Meet Tio: motorized building blocks that bring your 3D printed toys and LEGO creations to life. The kit comes with built-in LEDs, rechargeable batteries, magnetic mounts, templates, and everything you need to get started. Tio is compatible with iOS and Android devices. Users will be able to program these blocks, change their motor speed & LED colors, and more.
Meet Nadine: a smart robot that can speak with emotions and recognize people. It can remember people’s names and previous conversations. Prof. Nadia Thalmann is behind this robot. It has a soft skin and can smile, making it ideal as a personal assistant.
Here is a bionic fingertip that connects to nerves in the arm and allows an amputee to feel rough or smooth textures in real-time. As the below video shows, this fingertip has a miniaturized sensor with electrical signals to stimulate the nerves of the subject.
Here is a wheeled-legged robot capable of operating a switch, handling tools, and even driving a car. Momaro has 4 legs that end in steerable wheels. It can shift its weight to three legs and climb over obstacles with the 4th leg.
The above video shows what Mimamo is capable of. More information is available here.
We have covered plenty of cool robotic hands here in the past. This robot from NamikiLaboratory shows a robot hand dribbling a ball like a pro. The below video shows the action in slow motion:
More information is available here.
It is no secret that many people have bought and flown drones in the past couple of years. These tiny machines could be a security threat to businesses though. SkyWall100 is a drone defense system that captures UAVs and controls their descent to the ground.
Meet Pinokio: a cute lamp driven by Arduino that maintains eye contact with its subject. It uses a web cam, image processing software and 6 servos to keep up. It uses an image processing software to identify people through its web cam and maintain eye contact with them.
Here is a log lifting robot made with LEGO. The robot can grab and pick up pieces of food. It is not the fastest robot, but it does the job. The below video shows how this log lifting robot works:
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Robots handling tough objects is not a challenge. Things are a bit more interesting when you want them to automate tasks that involve fragile items. This video from Soft Robotics shows how robots with soft grippers can move food items around without damaging them.
Meet the Gowe Educational Robot: a robotic kit designed with hobbyists and kids in mind. The robot lets you mount 17 micro servos. It has 10 lower body joints. The kit comes with various servo brackets, screws, and everything you need to get started. The below idea gives you a better idea what you can do with it:
