can climb stairs, and navigate autonomously indoors and outdoors. Lately, the Jaguar got redesigned ad received a significant price cut thanks to improved manufacturing techniques.
Evolution Robotics Mint
Evolution Robotics Mint
The Mint from Evolution Robotic is a new floor cleaning robot that can operate very quietly. It can systematically and thoroughly mop and wipe hard floors thanks to it indoors navigation technology and proven wiping pads such as Swiffers.
Google Autonomous car
- Google Autonomous car
The desire of having self-driving cars is very present in science fiction. Now, thank to Google and and the engineering behind the DARPA Challenges, the autonomous car is a reality. This type of technology can truly revolutionize humans’ everyday lives.
Humboldt University Myon
Humboldt University Myon
The Myon (or Muon) from Humboldt University is a child sized a modular humanoid. It is made of interchangeable parts that can operate independently of the rest of the body. This means that if a critical leg part breaks, it could be replaced by a less critical arm par for instance.
Kawada HRP-4
Kawada HRP-4
The HRP-4 by Kawada ifs the latest of a long series of very impressive humanoid robots. This last iteration is particularly thin, fast and gracious.
Neato Robotics XV-11
Neato Robotics XV-11
The XV-11 by Neato Robotics is cleverer than its predecessors and is becoming very popular quite rapidly. Thanks to its mapping capabilities, the robot vacuum is capable of systematically and efficiently cleaning a room very rapidly.
Raytheon XOS 2
Raytheon XOS 2
RobotCub iCub
RoboCub iCub
The iCub from RobotCub is a humanoid robot intended to emulate a toddler in size, motor skills and learning capabilities. The video below demonstrates its motor and learning skills.
RobotShop DFRobotShop Rover
DFRobotShop Rover
The DFRobotshop Rover is the result of the collaboration of RobotShop and DFRobot. It is the cheapest Arduino-based programmable robotic platform currently available on the market. The clever use of the PCB as a structural part is partly what makes it so affordable.
Smartpool Nitro
Smartpool Nitro Wall Scrubber
The new Nitro pool cleaner robot family form Smartpool is faster and more accurate than its predecessors. It is very technologically advanced and cleans pools thoroughly.
University of Penn Aggressive Quadrotors
University of Pennsylvania Aggressive Quad-rotor UAVs
The Quadrotors form University of Pennsylvania can perform very fast and aggressive manoeuvres. Their speed and precision is yet to be matched by a human pilot.
Vecna Robotics BEAR
BEAR by Vecna
The BEAR by Vecna Robotics is a military rescue robot with a friendly Teddy-Bear face. Despite its friendly face, it is extremely strong and can easy carry a soldier on its extended arms.
Wild Planet Trakr
Wild Planet Trakr
The Trakr form Wild Planet is a interesting spy robot toy. It has a camera and microphone and can record video. Another noteworthy aspect of the robot is that it is easily hackable and can become a very interesting robotic development platform.
Willow Garage PR2
Willow Garage PR2
The PR2 from Willow Garage is a service robot that runs the Open Source Robotic Operating System ROS. Since its creation, the PR2 has been making significant progress at tackling everyday tasks. This rapid advancement is mainly due to its simple programming interface that provides useful abstractions for its components.
Now that you had a quick look at all the robotic candidates, feel free to chose your favourite in the following poll: 2010 RobotShop Top Ten Coolest Robots.
