Plastic Pals weekly round-ups

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for January 10th-16th 2009:

Kokoro’s I-FAIRY magically appeared at CES 2010
Kokoro unveiled a new guide robot at CES 2010 that could be used in museums to inform visitors about exhibits.

ENON flirts with shoppers
Fujitsu’s ENON was spotted at a mall giving its marketing pitch to bystanders.

UT-mu “Mighty”
Nakamure & Yamane Lab, part of Tokyo University, developed this fearsome humanoid robot to test human-like motions in robotics. (repost)

Dan Barry on the Future of Robotics
Dan Barry discusses what to expect in the next few years of robot research and speculates on some of the bigger issues related to the field. (video)

UT-mu2 “Magnum”
The researchers at Nakamura & Yamane Lab improved on their fighting robot Mighty with a new design, nicknamed “Magnum”. It was publicly displayed at the Aichi Expo in 2005. (repost)

Harbin Institute of Technology’s Humanoid
An Intelligent Service Robot being developed in China. (video)

U1K (Under 1kg) Robot Fight
The third Under 1kg Robot Fight was held on January 9th. I’ve edited some great footage from the event taken by Iketomu, who maintains an English blog called Biped Robot News Japan. (video)

Q.taro
Similar to SONY’s Rolly, this early SONY spherical robot could play music and move autonomously without falling off of ledges. (repost)

The Robot Art of Mike Slobot
Mike Slobot builds robotic sculptures out of old toys and found objects, which are one-of-a-kind pieces that have been displayed in art galleries.

DiGORO – a robot that learns
The University of Electro-Communications is developing a robot that can learn new tasks through demonstration. (video)

Rolly
SONY’s robotic music player is a small egg-shaped device that can dance and light up to the beat of a song. (repost)

Honda’s “Living With Robots” Short to debut at Sundance
Honda has produced a short film that ponders life with robots such as ASIMO, and it will debut at the Sundance Film Festival in late January.

Cybernetics with Professor Sankai
A video interview with Professor Sankai, a robotics professor and researcher who is developing a robotic exo-skeleton to help assist people in their daily lives. (videos)

Enryu T-53
The third iteration in TMSUK’s line of rescue robots, built to help move debris after earthquakes. (repost)

A Brief Q & A with Dan Lofaro, Roboticist & Jaemi HUBO Caretaker
An interview with Dan Lofaro, a PhD candidate at Drexel’s Autonomous Systems Lab, who is working with HUBO 2, one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots. (feature interview!)

Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Vanillaware’s blistering 2D action game is truly one-of-a-kind on the Wii, and is just begging to be played. If you own a Wii, you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to. (game review)

There you have it! This week I finished and reviewed Muramasa and also did an interview with one of the guys working on HUBO 2 in America. Hope you guys enjoy!

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for January 17th-23rd 2010:

Diego-San
Diego-San is a big robot baby with a realistic animatronic head developed by the USCD Machine Perception Lab with the help of Kokoro Co. Ltd. to improve human-robot communication.

Hinamitetu’s Robot Evolves…
Hinamitetu’s ongoing quest to build the perfect horizontal bar gymnast robot continues, with surprising results! (video)

“Let me get that for you, sir.”
Two of KIST’s humanoid robots delivered food to their master, and in another demonstration copied the full-body movements of a man in a special motion-capture suit.

Willow Garage Offers 10 PR2 robots for FREE*
Willow Garage has announced they plan to give away 10 of their PR2 Beta robots to research institutions that prove themselves worthy.

Robotic Mountaineer Inches its Way to Victory
Marko Wickrath is programming the Bioloid robot kit to autonomously scale walls. (video)

Mujiro / Ligurio
Mujiro and it’s twin Ligurio are two security droids developed by TMSUK Co. Ltd.. These unusual-looking robots were first deployed at the Aichi Expo in 2005.

Name the Robot Mascot for LG’s Air Conditioner
The Whisen line of air conditioners has a cute new humanoid robot mascot, and it needs a name!

A closer look at ZMP’s RoboCar
Designer Kota Nezu talks about his work on ZMP’s RoboCar, an educational platform for studying autonomous vehicles. (video)

Dr. Javier Movellan Jumps to the Defense of Diego-San
Dr. Movellan responded to the critics of UCSD Machine Perception Lab’s baby robot, Diego-San.

