robots

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>

Got a 'Kind and Friendly Face'? It Could Make You $127K

You just need to sell the rights to it in perpetuity, no big deal

(Newser) - If you are in need of money and happen to possess a "kind and friendly face," one company has a proposition for you. Geomiq, a London-based engineering startup, is helping its client, an unnamed robot company, to develop a "virtual friend" for elderly people. That's where...

Robot Dog May Have a Future in the Circus

Cirque de Soliel is in talks with Boston Dynamics

(Newser) - Animal-like robots that started out as a military-funded research project might be shipped off to the circus instead of the battlefield. Cirque du Soleil says it's in talks with robot maker Boston Dynamics about using the four-legged Spot robot in its live shows, the AP reports. The agile robots...

After Getting 'Stuck in Traffic,' ISS Now Has a New 'Bot

Russian humanoid robot Fedor is 'ready to work now' after a week's delay

(Newser) - A Russian space capsule carrying a humanoid robot has successfully docked at the International Space Station after a failed attempt last week. Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Tuesday that the capsule carrying the robot and other cargo docked at the orbiting lab early morning Moscow time. The robot, called...

Family Shocked to Get Grim News by 'Robot' Video

They were devastated by how the hospital handled it

(Newser) - Ernest Quintana's family knew he was dying of chronic lung disease when he was taken by ambulance to a hospital, unable to breathe. But they were devastated when a robot machine rolled into his room in the intensive care unit that night and a doctor told the 78-year-old patient...

Your Amazon Order May Soon Arrive in This

Six 'cooler-sized' Scout vehicles undergoing test in Washington state

(Newser) - With drone delivery still a ways off , enter Amazon's self-driving delivery robot. Amazon Scout is a "cooler-sized" electric vehicle on six wheels, intended to deliver Amazon packages along a delivery route, reports the Seattle Times . A promotional video shows Scout cruising down a sidewalk, stopping in front of...

'Robot Brothel' Plan Runs Into Trouble

Houston stops the business from opening, at least for now

(Newser) - Houston city officials have ordered a halt, at least temporarily, to a Canadian company's plan to open a so-called "robot brothel" in the city, the AP reports. The Houston Chronicle reports building inspectors ordered the halt after determining KinkySDollS lacked the permits required for demolition and construction. The...

Robot Sex Is Coming to This US City. The Mayor's Not Happy

Sex-doll brothel out of Canada is headed to Houston

(Newser) - "Sex Robot Battle" sounds like the name of a B-movie one might stumble on during late-night channel-surfing, but that's actually how KTRK depicts a war brewing between the mayor of a Texas city and the owner of a "sexbot business" out of Canada. The owner of KinkySDollS,...

'Regrettable' AI Move Spurs Boycott Against University

Academics aren't happy S. Korea's KAIST is involved in project that could produce 'killer robots'

(Newser) - Dozens of AI and robotics scientists want to prevent "an arms race that no one wants to happen": so-called "killer robots" that could emerge from a recently announced venture between a South Korean university and a weapons manufacturer. Per the Guardian , the teaming up of the Korea Advanced...

Chain Has New Employee— a Burger-Flipping Robot

Meet Flippy

(Newser) - Welcome to 2018: Robots are cooking hamburgers now. Fast-food chain CaliBurger is using a robot called Flippy at its Pasadena, Calif., location, KTLA reports. A human employee loads up the grill with raw burger patties, and Flippy uses thermal imaging, 3D and camera vision to detect the temperature and size...

After School Shootings, Russian Bots Hijacked Gun Debate

'The bots focus on anything that is divisive for Americans'

(Newser) - For Russia-linked Twitter accounts and bots linked to Russian propaganda campaigns, last week's horrific school shooting in Florida was just another opportunity to sow division among Americans, security researchers say. Within an hour of the shooting, hundreds of automated Twitter accounts with suspected Russian links began sending out tweets...

In This Cafe, Your Barista Is a Robot

Japan's Henna Cafe debuts Sawyer the robot to brew your coffee

(Newser) - Japan has a new cafe where customers can enjoy coffee brewed and served by a robot barista. The robot named Sawyer debuted this week at Henna Cafe in Tokyo's downtown business and shopping district of Shibuya. The shop's name in Japanese means "strange cafe," reports the...

'Suicidal Robot' Apparently Had Enough of DC Life

Nice knowing you, Steve

(Newser) - If you ever find yourself being chased by a mob of angry robots, find a set of stairs or, even better, a fountain. Less than a week after it was dispatched to an office building in Washington, DC, a Knightscope K5 security robot by the name of "Steve" tumbled...

'When the Robot Served Us Pizza We Felt Very Happy'

Robot waitress draws diners to Pakistani pizza joint

(Newser) - The owners of a pizza shop in Pakistan say business is booming now that they've introduced a robot waitress. Osama Jafri, the engineer who designed the 55-pound robot, says it can greet customers and carry pizzas to their tables. The AP reports the robot resembles a short, slender woman...

Robot Gets Revenge After Drunk Guy Picks Fight

Security droid sounded the alarm in Mountain View

(Newser) - A crime-fighting robot wasn't able to prevent a drunk guy from attacking it—but it did get the last laugh, er, whistle, according to police. Authorities say Jason Sylvain, 41, knocked down the 5-foot-tall, 300-pound Knightscope K5 security droid —which is equipped with a camera, per Ars Technica...

Here's How Much Robots Have Lowered Humans' Wages in US

A new study quantifies the impact of the robot uprising on the American worker

(Newser) - It turns out the robot uprising was a whole lot less The Terminator and a whole lot more Roger & Me. A study from economists at MIT and Boston University published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research attempts to quantify the effects of industrial automation on American...

Number of US Occupations Automated Since 1950: 1

Pour one out for our lost elevator operators

(Newser) - While there's a lot of worry about robots replacing American workers, a paper by Harvard economist James Bessen found automation has made humans obsolete in just one job over the past 67 years. Of 270 occupations listed in the 1950 US Census, only elevator operator no longer exists due...

Robot Programmed to Avoid Humans Roams Californian Desert

ShyBot is part of an exhibit by an Italian artist

(Newser) - Finally, a robot for people who don't like parties, order all their meals online, and haven't made direct eye contact in 18 months. Motherboard reports an Italian artist has created a rover that's solely programmed to avoid human contact. In an artist's statement , Norma Jeane admits...

Robot Enters Fukushima Reactor, Doesn't Fare So Well

'Scorpion' robot's crawling function fails before it could locate melted fuel

(Newser) - Robot probes sent to one of Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear reactors have suggested worse-than-anticipated challenges for the plant's ongoing cleanup. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said the remote-controlled "scorpion" robot was sent into Unit 2's containment vessel Thursday to investigate the area around...

IBM Working on Bot to Help Elderly Age at Home

Sensors can detect motion, scent, audio, and more

(Newser) - Assisted living facilities and personal nurses aren't exactly cheap. And as the Baby Boomer generation ages, finding affordable means of helping people age in the comfort of their own homes could be good not just for seniors, but for their wallets, too. So IBM is working on a prototype...

Cops Grab Suspect's Gun Without Lifting a Finger

'The robot was a game changer'

(Newser) - After an attempted murder suspect armed with a rifle was chased into the desert on Sept. 8, he barricaded himself using a dirt berm and wire fencing; Los Angeles County sheriffs say they tried for six hours to get him to surrender. Finally, officers skillfully plucked the gun right out...

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>