Chairbot Walks You Around While You Sit

Gary writes "What do you get when you combine a robot and a chair? The Hubo FX-1 chairbot, of course. In what is perhaps my favorite robot design yet, this giant chair with legs looks like it came out of some ridiculous 80's sci-fi movie or something, but it's very, very real. HUBO FX-1 is two meters in height, and weighs 150 kg. The person sitting can control the robot easily using the built in joystick. Each ankle has a 3-axis force/torque sensor which measures the normal force and 2 moments. Each foot has an inclination sensor which measures the angle of the slope. Also, the rate gyro and the inclination sensor of the body allow the device to stabilize itself."

Comments

Protecting us

[LiquidCoooled]

This thing will protect us from the terrible secret of space.

Pak Chooie Unf!

Re:Protecting us

[gbulmash]

That thing rocks and clunks like a drunk trying to pass a field sobriety test. I got motion sick just watching the video. Of course, now they need three other pieces that form its head/torso/cockpit assembly, and heavily armed upper appendages.

- Greg

Re:Protecting us

[whackco]

Well, considering it is just a guy in a cool looking chair suit, maybe not...

Re:Protecting us

[Aliriza]

This thing will make as fatter and from the noice it makes our neigbours will be mad about us.

Re:Protecting us

[Xyrus]

So basically, someone replaced the wheels on an electric wheelchair with legs? O_o

Progress.

~X~

Re:Protecting us

[Meski]

Does it do any steps apart from the moonwalk?

One thought

[Brad1138]

Why?

Re:One thought

[GeneralHorel]

why do people do anything? Because they can

Re:One thought

[ross.w]

Maybe so that paralegics and quadriplegics can use stairs like everyone else? A lighter and slimmer version would be a superior solution to using an electric wheelchair, provided it can be done sufficiently cheaply.

Hey, they have to start somewhere!

Re:One thought

[ArsonSmith]

There is going to be a forklift version that can be used to fight aliens.

Re:One thought

[feedmetrolls]

why do people do anything?

"Because they're stupid. That's why anyone does anything." -Homer Simpson

Re:One thought

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

I've got a quad friend who'd buy one of these in a shot if they were cheap enough.

To go hiking in the hills, walking over dunes on the beach, all the things that wheels aren't really suitable for.

Re:One thought

[Frogbert]

If you have to ask you don't deserve your geek card. Bow your head in shame.

Re:One thought

[Max Littlemore]

Maybe so that paralegics and quadriplegics can use stairs like everyone else?

This was my first thought. Wheels are no good on rough and uneven terrain.

I just wonder WTF would buy a 2m tall 2 legged monstrosity, when 6 short legs would be much simpler to control and balance. This thing is rediculously impractical.

Then I read the end of TFA about soldiers on these things with chain guns and rpgs. My internal school boy nearly wet himself."Sure it may be a huge target on an inherently unstable pedal configuration with an inability to assume a prone position or find effective cover, but hey, it's a bit like a Mech!"

Wankers.

Re:One thought

[Apathist]

No kidding. Am I the only one who saw the first steps towards the opening of Terminator 2 in that video?

Not to sound like a Luddite, but doesn't this kind of heedless progress scare anyone else?

Re:One thought

[QRDeNameland]

More appropriate Homer Simpson quote:

"...and here I am, using my legs like a sucker!"

Re:One thought

[V8Juice]

hello

Re:One thought

[Lost Engineer]

There is a wheelchair that can climb stairs. It's pretty expensive, but I'd bet it's cheaper than this robot for any time in the forseeable future.

Re:One thought

[physicsnick]

Dude, have you even *played* MechWarrior?

Re:One thought

[Original Replica]

...but hey, it's a bit like a Mech!"

If enough armor can be packed on it, the "mech" platform might be more effective in urban combat than tanks. At least for patrolling an area, if not the original capture of an urban environment. Of course then we would only be a few years away from police in the US and EU from using "mechs" in riot control, and then we would be screwed. As it is G8 already has 1000 injured protesters. "http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6728303.stm

Re:One thought

[Max Littlemore]

If enough armor can be packed on it, the "mech" platform might be more effective in urban combat than tanks.

With no armour whatsoever, a few million nanobots that eat ammunition would be more effective than tanks, _and_ they'd be completely uneffected by the tripwires that are so easy to set up in urban environments. Not nearly as exciting though.

Re:One thought

[iminplaya]

Why not?

Re:One thought

[Anonymous Coward]

Please. A tank is useful because you can't trip it. It can turn on a dime. While a "mech" is only useful in sci-fi movies. I can think of many ways of disabling such a thing, like tipping it over. Now, try to tip over a tank! The center of gravity is light years away in comparison. (ok, maybe a meter or so :)

Mechs are completely *useless*. We already have "mechs" - these are called soldiers. The thing that will make them into real mechs is not this ridicules concept of chair on two legs, but future armor that augments the soldier's muscle strength.

Re:One thought

[Neko-kun]

Thoughts of the VF-1 came to me though...

Although similar, the T-1000 had a brain (in a chip!) that processed the whole humans == bad causing them to rampage. This one has a joystick controlled by a human.

At first while reading the article -no, i've been here a while- when they were explaining about the sensors in the legs I though the sensors were directly linked to the ankles of the rider making the robot legs respond to the movement of the rider's legs -_-;

Re:One thought

[paleo2002]

I just wonder WTF would buy a 2m tall 2 legged monstrosity, when 6 short legs would be much simpler to control and balance. This thing is rediculously impractical.

Whenever a new design for a 2-legged robot shows up, people immediately complain about how impractical bipedalism is and that the problem can easily be solved with more legs. But if that were the case, if there were no advantage to bipedalism, then bipedal organisms would not have shown up at all, let alone numerous times in separate groups of animals through history.

Once the balance problem has been solved, bipedal robots will be as fast and agile as bipedal humans, dinosaurs (avian and non-), etc. And then Will Smith will have to save us all from them.

Re:One thought

[Anonymous Coward]

I can think of many ways of disabling such a thing, like tipping it over. Now, try to tip over a tank!

Ever see that video of the guy who stole a tank? He tooled around for a while, running over cars, etc, but eventually got stuck on a 'Jersey barrier'. A simple 3-foot tall hunk of concrete.

Now, imagine a trench...

See, I can think of ways to stop a tank, too.

Re:One thought

[RealGrouchy]

Maybe so that paralegics and quadriplegics can use stairs like everyone else?

They already can.

And it doesn't take a contraption that shakes the bejeezus out of them, either.

- RG>

Re:One thought

[flyingfsck]

The 'grey goo' solution. Drop them on enemy territory and slowly reduce the whole country to 'grey goo'.

Re:One thought

[azuretek]

I don't know of any animals that naturally walk on two legs. Even primates don't normally walk on their legs...

More common is 4 legs, and even more common than that is 6+ legs. I would think that following the design of insects would be more effective and stable.

Re:One thought

[Stalus]

Wheelchairs exist that can climb stairs. If that's the goal, they'd be better off improving on the iBot idea. Watching the movie, this thing looked pretty useless to a quadriplegic because it has no stability. Doing any joystick control would be difficult when each step of the thing throws your entire body from side to side. Plus, it seems ridiculously slow compared to a wheelchair.

It's fine research for robotics, but trying to sell it as an benefit for accessibility is a bit of a stretch at this point.

