Ultrasonic Robot Vibrations and Pizza Tossing by Monash University

Really interesting developments on ultrasonic robotic vibrations. Scientists from Monash University will use the physics of a perfect pizza toss to design the next generation of micro motors thinner than a human hair.

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I Am Concept Video by Tronic Studio

http://www.vimeo.com/7400277

Tronic recently created a great concept video showing reprogrammable matter. The video is described, “The title comes from the animals’ declaration of who they are. Each animal says, “I AM the elephant” and “I AM the horse” and it’s through language that they are reinforcing their physicality and their place in the world.”

The Origin of Mass by Aleksandar Rodic

http://www.vimeo.com/5010187

The Origin of Mass is an experimental video created as a final project by Aleksandar Rodic for his procedural animation class at Savannah College of Art and Design. It was inspired by demo-scene and sub-atomic particle collision images. The name comes from the Higgs Boson particle which is expected to provide a scientific foundation for the origin of mass in the universe. More info on the website.

Soft Morphing Blob by iRobot

I was recently at thefirst architecture robotics conference in Orlando and discussing “jamming” prototypes with Cornell phd students. The prototypes I saw were about the size of a quarter and looked quite structural. iRobot is currently developing a soft ball robot that can inflate and move via the “jamming” phenomena. iRobot’s soft, shape-shifting robot blob can roll around and change shape, and it will be able to squeeze through tiny cracks in a wall when the project is finished. Video presented at IEEE IROS 2009. More info can be viewed on the IEEE website.

OctArm by Clemson Researchers

Really interesting robotic tentacle test part of DARPA’s Biologically Inspired Multifunctional Dynamic Robots (BIODYNOTICS) program.

All that is solid melts into the air by Kultnation

http://www.vimeo.com/6504980

Really interesting 3d transformable structure. More information here.

Juggling Robot by IMRT at ETH Zurich

http://www.vimeo.com/1578227

The Blind Juggler is a robot that is able to juggle a ball on a paddle. The robot does this without any sensing; there are no cameras, no microphones, or any other sensors that could tell the robot where the ball is. Imagine yourself juggling a ball blindfolded. Try it: it’s no easy task!

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Jollbot by Rhodri Armour

The first jumping and rolling robot, Jollbot has been created by Rhodri Armour, a PhD student from the University of Bath. Its hoped his creation, which can jump over obstacles and roll over smoother terrain, could be used for space exploration or land survey work in the future.