Have you ever taken a look at one of those dancing stuffed children’s toys and wondered just what the insides look like? Well, if you’re reading this site, then it’s a safe bet that you’re not alone. (However, if you’ve ever looked at something which was alive and wondered what the insides look like, you’re definitely in the wrong place.) Artist Matt Kirkland has taken that extra step and actually opened up 25 toy robots and exposed their inner workings for all to see.

I have to say that I never really expected something so dark and menacing to come out of Barney (or maybe I did). You have to check out the full gallery, as some of those bots are just downright creepy without their furry exteriors.

[ MattKirkland ] VIA [ RobotLiving ]

How many of you have an iPhone? I don’t have one yet, but I’m totally on-board with the new 3G version coming next month. It has a whole slew of new features that will no doubt excite many people, however, it seems that Apple’s awesome phone can also control Packbots.

Rodrigo Guiterrez and Jeff Craighead have created a piece of software that allows them to not only control their Packbot, but also gives you streaming POV video from the bot. It works by hooking directly into the Packbot’s WiFi connection, eliminating the need to pass through a proxy.They are hoping to take advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer for controls, thus freeing up the entire screen for streaming video.

VIA [ Engadget ]

When I think about the kind of robot companion that I’d like to have, I usually thing of something big and menacing. However, other people tend to go for the cute and cuddly route, which is why Sega created the Dream Dog DX Golden Retriever.

This new robo pooch looks to be one of the best of its kind that we’ve seen. I’ve just never bought into the whole futuristic-looking animal robots, as they just end up looking very cheap and, well, plastic. But looks aside, the Dream Dog DX can respond to voice commands such as sit, roll over and speak. He even nips at your fingers when you play with his nose and will make very realistic dog sounds. If cute bots are your thing, then you can adopt one of these in September for around $276.

[ SegaToys ] VIA [ Dvice ]

Have you ever been listening to music in your living room, only to move into another part of your house and realize you can’t hear your tunes very well? Sure, you could walk all the way back and pick up your MP3 player and bring it with you, or just turn on a radio, but who wants to do that when there’s the Ampbot?

Sega-Hasboro has created the Automated Music Personality Robot for the sole purpose of bringing you music wherever you go. Utilizing a Segway-like self-balancing system it can follow you around blasting tunes from the back-mounted MP3 player. The hands are actually a mixing deck, for when you feel your creative juices flowing.

The Ampbot isn’t available until this Fall, and will retail for $745. Don’t forget to stock up on batteries too. This bot is going to need six D and three AAA batteries to keep it running. I’m a bit baffled as to why they wouldn’t’ just use a rechargeable lithium ion battery instead. Changing out all of those batteries will get old quick.

VIA [ Dvice ]

By David Ponce

Hi guys. Just want to let y’all know that we haven’t died around here. Evan’s away for a few weeks of R&R (writing about robots and gadgets can be pretty taxing, believe me) and we’re bringing in one of our guys from OhGizmo to fill in. So, coverage will start again soon. The DTs are almost over.

Hang in there.

Hey, did I mention that I’ve seen Wall-E and it’s the BEST MOVIE EVER?! Here’s another little featurette to whet your appetite (like it needs any more whetting):

Wall-E and Eve are cool and all, but I gotta say, M-O is my mostest favoritest bot of all. Wall-E will be in theatres just about everywhere on June 27. Be there or be, um, sad and lame.

[ Wall-E ]

Surveillance of security perimeters and borders can be an (ahem) rather expensive task. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and most of it is really really boring 99% of the time. Rail-based systems are a reliable and efficient way to monitor static areas (as we’ve mentioned before), and Israeli company Linceus is introducing a monorail robot designed to patrol things like airport perimeters.

The bot can reach speeds of up to 50 mph, and comes with a suite of sensors, including visible and thermal cameras, laser designators, and a laser rangefinder. It’s unarmed, but has nonlethal deterrents like high powered spotlights, loud sirens, and other things that are excitingly unspecified… I imagine that the whole system is fairly modular, and you could add nastier bits if you wanted to. Power and communications are embedded in the rail, and the system will work day or night and in any weather.

I just can’t get over how cute this little guy is. Maybe it’s just because I like trains, but doesn’t it look like it would be a lot of fun to ride on? Vrrooom

[ Linceus ] VIA [ Danger Room ]

Well, do they? It’s something to seriously ponder. Also ponderable: what’s an electric carrot, and would this bot know how to grow one?

For some reason, I’m not sure I want to know what’s going to come out of that egg. These works of digital art were both created by Goro Fujita, a freelance artist with no small amount of talent and (if I may say so) a warm and fuzzy (ish) feeling towards robots. Check out his website for a few more samples.

[ Area-56 ] VIA [ io9 ]

I don’t know about you, but here at BotJunkie, this past weekend was all about RoboGames. Okay, and maybe one or two other things. But still… If for some reason you couldn’t make it to San Francisco, you totally missed out on the 504 (!) robots competing in 58 different events. Pictures and video are a poor substitute for the sheer visceral experience of live and up close robot competition, but I think you’ll agree that it was a pretty badass event:

More pics, after the jump. (Read more…)

My post this week about robot helicopters rounding up cattle featured a picture of an autonomous helicopter under development by Northrop Grumman called Fire Scout, which was rumored to be heading into active military service sometime this year. It looks like they may be on track to do just that, as the Fire Scout has successfully fired weapons in unmanned testing. We’ve got some video of the test, as well as a highlight reel, after the jump. (Read more…)