Using telepresence robots a hospitalized child can now participate in the classroom. The system, developed by Telbotics Inc., Ryerson U., and the University of Toronto, use two robots, one in the hospital room and one in the classroom, to allow the child to be involved in his class. The child can view and hear the teacher, zoom in to look at things, and raise a robotic hand to signal he has a question. Both robots are also equipped with a scanner and printer for sending papers from classroom to child.

You can find out more about the robots and the research program, PEBBLES, on Telbotics’ website.



(more…)

This year marks the 20th birthday of our favorite corporate walking robot, the Honda ASIMO. Honda has a great site detailing the development and growth of the project over the years. I, for one, didn’t even know they’d been working on it for so long.


They started off with just a pair of a legs and teaching it to walk. In four years, by 1990, they’d taught it to dynamically walk at the rate of a human being, followed by the first humanoid debut in 1996 and the P3 in 1997. ASIMO as we know him arrrived in 2000 and is still going strong.

Here’s to another 20 years ASIMO! Perhaps you’ll be helping me do my yardwork by then. Perhaps.


(more…)

iRobot says that soliders are bonding with their packbots. They give their little silicone bodyguards nicknames and form emotional bonds with them.


This is exactly what iRobot hopes will happen to robots. They even call them, "physical avatars." Other companies, like Ugobe, have the same asperations for their robot, Pleo. Not only is it a great business idea, but probably better for the humans involved too.

I guess if a robot had saved my life I’d feel pretty bonded with it too.


(more…)

My favorite online shopping experience just got a whole lot better. Amazon recently released its " Industrial and Scientific " store beta. Need some sheet metal, plastic rod, compression springs, or set screws? Amazon has them now. While I can’t vouch for the prices, I do know that Amazon’s world-class shopping experience, customer service, and satisfaction will make me think twice before buying elsewhere, like McMaster.

Can anyone else give us an idea of whether these are reasonable prices? Also, don’t forget that Amazon has gift certificates.



(more…)

I recently found this article entitled, "The Great Battery Shootout" comparing various brands of recharable batteries. The article is a bit old (last update, Jan 1, 2005) and it’s specifically targeted at digital camera users, it’s still highly interesting and informative for us robot builders.



(more…)