robot – News Stories About robot - Page 5

Mar 20, 2009 10:51 AM CDT

Robot Fish Will Help Battle Pollution

High-tech 'carp' find chemical contaminants in Spanish harbor

(Newser) - Robots will soon be patrolling the harbor of Gijon, Spain, and if all goes well, the local sea life won't notice a thing, reports the Financial Times. The pollution-detecting bots cost $30,000 each and are modeled after carp, complete with shiny scales and an undulating swimming motion. "We...

Killer Robots Pose Danger
to Humans: Report

Feb 16, 2009 1:58 PM CST

Killer Robots Pose Danger to Humans: Report

Machines need 'warrior code,' says analyst

(Newser) - The warfare of the not-so-distant future will rely on robots that can make decisions for themselves—and for our own safety, they’ll need a firm code of conduct, says a US Navy report in the first “serious” study of robot ethics. “There is a common misconception that...

Robots Begin Takeover
of Retail Warehouses

Jan 28, 2009 1:48 PM CST

Robots Begin Takeover of Retail Warehouses

Enslave no one, but do increase efficiency

(Newser) - The age of robots is upon us. Or at least, you might think so if you walked into one of the dozen retail warehouses currently manned by Kiva System’s robotic workers. The bots, which look a bit like a giant orange toaster, zip autonomously around the warehouse, completing orders...

Bob May,
Lost in Space
Robot, Dies

OBITUARY

Jan 19, 2009 2:37 PM CST

Bob May, Lost in Space Robot, Dies

Actor moved the suit, but never said "Danger, Will Robinson"

(Newser) - Bob May, famous for inhabiting the robot suit on 1960s sci-fi hit Lost in Space, has died at 69 of heart failure, the AP reports. “He always said he got the job because he fit in the robot suit,” a co-star said. May did not voice the robot—...

Mission Accomplished on Mars

ANALYSIS

Aug 29, 2008 5:32 PM CDT

Mission Accomplished on Mars

Time is up, but Phoenix keeps digging

(Newser) - Time's almost up for NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander: With its 90-day mission complete, the $480 million project will continue testing soil samples until the punishing winter puts it out of commission. Wired recaps Phoenix triumphs with an interactive timeline, from its flawless landing at Mars' north pole to its groundbreaking...

Pixar's Lovable Robot Has
Important Lessons For Us

opinion

Jul 11, 2008 11:06 AM CDT

Pixar's Lovable Robot Has Important Lessons For Us

Wall-E warns about our over-consumption

(Newser) - Yes, Wall-E has environmental themes, but its main point is a moral one, writes Michael Gerson in the Washington Post. Not simply a critique of capitalism, as some conservatives have suggested, the movie sets its satirical sights on our self-imprisoning culture of consumption—and the snacking, reclining consumers in the...

Thinking 'Bots May Probe Planets for Us

Jul 6, 2008 6:10 PM CDT

Thinking 'Bots May Probe Planets for Us

Gizmos could direct airships over Titan, Europa by 2017

(Newser) - WALL-E they aren't, but future space robots may decide how and where we explore other planets, Space.com reports. Using what expert Wolfgang Fink calls “tier-scalable reconnaissance,” orbiting spacecrafts could choose where to deploy airships that drop rovers on planet surfaces. NASA and Europe may test the software...

Japan Unveils Robot Girlfriend

Jun 20, 2008 1:53 PM CDT

Japan Unveils Robot Girlfriend

15-inch 'maiden' puckers up on command

(Newser) - If you’re looking for love and the electronic variety is good enough, a Japanese company may have just the thing for you. Sega unveiled “EMA” today (that’s Eternal Maiden Actualization), a 15-inch robotic girlfriend that can find and kiss human faces on command, Reuters reports. The company...

Get Ready
for Some Hot Robot Lovin'

Jun 15, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Get Ready for Some Hot Robot Lovin'

People will sleep with robots in 5 years, love them in 40, experts say

(Newser) - Human-robot love is no longer the stuff of science fiction, AFP reports. At least one researcher predicts that 40 years from now, robots will tell you stories, make you laugh, and swear that they love you. As for sex, robots will be capable of it in 5 years: It's "...

Dogs Think Robo-Vacs Suck

Jun 11, 2008 9:00 AM CDT

Dogs Think Robo-Vacs Suck

Pet owners try to keep the peace between high technology and 'bio-pets'

(Newser) - Dogs are getting more suspicious as robots get more sophisticated, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dog owners find that jealous, territorial, or terrified pooches bark at the robots—and sometimes rip them apart. Some post videos of the battles on YouTube, while others are trying to find ways for canine...

