Future killer robots could help build themselves

Robots that can self-replicate aren't new. But a new DARPA initiative is a little more frightening as it looks to create robots that can take part in their own construction, according to The Register. That means they're "alive" before they're finished and can help their forebearers put ...

Checkpoint-friendly laptop bag with a twist

(Credit: Aerovation)

Planning on flying with your laptop on a summer vacation? You should definitely consider a TSA checkpoint-friendly bag. There is no shortage of options, but this new model from Aerovation makes one important change to the typical design so getting away from the checkpoint is even faster.

Most ...

Beaver-tailed robot mimics tree-climbing insects

(Credit: Boston Dynamics)

Here's another offering from Boston Dynamics' zoomorphic line: the RiSE V3, a multi-legged, beaver-tailed robot that can skitter along the ground, shimmy up a pole, and then quietly cling there and stare at you.

The legs are powered by a pair of electric motors and equipped ...

Originally posted at Military Tech

Will air-powered robot hand grip the future?

In the future, we'll likely be bowing down to our robot overlords. They'll have amazing artificial intelligence and powerful metal bodies. I've long thought the bodies would be electronic servos powered by high-charge batteries, but a new development by the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory of the College ...

Have pillow fights with Panasonic's Fukitorimushi cleaning bot

Resting your head on this thing probably wouldn't be too comfortable.

(Credit: Panasonic)

Can anyone explain why Panasonic's Fukitorimushi cleaning bot resembles a hunchbacked pillow that looks like it needs cleaning itself? Fukitorimushi, literally meaning "wipe-up bug" and unveiled at the recent Tokyo Fiber Senseware expo in Milan, Italy, is rather aptly named. In a nod to the walking gel we just told you about, its locomotion is accomplished when it flexes and stretches its body like an inchworm. Just imagine a couple of these covered slug-bots flexing across the rooms when a neighbor happens to drop by.

The designers want the Fukitorimushi to worm its way into your heart. Can it?

(Credit: Panasonic)

Beneath the covers, the Fukitorimushi behaves much like a Roomba or Scooba. Its "feelers" of blue-white light search out the floor for dirt and, like a good vacuum, will diligently eliminate the grime. When low on battery power, the device will return to its base dock to recharge. The Nanofront cloth also has a practical application. Its polyester filament fibers are capable of absorbing oil and ultrafine dust particles, and aid in the machine's movements.

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Weird walking gel could be bot body part

Attack of the killer blob?

(Credit: Tri-Star Pictures Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Say what? This time, the innovative Japanese have dreamed up an invention that's just too weird for words. New Scientist describes it as a chemical gel that can walk like an inchworm. If you watch the ...

Science mag warns: 'Could the Net become self-aware?'

"Excuse me, is Sarah Conner home?"

It sounds like an Astroturf campaign for the upcoming computers-gone-bad movie "Terminator: Salvation," but in fact New Scientist magazine is being completely serious when it asks if the Internet itself could soon become "self-aware." The article explains:

In engineering terms, it is

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Originally posted at Digital City Podcast