Thimble Technology Lets You Design Your Own RoboCop - http://clapway.com/2015/12/30/thimble-delivers-diy-robots-straight-to-your-door-123/

A new project out of New York delivers robotics kits straight to your doorstep to encourage learning about electronic coding, programming and robotics. The kits are geared toward people of all ages. Kids who are interested in learning about code and translating code into action will benefit from this system, but it can also be good from seasoned programmers, engineers, students in high school and college as well. With this tool, users will be able to build their own RoboCop!

With Thimble, Software and Hardware Come Together

The system would make deliveries every month, and it will include all tools needed to build a cool new gadget. The first kit available is for a Wi-Fi enabled robot, which can be controlled from your smartphone, tablet or laptop.

The robot comes with an instruction booklet, uploaded to Thimble’s app. It gives users a step-by-step guide through the entire building process. It also connects subscribers to other creators. They can share their specific strategies and approaches on the platform.

Though it seems like a small project with little impact, being able to build the first kit will allow users to create an Android/iOS app that actually makes things move. Not only that, but it will also give users a better understanding of electricity, motoring, and micro-controlling works. Users can also bring innovation to the table, and design their own ways to go about the kit and upgrade their robots, and they can display their creativity to the rest of the world.

What Exactly Makes Thimble Special?

The key to this new system is that it promotes creativity but also develops technical skills. It is not an invasive approach, but a fun one. Thimble gives users the skeleton of something awesome, and leaves it up to them to decide what to do with it.

They don’t need to have absolute knowledge or dominance of the tools needed to build this Wi-Fi robot, because they can be guided through it. In the future, once they’re more comfortable with the system, they can develop their own guides.

Thimble Makes a DIY RoboCop, Iron Man or Wall-E Possible!

The goal is to give people incentive. It’s basically like going to a kind of self-teaching school that gives you all the tools you need before sending you off. A monthly kit brings a new adventure right into subscribers’ doorsteps twelve times in a year, and it puts people together to try and make something awesome. There will be natural progression from project to project. If users become even more interested in these technologies, they can pursue even bigger and more challenging projects. So if you’ve ever dreamt of building your own Robocop, you are one step closer now.

Thimble Technology Lets You Design Your Own RoboCop

Robotic Santa Will Be Riding a Robotic Reindeer Sleigh Soon - http://clapway.com/2015/12/25/robotic-santa-will-start-riding-a-robotic-reindeer-sleigh-soon-123/

Robotics is huge right now, and the truth is we’ll probably have robot assistants in the near future. Meanwhile, we have robotic reindeer. Boston Dynamics has released a holiday video that surely puts people in the Christmas spirit, featuring a trio of their Spot robotic dogs adorably pulling a sleigh on the frame.

Some Found these Robotic Reindeer Horrifying

For the record, these robotic reindeer are adorable. Boston Dynamics has very appropriately given us a picture of our future. The team is currently designing the most advanced robots in the country, and this is a small show of what they can do.

Their Spot robots have recently participated in training sessions with US Marines. It’s possible these robots will see some kind of military application in the future. This video also proves that these bad boys are ready for more than the terrain of their offices.

Boston Dynamics Is Just Bringing Us the Holiday Cheer in Their Own Way

Some people have called these robots terrifying simply because of their slightly headless look, but to be fair, their feet are cute. The point is not in how they look anyway, it is in their functionality. They appear very lifelike, with the middle Spot lagging a little behind and holding up the robot pulling the sleigh. All movement looks only minimally robotic. It actually flows really well.

The Whole World is Adapting Robots into Daily Life

Others are actually afraid of the technology and not the robots themselves. This is perfectly understandable. Nobody currently over the age of 65 probably expected robots to be a thing already. The truth is, it’s about time. It raises some concerns on its liveliness, and makes people question whether or not it is a live object or a robotic being. In fact, these robots are probably only weird in America. All over the world, there are already robots working full time and giving people a refreshing sight at cashiers, especially in Japan. According to a recent study, robots could be filling half of all Japanese jobs by 2035, and that’s only the beginning.

