12/18/2008 - SlashBot: The Guitar Hero Robot

How hard is a Guitar Hero song on Expert? Not even a robot can get 100%:



Seriously though, that is one cool invention. It already tops the Wii bowling robot I blogged about a while ago. I'm not sure if the robot actually "sees" the screen and the notes that it's supposed to be playing or if it's pre-programmed somehow. I would assume it is the former, otherwise it wouldn't be worth it as a game-playing robot if was just programmed with the song already in memory.

7/9/2008 - Honda ASIMO Conducts The Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Growing up watching the Jetsons, I was sure I'd see the day when robots would be a prominent part of society. Yes, there are robotic machines prevalent in the manufacturing industry and you even have robots that do bomb defusing for the police and military. But what we don't have yet are humanoid robots that would take our place in doing menial tasks. Economically that would make sense, as such a technological luxury would always be more expensive than human labor. A good indication of this is how little the Segway scooter has caught on. Sure, it makes it easier for moderate distance transportation, but when you're looking at a $5,000 sticker price, walking doesn't seem too bad.

So instead of being virtual maids or housekeepers, you see modern day robots doing very strange things. I still look forward to the day when I'll have my own little robot bodyguard, but until then, we'll just have to settle for a robot conductor. Yes, of all the things the Honda ASIMO could be programmed to do, conducting music seemed the most practical, I suppose:

4/28/2007 - WiigoBot: The Perfect Game

My favorite game on the Wii is still Wii Bowling. It's so simple, and yet it mimics the real game so well. I really feel that every minuscule angle change or velocity modulation I make with my swing makes a difference in the outcome of the bowl. I know I'll never bowl as well in real life bowling, but I believe that Wii Bowling is good practice anyway. It's all about getting that precise swinging control ingrained into your muscle memory so you can get a strike every time.

So when I saw this video on YouTube, I just had to laugh. Of course when you have a robot bowling for you, a perfect game is automatic. The problem is that it defeats the whole purpose of someone playing it as a bowling simulator! Still, I have to admire the work that must have gone into programming the robot. You'd have to get the Mii to move off-center, hold the B trigger, swing back then forward with a slight tilt to get some spin, release the B trigger, then press the A button to start the next throw. All that with Lego Mindstorms... amazing.