Robots that can smell are made possible thanks to genetically modified frog cells that will be used in robots. This will usher in a new age of electronic noses that will be able to sniff out anything or anyone. The current system uses quartz rods that vibrate at a different frequency whenever they bind to a target substance. The system works fine, but it isn’t perfect. Different substances with similar molecular weights might bind to the rod, giving a false positive.

So now, a biological smell sensor uses immature eggs from the African clawed frog by genetically modifying them to express the proteins known to act as smell receptors.

Ubergizmo

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Modified Frog Cells Help Robots Smell

A new animation for the R2-D2 Edition Motorola Droid 2 has shown up online. The Droid 2 R2-D2 edition features the same specifications as the standard edition, like a 3.7 inch WVGA TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 854.

Some other specs include a 1GHz processor, 8GB of built in storage plus a microSD card slot that comes with an 8GB card and it can be upgraded to a 32GB micro SD card.

SB

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Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition boot animation

You might remember a robot named Dustcart and his buddy Dustclean, two garbage collecting robots sponsored by the European Commission.

Sadly, the project ended in 2009 and they didn’t know what to do with the out of work robots. No worries, this summer they are on loan to the small Tuscan town of Peccioli in Italy. Many of the Italian town’s streets are too small or narrow for a regular garbage truck, so these bots are perfect.

The creators estimate the cost to be between $19,000 and $25,000 per robot, should you have some trash needs in your area, but we don’t know when they might be available.

robotliving

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Dustcart & Dustclean Get Some Real World Experience

If you have some spare dough, Willow Garage is now selling the PR2. Assuming that you have $400,000 anyway. For that price, you get two arms with grippers, an omnidirectional mobile base, a sensor suite, and dual onboard Xeon servers each with 8-cores, 24GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage, and a power system on board.

There’s also a 1.3kWh battery and the sensors include a 5MP camera, dual forearm cameras, and LIDAR. The PR2 also comes with networking like a full EtherCAT motion control network, dual radio WiFi, and a wireless run stop system. At last you can have one in your home.

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Willow Garage Ships PR2 Robot For $400,000

Dr. Goldie Nejat has created a human-like robot that can convey and decipher emotion. A robot with a head that looks a shotgun blast blew out the back of its head, leaving just a creepy face. It’s name is Brian and I’m certain we should kill it.

Nejat and her team of grad students at the University of Toronto’s autonomous systems and biomechatronics lab built the robot to assist the elderly. Specifically to prompt them to remember important tasks and to keep a healthy daily routine. Sort of like a motivational coach. A coach that you should only view head-on.

The lab is working with Baycrest, a Toronto-based elderly care and research facility. Residents and staff there are helping with a pilot project to see how the elderly will react to a robot that prompts them with friendly reminders. I can answer that right now. There’s gonna be alot of old people who need their diaper changed after seeing this specimen.

You can check out the creepy video here.

itbusiness

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Brian The Robot Reads Your Emotions

Most robots don’t get off the ground without a safety line, harness or other means of keeping them protected, but the X-4 “Sloth” robot liveds life on the edge with no safety line. It can climb a human scale ladder vertically, and travel hand over hand horizontaly, all while untethered. It relies on the strength of its grasping ‘toes’.

It was made from Lego NXT Mindstorm components. Watch the quadruped bot slowly climb in the video. And I mean slow. This video is ten minutes of slow. They don’t call it the Sloth for nothing.

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Sloth Robot Climbs Ladders

Wall-E fans will love this cool Wall-E And Eva Macbook Decal. It’s a Full color high quality vinyl sticker for your macbook or macbook pro, which will help you stand out from the crowd and show your robot love at the same time.

This decal comes from ApJam on etsy and is available for the 13 inch MacBook and MacBook Pro as well as the 15 and 17 inch MacBook Pro’s for $15.90.

GG

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Wall-E And Eva Macbook Decal

One can never have too many robot skulls. They are conversation pieces if nothing else. Here’s a paper one that you can print out, cut and fold and add to your collection.

craftzine

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Papercraft Robot Skull

These pillow cases are romantic and geeky. The set has a cute “I love you” on each side. One for the female bot and one for the male bot. You can purchase them for $38 at the link below.

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His And Hers Robot Pillow Case Set

If Transformers took place in the 1800s, Optimus Prime would look like this. Naturally he would transform into a Locomotive. He would probably also need Shia LaBeouf to shovel coal into him as a full time job. And their slogan would be “More than meets the monocle”.

io9

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Steampunk Optimus Prime