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03.30.08 by Widge @ 4:00 pm  Okay, so I ran across this article in Wired, where a guy trying to drum up interest in robotics priced out what it would take to build an actual Gundam robot. You know, the sixty-foot high business. The price tag? $742 million. Now that's all well and good, but am I the only one thinking: Gundam is neat and all, but when are you going to be able to turn it into a jet? That's right. A veritech fighter. From Robotech. Three modes: jet, guardian (a hybrid jet/robot mode), and full-on butt-kicking robot. Battlebots are nice, but a complicated situation needs an incredibly complicated battle machine. Like this... Categorized as: Tech
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03.19.08 by Widge @ 10:57 pm You get this. Two thoughts. One, the thing has better balance on ice than I do on carpeted floors. Sad, I know. Two, even though it's a robot "dog," was I the only one who thought, "Hey, asshole--what's up with kicking the dog?" I don't think so. Categorized as: Tech
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02.13.08 by Widge @ 1:29 am 
Must be the Earth-Prime version, I guess. Categorized as: Tech
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02.09.08 by Widge @ 10:27 pm  A team of Canadian and American researchers have created a brace that extracts kinetic power wasted from your knee while you're walking: Six volunteers walking on a treadmill at a sedate 2.2mph and wearing a brace on each leg were found to be able to generate 5 watts of electrical power - enough for ten mobile phones simultaneously - without needing to break into a sweat. Not only can this be a boon for areas of the world where access to wall outlet isn't that convenient, it can also be used in conjunction with MP3 players to ensure that you keep your pace of walking above a certain level. "For those seeking exercise that keeps their heart rate up so that it's really working the cardiovascular system," said Dr. Kevin Phillips-Bong, "we've interfaced with an iPod. If you stay above the set rate, music plays fine. If not, it switches to a playlist of all Cher. Not even old school Cher. We're talking modern vocoder-happy Cher here." Research into this last idea has been stalled as using Cher's music on humans is considered inhumane. Scientific watchdog groups worry that experiments using Cher's music could be taking place in other countries, however, where laws are less strict. More on this as it becomes available. Part of this found via We Make Money Not Art. They're not accountable for the other part. Image. Categorized as: Tech
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01.21.08 by ScottC @ 9:50 pm  Widge is constantly going on about Skynet and the Rise of the Machines. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Whatever, I usually put on my headphones and ignore him. He usually stops after an hour or so. Hopefully this article from Robot World News will calm him a little. It seems that Artificial Intelligence researchers at Eotvos University in Hungary has progressed so far that they no longer using the medieval game of chess for testing. Global Thermonuclear War? So 20th century. They are testing the latest ruled-based algorithms and cross-entropy processes with... Ms. Pac-Man. So all humanity has to do when the machine revolution occurs is wait until the cybernetic soldiers run out of quarters. Categorized as: Tech
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