It’s Not As Scary As We Think

This isn’t a futuristic fatale sci-fi movie. Robots won’t probably take over the world. They could help someone take over (and we have high suspicions that this could be Elon Musk), but they won’t Gozilla us per se. While reindeer do not look like the image that Boston Dynamics showed us, they’re free to look however Boston Dynamics wants them to look. The technology will continue to get developed and polished until we are truly afraid of robots. This won’t be because they look so foreign, but it may well be because they look so similar to us.

Robots Are Our Future

Physical and cybernetic robots are already among us. These robot reindeer are joined by Cortana, Siri, M, the Facebook AI, Google’s Gmail AI and many others. Artificial intelligence is growing at an incredibly fast pace. Our only option is to keep up. Right now, all of this technology is only doing good. As with anything, it has the potential to go wrong, but Silicon Valley has a lot of faith in their potential. We could be surprised about what will chance in every aspect of life thanks to this advancing technology.

Robots Still Need Humans to Work

That doesn’t mean that technology will overpower us. Robots and artificial intelligence interfaces are still subject to what humans put into their algorithms. No matter how fast they learn, they need to learn from someone. Hopefully, that will be humans for a long time to come. Otherwise, we may not be able to think about the unsettling feeling that comes with super smart technology for very long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZu04v7_hc

Robotic Santa Will Be Riding a Robotic Reindeer Sleigh Soon

Meet the World"s Smartest Robot, Alpha 2 - http://clapway.com/2015/11/17/meet-the-worlds-smartest-robot-alpha-2/

Meet Alpha 2, the Product of Advanced Robotics and Smart Artificial Intelligence

Alpha 2 is hands down the smartest humanoid robot in the market. It reads bedtime stories, controls electronics on the house – it can even handle your schedule. Alpha 2 doubles as an assistant, tutor, bedtime story teller, security handler and even music controller to bring the world the latest and the best out of robotics.

Alpha 2

Alpha 2 Can Use Printers, Become a Dictionary and Even Handle Your Dog

This tiny robot comes as a great addition to any family. It can act as a weatherman, handle small office tasks like printing or making calls, and even remind you of your dog’s vet appointments. Alpha 2 can help kids with their homework, even in more than one language. When it comes to fixing things, cooking, Alpha 2 can act as a mobile search engine, taking users through the steps of getting things done.

Alpha 2 can even host impromptu house parties and read kid’s bedtime stories. It can also connect to all other electronic devices in the home and turn on your security alarms, the lights in the house, and even help you download apps directly to your smartphone.

The Smartest Humanoid Robot Set to Hit the Market Soon

The first samples of Alpha 2 are set to roll out in February of 2016, and it will hopefully be hitting the markets all over the world soon thereafter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1AtfHm4hf8

Meet the World"s Smartest Robot, Alpha 2

Scientists Invent The First Paper Robot - http://clapway.com/2015/11/09/scientists-invent-the-first-paper-robot123/

A team of scientists out of China have devised a self-folding paper robot. It can alter its shape, crawl and walk and turn according to light and temperature. The team, out of Donghua University in Shanghai, have essentially made the world’s first 100% paper robot.

They associate the paper robot more with origami. The ancient art of paper folding has inspired a lot of experiments in teh moder world, and the team, by combining the principles of graphene paper with remote control robotics and chemistry, they were able to device this specific kind of paper. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances, reveals that the team took graphene oxide and polydopamine to create nanosheets that absorb or expel water molecules as a response to environmental changes, such as changes in humidity, temperature or light. This makes the paper either swell or shrink in a way that allows for actual movement.

The paper is an excellent conducer, flexible and robust, so it has the potential to be applied to a variety of fields, including to make sensors, artificial muscles, and in robotics. This invention shows that things as basic as paper can be manipulated to be much more, and can even be applied to aid modern technology to be labeled the world’s first paper robot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC0s50Qa4Ug

Scientists Invent The First Paper Robot

Google and Facebook Will Destroy Humanity - http://clapway.com/2015/11/09/google-and-facebook-are-making-us-robots123/

While people are worried that robots will take over the world, there’s a better chance that Microsoft, Apple, Google and Facebook will turn us into robots. Corporations have always strived for one thing and one thing alone: to make the best marketing strategy to appeal to as many people as possible.