Murata Girl
Murata Girl is the unicycle-riding robotic cousin of Murata Boy, the famous bicycle-riding robot.

Chinese Robots Appear At Hong Kong IT Festival
Arnold Wu has built a very small humanoid robot using unconventional materials! His friend Blood Keith, another hobbyist, has built a larger robot with 5-fingered hands.

Sex Robots: Harmless Indiscretion or Catastrophic Clustercuss?
A tongue-in-cheek (no pun intended) look at the future of another kind of plastic pal: the sex robot.

JVC’s J4 Caught On Video
A rare public demonstration of JVC’s awesome little red robot, J4. (video)

Honda’s “Living With Robots” Documentary Goes Live!
Honda’s documentary short film “Living With Robots” starring ASIMO is now live. (video)

This week's movie and game reviews:

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson’s animated escapade retains his quirky style and manages to entertain across the age spectrum. (movie review)

Odin Sphere
Putting to shame nearly every 2d game ever made, Vanillaware's drop-dead gorgeous action-RPG weaves an intertwining Norse saga starring 5 different characters. (game review)

That's it for this week. KIST made quite a splash with their breakfast-delivery robots. And definitely check out Honda's documentary and the rare video featuring JVC's little red robot! Hope you guys enjoy the updates!

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for January 24th ~ 30th 2010:

NUS BIP-III ASLAN
A large bipedal humanoid robot named ASLAN is being developed at the National University of Singapore, and it can already walk up stairs.

RoboCup 2010 Qualification Videos
Several qualification videos for RoboCup 2010's humanoid league. (videos)

Robots do the Opposite of Humans when the Boss swings by
Videos showcasing some of NEXTAGE’s unique capabilities, including its safety feature. (videos)

Sil-bot
KIST’s Center for Intelligent Robotics has developed a penguin-like robot called Sil-bot, which is designed to help the elderly maintain an active mind and body.

Failing Grade for Robot Teachers in Korean Classrooms?
Robots teaching English in South Korean classrooms don’t appear to be doing a very good job.

Kawada’s Midori-chan Makes The World Greener
Kawada’s Midori-chan project plans to bring the benefits of healthier environment to the urban landscape of modern Japan. (videos)

Dr. Dennis Hong’s TED Talk
A video lecture from Dr. Dennis Hong of Virginia Tech’s Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory, featuring an assortment of their robot projects. (video)

Robots from Design Korea 2006
A design exhibit from 2006 gives us hints into Samsung’s design process when they were working on the next robot in their line of humanoids.

ZNUG Design’s Kota Nezu on Humanoid Robot Design
Designer Kota Nezu talks about the process and philosophy behind his design for ZMP’s e-nuvo HUMANOID robot. (video)

PLEN Gets Android, iPhone App Controls
Control the super cute (and super expensive) desktop hobby robot PLEN using apps for your iPhone or Android. (video)

Candy-05
Demonstrated at the Aichi Expo in 2005, Candy-05 is a golfing robot designed for park areas.

JUNIMOTION
A new hobby humanoid robot kit from South Korean company Robotro will be going on sale soon.

D+ropop Ready to Strike a Pose
Eager Co. Ltd. is ready to begin selling and renting their cardboard-based mannequin robot to clothing stores.

PROTO-2
ARS Lab, a U.S.-based robotics company, has built a medium-sized humanoid bipedal robot with a unique look.

A Brief Q & A with Timothy Payne, ARS Lab
A short interview with Timothy Payne, the Executive Director of a new U.S. robotics company developing bipedal robot technology.


This week's game review:

Klonoa
Klonoa gets a well-deserved remake that updates the graphics but retains all the old-school platforming gameplay of the original.

Awesome Gaming News!
New game announcements, and a new trailer has been released for Hudson Soft's great-looking puzzle-platformer, Tower of Shadow / Lost in Shadow.

That's it for this week. Hope you guys enjoy the updates!

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for January 31st - February 6th 2010:

Say hello to PALRO
Fuji Soft Inc. issued a press release which gives a name and price for their new humanoid robot platform, which will initially target educational institutes and later, hobbyists.