Re:One thought

[vivian]

Obviously you have never been to Australia.
There's kangaroos who use 2 legs (albeit with a hopping gait and a tail for balance) - but they have no problems clearing 6 ft fences, can cruise at 25 km/h and sprint for up to 2km at 40km/h) , and emus for a start (top speed about 50km/h. Africa has ostriches too of course.

Not to mention penguins? how could you forget about them, on slashdot!

Re:One thought

[Zebai]

I've seen much simplier designs that can handle uneven terrain and stairs. Such as those used in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairclimber

I forget where but I've seen very complex versions of these wheels, some even with tracks for more rugged surfaces. So the technology is out there to create something that can go up and down stairs without the need for multithousand dollar robots.

Re:One thought

[BESTouff]

Nowadays all-terrains wheelchairs can go pretty much anywhere, and seeing how these bipedals walk, I really doubt they could follow. Moreover I don't think they'll have a great battery autonomy.

Re:One thought

[comradeeroid]

Why?

Because I need it to move from my desk to management whenever they have IT-problems so that they understand the particulars of our relationship.

"Oh no, IT-support is thundering our way. It'd better be a real problem this time and not just someone who forgot to plug in the ethernet cable, or else there will be smiting."

Re:One thought

[mpe]

Maybe so that paralegics and quadriplegics can use stairs like everyone else?

Given the size of this thing you'd have a tough time getting it up most stairs. Even if it's feet could fit there's still the problem that the operator's head appears to be more than 3 metres above the ground.

A lighter and slimmer version would be a superior solution to using an electric wheelchair, provided it can be done sufficiently cheaply.

So long as it is closer to normal human size. Otherwise the operator is likely to be nicknamed "Hagrid".

Re:One thought

[mpe]

Whenever a new design for a 2-legged robot shows up, people immediately complain about how impractical bipedalism is and that the problem can easily be solved with more legs. But if that were the case, if there were no advantage to bipedalism, then bipedal organisms would not have shown up at all, let alone numerous times in separate groups of animals through history.

The reason that bipedalism shows up in animals is that the basic bodyplan of all vertebrates has two sets on limbs. It's easier in evolutionary terms to modify the pectoral limbs than to add additional limbs. This does not apply to robots.

Re:One thought

[mpe]

I don't know of any animals that naturally walk on two legs. Even primates don't normally walk on their legs...

Guess you must have missed these animals known as "birds" as well as their extinct ancestors, therapod dinosaurs :)

Re:One thought

[neonmonk]

I'm an animal! You insensitive clod!

Re:One thought

[asninn]

But if that were the case, if there were no advantage to bipedalism, then bipedal organisms would not have shown up at all

The same thing could be said about organisms with more than one pair of legs. If bipedalism is so great, why are there animals that have more than two legs? The answer, of course, is that the question is inherently meaningless.

That being said, what you really seem to be missing is that this is not even about what's ultimately more practical - it's about what is more practical *right now*. We have cars with four tyres instead of two for a reason, too, for example; not because four are necessarily better than two, but because it's easier for us to control that sort of setup right now with our existing technology.

Re:One thought

[Anonymous Coward]

"The same thing could be said about organisms with more than one pair of legs. If bipedalism is so great, why are there animals that have more than two legs? The answer, of course, is that the question is inherently meaningless."

Of course it's meaningless. No legs at all is the way to go. Look at snakes and worms for example. And what about the Hutts?? They fucking rule!

Re:One thought

[AnotherBrian]

He tried to drive over the barrier at a very shallow angle. It would have been no problem if he came at it from 45 to 90.

Re:One thought

[robably]

if there were no advantage to bipedalism, then bipedal organisms would not have shown up at all, let alone numerous times in separate groups of animals through history.

The advantage of bipedalism in animals is that it allows them to use their front legs for manipulation, but at the cost of lower stability. Robots don't have to make that compromise.

Re:One thought

[peragrin]

really? when was the last time you looked in a mirror you animal?

I guess i will go back to walking on my hands, and crawling on the ground.

Re:One thought

[Anonymous Coward]

Does it occur to you that there is a broader audience than yourself?

Granted its a bit klutzy now, but I can totally see this being refined and compacted enough for cripples or help other people.

Re:One thought

[MouseR]

There is no why.

This (old!) thing is a research project wich led to the development of the Hubo humanoid robot--a Asimo-like competitor from a korean university. The Hubo robot was the predecessor of their newer Albert Hubo robot.

The later uses animatronic facial expressions but it's just meant as a research complement to the humanoid robot. It's more like a tongue-in-cheek element of the project, just like the chair was to their first Hubo FX-1 thing. The chair also helped them better understand balance and control the AI's learning process of self-balancing.

Re:One thought

[monomania]

"He tried to drive over the barrier at a very shallow angle. It would have been no problem if he came at it from 45 to 90."

Is that in degrees, radians, or miles per hour?

Re:One thought

[RodgerDodger]

Correction - G8 has some rioters (no numbers given in the linked article) who decided to charge a police line. There's not even the remotest suggestion here that the police suppressed an otherwise peaceful protest. In an article linked from that article, there's a mention of how police used tear gas and batons to break up a group of rioters who "threw bottles, fire crackers, rocks and Molotov cocktails" and "broken up paving stones to use as projectiles and overturned and torched several vehicles". At least 146 police were injured by these rioters. As further evidence of the lack of police instigation, several other truly peaceful protests had no incidents.

Peaceful protests don't break down into riots. Peaceful protests don't have the protesters being caught on film throwing Molotov cocktails and smashing up cars with crowbars.

Re:One thought

[Paulrothrock]

Spend a day going around town with my brother-in-law who's got muscular dystrophy and can't take care of himself anymore and you'll understand why. The ability to go up stairs like a normal person would be huge.

I'm still holding out for the mechanized suit we saw a while back.

Re:One thought

[TheRaven64]

Humans didn't evolve bipedal locomotion because it's a good idea. They began with quadrapedal locomotion, and then the ones that could walk and still use tools with their hands began to have an evolutionary advantage. An intelligent designer would have included more legs.

Re:One thought

[Evanisincontrol]

No doubt the GP missed a few obvious bipedal animals. (Some mentioned were birds, Kangaroos, and of course Humans. Another poster made an excellent comment regarding Human bipedalism, so I won't go into that.)

However, I agree with the core of his statement: animals with more legs are more common, and, geographically speaking, much more dominant than humans. There are 4+ legged animals in more nooks and crannies and extreme environments than humans will EVER be able to colonize, no matter how advanced our technology gets.

Insects alone, which all have 6+ legs, make up for approximately 80% of all the world's animal species. There are over 900,000 different species of insects! Without any doubt, if another meteor were to strike the earth, the insects would become the next dominant form of life.

Re:One thought

[jsupersample]

...if there were no advantage to bipedalism, then bipedal organisms would not have shown up at all This actually demonstrates the poor understanding of evolution pervading American society. Features of organisms are not necessarily the best, or even useful at all. The jury is still out regarding the conditions which led to bipedalism. Even though we see obvious advantages to having this feature, I assure you evolution didn't design it for anything.

Bipedalism has may distinct disadvantages in fact. For example it has left us with a pelvic bone not fit for easy births. If evolution cared about "advantages" one would think safe and easy births would have prevailed over riding a motorcycle.

Re:One thought

[CelticWhisper]

And after that, Zergling rush!

Kekekekekekekeke.

Re:One thought

[djasbestos]

Eh, just bring back the King Tiger as a 2007 model, with 5 feet of armor.

Nanobots that eat ammunition would probably also eat cars, refridgerators, and other household appliances. They'd probably eat guns too...which would be bad when the rest of the force showed up.

