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Celebrities, Web

Spike Jonze's New Film About Robot Love Guaranteed to Make Us Cry

spike jonze

Following last year's 'Where the Wild Things Are,' director Spike Jonze has returned to the screen at the Sundance Film Festival with yet another work inspired by a children's book. Instead of stretching a 338-word book into a feature-length film, however, he's decided to keep things a bit more compact with his latest 30-minute short about robot love in Los Angeles. Inexplicably financed by Absolut Vodka, 'I'm Here' recently debuted at Sundance, and, according to Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider, has already been slated to air on IFC -- although official confirmation has yet to come.

As you can see in the trailer below, the robotic special effects are noticeably more rudimentary than the enchanted, humanistic, high-tech monsters that frolicked onscreen in Jonze's last film. But it seems like Jonze has somehow managed to pull the same kind of expressiveness out of these relatively simplistic robots. And even though the trailer is pretty short, there appear to be some other general similarities between this and 'Wild Things': child-like dialogue; a lo-fi soundtrack; and a theme of searching for human connection in an inhuman environment. Plus, like 'Wild Things,' 'I'm Here' is based on a timeless children's book, albeit more loosely.

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Computers

Robots Feed You Breakfast, Don't Require Awkward Chit Chat

The story is always the same. You wake up the morning after a rough night, head pounding, eyes bloodshot, mouth parched. You're in need of some early morning sustenance to start the recovery process, but it would take a Herculean effort to move your big toe -- let alone to interact with the near-stranger snoring away next to you. Well, now your Sunday morning breakfast woes are over, thanks to two new robots from Korea.

Developed by KIST, two new bots called Mahru-Z and Mahru-M can operate a microwave, prepare tea and toast, and -- most crucially -- bring breakfast to its groggy-eyed owner. As you can see in the video below, Mahru-Z is the dude robot with two legs, while Mahru-M is his female companion on wheels. (Any other anatomical differences between the two are left strictly to imagination.) Mahru-Z heats something up in the microwave, makes the toast, and then hands it off to the ladybot of the house to serve.

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Computers

Docs Slash World-Record Vasectomy Reversal Time, Thanks to Nutty Robots

Some things in life were made to be done quickly -- the 100-meter dash, 'Dance Dance Revolution,' and the blog post, to name a few. Please notice that a vasectomy reversal is not on that list.

Doctors at the University of Florida, though, have broken the record for the world's fastest robotic vasectomy reversal, an achievement that some experts are heralding as a breakthrough and others are dismissing as flagrantly frivolous. The university, in a statement, said that "the findings... represent the first head-to-head comparison of robot vasectomy reversal and the microscope procedure that is widely used." University of New Mexico's Dr. Wayne Kuang was downright laudatory in his praise -- if somewhat clumsy in his choice of words -- calling the technique "state of the art stuff" and "cutting edge" (wince).

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Computers

Man Builds 'Kegbot' for Real-Time Brew Level and Temperature Monitoring

The worst post-party experience is waking up to find a keg with beer still inside it. If this happens to you, there are two options: you can empty the remaining beer onto the ground (and shed a tear), or you can try your best to keep that keg iced down so the beer won't spoil.

But one industrious beer-lover will never have to deal with this problem again. Inspired by a kegerator, Jean-Michel built a beer keg monitoring and cooling system dubbed "Kegbot." According to Unplggd, this contraption monitors the amount of beer left in the keg, the temperature of the beverage, and the amount of CO2 left in the keg -- both of which are crucial to ensuring your beer stays foamy and fresh. To top it off, all this information is displayed on an easy-to-read LCD screen. Jean-Michel even built a custom refrigerator unit to house the keg, although it's not as flashy as some we've seen.

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Visionaries, Web

E-mail an Eel, Cuz NEPTUNE Brings Internet to the Sea Floor

It's kinda embarrassing how little we humans know about the depths of the ocean. Scientists have a better idea of the contours of Mars than the layout of the sea floor. More people have been on the moon than in the deepest sea crevices. Hell, we're even more familiar with the depths of Mariah Carey's closet than we are of Earth's benthos. A new robot, though, is hoping to change all that, with the resource that saves us all -- the Internet.

