[archive]

Robots Tagged: robot

2008

Tryphon – SAILS

Categories: Art, Performance Art – Tags: , , ,

Project group: SAILS -> Self-Assembling-Lighter-Than-Air-Structures

Project Name: Tryphon

Authors: Nicolas Reeves, NXI GESTATIO Design Lab, University of Quebec in Montreal.

[Project engineer : David St-Onge].

  1. Technic : The Tryphons are cubic aerobot of 2.25m side made of a carbon fiber structure. They are entirely autonomous. Equipped with a main computer brain, they can analyze data comming from many different sensors on the robots (light, ultrasounds, acceleration, compass, etc.) and after interpreting them send the appropriate commands to the motors. The robots may move freely in space, without any wire, only by the thrust of their brushless turbofans. The behaviour of the robots depends only on the programming preceding the performance and are limited only by the artist’s imagination.
  2. Art : Since the beginning of the Tryphon (and before Mascarillon) project the creators’ choose to make use of the robots for artistic purposes. One of the first objective was (and still is) to be able to assemble many of those flying cube together in space as a 3D printer able to represent in reality architecture virtual models The idea linking cubes with architecture is far more important then their use or their complex carbon fiber structure. It relies in the basic concept of viewing a non aerodynamic object floating and evolving in space without any wires or any grounded equipement. As example of other performance’s possibilities let’s mention : floating projection screen over a crowd, autonomous robots acting with simple insect-like behaviour in restricted environment (pictures of Moscow), interaction with actors in theater. The team is actually working on the last one to present next year a 4 actors – 4 robots performance in Montréal (Canada).
2006

Autotelematic Spider Bots

Category: Art – Tags: , ,

The Autotelematic Spider Bots 2006, is a new artificial life robotic installation. It consists of 10 spider-like sculptures that interact with the public in real-time and self-modify their behaviors, based on their interaction with the viewer, themselves, their environment and their food source.

The Auto telematic Spider Bots installation is an artificial life chimera; a robotic spider, eating and finding its food like an ant, seeing like a bat with the voice of an electronic twittering bird.

The spider bots see participants in the installation with long distance ultrasonic eyes at the end of a springy antennae-like neck. The ultrasonic eyes at the end of this antennae allow the robots to see out to a distance of 3-4 meters and allow human interaction.

The robots are constantly seeking human interaction by swinging their antennae back and forth and when they find people with these sensors and neck these values become seeds to different, behaviors, which manifest themselves immediately and over time as the series evolves.

1921

R.U.R. – Rossum’s Universal Robots

Categories: Fiction, Literature – Tags: , ,

In 1921 Karel Čapek coined the word robot in his science fiction play called R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The word “robot” comes from the word robota meaning literally serf labor, and, figuratively, “drudgery” or “hard work” in Czech, Slovak and Polish.

The Robots described in the play are not robots in the modern sense. Rossum’s robots are biological creations engineered in the same fashion as Frankenstein’s creature as described by Mary Shelley. Čapek’s Robots are biological machines, but they are still assembled, as opposed to grown or born.

In the play the robots can think for themselves and perform manual labor. Although they seem happy to work for humans, that changes and leads to the end of the human race due to a hostile robot rebellion.

In 1921 Karel Čapek coined the word robot in his science fiction play called R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The word “robot” comes from the word robota meaning literally serf labor, and, figuratively, “drudgery” or “hard work” in Czech, Slovak and Polish.

The Robots described in the play are not robots in the modern sense. Rossum’s robots are biological creations engineered in the same fashion as Frankenstein’s creature as described by Mary Shelley. Čapek’s Robots are biological machines, but they are still assembled, as opposed to grown or born.

In the play the robots can think for themselves and perform manual labor. Although they seem happy to work for humans, that changes and leads to the end of the human race due to a hostile robot rebellion.

2006

Lego Mindstorms

Categories: Educational, Science, Toy – Tag:

LEGO Mindstorms is a line of Lego sets combining programmable bricks with electric motors, sensors, Lego bricks, and Lego Technic pieces (such as gears, axles, and beams). Mindstorms originated from the programmable sensor blocks used in the line of educational toys. The first retail version of Lego Mindstorms was released in 1998 and marketed commercially as the Robotics Invention System (RIS). The current version was released in 2006 as Lego Mindstorms NXT.