Re:One thought

[paleo2002]

Evan seems to be summarizing everyone's arguements, so I'll address this post . . .

There are 4+ legged animals in more nooks and crannies and extreme environments than humans will EVER be able to colonize, no matter how advanced our technology gets.

Certianly there are quadrapeds that live in forests and deserts and mountains and everywhere. But, is there a single species that can live in any and all of these environments? Horses, for example, are very well adapted for running in plains environments. But, they're not very efficient on sand and they could never climb a mountain. Snow leopards and mountain goats have adaptations for living in rocky environments, but they sacrfice speed and size for it. Right now there is only one obligate bipedal organism living and that's us. And, we're everywhere!

Insects alone, which all have 6+ legs, make up for approximately 80% of all the world's animal species.

The invertebrate bauplan is just the result of their evolutionary history. Someone else pointed out that vertebrates have four limbs because that's what they started with. Well, invertebrates started with 10-12 and have narrowed it down to 6-8. Yes, insects are everywhere, but each species is specialized to and thus limited to certain environments and terrain. Many insects control their myriad limbs in a manner similar to our blink reflex because of the inherent difficulty in coordinating multiple pairs of limbs.

I grew up up in the 80's, I used to watch Captain Planet. So, I'm all for human bashing. But, one must admit that humans as a species have done pretty well for themselves. We're not the fastest runners, swimmers, or climbers, but we're capable to doing all three. We're not the best at living in deserts or tundra, but you can find us in both. As generalists, we can adapt to and survive in a wide variety and environments and one of our generalist adaptations is bipedal locomotion. Therefore, if we're going to expect robots to be as adaptable as we are and live and work in the same places as we do, bipedalism shouldn't be ruled out.

Re:One thought

[unablepostAC]

Humans, maybe

Re:One thought

[azuretek]

Certainly we can survive in other environments, but does that have anything to do with us being bipedal? I find it more likely that our brains are the cause of that. Also there are plenty of insects that exist in many climates. Ants, Spiders, and many more.

We are a fluke and more than likely the only reason we're dominant is because we have much bigger and better brains than most animals. Certainly if we had 2 more legs we would be just as able to survive, maybe even better at doing things like climbing and swimming.

Re:One thought

[daddymac]

I'm not really sure if this is heedless. I haven't rtfa (server too busy) but have seen previous (like this one from 2003) robochairs, and another article about the hubo, and I think it's a great idea. I'm thankful that I have working legs so I can walk up and down stairs without a problem, but for those people who are paralyzed or otherwise have limited mobility, what's wrong witha wheelchair that can get them up and down stairs? Or go on hikes in the forest with their friends? Or any of the other leg-related things many people take for granted.

If you don't want to sound like a luddite then stop talking like one.

Re:One thought

[daddymac]

>>> Even primates don't normally walk on their legs...

Uh... some of us do.

>>> even more common than that is 6+ legs.

more common, yes, but not nescessarilly better for all circumstances. The environment I live is was designed for bipeds.

Re:One thought

[Apathist]

Don't get me wrong. All progress has a purpose, and often very humane uses. But it seems that with each step like this we get closer to the Terminator scenario, and yet we never seem to pause and ask ourselves, "is this a path we really want to tread?"

Perhaps it is. Perhaps the benefits are well worth some distant risk, especially if we take the time to understand and mitigate that risk... Which is all I'm asking for: us to have the wisdom to ensure that our technology is created and used with appropriate forethought.

Re:One thought

[Anonymous Coward]

"Is that in degrees, radians, or miles per hour?"

Yes.

Re:One thought

[zero_offset]

lighter and slimmer version would be a superior solution to using an electric wheelchair

A lighter and slimmer version of this is pure fantasy.

I happen to have two electric wheelchairs in my garage (slated to become an enormous, unnecessarily complex remote control lawnmower), one of which is quite old, and one of which is fairly new (about two years old).

Electric wheelchairs are very simple compared to this device, yet they weigh in at about 300 to 400 pounds. At 150kg (about 330 pounds) this would appear to weigh roughly the same as an electric wheelchair, which is already a pretty amazing accomplishment, although I would assume all those cables are at least supplying power (e.g. no battery weight) and I strongly doubt it has the sturdiness of even a basic electric wheelchair. Everything is heavy on a chair -- batteries, motor, frame, even the electronics (and they usually have a lot, they're often very adjustable via motors and knobs and controls and other shit).

The batteries are huge and heavy because they have to last a very long time. Somebody who needs an electric wheelchair usually isn't going to be very happy about being suddenly stranded without power. In fact, I'm amazed at how stout the batteries are. After a friend delivered these two chairs to me -- telling me that one had been sitting in a barn for three years -- I lugged them to a corner of the garage and forgot about them for awhile. One of the chairs was turned on. It sat there running off batteries for two months before I noticed it was on. And it still had more than enough juice to move around, tilt the seat area, and so on. The only real downer is that they take oddball 24V batteries that apparently only come from medical supply stores ($$$).

Of course, all of that is nothing compared to the other comments pointing out that the seating position makes it a tad bit impractical for human-scale buildings (staircases, doorways)...

Re:One thought

[KDR_11k]

What does a freaking wheelchair with legs got to do with the Terminator? Your PC is more likely to become self-aware than that thing.

Re:One thought

[KDR_11k]

I think you'd be better off inventing power armor instead of mechs, a mech is a huge target and just begging for a few long range AT shells or guided missiles while a powerarmored soldier is still human sized, could fit through most doorways, use cover, etc while still being protected against small arms fire and shrapnell and possibly carrying quite a heavy load of armaments and supplies.

Re:One thought

[jollyreaper]

Please. A tank is useful because you can't trip it. It can turn on a dime. While a "mech" is only useful in sci-fi movies. I can think of many ways of disabling such a thing, like tipping it over. Now, try to tip over a tank! The center of gravity is light years away in comparison. (ok, maybe a meter or so :)

Mechs are completely *useless*. We already have "mechs" - these are called soldiers. The thing that will make them into real mechs is not this ridicules concept of chair on two legs, but future armor that augments the soldier's muscle strength. Heh. I grew up on mecha shows so for the longest time I refused to buy the "mecha are unrealistic" argument. The points that won me over were as follows:

1. Tall target=dead target. Tank designers go nuts trying to shave an extra inch off the total height. Why is that?
2. A boxy shape is easier to armor than a humanoid shape
3. Let's say you did invent a 21st century battlemech with a fusion powerplant and some sort of wicked cool beam weapon, something that would wipe the field clean of 20th century tanks. Let's also say you have armor that can defeat any regular tank gun. Then yes, the mech is better thank 20th century tanks but you'd still be better off wrapping that fusion reactor and gun in a box of the super armor and running the thing on treads. Cheaper, less complicated, still lethal.

I'm still skeptical about the prospects for a Starship Trooper suit since it just seems to be all engineering problems with not much benefit to show for it.

I think the realistic future of high tech warfare is still going to be all about the computers and guided munitions. We're going to see even more stuff with drones, combat bots working in conjunction with infantry, and a continuing sensory revolution. But I think we're also going to see a lot of Pentagon misdirection and immense squandering of resources. We're heading into some big wars in the future and I think the old way of doing things is due for a major shakeup.

I think one of the most realistic portrayals of future robotic warfare is the Warbots series by G. Harry Stine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Harry_Stine These robots were non-sentient, had limited combat AI, and could be better compared to trained K9's but without the warm fuzzy factor of working with another living being. Furutists have made a career out of getting things wrong but I think this is what it'll sort of be like.

