Tag: robots

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#StarWars Sphero BB-8 droid – how it works – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The Sphero BB-8: the iconic toy from the latest Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. There’s always one specific toy that captures the zeitgeist of a blockbuster movie – and even more so when it’s a blockbuster movie that opens right before Christmas – and there’s no doubt that for 2015 it’s Sphero’s cute rolling robot, BB-8. How does the little droid work? Let’s have a look inside. You can read more about Star Wars, including how to make your own lightsaber, hyperdrives and the return of celluloid film in E&T’s Star Wars special issue, available online now. Click on … Continue reading #StarWars Sphero BB-8 droid – how it works – an annotated infographic

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Starfish-killing robot to save the Great Barrier Reef – yes, you read that correctly – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

An autonomous robot designed to search for the invasive crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) and give them a lethal injection of salt, is to be deployed on the Great Barrier Reef. COTS, which prey on coral, have destroyed up to 40 per cent of the reef over the last 30 years. Robots, salt, BAM! Take that, COTS! E&T news covered this starfish-killing robot story in more detail. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Starfish-killing robot to save the Great Barrier Reef – yes, you read that correctly – an annotated infographic

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#HitchBOT could be revived to enjoy further hitchhiking adventures – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Huzzah! Following the public outcry at hitchBOT’s untimely violent demise in Philadelphia (“City of brotherly love” my arse), the roaming robot’s Canadian creators have floated the possibility of resurrecting his remains and giving the human-trusting bot another shot at fulfilling his road trip dreams. HitchBOT 2, Son of HitchBOT: this time it’s personal. Having successfully ventured across the entirety of Canada, then enjoyed a European vacation touring around Germany and the Netherlands, hitchBOT was sadly vandalised and destroyed near the start of his maiden trip across the USA. He had dreams of going to San Francisco and wearing flowers in … Continue reading #HitchBOT could be revived to enjoy further hitchhiking adventures – an annotated infographic

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Japan’s Robot Hotel: “Welcome Human, how may I serve you?” – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Have you ever had a problem with your hotel service? Unclean sheets? Lost your room key? Unaccommodating hotel staff? The Henn-na Hotel in Japan, set to open in July, wants you to have a comfortable and relaxing stay with the help of friendly service robots, who are there to serve you. The owners of the one-of-a-kind Henn-na Hotel – aka the ‘Strange Hotel’ –  hope that this will be a breakthrough in the hospitality industry, with low costs and ‘world-class’ productivity, all at a reasonable price for the client. The first building will be opening on 17 July in Huis … Continue reading Japan’s Robot Hotel: “Welcome Human, how may I serve you?” – an annotated infographic

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#Robots get some love in the new issue of E&T magazine – now available online

E&T magazine

Robots are the stars of the new issue of E&T magazine. Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics; how to persuade humans to love our new robot overlords; how to program robots to understand human emotions; the robot hotel where the staff are genuinely happy to help; Australia’s field robotics research; and a nice photo gallery of all the latest robots. Yeah, we really went big on robots this time around. Check out the robots special issue online now. Continue reading #Robots get some love in the new issue of E&T magazine – now available online

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#Kirobo the cute robot astronaut heads for the International Space Station – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

In a follow-up to our post last week about robots, job-stealing robots and job-stealing cute robots, today we have the news that Japanese job-stealing cute robot Kirobo  is now aboard the Japanese resupply H-2B rocket, heading towards the International Space Station (ISS). E&T reported on Kirobo’s space journey today, as he looks forward to helping astronauts with their daily workload and testing the human-machine interface. And he’s so cute, too! Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading #Kirobo the cute robot astronaut heads for the International Space Station – an annotated graphic

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Robots helping to fill skills gap in the US – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

Another reason for less-gifted Americans to get all Luddite about technology, with the news that a record number of industrial robots were installed in USA factories in 2012. This came at a time when well over half a million manufacturing jobs went unfilled because of a dearth of suitably skilled workers. E&T loves a good robot story, such as the roaming videoconferencing robot, similar to a concept pioneered by Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory; how robots are getting cuter; the fact that humans (with the possible exception of unskilled Americans) feel empathy for robots, particularly cute ones, and how robots … Continue reading Robots helping to fill skills gap in the US – an annotated graphic