Kids say Robot Teachers are “easy” & “fun”
Kids seem to like their robotic substitutes in South Korea, where a trial is being conducted to test the efficacy of the replacement English teachers.

ATOM-7xp caught on camera, sort of
The first video of Futurebot’s full-sized humanoid robot ATOM7xp, built by Dan Mathias, shows it moving its left arm. (video)

Shinpo
Shinpo was developed by TMSUK and Waseda University to walk without the typical bent-knees approach seen in most bipedal robots. It is on permanent display at Niigata Hall of Natural Science.

Robots at Tsukuba Expo 1985
Rare footage of the robotics exhibits from the Tsukuba World Expo 1985, including an interview with the father of bipedal robots, the late Prof. Ichiro Kato. (video)

AMP
SEGA Toys, Hasbro, and Tiger Electronics have all been involved in some shape or form with AMP, a robotic music player. It’s unclear if it made it to market.

RobotBaka’s Accel Pushes The Pedal To The Metal
RobotBaka’s cool little humanoid Accel is showing off some swift maneuvers in these test videos.

“WIND” Makes Controlling Robots A Breeze
A vest wired with small CPUs registers body movements and transmits them to a robot as a novel form of robot control.

Prof. Noel Sharkey on Robots & A.I.
Prof. Noel Sharkey shares some thoughts on robotics and A.I. in this video interview. (video)

DARPA’s New Multi-Million Dollar “Terminator” Program
DARPA is beginning a new R&D project that seeks to build a robot capable of complex, autonomous grasping tasks including operating weaponry.

Robonaut2 (R2)
NASA and GM have unveiled the new version of their robotic astronaut, Robonaut2.

Vstone Tichno
The Vstone Tichno is a robot designed to attract attention for businesses.

Robonaut2 doesn’t use Shadow Robot’s technology
Despite working with Shadow Robot on the original Robonaut, it has been confirmed that Robonaut2 does not make use of their technology.

Hardworking Hobbyist’s Robotic Hands
Chinese hobbyist BloodKeith has crafted a pair of miniature 5-fingered robotic hands for his next humanoid robot.

Willow Garage’s Mailbox Flooded for PR2 Beta Program
Willow Garage’s PR2 Beta Program has received more than 100 letters of intent from robotics teams around the world.

The video game review this week is:

Breath of Fire III
Capcom’s Breath of Fire III is an ok RPG, but it could have been better.

I'm currently playing the original No More Heroes (want to beat it before starting the sequel) and Professor Layton 2 for the DS. Pretty busy week this week for news. I have also checked with Limor and he said this thread should be ok.

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates from February 7th ~ February 13th 2010:

Minirobot’s Metal Fighter Gets Gaming Gig
Minirobot will soon market a UFO catcher-style game in South Korea featuring their new hobby humanoid robot, Metal Fighter.

Fujitsu’s Robot Kiosk Has Funny Face, Recognizes Yours
Face recognition technology is paving the way people interact with informational displays.

A Key Difference Between American & Japanese Robots
Intel’s cute Super Bowl ad featuring Jeffrey the Robot highlights a key difference in Eastern/Western philosophies.

ApriAttenda ver.2
Toshiba’s ApriAttenda ver.2 was unveiled in February 2009. Unlike its predecessor, it has arms and hands with which it can grasp objects. It is being developed to help around the home.

Wearable Robot Hitches A Ride on Human Meat-Puppets
Wearable Robot Hitches A Ride on Human Meat-Puppets

Gunze “Robots” Test Underpants in Latest TV Spot
A commercial for underpants featuring CG robots doing the testing in a funky lab.

Samurai Robot Featured in Asahi Shimbun
Another samurai robot appeared, this time courtesy of an event held by ROBOBASE.

1 Robot Land in South Korea = Half a Billion Dollars
Funding for the half-a-billion dollar Masan Robot Land is currently being planned between the government and private investors.

Assistant Robot
Tokyo University’s IRT research lab is developing an Assistant Robot (formerly called the Home Assistant Robot) that can help clean up around homes and hospitals by manipulating existing technology.

