The makers of the Actroid robot developed a similarly applied, yet less spooky robot. Kokoro Co. Ltd.’s I-FAIRY robot was unveiled at CES 2010 in Las Vegas last weekend. The “i” in its name stands for intelligent-information-icon, and as its name suggests, it’s an information robot based on the image of a fairy. Unlike the Actroid… »

After writing about ferrofluid sculptures and Stanford scientists that combined carbon nanotubes and paper, in this article we’re going to write about researchers at Purdue University who have created a magnetic ferropaper. The material is made by impregnating ordinary paper (even newsprint) with a mixture of mineral oil and “magnetic nanoparticles” of iron oxide. The… »

Here is a solution for those who wished they didn’t forget the cable to transfer data from their digital camera, or those who wished their digital camera had Wi-FI capabilities. Eye-Fi Inc. has developed the next generation Eye-Fi experience, which includes an entirely new platform and more flexible sharing options. Eye-Fi’s current line-up of wireless… »

If you wanted to own a fancy, yet practical, radio player you’ll be pretty happy to read the rest of this article. The PURE Digital Sensia is an eye-catching gadget capable to tune into FM, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and Internet stations, and streams MP3s from your PC or some MP3 player. The gadget distinguishes… »

In this article we’re going to write about a hotel that got its LEED Platinum certification while being large and luxurious. ITC Royal Gardenia characterizes the splendors of nature and is a tribute to the 3rd largest city of India – Bengaluru. The concept of the hotel is inspired by the magnificent gardens of this… »

After writing about biomimicry of penguins, sharks, butterflies and bats, we’re going to write about cockroach biomimicry. Although the sight of a crawling cockroach dashing for cover may be repulsive, the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel. Cockroaches and guinea hens serve as bioinspiration to the researchers at Oregon State University where they… »

After writing about E-Cleaner EC01 and Neato XV-11 we’re going to write about robotic vacuum cleaner(s) from LG Electronics. After the big failure of their too expensive (yet not more functional) first version of RoboKing, they decided to develop a better and cheaper robot that could compete with Roomba. Although the new RoboKing isn’t available… »

In our last article we started a mini-series named “Is Roomba’s throne at risk?” where we wrote about AGAiT Technology E-Cleaner EC01. Neato Robotics, a Silicon Valley startup, is pioneering new products to free people from household chores, introduced a new home robot vacuum cleaner that raises the bar for automated floor cleaning. The Neato… »