Japanese company Sanyo Homes has introduced its MIRAI SANZO Android-based robot

Japanese company Sanyo Homes has introduced its MIRAI SANZO Android-based robot for the Japanese market. It connects to external networked devices, and allows them to be controlled via voice commands or remotely, through a smartphone. This is yet another device which proves that Google’s Android OS has applications beyond its original smartphone purpose.

MIRAI SANZO’s cartoon style of design leaves no doubt that this spherical smiling robot is meant for the Japanese market. The robot is part of Sanyo Homes’ line of devices aimed at creating smart homes for "families of the future." It’s WiFi-enabled, touchscreen- and voice-operated and rather small, at 22 cm (8.66 in) in diameter. Sanyo did not reveal which version of Android is used. Activation and deactivation of the unit is possible via touch sensors.

The robot connects to such devices as cell phones, computers, routers and access points; air conditioners; heating systems; intercom phones, house alarms, call buttons and electric locks, or AV power plugs.

Of course, these devices must be networked, so using MIRAI SANZO might necessitate the purchasing of more products from its makers.

The robot can perform tasks such as switching on and off the heating or AC, filling the tub with hot water, or sending a message to the user’s cell phone when the fire alarm is triggered. It can also respond to inquiries in a spoken language (Japanese, of course), and glows in seven different colors, which represent its current status. It is available now in Japan.

Ah, the personal robot. While flying cars and jetpacks are now here – for some people – we still don’t have robots that help us out around the house. However, maybe we soon could. This week, California’s RoboDynamics introduced its Luna personal robot to the world. While the company currently isn’t providing too much other information, her(?) makers are calling Luna "a breakthrough in robot design."

Luna was designed for RoboDynamics by SchultzeWORKS, an industrial design studio also based out of California. The robot incorporates the hardware, firmware, and drive train already used in RoboDynamics’ Telepresence internet-connected Low-cost Robot (TiLR).

According to the press release, Luna is the world’s first personal robot to be expandable via expansion ports, fully programmable with open standards, and affordable. No further specifics are provided on hardware, software, or just what it is that she could do for you, although she does apparently have a carrying handle in the back, and unarticulated pipe-like arms that can swing up to carry a tray.

IEEE Spectrum, however, states that Luna has a Dual Core Atom 2 GHz processor, a Linux-based operating system, and up to 32 GB of storage. Interaction is possible via an 8-inch capacitive touchscreen, a three-microphone array with speakers, wireless and cellular communication, an 8-megapixel camera, and a 3D sensor. She runs on a 12-volt battery, for 4-8 hours per charge.

The IEEE website also reports a projected price of just US$1,000, although the first models (which should ship later this year) will go for $3,000.

A student at Tokyo’s University of Electro-Communications has invented a robotic tongue device for online kissing

Services such as Skype have certainly made things a little easier for geographically-separated romantic partners, but when the tele-chat is over and it’s time to say good night, sometimes a little air kiss blown towards a webcam just isn’t enough. While there are products that cater for the long-distance physical needs of couples, those might be a bit much for everyday situations. There’s also the KissPhone, which attempts to simulate the sensation of one partner’s lips against the other’s. Sitting between those two extremes, however, is the "Kiss Transmission Device" – a prototype gizmo designed to allow its users to virtually lock tongues.

The KTD is designed "for communications within the mouth, in other words, the goal is to obtain the feeling of kissing," according to its inventor, Nobuhiro Takahashi, an Information Systems graduate student at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo.

The system consists of two computer-connected bilaterally-controlled devices, each one with its own motorized, bent tubular "tongue." As one user rotates their device’s tongue inside their mouth, the tongue on the other device moves in the same way – given that the tongues appear not to be able to extend or twist, the possibilities for individual "artistic expression" seem to presently be pretty limited. In the future, however, Takahashi would like bring factors like taste, breath and mouth moisture into the mix. A tonguier-looking and -feeling tongue might be a good idea, too.

Once the device is better developed, he sees it potentially being used not only by couples, but also by celebrities. Pop stars, for instance, could "record" a French kiss on the device, which their eager fans could then play back in their mouths. No … really.

Although both devices are currently connected to the same computer, Takahashi believes it would be easy enough for them to communicate via the internet, on two separate machines. Combined with something like the wriggling, creepy-looking Telenoid R-1 telepresence doll, the possibilities of the technology could be very … well, we’ll just let you pick your own word.

In some countries, begging is forbidden in law and could lead to a heavy fine or even imprisonment of those who dare to beg. But South Korean designer, Min Su Kim, it seems, has found a way to overcome this prohibition. He created a robot beggar named DONA.

Robot DONA («donation motivating») is not able to anything other than a touching look at the people who are suited to it, they blink their eyes and touching artificial stretching your arms to them, asking for alms. Moreover, it can, how to stand still, waiting for people themselves to him fit, and go hither and thither in search of people.

