Robot Wars for Kids! (Start 'Em Young)

Panasonic Robot Joins Triathlon...

Triathletes may have some new competition.  Panasonic's Evolta has the Hawaiian Ironman Challenge in sight.  Already having done the 24 Hour LeMans, a 500km marathon from Tokyo to Kyoto, and climbed 1500 ft of the Grand Canyon, Panasonic's tiny little robot is aiming for a new challenge this 2011!

Considering how small Evolta is (I think he's adorable!)... this is actually 20x more difficult for this little robot!  Challenge begins on Oct 23, 2011!

Cyberdyne And The Rise Of The Machines...

Ok, leave it to Japan to name a cybernetics & robotics company after a fictional one that led to the rise of the Terminators.

In Tsukuba, Japan, Cyberdyne, Inc. has created HAL (yes, HAL) a mobility suit that reads brain impulses and helps assist those with mobility problems move around.  It works, in principle, similar to Ironman's suit.  Amplifying the electrical signals sent by our brain to our body, to activate the suit as well.

This suit has already allowed a 49-year old man who is paralyzed visit France.  That in itself is a worth cause right there... hehehehe.

Maybe James Cameron was just a few years off...


Photo by Katsumi Kasahara / AP

Gimme A Hand

Been reading up on the latest bionic/prosthetic tech available today.  Aside from Össur's Power Knee, another company, BeBionic has the coolest bionic hand.

There are various battery, skin, and interface options.  It's controlled by your body's electrical impulses so, essentially it works like your regular hand.  Very Star Wars.

I Coulda Gone Pro If It Wasn't For My Bum Knee

Össur, a company that specializes in artificial limbs, has one of the most advanced artificial knees available (availability might be a stretch, since they are not readily available)

The next generation Power Knee is on of the most advanced above-knee prosthetics today.  Adaptive technology allows the knee to adjust to the users actions and provides powered motion for walking and provides necessary power on inclines and stairs.

The technology built into the knee itself seems to be self contained.  A bunch of sensors and processors calculate what the user is doing and lets the knee adapt.  It doesn't seem to take instructions from nerve endings or synaptic activity, but is still impressive nonetheless.

My Kind of LEGO!!!!

I love Lego!  I loved it as a kid, and I still love it now.  The blocks themselves haven't changed, all Lego blocks from way back still interlock with the current kits.  There are Lego sets for all ages.

Duplo is for toddlers, they have larger blocks and fewer pieces.

Regular Lego for kids, these would also include the franchised Lego such as Harry Potter or Star Wars blocks

Technic for teens and young adults, consisting of more complex kits and moving gears and more interactive pieces.

and the latest Lego line is Mindstorms... a robotics line complete with programmable CPU, various sensors, and mechanical parts for... well... people that know what to do with it: