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October 8, 2008 5:09:58 AM CDT

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Stories related to: robot

Stories

20 Stories

  • August 2008

    • Mission Accomplished on Mars

      Wired  |  Aug 29, 08 5:32 PM CDT

      Mission Accomplished on Mars

      (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 analysis of Martian ice and water.     More »

      Tags

      NASA  • Mars  • space exploration  • Phoenix Mars Lander  • robot  • Wired

  • July 2008

    • Pixar's Lovable Robot Has Important Lessons For Us

      Washington Post  |  Jul 11, 08 11:06 AM CDT

      Pixar's Lovable Robot Has Important Lessons For Us

      (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 audience. It offers us an alternative of hope, beauty, and joy. More »

      Tags

      Earth  • robot  • Pixar  • consumption  • consumerism  • computer animation  • Wall-E

    • Thinking 'Bots May Probe Planets for Us

      Space.com  |  Jul 6, 08 6:10 PM CDT

      Thinking 'Bots May Probe Planets for Us

      (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 on a planned 2017 mission to Titan and Europa. More »

      Tags

      space  • space exploration  • planet  • robot  • artificial intelligence  • Wall-E

  • June 2008

    • Japan Unveils Robot Girlfriend

      Reuters  |  Jun 20, 08 1:53 PM CDT

      Japan Unveils Robot Girlfriend

      (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 hopes to sell 10,000—mainly to lonely adult men—in the first year; the retail price is $175. More »

      Tags

      Japan  • robot

    • Get Ready for Some Hot Robot Lovin'

      Agence France Presse  |  Jun 15, 08 5:10 PM CDT

      Get Ready for Some Hot Robot Lovin'

      (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 "a sort of an upgrade of the sex dolls on sale now," one expert said. More »

      Tags

      sex  • love  • robot  • artificial intelligence  • robot marriage

    • Dogs Think Robo-Vacs Suck

      Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 11, 08 9:00 AM CDT

      Dogs Think Robo-Vacs Suck

      (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 and robot to live together peacefully. More »

      Tags

      dog  • pets  • robot  • robotics  • iRobot  • Roomba

  • May 2008

    • Robot Offers Hope to Would-Be Spidermen

      MIT Technology Review  |  May 29, 08 3:30 PM CDT

      Robot Offers Hope to Would-Be Spidermen

      (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 work for human wall-climbing, MIT Technology Review reports. More »

      Tags

      technology  • robot  • climbing

    • Your Pal in Second Life May Be a Robot

      Associated Press  |  May 18, 08 7:25 PM CDT

      Your Pal in Second Life May Be a Robot

      (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 right now,” one says. More »

      Tags

      robot  • artificial intelligence  • Second Life  • avatar

    • Robo-Maestro Takes Baton

      Guardian (UK)  |  May 14, 08 3:27 PM CDT

      Robo-Maestro Takes Baton

      (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 beautifully, impressing the musicians and delighting the crowd, the Guardian reports. More »

      Tags

      Detroit  • Honda  • robot  • classical music  • orchestra  • conductor

  • March 2008

    • Tech Toy Splurges for That Tax Return

      ComputerWorld  |  Mar 30, 08 8:33 PM CDT

      Tech Toy Splurges for That Tax Return

      (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 score a shot in which everyone’s eyes are open. More »

    • Dextre Moves Into Place, Awaits First Call

      Houston Chronicle  |  Mar 19, 08 5:10 AM CDT

      Dextre Moves Into Place, Awaits First Call

      (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 done, you just want to throw your hands up in the air and howl at the moon," said the project's director after the robot was in place. More »

      Tags

      Canada  • International Space Station  • astronauts  • robot  • Endeavour  • Dextre  • maintenance

    • Dextre Tooled Up, Good to Go

      Space.com  |  Mar 18, 08 8:33 AM CDT

      Dextre Tooled Up, Good to Go

      (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 will undergo tests before it is asked to perform major tasks. More »

      Tags

      NASA  • International Space Station  • space  • astronauts  • spacewalk  • robot  • Dextre

    • Dextre Stretches His Limbs

      Houston Chronicle  |  Mar 17, 08 10:30 AM CDT

      Dextre Stretches His Limbs

      (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 one, which took longer to brake than expected. More »

      Tags

      NASA  • International Space Station  • space  • astronauts  • spacewalk  • robot  • Dextre

    • Spacewalkers Give Dextre Arms

      Houston Chronicle  |  Mar 16, 08 7:31 AM CDT

      Spacewalkers Give Dextre Arms

      (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, and cameras, and he'll be ready to go. More »

      Tags

      Canada  • International Space Station  • astronauts  • robot  • Dextre

    • Robot Dogs Cheer Up Elderly

      Associated Press  |  Mar 1, 08 8:02 AM CST

      Robot Dogs Cheer Up Elderly

      (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 lovable therapy dog named Sparky did in a control group, the AP reports. More »

      Tags

      dog  • elderly  • robot  • nursing homes  • robotics  • loneliness

  • December 2007