Entertainment robots

Ayanna Howard, the first female dean of Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, discusses her new book on Sex, Race, and Robotics.

In Episode 22 of The Robot Report Podcast, we learn about Invest Ottawa’s and Canada’s initiatives around drones, robots, and autonomous vehicles at Area X.O, as well as Miso Robotics’ expansion with White Castle, not to mention Halloween scares.

Roybi has developed social robots to entertain and educate children and met the challenges of keeping the price point down and addressing the pandemic head on.

Boston Dynamics has partnered with Vinsa to build models for visual AI workflows using its Spot quadruped robot.

The 12 robots from ABB participating in the holiday displays at Bloomingdale’s flagship store trim a Christmas tree, play karaoke, and serve coffee, among other interactions with visitors.

Vicon has applied its experience in motion capture technologies from entertainment to industrial applications, including controlling robots and drones in warehouses.

Thanks to a new web-based API, developers can now teach Sony’s Aibo robot dog new tricks. Sony just released software update 2.50 for the ERS1000 Aibo that introduces a developer program for experienced developers and a visual programming tool for beginners that features drag-and-drop block coding. Both allow Aibo owners to program new actions. However,…

HeroX, a spinoff of XPRIZE, is crowdsourcing talent. One of its projects is the AlphaPilot AI drone competition, run with the Drone Racing League and Lockheed Martin.

Sphero is acquiring littleBits, which makes modular electronics, and other technology companies as its seeks leadership in STEAM education.

From soft polymers to the hardest steel, robotics designers should know their materials options that best suit the intended uses of their machines.

With just 28 days to design, build, and test his robot for the 2018 season of “BattleBots” on the Discovery Channel, Hal Rucker had no time to waste. The tight timeline he had given himself due to other commitments leading up to the tournament drove the majority of his design and theme decisions. DUCK!, Rucker’s…

Jibo is a personal robot with a difference. It is unlike the stationary Amazon Alexa or Google Home. It attempts to offer the same repertoire of features while adding its physical presence and mobility to the mix. Quoting Time Magazine, “Jibo looks like something straight out of a Pixar movie, with a big, round head and…

The Singles’ Day Shopping Festival held each year on November 11th is just like Black Friday, Mothers’ Day or any other sales-oriented psuedo-holiday, but bigger and more extravagant. Starting in 2009 in China as a university campus event, Singles Day has now reached all over China and to more than 180 countries. After 24 hours…

Japanese robotics company Omron has developed a robotic ping-pong system that looks to approach the human-robot interaction on a gentler level, according to a report from The Verge. The Forpheus robot, in its 4th generation, was recently shown at the CEATAC trade show with updates that include a companion arm to serve balls in the…

The so-called “imagineers” who work at Walt Disney World and Disneyland have long been at the forefront using robotics to replicate humanlike movement—as well as creature-like movement, I suppose, given their vast catalog of characters. At the recent RoboBusiness event in Santa Clara, Calif., Martin Buehler, Executive R&D Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, discussed what the…

In a keynote speech at the annual RoboBusiness conference and expo held September 27-28 in Santa Clara, CA, Martin Buehler, Executive R&D Imagineer at Walt Disney Imagineering, described the core criteria for robotics at Disney: safety, reliability, and the means to communicate a story that creates a memorable experience for the visitor. Storytelling is what makes…