Author Archives: Ogen

Authorities will use robot to open letter sent to Sen. Leahy

By Kevin Johnson

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Desperate to preserve evidence that might identify the source of lethal anthrax attacks, government scientists will use a small robot to open a suspicious letter addressed to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a senior law enforcement official said Wednesday.

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Authorities obtained the robot only recently. Officials did not immediately describe how it works or where it was manufactured but indicated it was being tested in mock trials this week.

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With the mechanical device, authorities hope to create a highly controlled environment for examination of the letter, which is so toxic that it is believed to have contaminated more than 50 of 630 bags of letters seized last month from Capitol Hill mailrooms.

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ZDNet |UK| – News – Story – Robotic system can make other robots



08:59 Thursday 31st August 2000

Reuters



American study produces robotic system that can generate ‘offspring’

Cheaply produced robots that can perform mundane chores may be a step closer thanks to American scientists who have made a robotic system that can for the first time design and construct other robots.

The system operates with almost no human intervention.

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Wired News:: Robots: It’s an Art Thing

By Brad King

2:00 a.m. Nov. 12, 2001 PST

Eighty years after they were first introduced to the world, robots and humans now exist side by side. The symbiotic relationship between the two has inspired a new generation of art — and scientific research — that examines where people end and machines begin.

As technology continues to permeate life, artistic inspiration has started to come from strange places.

Ian Wilmut, the scientist who cloned the lamb Dolly at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, inspired San Francisco filmmaker Jeremy Solterbeck’s short Moving Illustrations of Machines.

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ZDNet |UK| – News – Story – ‘Asimo’ robot becomes more human-like

15:37 Monday 12th November 2001

Reuters

Honda’s humanoid robot, which can be started up in four minutes, is to be a receptionist at IBM Japan

Honda has refined its human robot “Asimo” to gracefully walk down stairs, respond to human commands and even work like a receptionist — but without the smile.

The two-legged, 1.2 metre (four-foot) white and silver Asimo, whose Japanese name roughly translates as “legs, even,” was on display on Monday, showing off its new skills.

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Although Asimo is not yet available for purchase, many amusement companies have lined up to pay the two million yen per day rental fee to use the humanoid for on-stage chats and tour guides, Honda said.

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thestar.com.my: Business News Japanese automaker Honda shows upgraded walking, talking robot

TOKYO (AP) – Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. on Monday showed an upgraded version of its walking humanoid robot Asimo that can recite programmed phrases and maneuver on stairways better than its predecessors.

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Honda is prepared to rent up to about 10 robots but only in Japan. The latest robot stands 120 centimeters (four feet) tall and weighs 52 kilograms (114 pounds), slightly heavier than the previous model at 43 kilograms (95 pounds).

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Aibo transforms from poodle to bulldog – Tech News – CNET.com

By Reuters

November 7, 2001, 12:00 p.m. PT

ERS-220

NEW YORK–Only time will tell if he’s truly bad to the bone. But the newest incarnation of Aibo, unveiled on Wednesday by Japan-based consumer electronics giant Sony, is designed with more virtual male hormone running through its circuitry than the playful robotic pups that sold out when they first went on the market in 1999.

“We like to call him ‘Mr. 220’ with attitude,” said Stuart Wallock, director of marketing and business planning for Entertainment Robot America, a unit of Sony Electronics. “He’s maybe a little more macho” than the previous Aibo robots, including the roly-poly Latte and Macaron robots launched in early September.

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A Programmable Dog That Will Bite Back

November 8, 2001

By LISA GUERNSEY

http://www.us.aibo.com/

When Sony came out with its first four- legged Aibo robot in 1999, a lot of people thought that it was awfully cute. The latest Aibo, officially called ERS-220, is designed to look a little more menacing. Its eyes flash and it growls like an engine. The design is based on a revving race car, said Jon Piazza, a Sony spokesman, who described the new Aibo as “a Terminator type of guy” (minus the salty vocabulary).

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The Register Sony’s next gen Aibo dogs hit market

By James Watson

Posted: 08/11/2001 at 15:11 GMT

Sony has showed off its third generation Aibo robotic dog. Canine V3 features more sensors for interaction, more LEDs for a wider emotional range, new behavioural patterns and upgraded control software.

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