No, Doctor Octopus doesn’t have a minion drone. The Hexapod is a ‘non-evil’ robot that harvests fruits.

If fruits were sentient, they’d probably get the crap scared out of them.

As absolutely terrifying as it may look to most people, the Hexapod Pro is actually a pretty benign little robot designed to perform tasks that are too menial for humans. The 6-armed drone was actually envisioned as a multipurpose robot used to harvest fruits and vegetables, as well as perform cleanups on beaches and in forests.

With its jellyfish-inspired aesthetic, the Hexapod Pro comes with a central processing hub with multiple fisheye cameras for 360° vision, and a set of 6 flexible arms with 3 fingers per arm for being able to pick up objects. Envisioned by Australian designer Chris Koch, the Hexapod Pro is best employed at doing duties that require basic skills of tracking and picking objects. Perfect for using on orchards to pick fruits and veggies, or on beaches and forests to clean up after humans (that’s a robot uprising story just waiting to happen), the Hexapod Pro’s arms come outfitted with a pair of soft robotic grippers that are perfect for being able to firmly pluck produce without damaging them, or lift up various objects off the floor effectively without dropping them.

The Hexapod’s advanced design, however, doesn’t do it favors because of how immediately intimidating it looks. 12 fisheye cameras dotted around its ‘head’ allow it to see practically everywhere without any blind spots, and the 6 arms look almost identical to the ones found on Doctor Otto Octavius, one of Spiderman’s many nemeses. The Stormtrooper color-way sort of reinforces its sinister appearance… maybe coloring the robot pink would help?

Thankfully, though, the Hexapod Pro is a conceptual work of art… although just in case, maybe avoid littering the beach or trespassing on someone’s orchard, hm?

Designer: Chris Koch

The post No, Doctor Octopus doesn’t have a minion drone. The Hexapod is a ‘non-evil’ robot that harvests fruits. first appeared on Yanko Design.

Watch a Hexapod Do an ’80s-style Aerobics Routine: Botercise!

Shut the internet down! I have finally seen everything. If you have ever wondered how robots stay in shape, we have the answer. Apparently, it all goes back to the 1980s. This video shows us that robots keep fit by doing aerobics Jane Fonda style, complete with 1980s aerobics studio film set. Who knew? THIS is the reason they will be hard to kill when they come for us in the apocalypse. These bots are fit!

Check out this video of a 3D printed Z6 hexapod robot by Robugtix performing a 1980’s style aerobics show routine. It’s pretty badass. It’s just too bad the robot isn’t wearing one of those silly leotard things that people wore back then. This ‘bot has all the moves, if not the clothes. It works out to a classic ’80s jam that be at home in almost any ’80s action or drama movie, and basically shakes its servos all over the place.

At the beginning of the video, the six-legged robot unfolds itself and starts the routine. It moves surprisingly smoothly. So at least now we know that our future will be filled with agile robots who will dance over our graves.

[via Laughing Squid via Geekologie]

We Are All Screwed: Spider Robot with Snakes for Legs

I think we all know who is responsible for ushering in the apocalypse. It’s those scientists at Carnegie Mellon’s Biorobotics Lab. Not content with snake-bots alone, they have now attached some modified snake-bots to a body to create a hexapod spider bot of doom.

spider_robot_1zoom in


Things just got more terrifying on planet Earth. No wonder the guy in the video keeps kicking it. He helped create it and even he’s all like, “Get the hell away from me you mutant freak!”

What’s next for these guys? I have no idea, but it will probably escape from the lab and start leaving a trail of bodies in it’s wake.

[via C|Net via io9 via Geekologie]

Hexapod Lamp is More Creepy than Cute

If you are looking for a new lamp that is a bit creepy and looks like it will crawl off your desk on its own, check out this unique and awesome lamp.
steampunk lampmagnify


This unusual six-legged lamp was made by artype design out of the UK and while it doesn’t actually walk, it looks like it could and that’s good enough for us. Can you imagine this thing walking around your home and lighting whatever area you needed illuminated? That’d be cool.

Of course it would trip you with the cord and kill you, but at least you had a nice lamp for your final days on Earth.

[via Obvious Winner]

STAR.V3 Robot Crawls into our Hearts

There’s something so neat about robots which are built to replicate the movements of animals and insects. But this biologically-inspired little guy has a gait all his own and makes me want to have one as a pet.

star v3 robot

The STAR (Sprawl Tuned Autonomous Robot) was created by David Zarrouk, Andrew Pullin, Nick Kohut and Ronald Fearing at UC Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab. The 3D-printed robot uses six spinny “legs” can adjust its sprawl angle in order to navigate over difficult obstacles, so its little legs can change the amount of ground-clearance they offer. This allows the robot to scurry its way under doorways and other small spaces, and then resume walking normally – if normally means running around like a crazed millipede on speed.

