FRAC's Quadcopter Robosculptors
IMAGE BY
Raffaello D'Andrea
Regular readers of PopSci are no strangers to robotic quadcopters, or even to quadcopters that work together to build things. But now, the quadcopters are out of the lab. A new art installation opening this weekend at the FRAC Centre in Orléans, France, will be built entirely by quadcopter robots, marking the first time such an exhibition has been constructed by flying robots.
Korean Robot Guard Prototypes of a prison guard robot are set to begin a test run in March, according to the South Korean news agency.
IMAGE BY
Yonhap News Agency
The possibility of robot workers raises a certain type of futurey allure combined with a sense of danger - in a variety of settings, they could help humans work better and faster, but they could also replace us, or worse, maim us. So how are we supposed to feel about the news of a new troupe of robot prison guards? It's awesome. And terrifying.
The Ant-Roach is inflatable and rideable
IMAGE BY
Otherlab
Meet Ant-Roach, an inflatable clackety six-legged robot with a protruding proboscis. It's made of fabric inflatable actuators and pneumatic piping, and its limbs are driven by central manifolds that dispense compressed air. It's tough enough that you can ride it, which is undeniably awesome.
Kinect-Controlled Robo Maid A Kinect-controlled teleoperated robot can serve as a remotely controlled household servant.
IMAGE BY
DigInfo TV
A new household servant robot made by the world's largest manufacturer of industrial ‘bots can help people with disabilities or limited mobility move things around. It's controlled via Kinect, with the robot aping the Kinect user's body gestures.
Wave Glider A Wave Glider in smooth seas. The surface float collects energy from sunlight, and tows a small glider equipped with a variety of sensors.
IMAGE BY
Liquid Robotics
Two pairs of self-propelled oceangoing robots have begun slowly making their way across the Pacific Ocean, setting off Nov. 17 from San Francisco on an epic journey covering 61,000 kilometres. During their 300-day trip, the robots will collect 2.25 million pieces of data, and attempt to break a world record for the longest distance ever traversed by an unmanned vehicle.