Mini Drones Are Here

A drone around double the size of a fly.

Until now such miniature drones were unable to carry the battery needed to power them. Not any more! Unleash the miniature drones that are too small to spot.

It early days though. The power comes from a laser beam, so when the photo-voltaic cell is can not be hit by the beam, the power stops. A new form of energy will be needed for them to be truly useful.

Interestingly they use wings instead of rotors.

Story:
https://www.washington.edu/news/2018/05/15/robofly/

 

Solar Mirror Robot

It’s not your walking, talking type of robot. But it does one thing very well and could end up being in a lot of homes.

Caia sits in one place (outside or by a window) and turns a mirror so that sunlight is always being reflected into the same part of the same room all day. It is solar powered and weatherproof. All you need to do is buy it for $229 and spend 1 minute setting it up.

Then your gloomy room will be filled with natural light, forever.

Star Pick: Gita Personal Cargo Bot

We have an instant winner right here, dependant on price… A robot that just follows you about and carries your stuff for you. Looks cool too. Not surprisingly it is created by Piaggio, who also make Vespa scooters.

It can move at 22mph (in other words, follow you on your bike) and the battery can last 8 hours.

Downsides, won’t handle stairs very well, and its storage space is roughly that of a large backpack. So it just needs more storage and legs to be perfect. Or flying…

Read more at Mashable

T-Rex on a Segway

This leaked video tells you everything you need to know

Z-Machines are a “power trio” consisting of March, a 78-fingered guitarist; Ashura, a drummer with 22 arms; and Cosmo, a keyboardist who triggers notes with lasers. [Source: Guardian]

z-machines

I think this band should tour, they’d certainly get crowds – although if it were me in the audience I doubt I would last more than 2-3 songs.

More Hotel Bots

I figure there are enough of these now that they will soon be the norm. They are almost certainly cheaper than humans…

This is Starwood’s Robot Butler, which can deliver small items such as toothpaste.

Professionally “dressed” in a custom shrink-wrapped, vinyl collared uniform and nametag, A.L.O. will modestly accept tweets as tips as its wheels whizz from task to task. [Starwood Hotels]

iRobot Ava 500

 

ava-hero

Telepresence robots will become more popular with time, as will robot vacuum cleaners. iRobot makes both. The Ava 500 has:

  • Mapping and autonomous navigation – just tell it where to go, no need to steer it
  • Obstacle detection and avoidance
  • Videoconferencing via an iPhone or iPad
  • HD video with encryption
  • 6 hour battery
  • Auto-docking

While similar products are basically an iPad on a stick with wheels, the screen on the Ava 500 is 21.5 inches.