Of course, the robot DONA created by the author is not to make such a strange way of life. A person working as an engineer in the country where the profession is prestigious and honorable, he has enough money to exist normally. No, DONA – a method by which Min Su Kim wants to help the world.

This robot is designed to raise money for various charitable projects. Min Su Kim, establishing DONA in various busy spots, put together and information boards explaining what exactly will the funds donated by people that robot-panhandler.

sparring robot and its creator, Kris Tressider

Kris Tressider may not be a boxer, but he is a fitness nut with a background in gymnastics and martial arts. It therefore isn’t surprising that some time ago, the Australian draftsman invested in a punching bag to add to his daily workout. It wasn’t long, however, before he began to get bored of simply slugging away at the defenseless bag. To make things more interesting, he created the Punching Pro – a one-off sparring apparatus that is built not only to receive blows, but also to deliver them via its extending robotic arms.

The Punching Pro’s articulated steel arms are driven by two 12-volt windshield wiper motors, which run off mains power. Each arm swivels on a golf-cart-wheel-derived rotational shoulder axis, and incorporates a bending cable-controlled elbow. This feature allows the arms to tuck, swing and extend, not unlike a human’s.

The height of the apparatus and the reach of the arms can be adjusted to suit individual users, as can the speed at which the device throws punches. Weights can be added to its base, to keep it stable.

While a cam mechanism ensures that the arms will always swing in a non-conflicting alternating left-right pattern, individual controls for each arm are said to add a degree of unpredictability to the Pro’s actions. A third motor can also be added, which introduces random combinations of hooks and jabs to the mix.

A padded torso absorbs what body shots the user is able to get in, while the spring-loaded neck causes the head to snap back when receiving blows. When blocked by the user, the arms pause without affecting the internal timing mechanism – this is said to lower the risk of the device actually harming its human sparring partner.

"I have made recent modifications to the drive system to make the arms a lot more flexible and able to take a lot more punishment," Tressider told Gizmag. "The next step is to start working on the software side of things so that it can change modes automatically (it has hundreds of different modes which are currently changed manually with dials and switches).

I have had some interest from various boxing clubs and other individuals who are keen to test out the robot, and even try to buy one, but really I am still seeking funding or investment to help bring the product to the next level, and to the market."

Festo’s SmartBird robotic seagull and its herring gull inspiration

Festo has added to its robotic menagerie with the creation of a robotic seagull that weighs just 450 g (15.87 oz) and boasts a wingspan of 1.96 m (6.4 ft). Dubbed the SmartBird, the ultralight flying robot was inspired by the herring gull and can take off, fly and land autonomously, without the help of any additional drive systems.

In creating the SmartBird, Festo says it has succeeded in deciphering the flight of birds. The robot’s wings not only beat up and down, with a lever mechanism increasing the degree of deflection to increase from the torso to the wing tip, but also twist at specific angles along their length in the same way that a real bird’s do so that the leading edge is directed upwards during the upward stroke.

Directional control is achieved through the opposing movement of the robot’s head and torso sections, which is synchronized by means of two electric motors and cables. This enables it to bend aerodynamically, with simultaneous weight displacement, and is responsible for the SmartBird’s agility and maneuverability.

As with a real bird, the SmartBird’s tail isn’t just for show either. It produces lift and functions as both a pitch elevator and yaw rudder. In addition to stabilizing the robot in a similar way to an aircraft’s conventional vertical stabilizer, the tail also tilts to initiate left and right turns and rotates about the longitudinal axis to produce yaw.

Packed inside the SmartBird’s torso are the battery, engine and transmission, the crank transmission and control and regulation electronics. Wing position and torsion can be monitored via two-way ZigBee protocol radio communication and can be adjusted and optimized in real time during flight.

Festo says developing the SmartBird has provided insights that will help it in a variety of areas. The robot’s minimal use of materials and lightweight construction will help increase efficiencies in resource and energy consumption, while the functional integration of its coupled drive units have provided ideas the company says it can transfer to the development of hybrid drive technology. Additionally, analysis of its flow characteristics during development has provided insights into ways to optimize future designs. Another plus is that it won’t try and steal your chips at the beach.

DIY Telepresence Robot

Johnny Lee wanted a telepresence robot, but he didn’t want to pay thousands of dollars for one. So he did what any good hacker would do: bought a netbook, bought a roomba-like iRobot, and built a simple one himself for about $500.

The setup is simple with only two real components: the iRobot Create robot and a simple camera-equipped Windows 7 netbook, both costing about $250. Running software he wrote in (it’s available for free on his site) and using a USB connector available from iRobot, he patched the two together so the netbook and the robot can be controlled remotely from another computer (for video chat he simply uses Skype).

