The changing face (and nose and ears and eyes) of robotics...

Squishbot stands for Soft QUIet Shape-shifting robot (try that on for an acronym)... and the name's on the box. These little critters developed by the Robotic Mobility Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Boston Dynamics have 'viscoelastic skeletons' that can literally change from squishy to hard at the mercy of programming. Modelled seemingly on weirdarse deep-sea citizens, they can morph shape and rigidity, giving them extreme creep power and ultimate nightmare appeal.


Via Gizmodo and Shannon

CareBot: Outsourcing your responsibility

It's seems only fitting right now, while you're sandwiched between towers of tinned Aldi peaches waiting for the Swine Flu pandemic to subside, to introduce GeckoSystems' hilarious new addition to the robot family, CareBot.

CareBot is an automated nursemaid designed to follow you incredibly slowly around the house and provide the kind of medical advice you would ordinarily get from your mum. CareBot will nag you to feed kitty, tell you what's on tellie, and deliver surly passive aggressive retorts if you tell him to bugger off. Presumably further generations of CareBot with get judgy on who you bring home and wander off to sulk if you don't buy them flowers on Mothers' Day.






Via gearlog