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Bipedal Dinosaur Robot

Posted by Zonk on from the my-birthday-is-coming-up dept.

News for nerds writes "AIST and NEDO announced they have developed 2 bipedal dinosaur robots for the EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan(Mar.25-Sep.25). PC Watch has an article with pics/movies and TBS News has a movie. Tyrannosaurus Rex and Parasaurolophus are modeled as 3.5m/80kg robots, and cost $1.8 million to build. They can roar and walk with an artificial pounding sound, but not as fearsome as Mechagodzilla. The external skin is designed by Kokoro Co., Ltd. and the endoskelton is developed by Kawada Industries, Inc. which is the manufacturer of the HRP-2 Humanoid Robot."

6 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. A Random question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When does something stop being a toy and become a robot?

  2. Really cool but... by Zaak · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The video looked really cool--except for the wobbling heads. If these robots were given active head stabilization (easy to do with a camera or two in the eyes controlling neck motors) they'd look very intimidating.

    Also, the herbivore needs to have a bone in its crest. It looks a bit Yoda-ear-ish.

    TTFN

    1. Re:Really cool but... by danila · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That's correct, but you miss the point (just like 90% of all posters in this thread) of the project. It's not to create amazing robosaurus. It's to showcase the technology. Over the next few years it will gradually start being used. Soon (in 10 years or so) we will have many robots that we saw and read about in sci-fi. In 20 years robots will be perfected (including humanoid robots) to the level of Bicentennial Man and I, Robot.

      People are so shortsighted, it's scary. They will pretend that all these robots are either useless toys or an elaborate scam, until a dog robot bites them in the ass or a cluebot hits them with a stick. But it doesn't have to be that way - all the information that we need to draw up a decent foresight is available. Please, people, get serious. Read Manna or another book to get some understanding of what robots mean to us, humans.

      It's pathetic, out of 13 comments rated 3+ only 2 are serious. The rest are lame jokes.

      --
      Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
  3. Why? by Paperweight · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why would they spend so much money on building a robot that had no real use. Sure, it's a nice gimmick to make the news today, but 5-10 years from now they will be sitting in a warehouse or museum collecting dust. For millions of dollars. Why not build a robot that has a real, industrial or military use?

  4. the video is hilarious by distantbody · · Score: 2, Interesting

    youve gotta see the video. its very funny yet amazing. the dinos would make great exhibition pieces. the fake tinny thudding sound made when the make a step is soo tacky :)

  5. What's more impressive than the dinosaurs by Illserve · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is that these servers can host hefty videos under a full on slashdotting without missing a beat.

    The technological tenacity of the Japanese is almost frightening. They're probably laughing at the tiny spike of the /. effect in their NOC, the same sort that can burn major US university and news outlet servers into cinders.