iRobot
”iPhone App Runs iRobot's Military Packbot
While many of us may ooh and ahh at the new iPhone apps reaching the consumer level, a pair from the University of South Florida has coded a native iPhone application that can operate iRobot's Packbot with full streaming POV video. Syncing with the Packbot over Wi-Fi, the iPhone's accelerometers allow panning and zooming while the touchscreen controls the Packbot's movement. But don't take our word for it. Check out the clip:
More »Roomba Maker to Develop DARPA's ChemBot Morphing Robots
Last year DARPA began the search for a company that could develop robots capable of squeezing through small openings and returning to their original size, shape, and functionality on the other side. Like most of DARPA's projects, the idea was way-out there. However, it appears that iRobot (the guys behind practical home robots like the Roomba vacuum and the Looj Gutter cleaner) have answered the call.
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"Crowd Control" iRobot Fires Up to a Million Rounds a Minute
You remember that gun that electronically fires up to a million rounds a minute (theoretically) by Metal Storm? They're strapping them to iRobot's X700 to create a serious killing machine with the flexibility of firing anything from explosive rounds to "less-lethal" ones, making it suitable for urban assaults, "border patrol," "crowd control" or my personal favorite, defense against a zombie apocalypse. [Danger Room]iRobot, Corporate Sabotage, Stolen Plans and Destroyed Evidence
Noah Shachtman over at Wired has a very interesting look at iRobot's six year battle with Robotic FX, a company started by a former employee who allegedly (and probably) stole schematics and plans in order to build a competitor. There's too much detail to work into a short summary, but Jameel Ahed, the former employee, was caught by a private investigator deleting documents and shredding CDs containing data that belonged to iRobot.
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Wiimote, iPhone are New Tools of War
David Bruemmer and Douglas Few, engineers at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Lab in Idaho Falls, have put together an unlikely use for the Wiimote—they've hacked the remote so it can control a bomb-disposing, landmine-detecting, machine gun-carrying robot. More »
robots
iRobot CEO Talks Past, Present and Future of Robotics
Very few people know more about the practical robotics industry more than iRobot CEO Colin Angle. We had a nice chat with him (he did all the talking) earlier today about the state of the robotics industry, why iRobot is essentially the only company doing what they're doing in the field, what kind of robots are coming in the future and why robots are necessary for the human race to survive. More »
robots
Robot Yoga is Geeky Zen
As the winner of the U.S. Army's $286 million "unmanned surge" competition, the PacBot 510 with FasTac Kit designed by iRobot will soon be in charge of protecting the lives of our soldiers on the battlefield. A noble occupation for sure, but it may have missed its calling as a master yoga instructor. Check out some of the poses iRobot engineer John Souliere managed to get this thing into during a demo with Wired. [iRobot and Wired]
robots
Personal Home Robot Lands Nerd $5,000 in iRobot Contest
It may look like a [Star Wars reference omitted] with a very erect [Star Wars reference omitted], but the Personal Home Robot is actually designed for use in this galaxy. Danh Trinh of Towson, Md. took home a $5,000 contest prize from iRobot for building the cute but boringly named PHR on the iRobot Create platform. Made up of parts from all over, it appears to contain a Compaq iPaq, a wireless access point from Buffalo and a Logitech QuickCam. It can water plants, control lights and appliances, play music and remind owners to take their medication. It does not [Star Wars reference omitted], but neither do you. [Instructables]iRobot Create Challenge press release after the jump. More »
robots
New iRobot Warrior X700 Carries Big Payloads and Big Guns
When we last checked in with iRobot's Warrior, it was armless, pokey, weak and not killtastic. Their latest model, the Warrior X700, is the opposite of all of that, with plans for the urban warfare front: It sports a robo-arm that lifts 150 pounds, will tread a four-minute mile, lugs up to 500 pounds and can terminate with extreme prejudice semi-autonomously. It can deploy machine guns or 40mm explosive rounds, with one variant sporting an electronic firing system utilizing a four-pack of small barrels that fire 16 rounds a second with an 800-meter range. At this rate, a real-life robot-controlled Metal Slug is totally on its way by 2028. [Army Times via Danger Room]iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaner Video Is Bob Vila Porn
Check out the superslo-mo guttercam as the lil green iRobot Looj clears away real-life sludge and debris. The best part of the video may be the Looj holster, allegedly designed so you can safely ascend and descend ladders, but really there to make you look like some kind of space cowboy. [iRobot]iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaner and ConnectR Webcam Robots Announced
As we saw in our coverage of the iRobot Digital Life Event, the iRobot Looj and iRobot ConnectR were just announced. The Looj, that weird gutter cleaner we saw before, will cost $99. The iRobot ConnectR, is a "virtual visiting robot," which means it has a webcam and a mic for mobile teleconferencing; it will cost $500. The latter can be driven around like an R2-D2 so you can get in touch with other people around the office without actually getting up to. [iRobot]
irobot
iRobot Digital Life Event: iRobot Looj and iRobot ConnectR Official
2:10 Colin Angle of iRobot is about to launch something. We'll let you know what as soon as he stops rambling. Our guess would be the iRobot Looj. More »Details on the iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaner Via the FCC
Engadget just noted that the iRobot Looj just hit the FCC. There are some terrible photos but I noticed there's a full manual detailing its every function:
•The Looj does one gutter at a time.
•There's a belt clip for easier transportation of the Looj to rooftops.
•There's a detachable handle used to drop it into position that also becomes a remote control. •The nose of the device has a ejector (the fin, which kicks stuff out of the gutter) and disruptor, which breaks up the debris in the first place. After that, a 500RPM rotating sweeper scrubs the gutter.
•"Clear all debris in front of ladder before starting auger to avoid being sprayed in the face."
Dudes, this is too complicated. How about I just climb on top of my roof with a hand-shovel and hose and clean this mess up myself?
[Engadget]
First iRobot Roomba 560 Video
One of the quirkier features of iRobot's new 500 series Roomba vacuum bots is the voice recorded tutorial that is built into the device. Here's the robot-guided tour, complete with spinning sidebrush and a blinking blue dirt detector light.
Mod-Friendly 5th Gen iRobot Roomba - First Vacuum
Roomba is among the most successful consumer robots ever made, having sold well over 2 million units. And iRobot's newly released 500 series is the first major revamp of the floorvac line since 2004. Nearly everything about the bot has been changed or improved; it's stronger, quieter, smarter and will last five times longer than its predecessor. A full report on the Roomba 560's anti-tangling technology, voice module, and RF "Virtual Wall Lighthouses" is just after the jump.
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The Crash of the Flying PackBot
It's Friday, so why shouldn't you enjoy 70 seconds of flying, crashing robotic calamity? More »
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