Paris-based Aldrebaran Robotics is scheduled to bring France into the elite club of countries engaged in developing advanced adult humanoid robots with their humanoid robot called Romeo being created to assist the elderly and disabled people. Scheduled to be unveiled in March next year, the 1.4-meter-tall robot will be good to walk about in the house, do household chores like fetching food from the kitchen, taking out garbage and assisting elderly and disabled with their everyday tasks, and would cost about 250,000 Euros and weigh 40 kilograms. We learn that the humanoid Romeo will be capable of being communicated with using natural speech and gestures, and will be a robot equipped with “four-vertebra backbone, articulated feet, a partially soft torso, a composite leg exoskeleton, and a an actuator that’ll let the bot control its limbs in a safer way.”
Robots are doing everything from cleaning up our messes to bathing us, therefore there was every chance we’d have a robot to massage us into comfort too. And here we are in the future already with the very cute WheeMe. Now, this isn’t any humanoid who’d sooth your muscles with its hands, coz it doesn’t have any. It’s a little roller bot that rides over the back on its rubber wheels, massaging every inch with random movement and pressure. Weighing 240 grams, WheeMe is a soft massager which understands to remain on the back without falling, thanks to its tilt sensors that keep its center of gravity in place. The bot will be shown off at the CES in January, so let’s wait to try it ourselves.
Tokyo-based robot venture Panasonic Activelink has developed a power amplifying robotic suit called Power Loader Light to augment human strength. The model primarily designed using direct force-feedback system enables humans carry loads of up to 100 kg. Itself weighing just 38 kg, the robot boosts the power of the legs by up to 40kg/400N. The PLL is also equipped with six-axis sensors in the feet which allow it to sense when the user shifts the weight around, thereby helping the suit act accordingly.
“Visitors to the Digital Content Expo in Tokyo last weekend were treated to a choreographed dance routine featuring AIST’s feminine HRP-4C robot and four humans. The performance, called “Dance Robot LIVE! – HRP-4C Cybernetic Human,” is the culmination of a year-long effort to teach the humanoid to dance. The routine was produced by renowned dancer /choreographer SAM-san”
Looks are deceptive and Supernova is no exception. What looks like a charming decorative wall hanging ready to brighten up your room is actually a robot that handles your cleaning, washing and laundry sans water and detergent. No wonder if you are left speechless after reading this. So how does this marvel work?