2008

WALL-E

Categories: Fiction, Film, Science – Tags: , ,

WALL-E is a 2008 computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. It follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future. He eventually falls in love with another robot named EVE, and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and humanity. (Wikipedia)

1950

Speedy

Categories: Fiction, Film, Literature – Tag:

In 2015, Powell, Donovan and Robot SPD-13 (aka “Speedy”) are sent to Mercury to restart operations at a mining station which was abandoned ten years before. They discover that the photo-cell banks that provide life support to the base are short on selenium and will soon fail. The nearest selenium pool is seventeen miles away, and since Speedy can withstand Mercury’s high temperatures, Donovan sends him to get it. Powell and Donovan become worried when they realize that Speedy has not returned after five hours. They use a more primitive robot to retrieve Speedy and try to analyze what happened to it. When they eventually find Speedy, they discover he is running in a huge circle around a selenium pool. (Wikipedia)

1999

Aibo

Categories: Educational, Toy – Tag:

AIBO (Artificial Intelligence roBOt, homonymous with “pal” in Japanese) was one of several types of robotic pets designed and manufactured by Sony; there have been several different models since their introduction on May 11, 1999. AIBO was discontinued in 2006. Being able to walk, “see” its environment via camera, and recognize spoken commands, the AIBO robotic pets are considered to be autonomous robots, since they are able to learn and mature based on external stimuli from their owner or environment, or from other AIBOs. Artist Hajime Sorayama created the initial designs for the AIBO. On January 26, 2006 Sony announced that it would discontinue AIBO and several other products as of March, 2006. It will also stop development of the QRIO robot. AIBO will still be supported until 2013 (ERS7 model), however, and AIBO technology will continue to be developed for use in other consumer products. (Wikipedia)

1965

B9

Categories: Art, Fiction, Film – Tags: ,

In 1997, the Earth suffers from overpopulation and natural resource depletion. Professor John Robinson (Guy Williams), his wife, Maureen (June Lockhart), their children, Judy (Marta Kristen), Penny (Angela Cartwright), Will (Billy Mumy), and their friend and pilot, Major Don West (Mark Goddard), are chosen to travel on the Jupiter 2 to Alpha Centauri to colonize a habitable planet discovered in that system. After the Robinsons are placed in suspended animation, but before the launch, staff medical doctor / foreign double agent Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) sneaks aboard on a sabotage mission. He reprograms the ship’s robot B-9 (voiced by Dick Tufeld) to destroy the ship shortly after it leaves Earth. He becomes trapped during launch, however, and his extra weight throws the Jupiter 2 off course, causing it to encounter a meteor storm. The robot’s rampage causes the ship to become lost. (Wikipedia)

1956

Robby

Categories: Fiction, Film – Tags: ,

Robby the Robot is a 6-foot, 11-inch tall mechanical suit designed for an actor to wear, to play the part of a robot. It was originally designed for the 1956 MGM movie Forbidden Planet, and quickly became a science fiction movie and television icon. As Forbidden Planet was inspired by Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, Robby’s character was inspired by Ariel, the sprite in the play. An important feature of Robby was an unalterable command that he was not to inflict fatal harm upon human beings. This comes into play near the end of the film, where Robby is commanded to kill the monster, but cannot do so because it comprehends that the monster is an alter ego or extension of Dr. Morbius. (Wikipedia)

2008

Eve

Categories: Fiction, Film – Tags: , , ,

In Disney/Pixar’s [...]animated adventure “Wall-E” a determined robot in a world abandoned by mankind, discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator).

EVE comes to realize that WALL•E (or Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly waiting on board the luxury spaceship Axiom for news that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most incredible comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

EVE is a sleek, state-of-the-art probe-droid. She’s fast, she flies and she’s equipped with a laser gun. EVE, also called Probe One by the Captain of the Axiom (the enormous luxury mother ship which houses thousands of displaced humans), is one of a fleet of similar robots sent to Earth on an undisclosed scanning mission. EVE has a classified directive and she is determined to complete her mission successfully. She hardly even notices her new admirer WALL•E. One day, frustrated with not finding what she is looking for, she takes a break and makes an unexpected bond with this quirky robot. Together, they embark on an amazing journey through space.

Animating EVE posed its share of challenges for Pixar. With only two blinking eyes and four moving parts, she required a lot of advanced thought and just the right subtle movement. Designed to look like a futuristic robot, EVE is the epitome of elegance and simplicity.

“We wanted her to be graceful,” says director Andrew Stanton. “There are different ways to convey what is masculine and what is feminine in this world and we felt that she should be fluid, seamless, she should have attractive feminine qualities.”

(clickthecity.com)