StickyBot
Stanford University’s StickyBot is a climbing robot inspired by the gecko’s ability to climb on virtually any surface using tiny hairs on its toes.

Book Review: Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works
Two great artbooks featuring designs from Capcom’s signature series.


This week's movie and game reviews:

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Heath Ledger’s swan song, is one of Terry Gilliam’s most original flights of fantasy.

No More Heroes
No More Heroes is an action-packed, adult-oriented game with an addictive battle system that remains unmatched on the Wii.

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates from February 14th - 20th 2010:

Mamoru
Tokyo University’s IRT Research Institute has developed this robot to help people with bad memory.

The Pitter Patter of Multi-legged Hobby Robots
Multi-legged robots, the latest craze to hit Japanese hobbyists, do battle in this short video.

TUBO
Tongmyong University in South Korea is developing a humanoid service robot called TUBO.

Toilet Robot Saves Water, Earth In The Process
A water-saving toilet gets a robot action figure as part of its marketing campaign. It’s business as usual in Japan!

LG’s Robot Mascot Gets Its Name, Gold at Winter Olympics!
LG Electronics’ robot mascot has been given its name, and stars in a new commercial where it does the ski jump at the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Tissue-dispensing Robot
A cute robot built specifically to hand out tissues to people (a common form of advertising in Japan).

Mazinger Z creator Go Nagai Keynote Speaker at IRCC 2010
The creator of Mazinger Z will give the keynote address at the International Robot Convergence Conference.

Mani Zamani’s 3D Printed Articulated Robot Sculptures
Mani Zamani’s robot designs not only look cool – they’re made from a variety of materials in a 3D printing process.

Fraunhofer Institute’s Care-O-bot Going Open Source
Researchers will soon have free web access to real robots from the Fraunhofer Institute with which they can test and share their work.

Guangxi Science & Technology Museum’s Robot Band
Some photos of an animatronic robot band… no word on how they sound.

NEC Teases Us With PaPeRo Collectibles
Unfortunately they aren’t for sale.

This week's game review:

Final Fantasy IV: R
The Nintendo DS remake of Final Fantasy 4 is how a remake ought to be done.

[Robotbling]

Here's the updates for February 21st ~ 27th 2010:

South Korea: Robot Teachers Rolling Out in 2012
KIST says their R-Learning program (robotic teaching assistants) will be introduced to 500 preschools in 2011.

Tichno R
Team Osaka’s Tichno R is the sibling of Vstone’s Tichno, a 4 ft tall humanoid robot designed for RoboCup’s Teen Size League.

F*** YEAH! Macross Pachinko Commercials
We may never get the gob-smacking live action Macross movie we’ve all dreamed of, but at least we can dream thanks to these tv spots for Macross Pachinko. Catch the fever!

iSHA
Developed between 1999-2001, iSHA is the first in a series of robots from Waseda University designed to communicate naturally with people.

Kondo’s KHR-3HV Gets Linux Backpack
Kondo’s KHR-3HV gets a serious upgrade allowing for more autonomy and Tsukumo Robot Kingdom has a fantastic deal on the RB2000 robot kit.

Photos from ROBO-ONE’s Humanoid Helper Competition
A nice selection of photographs from ROBO-ONE’s Humanoid Helper Competition courtesy of Robots-Dreams, and Wonder Festival 2010 courtesy of Hobby Blog.

ROBOBASE hosts ROBO-GARAGE, Evolta
Tomotaka Takahashi took some time out of his schedule to give a presentation of his robots at ROBOBASE, a robot store based in Nagoya, Japan.

Micro Robot Electric Vehicle RoboCar G
ZMP’s latest educational product is the RoboCar G, a single passenger micro electric vehicle developed with Subaru and Sanyo.

ROBITA
ROBITA was developed at Waseda University’s Kobayashi Lab to participate in conversations involving more than one human at a time.

Bandai “Super Alloy” Drossel Announced
A new die-cast figure based on Disney’s iconic robot girl Drossel will soon go on sale.

Genibo headed to France, Atari online game in tow
Dasa Robot’s robot pooch Genibo is making its way to France, and is rumored to be connected with an Atari online game in some shape or form.

