Top researchers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) have called for a boycott of the South Korean university KAIST after it opened a lab with the defence firm Hanwha Systems. Even if you’re not familiar with KAIST, you might know some of the school’s robots. The university won the top prize at the last DARPA Robotics Challenge in 2015 with its highly advanced DRC-HUBO robot. Read More >>
There are some people who might take one look at this photo of Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world, and freak the hell out. The Amazon founder is walking with a robotic “dog” called SpotMini—the same robot dog manufactured by Boston Dynamics, which was recently filmed opening doors like a velociraptor out of Jurassic Park. Read More >>
Winter weather got you down? How about some sweet vintage robot pics to cheer you up? Vintage robot pics on the beaches of California, no less. Read More >>
We’ve all worried about artificial intelligence reaching a point in which its cognitive ability is so far beyond ours that it turns against us. But what if we just turned the AI into a spineless weenie that longs for our approval? Researchers are suggesting that could be a great step towards improving the algorithms, even if they aren’t out to murder us. Read More >>
What would you do if you were a billionaire? Elon Musk is trying to get to Mars. Peter Thiel wants to live forever. And Jeff Bezos, well, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos apparently wants to rule the world in a gigantic robot. At least that’s the impression you might get from the photos and video taken yesterday. Read More >>
A 69-year-old retired airline pilot spent 1,000 hours over three months putting together this contraption that can serve runny soft-boiled eggs, make toast, offer tea, and hand over the newspaper. Sign us up. [Mashable] Read More >>
That lumpy tank on wheelbarrow wheels there is being charitably referred to as a robot, one that stunned the golf world by managing to bag a hole-in-one on the TPC Scottsdale's 16th hole. Read More >>
Sure, gesture-controlled robots are cool. Even cooler? Scientists have developed a way to control a robotic arm just by blinking at it—no hands needed. Read More >>
Latency on your phone is annoying. But Google feels your pain—which is why it has this dedicated robotic rig, used to test out hardware and software in order to keep Android and Chrome OS devices zippy. Read More >>
Some companies view their employees as an asset; Amazon views them as a problem to be disrupted along the path to perfection (and cheap two-day shipping on paperbacks). The latest ambition is to replace Amazon's legion of shelf-picking drones with actual robotic drones. Read More >>
Robots often find themselves in dangerous situations, and their distinct lack of biology makes them perfectly suited for battling infectious disease. Next month, a simulcast workshop will determine if and how they'll join the West African fight against Ebola. Read More >>
SociBot-Mini is a weird little desktop robot, one with a face that's designed to be part display. The USP is that it can load in an image of someone's actual face, then display and animate that while you talk to them, with eyes that follow you about the room. That won't in anyway distress children and animals. Read More >>
Do you suck at Flappy Bird? Don't worry, most humans do. Even if you're smart, the game is so silly it won't reward your intelligence. Two guys from China used their frustration to make a robot that dominates Flappy Bird. It uses a webcam to figure out how many taps are needed to clear the pipes and a robotic arm made from an old hard drive and a tip of a stylus. Hasta la vista, birdy. Read More >>
Say what you will about these sperm-like bio-bots; they've got heart. The beating of live heart cells propels a tail back and forth, so that these self-powered swimming bio-bots—the first of their kind—could one day wriggle through your body delivering drugs. No batteries needed. Read More >>
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