Scientists believe that NEPTUNE, heralded as the world's largest Internet undersea science station, may revolutionize the way people study the deep sea. The network allows a fleet of undersea robots to dig around the ocean floor, conduct experiments, gather data, and then stream their findings directly to the Web. Until now, deep sea exploration has been a pain in the neck, since communicating efficiently and reliably with submersible robots required lots of manual labor -- either docking directly next to the craft to transmit data, or setting up radio-equipped buoys in the ocean. Now, though, armed with a 497-mile long fiber optic cable connection, NEPTUNE will allow marine biologists and scientists to sit back in their offices and watch as the data trickles into their computers.

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Computers

Dino-Napping! Thieves Abscond With $100K Animatronic Beast

Thieves Steal $100,000 Dino-bot
Straight from our WTF files -- thieves managed to walk off with the $100,000, five-foot-tall, remote-controlled robot dinosaur from the 'Walking With Dinosaurs' show on opening night in Guadalajara, Mexico. How the crooks got past security and into where the dino-bots were being held, or even how they managed to walk out the door with an animatronic beast the size of an eighth-grader isn't exactly clear. The staff noticed the dinosaur was missing after the show ended and just before it was time to pack up and head north of the border for a tour around the U.S.

What exactly the thieves plan to do with the robot is unknown. We're pretty sure something that large, that expensive, and that hilarious looking would draw a lot of attention on the black market. But heck, maybe they're just going to use it to pull a plow through corn fields.

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Computers

Moaning Robot Heads Shatter Psyches at Miami Art Basel

We've seen tons of terrifying bots here at Switched: the tiny goose-stepping, vaguely racist Ropid; a convulsing, swine flu simulating, artificial cadaver; and most recently, a robotic school girl that dances like a marionette possessed. But all of these horrors pale in comparison to the $75,000 piece of art by Nathaniel Mellor on display at Art Basel Miami Beach 2009.

The work features three horrifying disembodied heads (video after the break) that, thanks to computer-controlled servos and a set of speakers, "sing."

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Web

Director Hits Studio Jackpot With Low Budget Robot Attack Short

Aspiring amateur filmmakers frequently parlay inexpensive digital shorts into viral sensations, but rarely does Net success actually produce tangible profits. If reports from Newslite are accurate, the previously-unknown director of the Web hit 'Panic Attack' has turned his $500, five-minute robot apocalypse film into a big budget, multi-million dollar project.

Representatives of Mandate Pictures apparently approached Federico Alvarez, an Uruguayan F/X magician, after his cheap yet visually impressive film began attracting significant attention on the Web. The short depicts massive robots and flying ships that violently descend on the town of Montevideo. Alvarez will reportedly receive numerous benefits, including a flat $1 million fee as well as a $30 million budget with which to create a long-form version.

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Computers

Terrifying School Girl Robot Dances, Elicits Cowering and Whimpers

Dancing robots have definitely become passé. No matter how awkward or disturbing they may appear, the gyrating automatons just don't seem quite so terrifying or creepy anymore. But, one (hopefully last) horrifying entry in the ROBO-ONE GATE dancing robot competition has managed to transcend that boogie-bot cliche.

The Doka Harumi robot, whose blank, schoolgirl face and wig look like wardrobe castoffs from either 'Psycho' or 'Silence of the Lambs,' is a truly horrific and nightmarish mechanical grotesquerie, that, should you want a disturbing scare, is available after the jump. It's almost impossible to endure the entire freakish routine, as even the host looks uncomfortable and ready to flee when the bot begins its unsettling 'Batman' Batusi. While the Doka Harumi creation may just be the most disturbing dancing robot yet, we can at least take solace in the fact that it doesn't goose-step like this fascist little terror. [From: Engadget]

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Web

Roomba Vacuum Sucks Up Viper, Saves Kids

When an Israeli family recently left their vacuuming robot to tidy up, they received more than just a clean house. According to Bot Junkie, Efi Frida found a deadly viper wrapped around the brushes of the Roomba 560 that she and her husband had purchased to help with household chores. The startling discovery happened when Frida returned home to find the robot angrily beeping and getting stuck. She opened it up, and saw the poor, dead snake inside, wound tightly around the robot's spinning parts.