The only real DIY project here is constructing a stand to raise the netbook up to seated level, should you prefer your ‘bot to have a higher-than-cat’s-eye view (the understanding here is that if you can’t fashion a simple stand, you probably shouldn’t be trying to build a telepresence robot). Lee has even outlined an advanced modification that allows you to park your remote bot in a wireless charging station so you won’t need another person to unplug your remote bot from the wall.

It’s not exactly an Anybots QB, but it’s not $15,000 dollars either. And we’re willing to bet you could still send it out for coffee, just like the QB. Get the step-by-step from Lee below.

It seems you can get just about anything from vending machines these days. From shoes to flowers and ice cream to gold it can all be had by slotting a bit of cash into a machine – or in the case of the gold vending machine, a lot of cash or a credit card with a decent limit. Now there’s another unlikely vending machine offering in the form of the RoboPutt, a robotic vending machine that will dole out a five minute putting lesson for the cost of a decent golf ball.

While other putting machines rely on the user performing the swing to which the machine provides feedback, RoboPutt does the moving for you to reinforce a good swing. By repeating a perfect swing over and over, RoboPutt is designed to build muscle memory so you can repeat the swing out on the greens.

The machine is intended for golf clubs and shops where a golf pro will enter the user’s personal information and record their current putting stroke. This is done through the use of a small device called “DiGi” that clips onto the shaft of the user’s putter. Once attached the user plays a few 10 ft (3 m) putts until they find a swing they’re happy with – since DiGi is a self contained device it can be taken out onto the greens if required. DiGi is then removed and wirelessly transmits the stroke data to the RoboPutt computer at the press of a button.

Users then attach their own putter to the RoboPutt machine and choose from an introductory stroke selection lesson, a course of 10 progressive training lessons or ongoing drills via a touchscreen interface with tips and advice (and confidence building) relayed via a pair of wireless headphones. The user’s stroke data, personal information and progress are stored on a magnetic card so users can practice their putt on any RoboPutt machine.

For users, a four to five minute lesson costs around US$5, and since this is where RoboPutt will make its money, the company will provide RoboPutt machines to qualified pro shops, golf schools and training facilities worldwide free of charge – although “well-qualified buyers” can also purchase their own customized, individual units.

Magnetic Beer-Filling System Serves 56 Beers In One Minute

A magnet-powered method of pouring beer from the bottom up that works nine times faster than traditional methods, further proof that great ideas can be fueled by alcohol.

The cup features a small hole at the bottom, covered up by a circular magnet. Pressurized beer lifts the magnet up, filling the cup until the weight of the beer on top of the magnet pushes it back down, sealing the bottom. This system is not only faster (serving 56 draft beers in a minute), but minimizes spilling, to the joy of sticky-footed concert-goers everywhere.

Josh Springer, head of GrinOn, was originally developing a pitcher with a latch on the bottom, but when it turned out that would cost $30,000 to develop, he switched his focus. The GrinOn cups cost only 30 cents more than normal disposable cups, and the magnets also serve as an advertising device for drunken buffoons, who steal them to put on their refrigerators. Selling that space to advertisers generates extra revenue.

After beta testing at a couple venues in Las Vegas, the distribution system is expected to be implemented at many more stadiums. It has been well received at Los Angeles Angels games and poolside at the MGM grand, providing both refreshing beverages and entertainment. Watch the GrinOn guys beat the unofficial world record for most beers poured in a minute below:

Robot Massager The new WheeMe robotic massager will be officially unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

A new robotic massager can roll over your body without falling off, providing a relaxing massage without any awkward conversation.

“WheeMe” is a palm-sized massage bot that looks like a miniature tank, or a weighted computer mouse with wheels. It works best on the body’s horizontal surfaces, according to DreamBots, its manufacturer, and is really designed for use on the back, while the person being massaged lies face-down. The WheeMe actually uses tilt sensors so it can roll around without falling off your side—in the video below, watch how it halts as soon as it travels too far across the torso.

As the robot rolls around, nylon “fingerettes” massage your body, which should appealing to those who find full-size fingers grotesquely large. The little guy weighs only 0.73 pounds, so it won’t exactly provide a deep tissue massage, but DreamBots promises “a delightful sense of bodily pleasure.”

The company was founded in 2008 and includes several Israeli robotics engineers. Two friends invented WheeMe 10 years ago, according to the company’s website.

Other therapeutic bots, like Paro the baby seal, respond to your caress. But if WheeMe and spongebathbot are any indication, future therapy bots will do all the touching.

WheeMe will make its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, but you can pre-order them now. No word on how much they’ll cost, although we do know batteries are included. Still, just look at him: How much friendlier do robots get?

WheeMe Massage Bot: Dreambots