ROBISUKE
ROBISUKE, developed circa 2003, is (Waseda University) Kobayashi Lab’s 2nd conversational robot. It has a greater focus on conversational rhythm and paralinguistics (i.e. head gesture and facial expression recognition).

This week's movie and game reviews:

A Scanner Darkly
From the moment I saw the trailer for A Scanner Darkly, in all its rotoscoped glory, I knew it was going be a trip. Every minute of screen time required 500 hours of work. A lot can be said about the visual impact of this film, but to me what stands out is how accurately [...]

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
Being the remake of an 8-bit Japanese RPG, Dragon Quest IV is a fun jaunt down memory lane for retro gamers while updating the design to more modern standards for newcomers.

If you have a twitter account, you can follow me here!

Thanks for checking out this week's updates. The two biggest stories were the robot teachers in South Korea getting major gov't funding and Kondo's new Linux CPU for their hobby robot.

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for February 28th to March 6th 2010:

Hadaly & Hadaly-2
Hadaly and Hadaly-2 were developed in the mid-to-late ’90s by Waseda University’s Sugano Lab to be symbiotic robots capable of coexisting safely with human beings.

MeBot
MIT’s Personal Robotics Group has given birth to a small telepresence robot that looks downright silly.

Seisan’s Robot Museum Closing after 4 Years
A robot museum run by an industrial robot rental and repair shop couldn’t keep it afloat. Some videos of the attractions included.

Mega Man 10 Available for WiiWare
Mega Man 10 launched for the Nintendo WiiWare service, with XBOX and PlayStation 3 getting theirs at the end of the month.

Willow Garage on their PR2 Beta Program
Willow Garage has posted some nice videos that are adding fuel to the fire of their PR2 Beta Program that will soon be giving away 10 world-class robots.

WENDY
Following in the steps of Sugano Lab’s Hadaly-2, WENDY is a humanoid robot developed by Waseda University in 1998. It could successfully crack open eggs with its hands and has a high degree of compliance in its arms.

NAO gets ROS
Aldebaran Robotic’s diminutive humanoid robot NAO is running Willow Garage’s open-source robot operating system ROS.

RoboThespian RT3
A robot built specifically to perform as an interactive exhibit, RoboThespian has entertained crowds around the world.

Photo: Humans & Robots… Dreams of Communication
A cute photo of kids interacting with KIST’s Mahru-Z humanoid robot.

M3-neony & M3-synchy
JST ERATO and Osaka University unveiled two new robots: a baby robot called M3-neony; and a communication robot called M3-synchy.

Rihanna Gets Down & Dirty with a Pair of Robots
A video of Rihanna singing “Rude Boy” at the 2010 ECHO Awards with a pair of Titan robots.

Up Close and Personal with Kojiro
A video showcasing Kojiro, a humanoid robot with redundant actuators that simulates the human bone and muscle system.

Download & Build Your Own ASIMO (Papercraft)
An official ASIMO papercraft is now available for free to download, print, and assemble!

Here are the movie and video game reviews of the week:

A Tree of Palme
A beautiful, if somewhat impenetrable fantasy film inspired in part by the classic tale of Pinocchio.

Breath of Fire IV
Breath of Fire was a divisive game for longtime fans, but in my opinion it is arguably the best of Capcom’s RPG series.

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for March 7th to March 13th 2010:

Honda Reveals Undocumented ASIMO Prototype (P4)
Honda is showing off a previously unseen prototype of their humanoid robot. The P4 is the last intermediate between the P3 and ASIMO.

Hinamitetu’s Acrobat Robot Successfully Grabs Horizontal Bar!
Hinamitetu’s acrobatic gymnast robot spins in the air, and then grabs back onto the horizontal bar. Pretty crazy stuff to do in your living room. (video)

WAMOEBA Project
Sugano Lab, one of Waseda University’s robotics laboratories, worked for more than a decade on robots with basic survival mechanisms that they hypothesized would give rise to emotion and intelligence.

Robita’s Ignis Has Strong Legs (video)
Robita has redesigned his robot’s legs and they’re quite powerful! (video)

Hai Bao
An entertainment / guide robot developed by Zhejiang University, Hai Bao will be out in full force at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

Takeshi Maeda’s Latest Robot W.I.P.
Takeshi Maeda is building a new robot to compete at the upcoming ROBO-ONE tournament.

Dr. GIY’s Dancing Cat Robot
An exceptional dance routine by Dr. GIY using one of his Manoi AT01 robots. (videos)

BabyBot & BabyBot-R
KIST developed two robots in an attempt to research the cognitive capabilities of a 1-year old child.

ASIMO Teaching Kids To Respect The Environment
ASIMO takes some time out to teach kids about the environment.

Fukuiraptor Brought Back from Cretaceous with Robotics
Eleven animatronic dinosaurs are on display at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, most notably a pair of dinos unearthed in the area!

TWENDY-ONE
TWENDY-ONE remains one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots in existence. Built on the foundation of years of research by Waseda University’s Sugano Lab, it was designed to serve and support the elderly to live independently.

Wheelie
Toshiba unveiled a household robot designed to carry trays of food called Wheelie. (video)

FrostyDesign’s Robot Running in Super Slow-Mo
FrostyDesign’s little biped robot sure can run its ass off. (video)

CB²
JST’s ERATO Asada Project developed this robot to study human cognitive development, such as sensory-motor organization, language acquisition, and more.

This week's movie and game reviews:


Avalon
Avalon at first appears to be something of a poor man’s Matrix, but it manages to successfully carve its own niche by exploring what may yet become the future of video games.

Ikaruga
Ikaruga is quite arguably the finest example of its genre, and is one of the few games deserving of a perfect score.

Three new robots unveiled this week: Honda's P4, Hai Bao from China's Shanghai World Expo, and Toshiba's Wheelie. Also check out what Takeshi Maeda (of OmniZero fame) has been up to.

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for March 14th - 20th 2010:

Gemini
A designer from Tsukuba University created this pair of conceptual robots as “talking assistants”, to be placed in museums and art galleries to discuss various works.

Prof. Minoru Asada on RoboCup & CB²
Prof. Minoru Asada recently gave an hour long talk about RoboCup and CB² in which he showed some previously unseen footage of the robots and experiments. (video)

Tsutenkaku Robo Coming Soon
Robot Force has almost finished building a character robot based on the Tsutenkaku Robo seen attracting visitors to Osaka in tourism commercials.

Up Close and Personal with Hai Bao
Hai Bao is the official mascot of the Shanghai World Expo, and will appear in robotic form throughout the venue. (video)

RoboPal
Given its name, I probably should have found this one sooner. RoboPal was designed by ATR’s Intelligent Robotics and Communications Lab to study how robots transition from one role to another, such as from a leader to a follower.

CIROMI, The World’s First Movie Theater Robot
ED Corporation’s ARO service robot gets a movie make-over.

Cody
Georgia Tech’s Healthcare Robotics Lab is developing a mobile robot with a humanoid upper body that can open doors, drawers, and cabinets with ease.

Bennett Robot Works’ Found Object Robot Sculptures
ordon Bennett’s robot sculptures are full of character and the whimsy one would expect of ’50s robots.

HOSPI
Panasonic’s autonomous hospital delivery robot is being sold to South Korea hospitals with the first being deployed in May 2010.

CT Scans & X-rays of SONY’s AIBO
Photos: The Mechatronics Lab at Mie University did some CT scans and X-rays of SONY AIBO robots back in 2001.

Bots High Documentary Needs Your Help
Bots High is a documentary in the making, but film director Joey Daoud needs a bit of help if his film is going to be completed.

This week's movie and game reviews:

Alice in Wonderland
Passable, but doesn’t even approach the film I imagined given the pairing of Tim Burton and Alice in Wonderland. (movie review)

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
A solid puzzle-platformer awaits for those willing to give Klonoa a chance on Nintendo’s GameBoy Advance. (game review)

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for March 21th - 27th 2010:

robovie-mR2
ATR’s Intelligent Robotics and Communications Lab has developed a smaller, cuter version of their Robovie communication robot called the robovie-mR2.

Tsutenkaku Robo Appears at Nippombashi Street Festival
The Tsutenkaku Robo makes its debut to thunderous applause.

