Boston Dynamics BIGDOG Robot

"Check out this new video from Boston Dynamics: the thing hauls 150 pounds, picks its way across rocky fields and steep slopes, and leaps into the air like a steeplechasing horse. But what remains BigDog's most impressive feature is its ability to maintain its balance, without human intervention; the Dog is so surefooted, it'll take a hard kick, and still stay upright."
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Robot Ride

DJ ROBOTS - FESTO

More info here:
http://www.festo-didactic.com

The task they faced was by no means easy. They had to develop a robot application on the basis of the Modular Production System MPS®, to be presented at the WorldSkills competition 2003 in St. Gallen.

With the "DJ Robots" project from Festo Didactic, students and trainees have shown that training in robotics doesn't always have to be a chore -- it can also be a lot of fun. Their mission has been successful. The two DJ Robots can rock with the beat on their axes to hip hop and rock, proving in impressive style that robots can be musical.

http://www.festo.com/usa

Microsoft Moves into Robotics

Microsoft believes the demand for consumer, research, and military robots will grow significantly--and it wants to own the market, with Microsoft Robotics Studio (MSRS) and the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE).

MSRS is a visual programming environment, similar to the LabView-based software provided with LEGO's Mindstorms NXT kit. It allows users to drag and drop box-like symbols for simple, low-level behaviors and services (such as accessing a sensor) and string them together to create complex robotic programs.

MSRS also uses the AGEIA PhysX physics engine, which powers many PC games, to provide a visual simulation of the robot and its environment, complete with realistic friction, drag, gravity, and other factors.

[via KurzweilAI.net News]

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