But with the incidence of robotics, programing and engineering as well as the development of artificial intelligence, these companies are gaining an even scarier ability: they can now make us into the perfect consumer. Big corporations are investing millions of dollars towards making their artificial intelligence cater to our every need and also record our every move so that the machine, and therefore the company, is fully aware of what you like and dislike and what appeals to you. With this information they can tailor what content you see, which ads show up on your sidebar and what suggestions you receive while you surf the web.

So in this regard, we’re the ones becoming robots. Big corporations like Google and Facebook are making us into the perfect customer because there’s no end to what they can offer us. So before we worry about drones plaguing the sky and crowd funding websites seeking funding for a talking robot half your size, let’s look at big corporations like Google and Facebook making every move towards the development of artificial intelligence first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkXCR1-oE1s

Google and Facebook Will Destroy Humanity

PHIRO Robot Teaches Children Robotics - http://clapway.com/2015/11/03/phiro-robot-teaches-children-robotics123/

A new project out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is developing a robot that teaches children programming, robotics, coding and problem solving in six different ways. PHIRO, currently in the development stage, is lego compatible and it’s designed especially for children in their development stage.

PHIRO

PHIRO can be programmed by the children through swish cards that activate command, through pocket code, through the buttons on the robot itself, by computer, phone or tablet. All of these tools are designed to teach the basics of robotics, coding and problem-solving. PHIRO has a smartphone stand that allows kids to record their adventures and accomplish tasks. The robot is able to help the children do things like film a short film, clean their rooms, even explore the depths of their own living spaces.

PHIRO Robot Teaches Children Robotics

The Crafty Robot is the Best Robot Toy Ever - http://clapway.com/2015/10/16/the-crafty-robot-best-toy-ever123/

Meet the Crafty Robot, a.k.a. the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.

It’s a robot toy that’s sure to delight everyone, and it’s technology that’s simple and fun, but also highly impactful.

The product hails from England, and its purpose is to propagate the notion that making new technology is not just about coding and complicated science, it’s about engineering, experimenting, thinking out of the box, learning, and most of all, it’s about having fun.

Crafty Robots can charge on anything with a USB port, and, sort of like a music box, you leave it to charge for about 45 seconds to enjoy 2 minutes of fancy frolicking.

The most wonderful thing about the Crafty Robot is that you can make it out of anything: paper, cardboard, food, you can use a 3D printer if you have one, you can use cloth, crochet something, literally anything.

How is this Possible?

image courtesy of Crafty Robot

How? Well, the robot is powered by the Fizzbit, and its small size and high capacity make it possible for you to stick it in any material. You can even go onto the Crafty Robot website and share your designs or pick out one from the ones uploaded.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m seriously eyeing the Pug one. You could even unicorn yourself. 

image courtesy of Crafty Robot

You can make your Robot anything you want, like a cuter version of the Sims that doesn’t set your house on fire or speaks gibberish. It can be Miley Cyrus’ epic face at this year’s VMAs, or John Cena, your cat or dog or your mailbox, anything! You can also have as many as you want, so you could make Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton face off less diplomatically, or relive Mayweather vs Pacquiao.

The possibilities are endless.

The team at Crafty Robot even staged a Paper Bake Off, modeled after the show Great British Bake-Off.

If you don’t watch it, it’s cool, but do check out how these cuties frolic around sugary ingredients and you, too, will want at least fifteen of them to put around your place or annoy your cat with (you better pad the little buddy up, though).

The Crafty Robot doesn’t use batteries (yay!), no plastic (double yay!), it’s reusable, recyclable, and reduces the exploit of non-biodegradable resources. And if it clears all three R’s, you can be sure I’ll be getting one for this Christmas.

If You Love Artificial Intelligence, Check Out MUSIO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuL0nLmBw8

 

The Crafty Robot is the Best Robot Toy Ever

Meet HugeBot, the First Motion Controlled Robot - http://clapway.com/2015/10/13/hugebot-the-new-human-robot-with-motion-control123/

Something new and exciting has struck the world and trust me this one will be a hit.

HugeBot is the latest robot design out of China, and should strike the world with an unlimited amount of potential. This new mega boxing robot has some absolutely breathtaking aspects and abilities that make it such an intriguing man-made robot.  

HUGEBOT’S AMAZING FEATURES

Details tell us HugeBot stands over a monstrous 7 feet, has a built in human-motion recognition system. It can move forward, backward, and has a full 360 degrees rotation. One of the coolest features to this robot is the fact that people can stand on the back of it and can control him through a smart phone steering wheel.