Considering the Fridas have two children, Jonathan, 7, and Yael, 4, it's a good thing the Roomba was patrolling the house on this particular evening. (And it's a good thing the Fridas didn't purchase a rogue Roomba.) Although Efi says she's thankful, she also told an Israeli newspaper that finding the dead snake was bittersweet. "I like snakes, so for me it's a somewhat tragic ending," she said.

The only tragic part of this story would be if the heroic robot were to go on strike over stressful work conditions. (No word on this, yet.) That's one labor union you don't want to mess with. [From: Bot Junkie, via Geekologie]

Audio/Video

Jazzy Robot Shows the World How to Jam

Jamming is a cornerstone of pure jazz, and one of the things that separates it from other musical genres. There's something uniquely human about a group of individual musicians taking a simple melody and bending it and twisting it into some conch shell of sound that, however complex, somehow works. Some robotics students in Japan, though, have developed a robot that could someday recreate such improvisational wizardry.

Students at Wasada University in Japan have created a robot capable of "jamming" with human bandmates. With the help of an algorithm that allows it to pick up on visual and audio clues from its partner and the music, the robot can pretty accurately mimic whatever notes its human counterpart might throw at it. Researchers at Waseda's Takanishi Laboratory are hoping that eventually, they'll be able to teach it to improvise, too.

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Celebrities

Obama Promises to Build (and Protect Us From) Robots

He already has uncanny reflexes, a wicked southpaw jumpshot, and can leap tall buildings in a single bound. But now, in a bold move to live up to his Nobel Peace Prize, President Obama has promised us all that he will protect us from future robot invasions.

Speaking before an audience as part of his "Educate to Innovate" campaign, an initiative aimed at promoting science and math education in U.S. classrooms, Obama uttered the following words of inspiration: "As President, I believe that robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering. And I also want to keep an eye on those robots in case they try anything." Not only is the President willing to encourage the youth of America to start building robots, he's even guaranteeing to annihilate the robots once they malfunction and start killing everyone!

Okay, so recap: Robot attack protection? Check. Universal health care coverage? Uh. [From: Gizmodo]

Computers

Meet Bandit, Your New Robotic Personal Trainer

With the holiday season just coming into full swing, everyone's gonna be looking for new ways to shed that extra turkey tummy that we'll inevitably be accumulating pretty soon. And though personal trainers may be a popular choice among a certain demographic, why spend hours with an actual human being when you can spend quality time with your own robotic workout coach?

USC's Viterbi School of Engineering has designed a robot named Bandit that can do just that (video after the break). Unlike most personal trainers, Bandit's not there just to make you feel fat -- he can actually lead you through your exercise routine and even watch you to mimic your every move (see the video below). But, like most personal trainers, Bandit can also be sort of a jerk. He'll drop the occasional sarcastic remark about how much fun it is to sit and watch you work out in a chair, and wax poetic about how great it is to work up a sweat with you (full disclosure: he's not actually sweating).

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Computers

Schools of Swimming Robots to Study Ocean Currents

Robot Swarms to Study Ocean Currents
If you happen to notice a swarm of robots floating past your beachfront home, don't panic; it's not the first wave of the SkyNet invasion. Aided by funding from the National Science Foundation, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is planning to deploy fleets of autonomous robots, possibly numbering in the hundreds, to study localized oceanic environments.

High on the list of phenomena to study is the way in which tiny sub-currents affect small organisms like plankton and their abilities to survive and move about the ocean. The robots, called "autonomous underwater explorers" (AUEs), will also provide important data about the spread of dangerous environmental toxins that arise from disasters like oil spills and harmful algae blooms.

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Holiday Gift Guide

Gift Guide: G-Robots G-Dog


G-Robots G-Dog (Gadget Head, Under $1,000)

For the robot enthusiast, the nonpareil G-Dog by G-Robots ($949.99) satisfies both the creative brain (you have to build it from the included parts) and gadget obsession. The fully-functional robot comes programmed with 17 actions -- like walk, kick, hand stand, and even "go potty" -- but the user can play with the G-Dog motion editor software to fine-tune those movements. A wireless remote controller, looking much like a PlayStation 3 controller, tops off the hardware. All in all, with an average two-hour build time, the G-Dog is easy to assemble and endless fun to use. And since G-Dog lacks the creepy verisimilitude of Ropid and other recent humanoid droids, it doesn't cause us any concern that it'll kill your loved ones in their sleep.
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