It was always going to come. A Robot with a biological brain !! Yes you read it right a robot with a biological brain has been made by a multidisciplinary team at the University of Reading.
This is no ordinary robot control system - a plain old microchip connected to a circuit board. Instead, the controller nestles inside a small pot containing a pink broth of nutrients and antibiotics. Inside that pot, some 300,000 rat neurons have made - and continue to make - connections with each other.

The brain consists of a collection of neurons cultured on a Multi Electrode Array (MEA). It communicates and controls the robot via a Bluetooth connection.The robot’s biological brain is made up of cultured neurons which are placed onto a multi electrode array (MEA). The MEA is a dish with approximately 60 electrodes which pick up the electrical signals generated by the cells. This is then used to drive the movement of the robot. Every time the robot nears an object, signals are directed to stimulate the brain by means of the electrodes. In response, the brain’s output is used to drive the wheels of the robot, left and right, so that it moves around in an attempt to avoid hitting objects. The robot has no additional control from a human or a computer, its sole means of control is from its own brain.
The researchers are now working towards getting the robot to learn by applying different signals as it moves into predefined positions. It is hoped that as the learning progresses, it will be possible to witness how memories manifest themselves in the brain when the robot revisits familiar territory.

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If you felt that sex was the only thing that robots could never do then think again because after watching this video you may may change your opinion.

Paul Granjon’s sexed robots are autonomous wheeled platforms fitted with nylon genital organs, respectively male and female.

They are programmed to explore their environment, occasionally entering a “in heat” mode, where they will try and locate a partner in the same state. If a partner is located, the robots will attempt to mate.

Here’s the video, feel free to leave your comments…

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I had been writing about bots and this post is about a robot called Mega-Dynamizer. The robot has been desingned by T. Sugiura and its services are being employed in their currently. The pic shows the robot mowing their lawn and the videos provide a close look at it.The small sized robot gives you a glimpse of what is in store for the next generation yet to come!

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The technology is going ahead by leaps and bounds, specially in the robotic field, the new developements are going at an unimaginable pace. We have already seen some advancements of this field but this one is just to much to imagine. When you think of many robots coordinating together to do various tasks and change shape, it seems to be a filmi funda.But, mind it, the concept is set to form into reality by the end of 2013, if the Symbrion program continues to work well.



The European Union is developing and funding this project, the Symbrion program, to develop a prototype team of shape-changing, self-organising mini robots that work as a team. These robots will be used in places such as disasters, like earthquakes, sent into collapsed buildings to search or lift rubble off of survivors. They are reffered to as “swarms” of robots because they are an inch square in size, and software has been developed to allow individual robots, to collaborate, using their individual attributes to make the most of their performance.



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We've seen paintball guns destined for robot mounting, but darkback2 reckoned it was entirely more wicked to actually construct his own paintballing overlord from scratch. Apparently, Gepetto wasn't born to a be a killer (nor a lover, for that matter), but the idea of remotely controlling a security guard outside your domicile really gets our gears turning. Head on past the break to catch a couple of videos of this creature in action -- oh, and Gepetto, we hear there's a street down in Atlanta that could use someone like you.
The Gepetto Robot has been created by builder Che Edoga (aka "darkback2″) and is a wood and metal robot that can fire paintballs (via remote control) and make life miserable for its enemies. This evil AI mobile robotic platform features a built-in video camera and screen for interacting with people; taunting the unsuspecting victim remotely in paintball mode. Gepetto carries a laptop on its back, and can maneuver itself across due to its independent wheel mechanism that can travel as much as three inches in height. Its can navigate flat surfaces and carpets but climbing slopes, or hills is not on the agenda.
Darkback2 plans on continuing to upgrade Gepetto Robot's navigation, intelligence, vision and other systems in the coming months.

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For those who feel a bit lonely just talking on the phone, a Japanese company is offering a cellphone that turns into a robot buddy ready to chat.

Softbank Mobile Corp.'s new mobile line looks like a small humanoid with attachable arms and legs, with the screen showing various faces.

The PhoneBraver will be released in April after a character in an upcoming television drama series entitled "Cellphone Investigator 7."

The telephone comes with enough artificial intelligence to learn the user's habits.

If the user calls a particular person many times, a text phrase such as "You're calling her often these days, aren't you?" might appear coming out of the face's mouth, according to Softbank Mobile spokesman Katsuhide Furuya.

The user could carry on conversations with the phone by responding "yes" or "no" or with other simple replies.

"We haven't decided on specifics yet on the communication between the user and mobile, but your mobile would grow into a buddy different from others that is unique in the world," he said.

The PhoneBraver does not move by itself but can strike a pose with movable joints. The price is not disclosed yet.

Japan is known for its fondness for humanoids, which have been put to use as security guards, receptionists and for other functions in a country with a declining birth rate.

Japan also has cutthroat competition in mobile telephones, with three main companies constantly trying to find new incentives to snare users.

The number of cellphone subscriptions topped 100 million in Japan at the end of December against the nation's total population of 127 million, according to industry data.

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Truth be told, MIT Media Lab's RoboScooter prototype would be a lot more intriguing if it had some sort of autopilot button, and while that could very well emerge in the future, it looks as if the first models will still require human intervention. Nevertheless, the ultra-compact vehicle is entirely electric, and aside from supporting swappable batteries, it can also fold up for easy transport. Furthermore, its creators boast that the entire rig is constructed from just 150 parts, which makes life on the assembly line that much easier. Granted, even engineers realize that scooters don't stand much of chance in America, but if all goes well, this bugger could start conquering Asian streets as early as next year.

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souryu
snake robots are also known as serpentine robots.
as the name suggests, these robots possess multiple actuated
joints thus mulitple degrees of freedom.
this gives them superior ability to flex, reach, and approach a
huge volume in its workspace with infinte number of configurations.
this redundance in configurations gives them the technical name:
hyper redundant robots. ideally, the future snake design will
consist of three degree of freedom stages - roll, pitch, and extension.
souryu or blue dragon, is a remote-controlled robot designed by
tokyo institute of technology's professor shigeo hirose.
the snake-like souryu crawls using six tracks, two on each
side of its three-part body. it is equipped with a camera
and microphone to search for victims, and can bend at
the joints or roll over on its side to maneuver through rubble.


---
ACM-R3
the first successful mechanical snake was also developed
by professor shigeo hirose.
the active cord mechanism consisted of 13-links.

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ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative MObility) is a bipadel humanoid robot from Honda . This robot has been evolving since its inception in 1986. Current version of ASIMO is 1.2 meter tall and weighs 43 Kg. This size enables ASIMO to actually perform tasks within the realm of a human living environment. It also walks in a smooth fashion which closely resembles that of a human being.
Advanced Walking Technology Predicted Movement Control (for predicting the next move and shifting the center of gravity accordingly) is combined with existing walking control know-how to create i-WALK (intelligent real-time flexible walking) technology, permitting smooth changes of direction. The latest updates on the ASIMO robot are available at Honda .

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This badass-looking robot is known as RuBot II, a robot that can solve any Rubik's Cube in under 50 seconds. It speaks in a rather gentlemanly manner. And upon placing a Rubik's Cube on its tray, it picks it up, scans the cube with its camera-fitted eyes, and goes on to solving it in blazing speed.

If there is going to be a RuBot III, I would love to see it look more "friendly" and not like it's going to fry the kid with a laser beam any minute.

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