STAR has had two prior versions, with this one getting some mechanical improvements as well as reinforcements to help keep it together after collisions.

Top speed for the STAR.V3 robot is a whopping 5.2 meters-per-second. That means that it can run 43 of its own body lengths every second. This agile robot can also climb over loose rocks, and even right itself if it flips over. Oh, and it can play pool.

T8 Robot Spider Creeps Its Way into Our Hearts

If you want a realistic and creepy spider robot and have a spare $1,350(USD) Robugtix will be happy to sell you this lifelike robotic spider called the T8. Put this in your home and it will likely scare all of the real spiders you have creeping around in your home. They will be lining up to leave your abode.

t8

The robot has a 3D printed outer shell and limbs. Inside it boasts a total of 26 servo motors and that is where it gets its realistic movement.. That and a special inverse kinematic software algorithm you run on a computer to drive it. I’m torn. I want to kill it with fire. But I also want to buy it! Decisions, decisions.

The T8 Spiderbot will be available this September. It’s a good thing it has a single large eye, otherwise you might mistake it for a real spider.

For those of you without such deep pockets, there’s another option in the decidedly less realistic looking, but nonetheless just as creepy-walking Iitsii hexapod, which will ship late August for $250.

[via Engadget]

Robugtix’s 3D-printed T8 spiderbot will terrify your friends for $1,350 (video)

Robugtix's 3Dprinted T8 spiderbot will terrify your friends for $1,350 video

Whether they run, jump or swim, there are plenty of robots around to be fearful of. None have quite exacerbated our arachnophobia as much as Robugtix's T8 octopod, however. The 3D-printed spiderbot not only looks the part, but employs 26 servo motors to drive its unnervingly life-like movement. Bigfoot's baked-in "Inverse Kinematics Engine" deals with all of the background computations, so you don't have to be a coding genius to work it. Instead, users send "short and simple commands" to the bot via wireless XBee or any other method you can hook up to its Rx / Tx pins. Expected to ship at the end of September, the T8 is available now for a special pre-order price of $1,350, and you can add $85 to that if you want one of Robugtix's analog-stick controllers for real-time direction. If that sounds a bit pricey, there's another option in the much cuter $250 iitsii hexapod, which is predicted to ship late August. Check out the shudder-inducing video of the T8 below, then follow it up with the iitsii demo to help you forget.

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Source: Robugtix

Giant Hexapod Robot is an Impressive Alternative to Cars

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Who needs cars when there are giant hexapod robots? It’s a fully operational motor vehicle, equaling the coolest form of motor transport since the Ferrari.

The only thing more strenuous than facing the grueling battle of bus tickets, waiting times and passenger queues, otherwise known as the nightmare of public transport, ...
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Mantis Ridable Hexapod Robot: Insecticon

Last year we heard about a group of students planning to build a ridable hexapod. Now we get to see what such a robot could look like, albeit from a different inventor. This is the Mantis, an all-terrain hexapod built by Matt Denton of Micromagic Systems. The 2 ton robot is powered by a 2.2L diesel engine and can be operated using its on-board controls or remotely via Wi-Fi.

mantis ridable hexapod by matt denton

The unit we see here is actually the second version of the robot; Matt said he’s been working on Mantis since 2009 using private funding. I hope his benefactor is a superhero.

That touchscreen control panel looks sweet. Matt should make Mantis Mk.III a hexapod hexacopter. Check out the Mantis website and Facebook page for more info on the robot.

[via Hacked Gadgets]

Giant Robotic Monsters Now Train Rugby Players

No, the robot invasion hasn’t begun. This six-legged robotic simulator is being used to train rugby players as a part of the management-transition training program at Thales. It is called the Thales Scrum Simulator. It was developed to analyze accidents in order to help avoid spinal cord injuries to players and now it is also used for coaching and match preparations.
Thales Scrum Simulator
This beast uses a six-axis motion system which responds to the player’s strength input using sensors on the back side beam and shoulder pads. Each player has his own weaknesses and it adjusts the resulting pressure. The pre-programmed control then makes sure that the reaction is as real as possible which enhances the training, making it more real.

rugby robot 2

The coach can also control it with a joystick and apply pressure to any area he wants. Right now, As of now this crazy thing is a part of the French national rugby training center in Marcoussis, near Paris.

It may make Rugby players tougher for now, but what happens when it gains sentience? I don’t want to be anywhere near it when that happens.

[via Humanoides.fr via Damn Geeky]