Re:One thought

[jollyreaper]

I think you'd be better off inventing power armor instead of mechs, a mech is a huge target and just begging for a few long range AT shells or guided missiles while a powerarmored soldier is still human sized, could fit through most doorways, use cover, etc while still being protected against small arms fire and shrapnell and possibly carrying quite a heavy load of armaments and supplies. I think a better question is "do you really need the guy in the power armor in the first place?" Power armor is about carrying weapons heavy enough to be crew-served as a hand weapon while being fast enough to outdistance anything the enemy can throw at you while still packing enough armor to survive whatever hits you do take. But one of the biggest weaknesses of the human body is that it cannot take the G's involved. Half the crap we see in mecha shows should plaster the pilot. All of this jump jet stuff is unrealistic. Only a fool would operate one of our current rocket belts in combat because one bad hit means he's dropping out of the sky like a rock. That's lethal.

Now imagine you take the person out of the power armor. Now you just need to have a motor, fuel, and a proper weapon mount. We've already got experimental vehicles like this out now. Things like that robotic mule would be able to carry loads the soldier could not without requiring the soldier to wear exosuits themselves. Soldiers could potentially be acting more like forward air controllers with these weapons, designating targets and determining where to employ them tactically.

Of course, all of the above would cost serious money. A squad of humans with ak's and rpg's could still wind up being more cost-effective for third world nations and even still outfight first world armies.

Re:One thought

[Evanisincontrol]

Certainly we can survive in other environments, but does that have anything to do with us being bipedal? I find it more likely that our brains are the cause of that.

You beat me to it. Humans are, as you said, a fluke. Humans simply do NOT follow the standard rules of evolution. Evolution, boiled down to layman's terms, goes like this: The strong survive and go make offspring, while the weak are killed and don't make offspring. Weak, of course, being relative to the environment. However, this isn't (100%) true with humans. There are plenty of undesirable traits that, rather than lowering your chance of survival, actually INCREASE it!

For example, take a person born with a DNA mutation; this person is blind. A blind person in society, however, is not likely to be killed. Rather, they'll live very well, with benefits from the government and a caretaker and what not. More than likely, they'll find a mate and go on to procreate.

This is the kind of thing we see all the time in human society; undesirable traits are actually nurtured, keeping them from being excised from the gene pool. This will continue as long as the societal norm of "Nurture the weak" persists. (Which I don't see changing any time soon.)

Re:One thought

[rs79]

" 24V batteries that apparently only come from medical supply stores ($$$)"

24V batteries ARE expensive but you don't seriously believe UPS batteries are custom made do you? Hint: they're cheaper at medical supply stores than at computer places.

Re:One thought

[Max Littlemore]

Nanobots that eat ammunition would probably also eat cars, refridgerators, and other household appliances.

I was thinking more of bots that hunt charges. Try to fire a gun, it goes click, clunk or clank, but not bang. Scatter them on the wind. Like I said, not as exciting.

Re:One thought

[Anonymous Coward]

That's qubits per decibel

Re:One thought

[zero_offset]

I suppose I could have been more specific, but it was wandering away from the topic. The chairs hold either two or three, and there isn't much room. To get them to fit you have no real choice but to buy the chair-specific ones from medical supply shops. I've certainly found other batteries of the correct voltage and amperage but nothing that was about the same dimensions.

In my case looking for them was really just an exercise in curiosity, though -- for my purposes (RC mower) the whole thing will be gas-powered and run off an alternator. The large drive motors will run the wheels, and the smaller motors will raise and lower the mowing decks.

Re:One thought

[AnotherBrian]

Arg, /. dropped the degrees sign for m 45 and 90.
My point was that the guy was driving the tank almost parallel to the barrier when he tried to cross it. The tank would have easily made it over if he had approached the barrier at 90 degrees.

Re:One thought

[KDR_11k]

A powerarmor would be able to weight much more than a conventional armor suit without encumbering the user which means it can use much thicker armor and possibly be used to clear debries and other heavy objects that are in the way. It doesn't necessarily mean heavier weapons though it could of course carry those if it has enough power (less load might reduce the energy use and make the unit able to operate longer without refueling, though). Currently if you'd add enough armor to a soldier to make him impervious to small arms fire you'd bury him in steel and he wouldn't be able to get up so armor is applied only to a few areas (helmet and vest usually). Of course powerarmor wouldn't be carried on the person at all times, that'd be a waste of fuel and create unnecessary maintenance, the mules could carry that stuff outside of combat but in combat you're better off with soldiers that can move naturally, use cover easily and interact with civilians. Problems with remote operated drones include signal jamming, less adaptability and generally the lower performance of robotic parts compared to humans as currently robots lack the brainpower a human has to adapt to each situation and inputting that through a remote control would waste time.

Re:One thought

[jollyreaper]

A powerarmor would be able to weight much more than a conventional armor suit without encumbering the user which means it can use much thicker armor and possibly be used to clear debries and other heavy objects that are in the way. It doesn't necessarily mean heavier weapons though it could of course carry those if it has enough power (less load might reduce the energy use and make the unit able to operate longer without refueling, though). Currently But why have the human in the armor in the first place? That's my question. It's like the question of how you will keep a human pilot alive in future combat aircraft when incoming missiles can pull 30 G's. The answer, of course, is taking the pilot out of the plane. Now it can perform to the limits of the hardware, not of the meatsack in the cockpit.

outside of combat but in combat you're better off with soldiers that can move naturally, use cover easily and interact with civilians. Problems with remote operated drones include signal jamming, less adaptability and generally the lower performance of robotic parts compared to humans as currently robots lack the brainpower a human has to adapt to each situation and inputting that through a remote control would waste time. Think towards the future. By WWII, it was obvious that there was a huge future for ballistic and cruise missiles. The V1, for example, would have been an awesomely devastating weapon if only the Germans could have invented a way to steer it accurately to a target. The same goes for the V2. Kamikazes demonstrated just how vulnerable ships would be to cruise missiles. Of course, the Japanese solution to a weapon guidance system was a bit barbaric but it did point the way to the future.

Also consider fleet air defense. In WWII radar was introduced and there were some guns that were controlled and fired automatically but for the most part it was humans interpreting the data and feeding orders back out to other humans in charge of guns. In the modern Navy the Aegis system is supposed to take care of everything for an entire battlegroup, tasking fire and making sure that each target is serviced in turn, avoiding overkilling one target while letting another fly through and hit something. Without these computers, it would be impossible to mount a reasonable defense.

Right now we're at another one of those change points in history where we can see where the future lies but the technology still needs more work to get us there. Pretty much it all comes down to the AI and whether you can trust it in a given situation. Visual recognition software right now is getting scary-good. Ten years ago the best anyone could suggest is putting IFF beacons on your soldiers. Now the computers are getting smart enough to be able to recognize patterns visually, just like humans.

The future is going to be very unorthodox.

Re:One thought

[monomania]

Yes, I thought so, though I thought it humorous to misread it as his speed -- an interesting image :).

Now if I can find one to run over the boob who moderated my little joke a 'Troll'....does this word no longer have a specific meaning?

Re:One thought

[smparadox]

The advantage of bipedalism in animals is that it allows them to use their front legs for manipulation, but at the cost of lower stability. Robots don't have to make that compromise.

Bipedalism also confers a roundabout advantage - the lesser stability forces the would-be bipedal species to be more agile, or else fail. The greater agility is then an advantage. Thus there are a fairly low percentage of bipedal species versus "other-pedal" species, but the bipedalists tend to be very successful (Therapods, birds, certain hair-challenged primates, etc).