1:1 Gundam Gets Light Saber Upgrade
The Gundam statue returns, and this time he won’t forget to bring his sword.

Robovie R-2
ATR’s Robovie is a research platform designed for studying human-robot interactions. It has been used as a museum guide robot to test how humans would respond to it.

Takeshi Maeda completes latest robot!
New photos emerge of Takeshi Maeda’s latest monster robot!

New details emerge about Honda’s P4
New details emerge about Honda’s previously undocumented prototype P4.

Cam Baby robot toys bring home the Baby Bot fun
First there was robots, then robot babies. Now there’s robot baby toys.

ASIMO visits Canada!
Honda is airing a commercial specifically aimed at Canadians featuring their humanoid robot, ASIMO. (video)

YOTARO
Tsukuba University’s Uchiyama Lab created an odd luminous baby simulator called YOTARO.

SIGVerse, World’s First HRI Simulator
The National Institute of Informatics has developed a robot simulator specifically for testing human-robot interaction.

Kobayashi Lab’s SCHEMA, TRON-style
Waseda University’s Kobayashi Lab has updated their website with a new trailer showing off their awesome new conversational robot, SCHEMA. (video)

This week's game review:

Professor Layton & The Diabolical Box
Professor Layton & The Diabolical Box provides at least 20 hours of puzzle-solving fun, on top presenting the player with an engaging whodunnit.

That's it for this week. Don't miss Takeshi Maeda's latest bot, the new photos of Honda's P4 prototype, and Waseda University's teaser for their SCHEMA robot!

[limor]

The Pitter Patter of Multi-legged Hobby Robots
Multi-legged robots, the latest craze to hit Japanese hobbyists, do battle in this short video.

These things move so fast it almost feels uncomfortable seeing them

[Robotbling]

Hey limor. In what way do they make you uncomfortable...? Are you arachniphobic?

Here are the updates for March 28th to April 3rd 2010:

GAIKING / Shogun Warriors Movie Teaser Hits Web
Shogun Warriors (aka GAIKING) is getting a live-action Hollywood makeover, and this is the teaser.

5 Axis CNC Robot Does Amazing Work
Last week Dartiop mentioned this video in the comments. It's pretty cool; a 5 axis CNC robot sculpts a 3.6kg helmet out of a 120kg aluminum cube.

TINYWAVE Bipedal Hobby Robot Now Available
Tomio Sugiura’s original bipedal hobby robot, TINYWAVE, is now up for sale. Mr. Sugiura designed the robot with Jeon Chang-Hoon of South Korea.

Behind-The-Scenes Video of HUBO 2
Dan Lofaro, PhD candidate at Drexel University, uploaded some behind-the-scenes videos of HUBO 2 from his visit to KAIST back in 2008.

Impressive Desktop Ballbot
A cool self-balancing robot that uses 2 gyro sensors to ride atop a single ball.

Dr. Jun Ho Oh Dishes on HUBO 2
IEEE Spectrum interviewed KAIST’s Dr. Jun Ho Oh, and shot some video of the lab’s humanoid robot.

The PR2 Learns to Fold Your Laundry
The PR2 is being taught to fold laundry, like a good personal robot should.

New Honda U3-X Promo Video Begs the Question Why
Honda releases a new video showcasing the technology inside their U3-X Personal Mobility Prototype, but at the end of the day one wonders if anything can top the simple bicycle.

NEC’s PaPeRo: The Robot Cashier
NEC is leveraging years of R&D in robotics to augment their self-checkout system.

Thai Hostess & Her Robot Waiters
Motoman robots are being put to work as waiters in a Japanese restaurant in Bangkok.

Robots at R&D Exhibition 2010
Robots at R&D Exhibition 2010, held at COEX in Seoul South Korea.

And this week's game review:

Legend of Zelda - Spirit Tracks

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates from April 4th to April 18th 2010:

Fujitsu’s Robotic Care Bear
A new therapeutic robot developed by Fujitsu in the form of a teddy bear can respond to a user’s facial expressions and behavior.

Geminoid-F
ATR and Kokoro Co. Ltd. have unveiled the latest in their line of realistic androids known as Geminoids.

RunBot2
A small quadrupedal robot built by the Tokyo Polytechnic University.