Almost like Mario Kart Wii with an actual robot and in real life.

HugeBot also has an amazing laser firing feature that allows it to shoot various forms of lasers in what is called laser battle mode.

Laser Battle Mode. Talk about awesome.

It also has an easy programming control code built in, so it can be programmed to do different objectives and functions by practically anyone. HugeBot is almost a giant video game come to life, but could it end up being even more? 

MY THOUGHTS ON HUGEBOT

I think that HugeBot is an absolutely amazing and astonishing project.

All of the features that HugeBot has would make it a great Christmas present for kids looking to have some fun. Now I cannot imagine most parents would be able to afford it, but it would make their kids faces glow on Christmas morning.

Something that really intrigues me is the idea of making HugeBot a security system or maybe even a war machine. HugeBot could be used for fun and games and all, but if the creators of him are really serious they could turn him into a very prestigious piece of protection. However, their could be danger for the person who would have to control HugeBot as they would literally be behind him and if HugeBot goes down that person would practically be live bait.

The endless ideas that HugeBot could achieve could lead him to become a worldwide sensation and who knows it could even end up saving lives in the future. Obviously, HugeBot could be given updates and new features to further advance him, but for now it is a fun and entertaining seven foot robot.

Check Out More Artificial Intelligence on Clapway Trends!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuL0nLmBw8

Meet HugeBot, the First Motion Controlled Robot

Interested in #robots, #robotics and #AI (artificial intelligence)? Maybe it"s time for a career in robotics. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/18/robotics-terminator123/

Who has not seen the immeasurable strength of the Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Terminator avatar? Or the baffling intelligence of Rajnikant in ‘Robot’? Surely you must have been smitten by the cute looking ‘Wall-e’ or his robot girlfriend ‘Eve’? Or amazed by the power of ‘Iron Man’s ‘Jarvis’?

BUILD A CAREER IN ROBOTICS

From science fiction and graphic novels to action movies and cartoons, robots have always dominated a considerable part of imagination. This imagination, however, has turned into reality with the advancement of technology.

To put it simply, robotics is the study of making and maintaining robots. It’s basically a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering along with computer science. The study of robotics was not customized until recently due to the varied areas of expertise it requires. Students pursuing courses in robotics have to choose whether they are interested in designing the mechanical aspects, writing the computer codes for the robots’ functioning or devising the power and circuitry for them. So, in essence, Robotics is a multidisciplinary study.

The job prospects in robotics are massive but the demand is limited only to the best of the applicants. Due to its multidisciplinary nature, a career in robotics demands that the applicant be accustomed to at least two among the three major disciplines.

Currently, the science of robotics has advanced much further than it was anticipated. Robots are extensively used in military, space & sea exploration and mass manufacturing and even in health and safety related operations. Robot designing, mineral extraction, artificial intelligence, environmental analysis and agricultural instrumentation are some other disciplines in which a robotic engineer can specialize.

Pursuing a career in robotics may not be easy in terms of finance as the best institutes which offer such courses are also the ones which require more money. However, through the various options like scholarships, it may be possible if one has the aptitude combined with passion for the field.

In India, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) are some of the organizations which recruit robotic engineers, apart from Tata and Jindal in the corporate sector.

On the international level, the leading space research organization NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Research Organization) is considered to be on the cutting edge of robotics. According to the US Department of Labour, more than 50,000 job openings are expected in the country over the next few years.

However, based on employment rate, Japan is considered to be a leader in robotics as it employs more than 2,500,000 workers in the robotics industry. According to an article in Times, the nation is looking forward to revenue of more than $70 Billion in the next 10 years with the jobs to cross the one million thresholds.

A career in robotics is not only challenging but also requires the sharpest aptitude which along with the other traits an engineer is expected to have. If you have what it requires then your best bet will be to start early and start smart.

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FOR TECHNOLOGY RELATED NEWS AND PRODUCT REVIEWS, CHECK OUT CLAPWAY TRENDS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evZzeuru5rk

Career in Robotics: Build the Next Terminator

HitchBOT: The Revival - http://clapway.com/2015/08/08/hitchbot-the-revival/

Watch the Phoenix rise from ashes because hitchBOT looks like it might have another go at life in 2016.

HitchBOT’s Inconvenient Decapitation

Last week we reported that the beloved hitchhiking robot, hitchBOT, had met an unfortunate demise in Philadelphia as it was trying to make its way cross-country to San Francisco, California. HitchBOT was a world traveler — having previously trekked across Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands — and was mourned by people across the globe.

HitchBOT was meant to be a social experiment. One that would study how humans might interact with robots in a very natural environment. In a series of unfortunate events, hitchBOT discovered one of the darkest sides of humanity moments before the robot was decapitated by vandals.

The hitchBOT team in Ontario, Canada says they still don’t know who is responsible for the violent attack, but they’re not worried about finding out who it was either. After all, part of hitchBOT’s reason for existing was to study human behavior.

The Rebirth of HitchBOT

The previous vessel that carried the traveling robot’s mind was damaged beyond repair, according to hitchBOT co-creator Dr. David Harris Smith.

In a recent conversation with Mashable, Smith talked about what it would take to reignite the project. According to Smith, hitchBOT only cost the team around $3,000, but that the two creators spent quite some time on programming the robot. At their best estimate, it would take them at least three months to get another hitchBOT up and running again.

When news hit about the team having an interest in putting another robot together, lots of people took to Twitter in order to tweet their support for the project. Many people who either had experience building robots, or knew someone interested, said that they would be more than happy to help contribute to the project in any way they could.

The team still hasn’t given the green light on the project, but things are looking promising.

Where is hitchBOT Now?

Surprisingly, the team still hasn’t seen the destroyed hitchBOT outside of pictures that fans have submitted. In a press release addressing the incident, the team said that the mangled robot’s body had been found by fans, and was in the process of being sent back to be reunited with its family in Canada.

The team also made mention that they are considering an idea that involves introducing hitchBOT to schools to interact with children. One way or the other, fans are looking forward to seeing hitchBOT back in action real soon.

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ROBOTS CAN BE CUTE, TOO

 

HitchBOT: The Revival

Why can"t we all get along with our #robots? The fate of #hitchBOT. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/02/the-beloved-hitchbot-has-been-vandalized-to-death-366/

HitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot, has had its cross-country trip in the US end abruptly due to an incident involving vandalism in Philadelphia.

What happened?

The story of hitchBOT is one shared with many other poor, unfortunate souls. As innocent as the hitchhiking robot was, humanity still managed to find a way to assert itself on the unassuming robot. HitchBOT started its journey in Boston just two weeks ago.

On Saturday, the Canadian researchers responsible for creating hitchBOT reported that it was involved in an act of vandalism that left the robot in such a sad state of condition that the research team would be unable to repair it; hitchBOT never had a chance to make it out of the Northeast.

What was the purpose of hitchBOT?

HitchBOT was a child-sized robot created to participate in a social experiment that would help the research team understand how humans would interact with robots. It stood approximately 3 feet tall, and only weighed 25 pounds.

The robot also sported many features to help it interact with humans on a basic level, which included camera vision, a microphone, a speaker system, 3G and GPS capabilities.

Believe it or not, hitchBOT actually had a year’s worth of incident-free hitchhiking experience prior to the incident in Philadelphia. The world traveling robot had its first trip when it managed to hitchhike across Canada in 26 days. The trip started in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and ended in Victoria, British Columbia, which spanned a total of about 10,000 km.

After its trip to Canada, hitchBOT took a short break before heading across Germany in February of this year, and then setting out across the Netherlands in June.

Whether hitchBOT’s untimely demise is a product of American culture or if the robot just found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time is unclear.

What Does the Future Have in Store for HitchBOT?

The trip across the United States started in Marblehead, Massachusetts on July 17, and hitchBOT found itself equipped with a sign that read, “San Francisco or bust.” The robot took a decent tour around Boston — even catching a Red Sox Game — before it ultimately ended up in Philadelphia.

Currently, the creators of the project have no idea where hitchBOT has ended up since its battery is completely dead. The team of researchers will be conducting interviews tomorrow, where they will go into more detail about the future of hitchBOT.

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A story MUSIO would be distraught by:

The Beloved HitchBOT Has Been Vandalized to Death