Like Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen who lost his arm in an accident but kept on performing, aspiring drummer Jason Barnes didn't let losing his right arm two years ago deter him from realising his dream. He built a crude prosthetic using springs that allowed him to keep on drumming, but after enrolling at the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media, he met an engineering professor who realised he could build Barnes something better. Read More >>
Outdoor lighting is as much about decoration as it is about safety, allowing you to enjoy your artificial oasis at night without the risk of accidentally stepping on a hidden rake. But why run lights to every corner of your garden when you can just mount a decorative Japanese lantern to a quadruped and simply have it follow you around all night? Read More >>
The thing about mad scientists is that they're both mad and good at science. It seems obvious, but the outcomes are always unexpected. Case and point: this team of Hungarian physicists who created a bunch of autonomous drones that flock like birds. The invasion begins now. Read More >>
Do you suck at Flappy Bird? Don't worry, most humans do. Even if you're smart, the game is so silly it won't reward your intelligence. Two guys from China used their frustration to make a robot that dominates Flappy Bird. It uses a webcam to figure out how many taps are needed to clear the pipes and a robotic arm made from an old hard drive and a tip of a stylus. Hasta la vista, birdy. Read More >>
Seriously. Watching this awesome machine bend wires in different shapes puts my brain into deep whadafuhhh mode. The manufacturer claims it is the fastest wire bending machine in the world. I don't know if that's true or not, but it's unreal. Read More >>
Joris Laarman Studio's prototype software instructs a robotic arm, which debuted at Fabricate2014 in Zurich earlier this month, to recreate 3D models in midair, using molten metals of all kinds. It looks as cool as it sounds. Read More >>
On August 18, 1982 the Beverly Hills Police Department took a rather unusual individual into custody: a robot called DC-2. The crime? Illegally distributing business cards and generally causing a commotion on North Beverly Drive, California. It was probably the first time a robot had ever been arrested. Read More >>
If the recent RoboCop remake has made you extra nostalgic for the original films, this 1:4-scale figure should provide you with all of the fond memories you need. In fact, with 30 points of articulation, and a face painted with a multi-layer technique that even shows veins beneath the skin, from a distance you might just mistake it for the real thing. Read More >>
The original Robocop, released in 1987 and directed by Paul Verhoeven, was not only one of the best science-fiction films of the last three decades—or, as Tom Scocca described it on Gawker, "a brilliant comedy operating in the guise of an ultraviolent action movie"—but it was also a Christian allegory. At least according to Verhoeven himself who, in a 2010 interview, referred to his resurrected robot hero as "the American Jesus." Let's discuss. Read More >>
Robots and Nerf, two toys that are the staple of every child's messy bedroom floor, are finally coming together in what could be one of the best (and safest) ways to harass your siblings, parents, and even co-workers. Because Hasbro's new Combat Creatures let you remotely unleash a barrage of foam darts from a safe distance. Read More >>
You've seen robots hike over rocks and dominate at table football, but have you ever watched a machine face off against a human ping pong champion, Forrest Gump-style? Well, March 11th is your lucky day. Read More >>
This six-wheel-drive remote control robot snow plow is powered by six 24-volt 127RPM electric motors. Its 1.3-metre-wide blade can clear your driveway in no time, all from the comfort of the warm indoors. Read More >>
That mountain of washing up. The pile of dirty laundry. The steaming cat litter tray. Get on with it -- they won't clean themselves. Or at least, not yet. Dyson has become the latest company to announce significant investment in the robotics industry, bringing us one step closer to our own mechanical Jeeves. Read More >>
Good news for anyone who dropped a small fortune on a 3D printer and found themselves bored of creating novelty keychains and meme-based figurines. Jose Julio successfully turned the parts needed to build a RepRap 3D printer into an air hockey-playing robot that looks pretty tough to beat. Read More >>
Why is DARPA's terrifying humanoid robot having such a good time twirling sparklers around like its flying on ecstasy? Because 56 years ago (as of yesterday), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was born. Happy birthday DARPA! Just, uh, please don't give Atlas a wish. Bad idea. Read More >>
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