Robotic science is intended to create devices that can aid humans in activities. In some case, it’s to help perform tasks that are too difficult or dangerous for humans. In other cases, it’s to relieve us of mundane tasks. Then, there are cases of robots that do little more than invade our nightmares. Such is the case with this robot designed by Harvard. This flexible device is able to wiggle and writhe it’s way through tight spaces. There are uses for such a device, we’re sure. We just don’t what those uses are yet outside of possible the defense department having some diabolical plans for it. https://twitter.com/#!/girimedia/status/144931103797547008…

When Honda unveiled ASIMO a few years ago, most were amazed by its human-like movements. Some claimed there was a short person in a suit rather than an actual robot. Earlier this month, they unveiled the “All-New” ASIMO that can run forward, walk backward, hop on one leg or two, and serve drinks. We’re probably still years away from mainstream robotic servant and a couple of more years away from being overrun by our own creation, but we can still look at them with wonderment today. (H/T Columbus Indiana Ram)…

Every now and then you come across something that’s, well, different. It’s hard in today’s world where so many products are simply variations of others. Creativity seems to be dying with the compact disc. The “different” that popped up was these geekaliciously epic 3D Steampunk Robot Magnets. Steampunk is getting old and robots are so yesterday, but there’s something about these little contraptions that screamed at me. I haven’t bought any yet – hard to swallow at $15 a pop – but by golly there’s a yearning that will need to be quenched. Someday. …

The concept of robots that learn may seem relatively simply. We see robots and machines that are able to perform complex tasks flawlessly and many believe that this type of technology means that artificially intelligent robots are right around the corner (or here already). The biggest challenge has been in programming robots with the ability to adjust to changing environments and circumstances, applying what they know and extrapolating what they do not know to make a proper choice in new situations. Sounds easy, but it’s not. Not yet, at least. Researchers in Japan have developed a “Self-Replicating…

Alright, so maybe I’m being a little cheeky by claiming that this robot is the most fun you could have with Kinect, but quite frankly, as far as I’m concerned, it sure beats some of the arm-waving minigames I’ve seen so far. MIT student Phillip Roebbel has hooked up a newly-hacked Xbox Kinect to an iRobot to create the coolest thing that I’m gonna see today – and with any luck, the coolest thing you’ll see, too. By giving the Kinect – which can already and judge terrain and distance – the ability to look and wander around, Roebbel has given it the ability to map its surroundings in 360 degrees, allowing it…

Niklas Roy’s workshop has a large window right in front. After getting fed up of passersby peering in, he decided to take action. In a move that would make Mark Zuckerberg’s head explode, Roy came up with a privacy scheme so nerdy and so unique that he’ll almost certainly win the Techi Nerdiest Solution To An Everyday Problem award. If the award existed. Or even Techi awards existed. Niklas’ may have been short on curtains and tall on tech, or he may just have been looking for a creative approach. Either way, this is awesome. I won’t ruin it for you, but the small piece of curtain uses robotics to move along…

One of the great things about Twitter is that it’s actually pretty easy to control and inhibit spam. SEO people have grabbed hold of Twitter because they see the value in fast moving, viral information, but stopping spam on Twitter is as simple as blocking or reporting someone. Yet still, the bots persist. If you’ve never had a bot retweet something of yours on Twitter, you’re probably not tweeting enough. But here’s something original – a retweet bot that is aware of it’s own futility. At the BMW Mini plant in Oxford, UK, a robot connected to Twitter is manually retweeting messages sent to it by writing…

Meet QB. He likes people and wants to make your life easier, specifically by going to meetings on your behalf. The business world is all about getting some face time, making time in the ‘schedge’ to hammer out some logistical ‘probs’, but in reality, most people hate meetings, particularly meetings that require a long drive or plane ride. Anybots creation QB is a ‘mobile proxy robot’, participating in meetings and other business interactions normally requiring face-to-face attention. The robot is capable of moving, using a gyroscope to remain upright. With two cameras, you can watch where…

Techi is honor-bound to offer you totally rad (and routinely bizarre) things to read about, and I for one don’t like to disappoint, so check this out. In the endless chronicle of robots infiltrating humanity’s dwindling normalcy, it would appear Japan is still proving itself crowned king – this time, with a robotic priest, of all things. Satoko Inoue and her groom, Tomohiro Shibata, were recently wed in a fairly typical ceremony, save for the atypically-nonhuman i-Fairy robot presiding over the affair. According to Inoue, who is an employee at Kokoro Ltd, the robotics company behind the i-Fairy,…

A robot car on its own is pretty cool, but couple that with the ability to learn new maneuvers and perform just as good if not better than James Bond; and you have something pretty damn awesome. Meet Junior, created by Stanford University, the robot car that took home second place in the 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge. It has learned a few things since then, most noteworthy is it’s ability to decide to follow traditional physics models when driving or just try and repeat a past performance. And what’s cooler than pulling off a 180 degree turn into a cramped parking space? A robot car doing it. Junior…