If you ask us, our theory is that the Daleks are rather huggable by nature, but they probably partied a tad too hard with these beer-toting fellas before trashing the world. One such “Heineken Bot” — crafted by the geniuses at Middlesex University — turned up at Kinetica Art Fair in London. Daring humans can stop this drifting bot by hovering their hands above its sonar-sensing head, and then place a cup in its holder for some bevvy spat out of its keg. When you’re served, the lonewolf continues to wander along its pre-programmed path, probably waiting for the assassination signal from Skynet. See for yourself after the break while you’re still alive. Gallery: Heineken Bot at Kinetica Art Fair 2010 Continue reading Heineken Bot does what it says on the keg, soon to be man’s new best friend Heineken Bot does what it says on the keg, soon to be man’s new best friend originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:14:00 EST

Fujisoft ’s recently taken the wraps off its latest companion bot, and they call this one PALRO. PALRO’s 39 centimeters tall (just over a foot), and boasts a 1.6GHz CPU Intel Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of flash memory, a 3 MP camera, Wi-Fi, 802.11 b/g/n, and a lithium ion battery to top it all off. He’s also equipped with a 3 megapixel webcam, but don’t worry — his specs don’t make him unapproachable. As you’ll see in the video which is after the break, PALRO’s probably the kind of guy that you could spend a lot of time with… but see for yourself. Fujisoft plans to start shipping units in March for 300,000 yen (that’s about $3,300 )

The Apple iPad wasn’t the only magical and revolutionary thing revealed this week. Meet Diego-san, the latest robot baby to haunt your nightmares originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

You might think this 9″ PLEN hobby robot a little on the pricey side, but that’s before you’ve seen him dance. Or skateboard! Better yet, you can control him with and Android app from your phone, via Bluetooth. The $3,000 robot from Akazawa is part of a limited edition of 50, so if you do happen to be charmed by his android wiles, you should get on that soon. Me, I’m happy just to kick back and watch the little guy dance, clap, and kick his way into our hearts. [ AudioCubes via Android Guys ]

What does a superpowered Transformer do in his spare time — you know, when he’s not too busy starring in some of the worst written pieces of escapist cinema? Well, for one Taiwanese fella, there’s nothing Optimus Prime likes doing more than supporting a bamboo stick used for hanging washed clothes. Seriously, the dude spent $1,600 on scrap metal, built a 14-foot model of his son’s favorite mech superhero, and now has it serving as a spectacularly ornamental pivot for his washing. Classy. Oh, and video after the break. Richard Lai: [pumps up hydraulics] “Why hello there, cute little red car…” Tim: “Autobots, spin cycle!” Thomas : “Transformers: Revenge of the Snuggle Bear.” Darren : “Man, it’s chilly out today.

The age old conundrum of how to eat chips at a keyboard without making a giant mess has finally been solved. So how do you keep your hands clean? By using another hand. A robotic hand. As this lady demonstrates, you push the button on the shaft to clamp the hand around the chip, which you then shove in the direction of your face. It’s soft enough to not completely crush through the chip—which is bad—but still stable enough to carry it without dropping.

In the 1960’s, Man imagined maid robots like Rosie efficiently coasting around the house in a menopausal whir. In 2010, we get Mahru-Z—the world’s most advanced autonomous butler. And you wonder why we watch so much television. Now, I don’t want to say that the world’s robotocists have let me down, but it shouldn’t take 10 minutes and 2 bipeds to make me a piece of toast. Get me the creative team behind Pee Wee’s Playhouse—he had a breakfast contraption that, in hindsight, may have been a better use for our R&D budget. [ KoreaTime s via Robots via CrunchGear ]

I haven’t had breakfast yet, so these breakfast robots from Korea are looking all the more attractive. KIST has developed two ‘bots which can operate a microwave, serving tea with toast and carrying it to the hungry person. In the video below, Mahru-Z (the boy robot with two legs, who took two years to create) carries a cup of something hot from the microwave, which he opens, picks the toast up from the toaster, and places them both in a basket. That’s when his ladyfriend Mahru-M comes in, who’s equipped with a nice round wheely bottom.

It’s rough for robots in the armed services lately. Lack of funding is forcing the United States military to end the Army’s Future Combat Systems program and eliminate many robotic soldiers, including autonomous helicopters and mine-sniffing transport vehicles. The good news is that some of the remaining funds are being used to upgrade existing programs in an attempt to integrate the technology “in a fiscally responsible manner.” I say we just plain need to start working on a way to call some Autobots in for help. [ The Hill via Wired via PopSci ]

We’ve got no idea how this nugget of glorious mechanized dance snuck past us — we’ll blame it on the horror we experienced while watching Doka Harumi’s robot dance routine . Another entrant in that same Japanese robo-dance contest, this red-blazered drone brings the pain, the funk, and all necessary accessories to rock your world. We’re not kidding — if you don’t like this, you don’t like technology. Skip past the break for not one, but two doses of that mind-altering video action. Continue reading Manoi Go break-dancing robot blows our minds Manoi Go break-dancing robot blows our minds originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:48:00 EST