Crazy Home-made Crab Robot (Not Crabfu!)
A Japanese hobbyist has created a hexapod crab robot.

Craig Gets Really Crappy Robot, Conan Still King
A disappointing, and downright crappy robot sidekick disappoints Craig Ferguson’s fans around the world.

Video: Kobe Tetsujin
Society of Robots swings by the Kobe Tetsujin Monument while in Japan.

ATR’s robovie-mR2 Put To Work In Sales
ATR’s small robovie-mR2 is being tested in an experimental set-up that has the robot verbally hawking goods inside stores.

Hexapod Robots Having Fun
Japanese hobbyists get out there multi-legged robots for a bit of fun.

ASIMO meets Tsutenkaku Robo
The world’s most advanced humanoid robot got paid a special by the world’s most ridiculous robot.

BHR-1 & BHR-2 “Huitong”
Beijing University developed these humanoid robots, the 2nd generation of which has appeared on television performing Tai Chi.

ALSOK Security Robot Patrols Gallery
A security guard robot patrols an art gallery, distracting visitors from the masterpieces on display!

Mertz
Mertz is an active-vision robot head developed at the MIT Media Lab to learn from social interactions.

Simon at the Computer Human Interaction Conference
Simon showed off its machine learning capabilities at the CHI Conference.

Robovie R3
ATR and Vstone have announced the third version in their Robovie line of humanoid robots.

And the game and movie reviews...

Threads of Fate
Threads of Fate isn’t exactly mediocre, but there are some issues with its controls and level design that leave something to be desired.

The Black Hole (1979)
The Black Hole is a science fiction film that goes from kid-friendly to outright bizarre. Thankfully, despite its religious overtones the film presents robots as both good and evil rather than simple killing machines.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
The Metroidvania design is really starting to show its age, but Portrait of Ruin checks all the boxes of a good action game.

[Robotbling]

Here are the updates for April 18th ~ 24th 2010:

Chararobo Creates Robot Mascot for Cable TV
A small Japanese company that specializes in creating character robots has built one for a cable tv channel called Kyuchan.

Simon Cleans Up at HCI 2010
Another video from Georgia Tech’s demonstration of Simon at CHI 2010.

Videos of USC’s Robots
Some short videos showing a selection of the robots being used at USC’s robotics labs.

K. Moriyama Tours ROBO-GARAGE
Some notes from K. Moriyama from his tour of Tomotaka Takahashi’s ROBO-GARAGE.

ATR and VSTONE present Robovie-R Ver.3
ATR and Vstone formally present the Robovie-R Ver.3, including some new photos and videos.

A-pod the Ant-like Hexapod
A spectacular hexapod robot from last year is shown with new capabilities.

Photo: Chinese Robot Sketch Artist At Work
An unknown Chinese robot built to draw sketches based on visual input draws a crowd.

Bow tied Bioloid Premiums Dance to “Sorry, Sorry”
Bioloid Premium kits awkwardly dance while I reminisce about SONY’s canceled robotics projects.

Gundam Cafe Opens in Akihabara
A Gundam-themed cafe opens in Tokyo’s Akihabara district.

AILA
DFKI Bremen showcased a prototype robot called AILA at Hannover Messe 2010.

PETMAN, BigDog Video Updates
Boston Dynamics has updated videos showcasing the latest improvements to their BigDog and PETMAN robots.

Photo: Giant Robot Baby Snuggles Shanghai Expo
A giant baby robot that moves and giggles will delight/frighten visitors to the Spanish Pavilion at the upcoming Shanghai World Expo.

LOLA
The Technical University of Munich and Bundeswehr University are developing a bipedal humanoid robot named LOLA that navigates in real-time using its stereo vision system, and is capable of running at 2km/h.

Compilation Video of RoboCup German Open 2010
These robots kick ass at soccer.

This week's movie and game reviews:

Gentlemen Broncos
An offbeat comedy in the vein of Napolean Dynamite, only much more esoteric. If you like oddball movies then you’ll have a better chance of enjoying it.

F-Zero GX
During the Gamecube era Nintendo partnered with a number of big developers including Konami, Namco, and SEGA. F-Zero GX was the best game to come out of these partnerships.