Robot Offers Hope to Would-Be Spidermen

May 29, 2008 3:30 PM CDT

Robot Offers Hope to Would-Be Spidermen

Electric adhesion allows machine to scale walls carrying 75 pounds

(Newser) - Researchers have created a wall-climbing robot that uses electrically activated adhesion to get up any surface—dusty, wet, glass or concrete. Other Spiderman-imitating machines use a different kind of gecko-inspired technology and generate stronger sticking power than the new ‘bot, but the simplicity of the approach means it could...

Your Pal in Second
Life May Be a Robot

May 18, 2008 7:25 PM CDT

Your Pal in Second Life May Be a Robot

Researchers use virtual world to test AI creations

(Newser) - Scientists are creating virtual robots in a virtual world with the hope of simulating real people. Got it? Second Life is prime testing ground for artificial intelligence because it allows experts to exert more control over their creations. “It’s a very inexpensive way to test out our technologies...

Robo-Maestro Takes Baton

May 14, 2008 3:27 PM CDT

Robo-Maestro Takes Baton

Honda robot manages to wow Detroit audience despite limitations

(Newser) - It was classical music, but when the Detroit Symphony Orchestra hit its final note last night, it sounded an awful lot like the future. Honda’s Asimo robot led a real, live, human orchestra, and though the android was only repeating the recorded movements of a human, the performance went...

Tech Toy
Splurges
for That
Tax Return

Mar 30, 2008 8:33 PM CDT

Tech Toy Splurges for That Tax Return

You haven't already spent that tax refund, have you?

(Newser) - This year, the government’s economic stimulus package will add $600 to the average $2,300 refund each taxpayer receives. That’s a sizable chunk of change, perfect for a little tech-toy indulgence, reports ComputerWorld.

Casio Exilim Pro Ex-FI high-speed digital camera: Snag 60 frames in a single second, to

...

Dextre Moves Into Place,
Awaits First Call

Mar 19, 2008 5:10 AM CDT

Dextre Moves Into Place, Awaits First Call

Gigantic robot successfully added to space station

(Newser) - The giant space robot Dextre moved into his new digs last night, and now resides outside the International Space Station's Destiny lab awaiting his first marching orders. Back at Mission Control the mood is buoyant, reports the Houston Chronicle. "That really was the kind of spacewalk that when it's...

Dextre Tooled Up, Good to Go

Mar 18, 2008 8:33 AM CDT

Dextre Tooled Up, Good to Go

Spacewalkers put finishing touches on giant space robot

(Newser) - Dextre, the colossal space robot, is ready to go and awaiting instructions after astronauts successfully fitted the 12-foot helper with a tool kit and cameras for "eyes" last night, Space.com reports. Dextre is set to take up residence outside the International Space Station's Destiny lab later today and...

Dextre Stretches His Limbs

Mar 17, 2008 10:30 AM CDT

Dextre Stretches His Limbs

Astronauts test space robot, find minor hiccup

(Newser) - Dextre, the International Space Station’s own gigantic space robot, flexed its mighty arms for the first time last night, the Houston Chronicle reports. Astronauts put the bot through its paces, moving and stopping each of its 14 arm joints. Dextre mostly passed the test; every joint moved perfectly save...

Spacewalkers Give Dextre Arms

Mar 16, 2008 7:31 AM CDT

Spacewalkers Give Dextre Arms

7-hour spacewalk brings handyman robot closer to completion

(Newser) - Dextre the space robot now has arms. Astronauts attached them in an overnight spacewalk outside the International Space Station, the second of three that will be needed to bring the $209 million robot fully to life, the Houston Chronicle reports. On Monday, astronauts will give Dextre a tool belt, lights,...

Robot Dogs Cheer Up Elderly

Mar 1, 2008 8:02 AM CST

Robot Dogs Cheer Up Elderly

Study says robo-mutt relieved loneliness as effectively as a real dog

(Newser) - Robot dogs are almost as effective as the real thing in cheering up elderly nursing home residents, a new study at St. Louis University has found. Once the patients had some time to get used to him, researchers say robot mutt AIBO lowered loneliness levels about as well as a...

Robots Could Care for Elderly

Dec 6, 2007 6:29 PM CST

Robots Could Care for Elderly

Toyota unveils new technology aimed at targeting Japan's aging population

(Newser) - Toyota’s new robot can play the violin, and the car-maker hopes it could be used in the future to care for the elderly, AFP reports. The 5-foot-tall robot has 17 hand and arm joints, giving it enough dexterity to play an error-free “Pomp and Circumstance” today. Toyota wants...