Robots

This Robot Plays the Perfect Sad Trombone for 2021

When it comes to the perfect accompaniment to 2021, there can be nothing better than the RoboTrombo, a project by iSax Laboratories whose primary goal was to create a MIDI-controlled brass instrument “that could play any song.” It didn’t work. “When a human trombone player produces a tone it is a combination of lip tension,…

Gadgets John Biggs

Meet the Pint-Sized Robots That Spontaneously Dance

In January 2020, a second-floor lab at Northwestern University was filled with the mild-mannered clacking of three robots pushing each other around. The trio were in a small ring as they hit against one another, though the petite robots weren’t the rock ‘em, sock ‘em variety. These were smart, active particles—“smarticles”—outfitted with two paddle-like flaps…

Tech News Isaac Schultz

Watch Boston Dynamics’ Robot Army Dance Their Way to World Domination

As the company wonders what the future holds for it now that Boston Dynamics is owned by the Hyundai Motor Group, its robots are showing off their impressive capabilities in a year-end video that may also be a ploy to distract humanity from their ultimate goal: total dominance on the dance floor, or the eradication…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Adorable Panasonic Robot Makes Deliveries in Japanese Smart Town

Panasonic has started testing a new delivery robot in suburban Tokyo. And it’s just so darn cute. The new delivery robot, first reported by the Japan Times, is being tested in what’s called the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town. Panasonic staged a test run for members of the press earlier this month.

Tech News Matt Novak

This Modern Westworld Trailer Will Remind You Why the Haunting Original Holds Up

Though we’re still a long ways out from being invited back intoWestworld in the series’ mysterious fourth season, HBO’s just dropped a new trailer for the 1973 movie meant to remind you that the original story still more than holds up in 2020, and now’s the perfect time to check it out. Rather than relying…

Trailers Charles Pulliam-Moore

Baby Yoda Robot Uses AI to Follow You Around Like a Creepy Toddler

If there’s one thing stores are now well stocked with, it’s Baby Yoda toys. And while you can shell out hundreds of dollars for a startlingly lifelike replica of Grogu, this DIY does what all the others can’t: automatically follow you everywhere you go like a curious 50-year-old toddler. Creator Manuel Ahumada wanted his Baby…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

Anthony Mackie Is a New Kind of Terminator in the Trailer for Netflix’s Outside the Wire

To fight a robot, you might just need a robot. Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris star in the first trailer for Netflix’s Outside the Wire, about a drone pilot tasked with helping his superior officer located a doomsday device. There’s just one tiny detail: His boss is an android. Netflix has released the first trailer…

Trailers Beth Elderkin

NYPD’s New Robot Police Dog Will Get Special Arm For Opening Doors

The New York Police Department’s new robot dog will receive a special robotic arm for opening doors and moving objects next month, according to a new report from ABC7 in New York. The existence of the NYPD’s robot was first revealed in late October after it assisted in the apprehension of a suspect in Brooklyn.…

Tech News Matt Novak

Hyundai Motors Reportedly Bought Boston Dynamics For Almost $1 Billion (Updated: It’s a Done Deal)

Update 12/11/20 9:30am ET — Boston Dynamics has confirmed that Hyundai Motor Group has acquired an 80% controlling interest in the robotics maker, while a SoftBank affiliate will retain a 20% stake in the company that was valued at $1.1 billion. Hyundai believes the acquisition will help the company transition to becoming a “Smart Mobility Solution…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Disney Is Teaching Robots How to Sculpt With Clay

Robots might have already taken over industries like manufacturing, but when it comes to more creative endeavors, like the arts, humans still hold a strong lead. But for how long? Disney’s researchers have created a system that allows human artists to teach aspiring robotic Michelangelos how to sculpt clay using tools to mimic various artistic…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

The Cutest, Weirdest Toy of the Week Is a Spider-Drone From the Unopened Avengers Disney Park

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular round of the coolest merchandise on the internet lately! This week, Disney’s inability to open its Marvel-themed park isn’t stopping it from selling expensive merchandise from said park, Hot Toys continues to plumb The Mandalorian’s depths for all they’re worth, and more. Check it out! Disneyland Resort Avengers…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski & James Whitbrook

Resourceful Hacker Invents an Automatic Crust-Cutting Robot So They Never Have to Grow Up

For many kids, crusts are the bane of a delicious PB&J sandwich, but they eventually grow up to embrace a bread’s chewy outer wrapping. There are some holdouts, however, such as Andrew DeGonge who continues to despise crusts so much into adulthood that they built a smart automated robot that can automatically de-crust a sandwich.…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Computer Controlled Shackles Hold You Prisoner Until You Finish a Workout

Personally speaking, mustering the will to do pushups requires a lot of psyching myself up. A lot of walking around in circles, fiddling with my music, and wondering if maybe doing an extra few sets of overhead tricep extensions or holding a plank for two minutes would be a sufficient alternative to the dreaded pushup.…

