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Transforming a Laptop into a Robot

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the unlimited-battlebot-potential dept.

NathanZ writes "Evolution Robotics is selling what looks like a docking station on wheels as a way to transform a laptop into a robot. I'm not exactly sure how this can be useful since the "robot" has no arms. According to their website, "you can train your robot to do things like recognize objects and places, send email, take pictures and video, respond to voice commands, and more!". Yipee. At least it would give me something to do with that old Toshiba laptop sitting in the closet."

3 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. well by Android+robot+head · · Score: -1, Troll

    maybe....

    1. Re:well by Android+robot+head · · Score: -1, Troll

      Troll is it?
      Well maybe.

      As its my first post with this account and I'm already losing Karma I may as well turn to the dark side...

      Here's something to pass the time: Download a sample of a cylon from BattleStar Gallactica saying "By your command". Play it back in a loop and see how long you can listen to it for before going mad.
      The record so far is 40 minutes by our sysadmin, but he wasn't quite right to start with.

      oh, I almost forgot puppies!

  2. Re:Free as in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Program the software to recognize a beer bottle and a refrigerator, for example, and next time you're running on empty, you just need to wave a bottle in front of the laptop's camera and request a refill.

    While the beer routine made a good demonstration, Gross said he expects the system to have many useful real-world applications.

    I don't need it any more useful than that.

    Come to think of it, is there anything more useful for a laptop-on-a-trolley to do?
    (Remember, it has no arms - hang on, how did it fetch my beer?)


    Easy, my wife is in the kitchen 24/7 and can be trained to recognise the robot (in under an hour), and get a beer out of the fridge and place it on the trolley.

    It saves loads of walking back and forth, and optimises her time so she is out of the kitchen less. I call that a win-win situation.