There were many times during school that I would have killed to have some sort of double sit in for me. Don’t get me wrong, I was a good student and all, but some of my teachers were just downright boring. Well it seems that if you have the right amount of cash, you can actually get your very own doppelganger robot from Xian Chaoren Sculpture Research Institute in China.
The robots look real enough (I’m actually not sure which is which in the above picture) and they can do a few very simple things like move their eyes and such. Sure, it’s not going to fool anyone for a great length of time, but just imagine the sort of fun you could have freaking out your friends.
Like many millions of other people, I’ve got a Facebook account. It keeps me connected with friends both new and old, which is nice. I don’t exactly spend tons of time on there since I have better things to do. However, if you need an excuse to spend more time on the site, then I suggest you take a look at MyDeskFriend.
This interesting little penguin robot syncs up with your Facebook and does fun things like read your messages to you. It can also zoom around your desk and make noises to entertain you. Remember those little Tamagotchi things that you used to see a lot? Well the MyDeskFriend needs to be fed and played with just like one of those. It will react to your touch, whether you’re shaking it violently or petting it. Look for these sometime in September for around $100.
By now you’re probably well aware of the 1/1 scale Gundam statue that currently towers over Tokyo, Japan, but it seems the whole country is making a concerted effort to get its citizens used to the presence of giant robot overlords. Kobe’s Wakamatsu Park is next in line and will soon have their very own 60-foot tall, 50-ton statue of Tetsujin 28-go, aka Iron Man #28. But unlike the Gundam in Tokyo, Kobe’s statue won’t move or anything, but will remain stalwart in a ready-to-defend-the-country-against-Godzilla pose.
I’ve also included a video of the statue under construction after the jump.
For the longest time it was only a theory, but now I’m convinced that toy makers these days are just plain lazy, particularly when it comes to movie tie-ins. Now I “”"missed”"” (notice the gratuitous use of quotes)Terminator Salvation but I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that Skynet’s army didn’t include flying disembodied terminator heads.
So why on earth did a toymaker at Bladez think it would be cool to slap a terminator skull on an RC helicopter? I don’t care if it can be used to dogfight other helicopters with realistic battle sound effects or that it has folding blades to minimize the damage during crashes, this thing is just lame! And it’s almost $50 from IdealWorld.
Last weekend BotJunkie was at RoboGames, the world’s largest robot competition, here in San Francisco. We posted one highlight video over the weekend, but after the break, we’ve got a photo gallery plus three more videos featuring Saturday and Sunday highlights and feature on the new Mech Warfare competition. Read the rest of this entry »
He may not be the poster bot for the film, but M-O, aka Micro Obliterator’s quiet antics in WALL-E made him instantly likable. And not only did he do a good job at keeping the Axiom clean, but even with just a set of glowing eyes he had loads more personality than the most advanced Roomba. So for that reason alone this M-O deluxe action figure would make a great addition to any desk. But what’s with the deluxe you might ask? Well it turns out M-O actually has a set of duel bristles on the front allowing him to sweep up any dust or crumbs you roll him over, which are collected in an easy to empty waste bin on his back. Let’s see an Eve figure do that! $21.99 from Amazon.
Over at BotJunkie, we’ve been waiting a year (a year!) for RoboGames, and this weekend, it’s all happening. Men and women, boys and girls from more than 20 countries will be competing in over 70 different events… There’s the combat (from micro-sized to 340 pound) of course, as well as the humanoid events, but I’m particularly looking forward to autonomous competitions and of course the big new event this year: Mech Warfare. We’ll be ringside, taking video. It’s gonna be AWESOME.
For up to the minute pictures and info, you can follow BotJunkie on Twitter. I’ll be Twittering from the event all weekend, and we’ll have oodles of pictures and video next week. Unless I get killed by a rampaging combat robot. Then it might take longer.
The action starts this Friday and runs though Sunday at Fort Mason in San Francisco; buy tickets here… Or if you’re poor like me and you want to get in for free, volunteers are always needed. If you’re interested in that (it’s fun!), email me (evan@botjunkie.com) and we’ll work something out.
Even though eBay seller ‘lil_payaso‘ lists this set of authentic RoboCop armor as being screen used, in the description they immediately clarify that it was only possibly screen used for stunt doubles or distant shots. Lame! However, it is one of 5 suits that were made for RoboCop 2 & 3 promotional tours and public appearances, and the seller can confirm that it did make appearances in Japan, if that matters to you. The suit is listed with a Buy It Now price of $2,250, but you’ll want to keep in mind that only gets you the armor parts. Any of the soft black parts, including the gloves and torso, are not included, though the seller can apparently put the buyer in touch with someone who makes them. Oh and you won’t be getting RoboCop’s cool AUTO9 handgun either.
Having watched Caddy Shack countless times, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to hire one of the caddies at their local golf course, what with all their hilarious misadventures. But if you’re the type who takes their game seriously while not carrying your own clubs, you’ll be happy to know you can finally hire a wisecrack-free robot to do it. The Shadow Caddy can carry your clubs, balls and even beverages and automatically follows you around the course thanks to a wireless transmitter you wear clipped to your belt. And in order to avoid obstacles like other golfers, sand traps or water hazards, it uses a sophisticated object detection system. Apparently the Shadow Caddy will only be sold to golf courses instead of individuals, but they should start appearing on links around the world sometime this year.
Side Note: I love how that product shot makes it look like the Shadow Caddy is hiding in the tall grasses, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take down a golfer that’s been singled out from the herd.
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