Month: November 2012

Stompy: The Giant Walking Robot!

Is this likely to be the next wave in robotics? Six-legged walking machines that are capable of carrying heavy freight, towing large payloads, or erecting tall buildings? And let’s not discount the militarized version! Six-legged mechanized warriors stacked with missiles, rail guns, and giant foot pads capable of crushing entire columns of enemy infantry! Seriously, is this the future? Because I’m starting to get a tad nervous…

The people responsible are what is known as Project Hexapod, a teacher-student cooperative working out of Massachusetts’ Artisan Asylum. For almost a year now, they’ve been working towards their goal of creating a walking, rideable robot. Beginning in April of 2012, the group began work on the design, and after four months, they launched a website and began soliciting donations. And of course, they promised plenty of returns for those pledging money.

For those making modest donations, stickers, photos and T-shirts were the common prize. But for those pledging more substantial donations – on the scale of say $200 – they promise to take an object of the donor’s choice and crush it for them. They even promise to post a video of the destruction on YouTube for the world to enjoy. And for those pledging $300 or more, they will get to ride the 18-foot wide steel beast while those giving $1000 will even get to man the controls.  Look out world! The only thing more cool than that would be if you could float a cool $300,000, in which case they will construct one for you!

Much like the Hoverbike, this Project represents a new wave in the field of technological development. Rather than being in the hands of private industry, or dependent on their investment capitol, here we see enterprising individuals going directly to the public to make their inventions a reality. Much like alternative media and indie publishing, we once again see the internet cutting out the middle man and the traditional gatekeepers, and opening up opportunities for those with dreams (and an extensive technical background!).

Check out the video of Stompy’s development below. And if you are one of those rare individuals who can score a ride on this behemoth, let me wish you good luck, and good stomping!

Source: kickstarter.com

Epic Rap Battles of History

You know what I learned recently? I am ALL about Epic Rap Battles of History! It was months ago when a fellow blogger (Thanks Dave DeMar) put me onto them with their Darth Vader vs. Hitler rap. Admittedly, that one had some humor which could be a little hard to take, especially if you mind such things as thinly veiled references to Hitler’s genocide. However, I’ve found they do just about everyone, from beloved historical figures to pop-culture icons. And there confrontation between the Master Chief and Leonidas was damn near hysterical! Check it out:

NASA’s X1 Robotic Exoskeleton

It may not be Iron Man, but it’s certainly a step in that direction. It’s known as the X1 Robotic Skeleton, a spinoff of their earlier Robonaut 2 project. Designed specifically to assists astronauts with either exercising in space, performing difficult tasks, or restoring movement to astronauts who have suffered from paralysis, the X1 is a big leap forward in terms of ergonomics and man-machine interface.

The exoskeleton is powered by four motorized joints and six passive joints, all of which give the 57 pound suit a good range of motion. When set to exercise mode, it provides resistance to the astronauts movement, ensuring that their muscles get the exercise they need while in zero-g environments. The rest of the time, the motors provide enough force to allow an astronaut to get a full range of motion and maintain full ambulatory capabilities.

A joint effort between NASA, The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, and the awesomely named Oceaneering Space Systems, the X1 is still deep in the research and development phase. Still, the suit could some day be used both in space and on Earth. In that respect, it is not unlike ReWalk and other robotic systems that are currently employed by the military which are used to help restore motion to the paralyzed and assist people in power lifting. Soon, the word “disability” will be entirely without meaning and “power lifters” will have to be redefined!

Check out this video of the X1 in action and/or click on the link below for more on this story.


Source: news.cnet.com

Zombie-Proof You Car and House

Believe it or not, there’s actually an insurance company that thinks ahead. You’ll be pleased to know that while others are preparing for the latest hurricane or earthquake, there’s a company that is preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Okay, not really, but its fun idea. They are known as MoneySupermarket.com; and wouldn’t you believe it, they found me and offered these helpful infographics. In honor of Halloween, they offered a string of comedic “Spooky Insurance” options. These include insurance on your haunted house, broom, time travel, and the afterlife.

In addition, they provide the following helpful infographics on how to prepare your vehicle and your home for a zombie attack. In the former case, this involves outfitting your means of conveyance with defensive armor as well as a series of non-lethal counter-measures (click on the image to enlarge). It also rates different kinds of vehicles based on their practicality for a zombie apocalypse. These include speed, fuel economy, ruggedness, capabilities on all terrain, and capacity for modification. Granted, not all the information is practical, but you didn’t exactly expect it to be, did you?

In the latter case, the infographic on modifying your home. This is especially important when you’ve found a place you want to go to ground in. Or maybe you just don’t want to let things escalate to the stage where you have to modify your vehicle to become a mobile tank and defensive arsenal. These include land mines, chain link fences, trenches, a guard tower, explosives, and of course, a fully equipped arsenal. Well, not exactly fully equipped – once again, the weapons are strictly non-lethal. And I’m not entirely sure what the point of a robotic sheep is (see right). You’d think zombies could tell the difference between the real thing and an automaton.

Naturally, the Halloween-themed insurance offering won’t last long now that Halloween is over. Click on the link at the top to see the full range of options they’re offering for witches, ghosts, time travelers and the undead. Unless the zombie apocalypse actually arrives, or someone finds a way to make time travel feasible, these gimmicky insurance options won’t last!