Tech News Victoria Song

Transfomers and X-Men Collide, and More of the Most Mutagenic Toys of the Week

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular roundup of all things good and plastic. This week: Hasbro turns its transforming eye to another nostalgic mashup. Mando Monday reinforcements bring The Mandalorian’s big bad to the Star Wars Black Series. Also? Warm Kirby. Check it out! Hasbro Transformers Generations Collaborative: Marvel Comics X-Men Mash-Up, Ultimate X-Spanse…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski & James Whitbrook

This Robot Can Make You Boba Tea Because Of Course That’s a Thing

I’ll admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of boba tea even before the pandemic brought my social life to a grinding halt. Tapioca pearls just taste gross to me, as does bacon, avocado, and a slew of other oft-hyped food that the internet goes crazy over, so I realize I’m very much in the…

Tech News Alyse Stanley

Image: HBO / Image: Sony Pictures / Image: 20th Century Fox

10 Great Sci-Fi Tropes (and 5 That Should Be Shot Into Space)

Science fiction is a genre that’s full of storylines, plot devices, and techno-jargon that would be considered ridiculous in the real world. But these tropes are effective, so we keep using them. Over and over again. That might sound like a bad thing—relying on tried-and-true sci-fi tropes instead of creating something new in a genre…

Movies Beth Elderkin

I Would Die for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity‘s Baby Guardian

Things being the way they are, it didn’t seem likely that 2020 would follow in 2019’s footsteps in terms of ushering in new, fictional babies designed to capture the public’s heart. But then, Nintendo’sHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity demo came along and introduced a surprising bundle of joy into its already complicated story about a…

Games Charles Pulliam-Moore

This Tongue-Like Robot Gripper Can Slurp Its Way Into Tight Spaces

In another example of unsettling biomimicry, engineering researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney were inspired by an elephant’s trunk and designed what looks more like a robotic tongue that can firmly grasp objects by wrapping around them like a snake. Biomimicry is an approach to engineering that takes inspiration from the…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

UK Defense Chief Says Army Could Have 30,000 Robots by the 2030s

This is not a movie; this is real life. It is not a drill. In about a decade, we might see a ton of robots working alongside humans in the UK army. But don’t worry, although some of the robots will have weapons, only humans will be able to fire them. (That’s a relief, I…

Tech News Jody Serrano

Contact Lens-Removing Robot Requires More Faith in Technology Than I’ll Ever Have

Contact lenses offer a more comfortable alternative to wearing glasses for those with vision issues, but that’s assuming you can handle/endure the process of putting them in and taking them out. A Florida man has invented a robot that can insert and remove contact lenses for someone who can’t, although seeing it in action suddenly…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

This Robot Plays the Perfect Sad Trombone for 2021

Meet the Pint-Sized Robots That Spontaneously Dance

Watch Boston Dynamics’ Robot Army Dance Their Way to World Domination

Adorable Panasonic Robot Makes Deliveries in Japanese Smart Town

This Modern Westworld Trailer Will Remind You Why the Haunting Original Holds Up

Baby Yoda Robot Uses AI to Follow You Around Like a Creepy Toddler

Anthony Mackie Is a New Kind of Terminator in the Trailer for Netflix’s Outside the Wire

NYPD’s New Robot Police Dog Will Get Special Arm For Opening Doors

Hyundai Motors Reportedly Bought Boston Dynamics For Almost $1 Billion (Updated: It’s a Done Deal)

Disney Is Teaching Robots How to Sculpt With Clay

The Cutest, Weirdest Toy of the Week Is a Spider-Drone From the Unopened Avengers Disney Park

Resourceful Hacker Invents an Automatic Crust-Cutting Robot So They Never Have to Grow Up

Computer Controlled Shackles Hold You Prisoner Until You Finish a Workout

Transfomers and X-Men Collide, and More of the Most Mutagenic Toys of the Week

This Robot Can Make You Boba Tea Because Of Course That’s a Thing

10 Great Sci-Fi Tropes (and 5 That Should Be Shot Into Space)

I Would Die for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity‘s Baby Guardian

This Tongue-Like Robot Gripper Can Slurp Its Way Into Tight Spaces

UK Defense Chief Says Army Could Have 30,000 Robots by the 2030s

Contact Lens-Removing Robot Requires More Faith in Technology Than I’ll Ever Have

America’s Latest Unfounded Health Panic: ‘Vaccinated’ Blood Donations

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Countdown to the Moon 🔴

SpaceX Files Confidentially for IPO, Reports Say

Jackery Power Station With 200W Solar Panel Still $590 Off as Amazon Clears Out Leftover Stock After the Spring Sale

The Best Pop Culture Art Gallery In the World Is No More

Forget Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Logitech MX Keys for Mac Refuses to Go Back to Full Price After Amazon Spring Sale

Google’s Next Fitbit Sounds Exactly Like a Whoop Clone

Amazon eero WiFi 7 Router (3-Pack) Keeps Its Spring Sale Price, Covering Up to 120 Devices Across 6,000 Sq. Ft.

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

Let us help find what you are looking for...