I give myself about a year. To commit to something that could be incredibly stupid, or incredibly amazing and successful. I'm sure it's going to succeed but it's slightly insane :) I am crazy. 

One year. I want it all to have passed the test and almost ready to go. It's a journey of a life time. It's go time

TRANSFORMERS!!!!

check the article http://singularityhub.com/2012/06/13/the-transformer-youve-always-dreamed-of-is-here/

Turbo-jet Robot Hunts Typhoons

First turbo-jet robot aircraft a milestone in robotic aviation

By Robotics Trends' News Sources - Filed Apr 19, 2012

National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan—An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design team led by Wei-Hsiang Lai, professor of aeronautics and astronautics and director of advanced propulsion and power system research center at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has innovated first turbo-jet robot aircraft named Sky Fortress-III anticipating to assist in typhoon surveillance and disaster prevention and marked a milestone in robotic aviation of Taiwan. The critical role of turbines in aircraft is well-acknowledged and the global market of UVA is about NT$100 billion annually. The aeronautics and astronautics research team in NCKU will put effort in integrating fields of geomatics, water conservancy, civil engineering, environmental engineering, and earth sciences in UAV innovation to facilitate not only scientific research but civilian issues like surveillance and disaster prevention, said President Hwung-Hweng Hwung of NCKU.
Prof. Lai proudly initiated the debut, Sky Fortress-III remodeled from 2011 Taiwan UVA Design Competition champion Sky Fortress-II designed by NCKU UAV team and advanced from OS91 methanol engine to King Tech K80, a turbojet engine.
It weights 7.5kg with wind span in 3m performing astonishingly in the primary run at a speed of above 200km/h and expecting to reach 300km/h when the structure is further fortified. To build a small, strong propeller driven aircraft like Sky Fortress-III, the miniaturization of the turbojet engine is the key innovation. The NCKU UAV design team with more-than-10-year experience has successfully applied the turbojet engine to the unmanned aircraft.
The engine assembled in Sky Fortress-III, King Tech K80, is a product cooperatively innovated by professor Lai and Taiwan-based KingTech-Jet Co., Ltd., with its propelled power 8kg thrust and powered with diesel or JP-8 jet fuel is favored by UAV players around the world.

Representing SRI with our Taurus Robot








http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/diy/nrw-stanford-robot-block-party

Using 3D printing technology, a high-tech spider has been developed which can be used as a tool in hazardous situations.

"The robot spider's legs are 20 centimeters long. Elastic bellows drives serve as joints." Caption and image credit: Fraunhofer IPA

Do you share my hatred of spiders? Are you an arachnophobic? Do the eight-legged beasties give you the heebie-jeebies? Especially the ones that can jump? If so, prepare to have a new starring character in your nightmares: Robospider.

The robotic creepy crawly is made with a 3D printer and is a product of the Fraunhofer Institute – a body which is using 3D printing technology in some interesting ways, including to create artificial blood vessels, but which might be more familiar to people as the inventors of the wildly popular MP3 audio file format.

The spider was designed to be used as an exploratory tool in hazardous environments – think chemical, nuclear accident or collapsed building – and can be equipped with various sensors and an onboard camera enabling it to stream live video.

Real spiders use a sort of hydraulic system to move. The robotic spiders move in much the same way with elastic drive bellows in the legs being powered by a compressor pump housed in the body. Some models are able to create enough pressure to be able to jump (which, I have to say, is totally gross).

To print the spiders, a process called selective laser sintering is used, about which Wikipedia says this:

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing technique that uses a high power laser (for example, a carbon dioxide laser) to fuse small particles of plastic, metal (direct metal laser sintering), ceramic, or glass powders into a mass that has a desired 3-dimensional shape. The laser selectively fuses powdered material by scanning cross-sections generated from a 3-D digital description of the part (for example from a CAD file or scan data) on the surface of a powder bed. After each cross-section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layer thickness, a new layer of material is applied on top, and the process is repeated until the part is completed.

The spiders cost very little to make. “Our robot is so cheap to produce that it can be discarded after being used just once – like a disposable rubber glove,” said Ralf Becker, a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute. There are pros and cons to this. On one hand, it means that cost should not be an obstacle to the creation and use of these potentially life-saving spiders. On the other hand, it means your kids may be able to buy one with their allowance and loose it in your bedroom while you sleep …

Source: Fraunhofer Institute

oh man... awesome

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/skeletonics-exoskeleton-stars-in-thrilling-demonstration-video/

oh dude.. someone beat me to it.. RAAAR

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/28/mega-hurtz-paintball-robot-is-the-remote-controlled-armor-plate/