If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right...

[EvilRyry]

Chairbot is a great idea and all but its way too high off the ground to be useful in the office. If I built a chairbot, I'd do it right. It would have 8 legs and kinda crawl around like a spider, keeping you low to the ground. It would be so awesome.

Not enough capacity

[G4from128k]

V2.0 will need to handle 2X or 3X the current device's 100kg payload if it is to sell in the U.S. The growing numbers of "enlarged" Americans that I see using those scooters is horrifying.

Re:Not enough capacity

[maxume]

Ehn, just cut off their legs.

Ballmer

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry, my bad, that's the combination of chair and monkey.

Go Neimoidian Culture!

[ChromeAeonium]

I want one just like Nute Gunray had.

Re:Go Neimoidian Culture!

[CheeseTroll]

Keep in mind, that his mechnochair had a built-in holographic communications link going directly to Darth Sidious. (Just so you know what you're getting!)

Oh, boy...

[__aaclcg7560]

I just can't wait for the model with integrated gaming computer, toliet and soda dispenser for those long deathmatch games where it can walk you home after you pass out from playing too much.

Re:Oh, boy...

[Diakoneo]

That brings to mind Wallace and Gromit in "The Wrong Trousers". Great stuff!

Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[bughouse26]

I'll take one with 6 Medium Lasers, an AC/20, a PPC-10, and an LRM-6 please.

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[franksands]

That's exatcly the first thing I thought. But I would be glad if it had just a marshmallow shooter ;-)

Man, I miss the Mechwarrior pc games...

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[Penguinshit]

not enough heat sinks for all that firepower, unless you plan on standing still Mr. Sitting-Duck Clan...

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[tknd]

Better change your order to include some heat-sinks or you'll just keep shutting down all the time.

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[corifornia]

Is there an upgrade options to make it an ED-209? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ED-209/

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[Anonymous Coward]

For those that have not tried it. Arm a mech with as many medium lasers and heatsinks as possible. You should get at least 10-12 lasers. Alpha strike will shred any other mech and the recycle time of medium lasers makes for a devastating assault kit out.

"closeup" - heh, you got that right /.

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[Anonymous Coward]

You realize the PPC-10 is a 10 inch anal vibrator? Perhaps you meant PCC-10.

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[maxwell demon]

I don't need frinking lasers. My Ballmerbot easily beats every Chairbot by just throwing it through the room!

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[zero1101]

I only very vaguely remember the rules of building a Battletech mech, but I remember coming up with something like this. It had the ability to position itself behind other mechs from a reasonable range (was there an ability to jump? I think that's what it did), and then unload a battery of small or medium lasers into the enemy mech's back.

If you had told me when I was 12 that I'd forget these sorts of important details before I turned 30, I'd have said you were crazy.

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[dmatos]

Unfortunately, with the ability to turn the torso after the movement phase, if the other mech has any armaments on it's arms, you'll be unable to avoid defensive fire. I tried one like that, and closing with the other mech was also a real bitch. I got chewed to pieces before I could get in range.

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[Anonymous Coward]

What clan are you from?

PPC-10 : Particle Projection Cannon. Does something like 10 points of damage.

Sheesh! Everyone knows that, dork!

Re:Chairbot Mech moves 3/5/0

[KDR_11k]

LRM-6? I admit I haven't seen much beyond the base set but don't LRMs only come in fivepacks?

Also that's a lot of shortrange equipment for a 3/5 speed mech...

Payback

[SPrintF]

Payback's comin', Ballmer... walkin' slow.

Re:Payback

[Aladrin]

The first thought I had when I saw this article was 'At Soviet Microsoft, Chair throws you!' ;)

Reminds me of ...

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, that two wheeled gyro-stabilized scooter thing. It was going to be everywhere. It was going to take over the world. What the heck was it called?

Re:Reminds me of ...

[damonlab]

It is called Segway. I think pricing was the reason behind the product not becoming more popular.

Official site: http://www.segway.com/
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway

Re:Reminds me of ...

[j14ast]

Lazy boy +
  Robot legs +
homers moo moo squared
equals awesomeness

if I had a successful .com startup...

[nbert]

...I'd be ordering a couple. Just imagine doing job interviews in/on such a thing :D

I thought that said Chairboy.

[antdude]

I thought it said Chairboy, not Chairbot. :P

Steve Ballmer Version

[aschlemm]

The Steve Ballmer version of this chair will automatically throw itself across the room. :)

Re:Steve Ballmer Version

[morgan_greywolf]

I'm gonna F***ing KILL Chairbot!!!!

Re:Steve Ballmer Version

[Anonymous Coward]

In Soviet Russia Microsoft Boardroom, Chair throws YOU !!

Re:Steve Ballmer Version

[Anonymous Coward]

In Soviet Microsoft, chair throws you!

Re:Steve Ballmer Version

[Anonymous Coward]

The Douglas Adams version of this chair will throw itself at the ground and miss. http://www.extremelysmart.com/humor/howtofly.php

clicking on link...

[3seas]

... if thats the code it runs, I want nothing to do with it...

In the name of the South

[escay]

I have a little proposition to make. The unconditional and immediate surrender of the United States of America to the Loveless Alliance!

That seems silly

[Noose For A Neck]

Why use legs when you can use wheels? No fancy control systems necessary.

Re:That seems silly

[ross.w]

I'll race you up the stairs. You use a wheel chair, I'll use one of these.

Re:That seems silly

[ArsonSmith]

wheels are great on smooth terrain, but legs are the only thing that will alow you to travel through really ruff and rocky areas. Also stairs are a lot easier with legs rather than wheels.

Also how will we build are mech warriors without this type of tech?

Re:That seems silly

[Anonymous Coward]

Because wheelchairs have an attached stigma, for one. And two, wheels aren't so great going over rocky terrain, as these mecha eventually will.

Re:That seems silly

[DavidHumus]

Two words: Starship Trooper.

It's a little large.

[mark-t]

But if they can get it down to a more manageable size, chairs with legs will be great for people who are otherwise stuck in a wheelchair... it will make all kinds of places accessible to them that weren't previously.

Re:It's a little large.

[gr8_phk]

The Ibot is already available today. I did some development on it for a while and can tell you it's more comfortable than any powered device you've ever ridden. It can do stairs too.

Re:It's a little large.

[pimpimpim]

what a wonderful machine! The same size as current electric wheelchairs, but with the huge social difference that you can lift yourself up to eye level! I can imagine that this humble-looking thing has the power to bring wheelchair users closer to the people around them, make them feel more secure and independent, even make a lot of more jobs accessible as well. As they showed in the movie, this actually lets one speak to people in a bar, stupid as it may sound, this is very important, otherwise you'D be only looking at and talking to other peoples butts and crotches (which is probably not half as good as it may sound to some of you).

This is what technological advancement should all be about. Is it based on segway technology or something? Does it use a lot of battery power when in balance mode? Haven't seen one of these around europe yet, I really hope they will come available, not that I need one, but if I would've I'd certainly want one directly!

Re:It's a little large.

[YourMoneyOrYourDuck]

Wow. This is the future of wheelchairs, and the burger eating public. Wheels are more efficient than legs on flat surfaces, factor in raise/balance, stair climbing and some off-road and thats a very complete solution.

Re:It's a little large.

[Bobb Sledd]

YES! I've seen this device many years ago. You worked on this? When I saw this, I had never seen anything that could handle stairs or balancing as well as the Ibot could. Didn't the Segway get it's balancing scheme from the Ibot? Or am I just making that up.

Kudos to you on this machine, it is truly a work of art.

Re:It's a little large.

[gr8_phk]

Don't give me credit, I was just a cog in the engineering machine. Granted, I was a control software guy :-) And yes, the Ibot is a cousin of the Segway. I'm not certain which came first. Both are really cool, but I'd prefer to sit down if riding a lot. Besides, I'm not sure how the Segway handles curbs - the Ibot handles them just fine (up and down).

Re:It's a little large.

[Cinnibar CP]

But... the chair itself isn't accessable. The video shows someone climbing three steps to get into the darned thing. I can't imagine that a person in a wheelchair relishes the idea of climbing stairs.

Congrats!

[reset_button]

You invented an over-priced, overly complex, huge version of an electric wheelchair!

Re:Congrats!

[Anonymous Coward]

You invented an over-priced, overly complex, huge version of an electric wheelchair!

Sure, but you can't keep a straight face if you say that a soldier could ride around in a wheelchair with an RPG or chaingun mount and that the military might be interested in it.

Now, if you approach the military and tell them they can be equipped with RPGs, chainguns, and lots of chips and cola while riding around in plush Lazy Boys with legs, you just might be looking at some obscenely lucrative government contracts.

Re:Congrats!

[Fred Ferrigno]

When you add in the armor and engine big enough to move the sucker around it starts looking a whole lot like a tank.

May I be the first....

[Xinef Jyinaer]

May I be the first to say, "Goliath Online". And just in time for SC2

Re:May I be the first....

[Bamafan77]

May I be the first to say, "Goliath Online". And just in time for SC2

Unless she gets attacked by a squadron of Wraiths, those Goliaths won't be around for long. :)

Ah yes I have fond memories of the Goliath, possibly the most useless of all Terran units. :)

Re:May I be the first....

[RockModeNick]

I found them to be much better late game replacement for the marines, which splatter far too fast to properly form a line around siege tanks and prevent them from being bombed by air units or rushed by faster units, I'd use a divided guard of half goliaths and half wraiths. Even late game a flock of zerglings could pretty well ruin an otherwise efficient tank line, if they just split up and let themselves get splattered while the tanks blow each other to pieces.

Re:May I be the first....

[genner]

Goliath's are the the best answer to the guardian rush.

Glavin!

[Anonymous Coward]

That sounds like my first invention, the Autochair 5000! Oh, would you look at the stuff they have you doing, it's-sad-and-alarming? Well, let's get you home to Frinky.

Technical Paper

[morcheeba]

I found this interesting technical paper on the robot: Experimental Realization of Dynamic Walking for a Human-Riding Biped Robot, HUBO FX-1. It has lots of pretty pictures and graphs and gets in to the control-system problems they had when they developed it. Each step runs through three different balance control strategies, which they outline in detail. It's almost enough information to build your own!

Re:Technical Paper

[SteelCougar307]

Wow, that is a fantastic find for us engineering-types. I was surprised to actually find some things that I recognized from my controls and multi-body kinematics classes. Thank you! I'm off to build my own mech now... :D

Fake

[Anonymous Coward]

There's actually a guy inside that device. It's basically a hoax.

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[billsoxs]

OK - but as Jay Leno would say - Are we really getting THAT fat?

The first thing I thought of when I saw the pic

[dr_strang]

Was Robotech. I can't wait. The future is Macross, baby.

Re:The first thing I thought of when I saw the pic

[Bamafan77]

" Was Robotech. I can't wait. The future is Macross, baby."

heh, the first thing I thought of was Evangelion. I read very carefully for any mention of NERV, Instrumentality, or SEAL. Anyway, the chick in the picture doesn't look like she has a high sync with her Eva. She's screwed once the Angels attack.

Re:The first thing I thought of when I saw the pic

[fan of lem]

It must hurt a lot after pressing the "Gerwalk Mode" button.

Re:The first thing I thought of when I saw the pic

[Yusaku Godai]

Except that the Evangelions aren't really mechs. They're just giant humanoid aliens with what amounts to fancy space marine armor and control centers shoved into their spines.

My first thought was definitely Mech Commander.

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[Frogbert]

Well yeah but if you are going to do that you need to do it right. I envision two sets of thousands of grippy legs (made out of rubber or something) mounted in a circular pattern on each side of the chair sharing a single motor.

By rotating this circle each leg would be able to grip onto the floor and help the engine propel you in the direction you want to go in.

Do they sell upgrades for it?

[DaleGlass]

It looks a bit bare. Now with some extra armor, ER PPC and pulse lasers it would be really neat.

Re:Do they sell upgrades for it?

[RuBLed]

Well I believe so, unless you got that Express edition where you are not allowed to even duct tape a flashlight to the seat.

Perfect office chair

[GFree]

Military is also one of its future applications may be in a decade or so it will be running on fuel cells with a soldier mounted on firing rpg's and chain guns.

Screw the military, this sounds like the perfect chair for my office.

Re:Perfect office chair

[Tatisimo]

Looking at the prototype, it looks like it'll make the soldier stand out from the others. "Shoot the tall one!"

I'll wait till the fully armored MechWarrior version comes out. And maybe even wait a couple of years later, when the Transformers Anniversary Edition is available. I've been wanting to drive an Optimus Prime for so long now...

good timing

[Jeek Elemental]

was considering taking up jogging but havent cause of all the running involved, this might be the push needed.

Okay it seems impressive

[wyntek]

but lets dump 4 cans of beer on that chair's circuit boards and see how well it walks. Stupid chair. You're better off storing pi out to 6 million digits!

Slashdotted

[Anonymous Coward]

Chairbot is down. Repeat, Chairbot is down.

Maybe they needed a beowulf of these things.

Ok, Dude,

[Cadallin]

Stephan Hawking NEEDS this thing. All it needs is a set of grasping hands on long arms so he can crush his enemies like Robo-Nixon. That would be so awesome. In any case, add some lasers and missiles and you've got a fully functional Gundam!

Re:Ok, Dude,

[PayPaI]

He already has something better

Re:Ok, Dude,

[gbobeck]

Talk about timing...

From bash.org (#765367)

(08:57:00 PM) Nick: If I had could anyone as a Street Fighter character, it'd be Stephen Hawking.
(08:57:31 PM) Nick: You know his special move would be...his wheelchar would fly up in the air and then slam down into the other guy like a meteor or something.

What the?

[hexed_2050]

While I understand the sheer implications of each successful progression of walking biped robot mobility systems, I have to wonder what sort of use this certain implication could have besides being a prop for Austin Powers and Mini Me in the next sequel.
h

That's nice...

[GFree]

...but does it run... Vista?

Re:That's nice...

[flyingfsck]

No, no, no - Vista is sloooooow...

"Does it walk Vista" is more appropriate.

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[Prof.Phreak]

I think it's the obsession with Mechs. Add a bullet proof hood, a large caliber gun, etc.

Damn, and I just bought a Segway.

[MLS100]

It will irk me to no end that while I look down on the lowly 'walking' class that there will be some guy in a chairbot looking down on my now-lowly 'standing' class. Perhaps I can skip a tier and wait for the la-z-bot?

This could be much cooler..

[spiffmastercow]

..with 8 spider-like legs instead of the biped legs..

Where's the options?

[denttford]

How much for reactive armor? A GAU-19 option, perhaps?

Man, it's the extras that kill ya.

IBOT

[Harmonious Botch]

I assume your friend has seen IBOTs http://www.powerchair-review.fsnet.co.uk/, particularly the model 3000 that looks like a wheelchar, but climbs stairs.

Fred is smoother

[xrayspx]

Hint: Ginger.

In Soviet Russia...

[rekab]

You walk around while chair sits on you!!!... I've got nothin'...

Re:In Soviet Russia...

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh! oh! I've got it!

In Soviet Russia, chairs sit on you... no wait! Chairs ride you. Err...

Dude!

[glwtta]

Dr. Mung Mung will love this thing!

Toyota

[Scrameustache]

Why? Because they saw the one Toyota made years ago and thought "neat"?

Step 1

[Higaran]

Step one is building and Atlas Mech, figure out how the legs work, and build them up to a larger scale. Theres also a Dadashi or a Kodiak, but then again they need a couple of guass rifles on the sides.

Hiking is always such a strain on the buttocks

[Rgb465]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUVFV8g4-Yo

In all seriousness....

[grimdawg]

....the applications of this and derivatives seem fairly extensive.

There's an inherent advantage of legs over wheels - that's why we have to go out of our way to make ramps for the wheelchair-bound. This device represents, to me, an important step (HAH!) in design of legged machines. Having a robot which can walk intelligently over unpredictable surfaces would be pretty useful.

Just off the top of my head, here are some areas this could come in handy:

Construction/mining/etc. - As it is, everything needs to be carted around by trucks, which aren't maneuverable in the way a set of legs can be;

The disabled - as mentioned by a few, the wheel in wheelchair makes things very tough for our legless friends. With a legchair, they could maybe climb stairs and go over rougher terrain;

Military - same deal. It's basically the first step toward a genuine Mech;

Automated factories - no longer are we limited to wheels/tracks/conveyor belts. There's gotta be some advantage to that.

Space? - The idea of a droid repairing your spaceship just got a little less out there, maybe?

There are probably more, too. I think the chair itself is retarded, but the research that's gone into getting a set of functioning, intelligent legs is pretty useful.

Re:In all seriousness....

[CptPicard]

It's still going to be a long way before they get a bipedal robot to be truly reliable enough on uneven terrain even if they managed to get it perform reasonably well. People fall down all the time on their own, and we have a remarkably good system that constantly knows the body state and is able to reflexively correct for problems AND attempt to minimize damage if tumbling is inevitable.

I'm in a wheelchair and as the reason to that is that I break my bones easily (osteogenesis imperfecta) it would take a lot of persuasion to get me to try out one of these, if they ever become available... the world is not a very controlled place, and a single misstep on stairs would probably lead to an unrecoverable situation and the occupant's severe injuries or death, especially if it were me...

When it comes to increasing my own mobility, I'd be much more interested in some kind of power-amplifying exoskeletons, as I'm not paralyzed, just too weak to walk.

Hedonism Bot

[Three Letter Acronym]

I apologize for nothing!

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[Doctor Memory]

Heh, that was my first thought: "Jesus, how soon before I see these things stomping around Wal-Mart?" I swear, I go there about five times a year, and every time it's like Bloated Freaks on Wheels week.

No Wai!

[porcupine8]

this giant chair with legs

A chair with legs! What'll they think of next, a bicycle with wheels?

Those legs!

[Anonymous Coward]

So the legs make it more interesting, but wouldn't it be much easier and more robust to just use tank-style treads, or even wheels?

Disappointed about only two legs?

[Anonymous Freak]

Am I the only one disappointed that it doesn't have four spindly little chair legs? It just looks like some odd monstrosity as it is. Even if it was the same height, it would look cooler to me if it had four smaller 'chair-like' legs.

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[MadUndergrad]

I too was disappointed about the lack of spideriness, even though I hate spiders. This just looks goofy.

*mumbles something about Asians and giant walking robots...*

LipoBot

[Voice of Meson]

If we could hook up some Liposuction equipment to it, then use the extracted fat of the occupant as a fuel for the machine we'd really be getting somewhere. Their fat arses would actually be hauling them around. Ha!

LipoBot - Patent Pending.

Re:LipoBot

[autophile]

Their fat arses would actually be hauling them around.

But only in Soviet Russia.

--Rob

Re:LipoBot

[AgentSmith]

In Soviet Russia, chair bots only carry old people around YOU!

More Walkin-Bots

[cephal0p0d]

http://www.plyojump.com/

Favorites:
BigDog http://www.bdi.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog
RHex http://www.rhex.org/
ZMP, Inc. http://www.zmp.co.jp/e_home.html
RiSe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzfP0Ig7eVQ

looks like it came out of some ridiculous 80s ...

[Orig_Club_Soda]

...Sci-fi

I was alive in the 80s. This predates the 80s by decades. More like turn of the century, industrialization.

So...

[kitsunewarlock]

after you throw them, they walk back to you? Genius!

a bit unstable isn't it?

[blowtorch]

Its looks too unstable for any use in the real world. Add a couple more legs for much more stability. At least that way it won't topple over sideways.

Spider car!

[MaWeiTao]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this thing. It's kind of scary to see it in motion.

Can the Techno Trousers be far behind?

[Anonymous Coward]

This chair...it's gone wrong!

Sponsored by Steve Balmer

[syousef]

Behind the scenes it's actually sponsored by Steven for his old age. What did you think an 80 year old Steve still wants to be throwing chairs? No senior citizen Steve's will throw themselves at you at his command!!!

Palpatine

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone remember Emperor Palpatine's hologram riding around on such a chair?

Aliens?

[tepples]

There is going to be a forklift version that can be used to fight aliens. Piloted by border patrol agents, right?

Star Wars...

[mattr]

At first I thought it was just a research project to show how advanced they are, after all it may not be ASIMO but walking on two legs with something on top of them was one of the hard problems. You could stick the two legs under anything you like. I even read how wheeled robots don't fit into stairs, cars, and other things made for humans but legged ones do.

But then I realized, ahah! I had an ahah moment. This year is the 30th anniversary of Star Wars and of course that that means this is really a power droid

Re:Star Wars...

[p4rri11iz3r]

This is not the droid you're looking for...

China was first

[dwater]

http://www.five.tv/paulmerton/

Click on 'Beijing' then the picture on the right (with the robot in the picture).

If you mistakenly click on the one on the left, then you get something, er, *completely* different! Worth a watch too (if the stupid flash works for you - often cuts off short for me).

Mechas

[Anonymous Coward]

In a few years, it will look something like THIS! Then, I'll consider buying one.

It's all about ride quality

[Animats]

Cute.

The interesting research results have to do with control strategies for providing good ride quality. Biped walking machines have been around for some years now, but usually jounce around too much. They've addressed that problem. One more step towards robust biped machines.

Now the question is whether they can get the stride length up. That's when it starts to get hard. The linear approximations they're using start to diverge from reality too much.

The latest generation of hobbyist robots from Japan are almost good enough for serious research work. They need inertial units, more compute power, and better comm links, but the mechanics look quite good. Hobbyist robotics is about at the Apple I point - there's decent hardware advanced hobbyists can buy, but it's not quite ready for prime time. The academics tend to have good theory but expensive, one-off hardware, while the hobbyists have mass produced hardware but primitive software. It's like computing in 1976. Two more years and this stuff will really start to work.

There's a lot of academic theory that needs to be moved into the hobbyist robots, which tend to have really dumb controllers, and not due to lack of compute power. The hobby robotics people are going to have to learn more math, much as game developers did when games went from 2D to 3D.

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[BooleanLobster]

Wait, are you describing a wheelchair or a street-sweeper?

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[Anonymous Coward]

Did He answer you? It's an interesting question...

Now if only...

[RealGrouchy]

Now if only they could build a version with a built-in widescreen TV, cooler, and porta-john, it'll be perfect!

- RG>

See the Future (ama)

[fahrbot-bot]

Put Nixon's head in a jar on that thing and storm the White House...

Re:See the Future (ama)

[Anonymous Coward]

Arrrooooo!!!

Remember Robocop??

[lukehealey]

=>You have 30 Seconds to Comply......... hehehe

Humans must go down the stairs

[lullabud]

Wait, I thought they were supposed to fall down the stairs, not be trasnported safely to the next floor down. Screw the carrier, where's the pusher robot?

1/2 chevaline

[zobier]

I want a chevaline. It looks like we're half way there (and about 6 times too heavy -- but I wouldn't mind not being able to carry it around).

I, for one,...

[Anonymous Coward]

...welcome our new walking chairbot overlords.

Grandma and her cats.....

[Rank_Tyro]

This would be a great thing for elderly disabled people, but until they figure out how to ensure that this thing does not kill cats, small dogs, and grandchildren, it is still VERY much in the "Beta" stage.

Once they figure out how to avoid flat cats, and shrink it down to a manageable size, it could be a really good thing.

Not sexy enough!

[dannycim]

[outoftopic]

I for one welcome our new sexy female robot overlords: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHtEt_x6FI. (Safe for work, cousin video of topic)

Useless

[91degrees]

This is no use to me. What if I want a takeaway burger? Sure, this chair can take me to my car, then I can drive the the drive-thru, pick it up, and drive back, but that means I have to get my ass out of a chair not one, but twice!

I'm not interested in any chair that can't physically place me behind the wheel of my car.

yeah, but

[Anonymous Coward]

does it run?

ookay

[Z80a]

now give me one of this but MUCH bigger,a BIG railgun,a laser,some missile launchers,and a bunch of furry terrorist freaks, a lot of faceless dumb soldier,and of course a island on a cold place

I hate to say this... but it looks fake!

[i_b_don]

You don't know how much I *really* hate to say this becuase of how often that is used on youtube and I *dispise* the poeple who say that.

So wait! Bear with me here! I'm not a pre-pubesent kid who says that about every youtube video..

Watch the youtube video. At 0:50 seconds, the robot is walking forward and he stops and walks backward. ONLY AFTER he starts walking backward the user pulls back on the joystick.

If the joystick control is fake, what are the chances that there is someone inside that "robot" shell?

Don't trust me, watch it yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyqQ9B8_jIs&eurl=ht tp%3A%2F%2Fwww.newlaunches.com%2Farchives%2Fhubo_f x1_chair_bot.php

don

Re:I hate to say this... but it looks fake!

[Cinnibar CP]

I watched the video, and you may be correct. The chair certainly has an unusually thick back, easily large enough to hide a person's torso, and the controls seem to be out of synch with its movement as you described. This may be a hoax.

Unsafe at any speed!

[Anonymous Coward]

As an F-1 safety related guy, I find this pretty frightening. Notice there is no seatbelt, roll cage, arrest bar or anything applied to the cockpit as far as one can see in the video. If that homonculus topples the occupant may well be crushed should he/she fall under the structure. Maybe there are so many asians they do not put much value on human life?

Whatever...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's got its own dangling tripwire and if it trips up and falls on you, you're probably going to get killed - unless you're one of those over padded American fatties. How long before the mall parking lot is full of these things on top of their owners, legs waving like upturned turtles?

Isn't this an iFoot?

[kahei]

Isn't this just a watered-down version of Toyota's iFoot from 2 years ago?

I mean I hate to be the one who comes out and says it, but... :/

War On Terror Bubble

[Anonymous Coward]

If enough armor can be packed on it,...

No need to read the rest of your suggestion, "enough armor" time passed some 150 years ago! Weapons won and they still rule the battlefield. There is a reason why tanks are made the way they are and there is a reason why helicopters will never be as armored as (contemporary) tanks. Obviously, chopper tanks would be the winning combination over both the classic ("Terradyne") tanks and your hypothetic AT-ST. However, it is so much easier to make more powerful armor penetrating shells then more resilient armor.

Team's speculation about "soon, with minor mod" military application is just nowadays obligatory attempt to get DoD funding. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they get the funds - we live in a time comparable to dot-com bubble. This level of mil-tech enthusiasm has not been seen since WWII.

Vultures are worse

[Atheose]

I beg to differ--vultures are the most useless of all Terran units. Goliaths in Brood War with the missile range upgrade are the best anti-air ground units in the game.

Mech Warrior

[bl8n8r]

Ridiculous? It looks pretty practical to me. Mount a few rocket launchers on it, some kevlar, bullet-proof glass, and maybe one of those zippy little machine guns off an A-10, and things take on a different perspective.

Re:Mech Warrior

[Anonymous Coward]

maybe one of those zippy little machine guns off an A-10

Err, no, no, no. The GAU-8 30mm gun weighs just over 280 kg and is 6.40m long.
So, you're looking good with your GAU-8-equipped bipedal robot... until you have to make a turn in a narrow street.

(also, the recoil on the GAU-8 is *massive*.)

L.

futurama

[Anonymous Coward]

professor farnsworth would be proud. or will be in a thousand years or so.

I was eating ...

[freaker_TuC]

you insensitive clod! Now clicking the left thing makes me think about Gagh, best served alive!

worse than couch potatoes

[whitroth]

Reminds me of Ray Bradbury's short story from the fifties, "The Pedestrian", about the last pedestrian.... (For an essay on it).

Seriously, who *needs* it, or wants it? And if you do, then you need to be in an assisted living facility.

                  mark "get up and get your own bheer, ya lazy bum!"

more features

[Anonymous Coward]

alls it needs now is a built in toilet and I would never leave my chair !

Straight Outta Futurama?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm surprised Prof. Farnsworth hasn't come from the future to sue for damages - this thing hurt his butt while hiking!

Dean Kamen insists his IBOT is not a wheelchair

[Paul Fernhout]

Too bad this got eclipsed by his Segway. The IBOT was a much better idea IMHO.

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9911/26/ibot.idg /

"Imagine the IBOT, looking like a sleek wheelchair, not with two big and two small wheels, but two pair of midsize wheels on a swivel. Imagine joysticking an IBOT as it carries you quickly along a beach.

Imagine approaching a curb or, worse, stairs. The IBOT's wheels automatically swivel up the curb or swivel repeatedly up the stairs.

Imagine sitting in a supermarket, hitting the IBOT's "stand" button and swiveling up onto two wheels to reach the top shelf. What must it be like for people who have lost their legs to again face the world standing up?

The IBOT is now in clinical trials, prior to approval by our Federal Drug Administration, so Kamen can't talk much about it.

Johnson & Johnson has invested $50 million with Kamen in developing the Independence 3000 IBOT Transporter. Availability by prescription is projected for 2001, at less than $25,000.

I've seen NBC's John Hockenberry throw a 25-pound bag to Kamen, who is sitting in an IBOT, which is balancing on two wheels. The IBOT detected the bag's heavy arrival and instantly regained balance by spinning its wheels. Only a replay shows the wheels making their moves.

In shoving matches, Kamen says, IBOTs win. They keep their balance better than humans do by using gyroscopes and microprocessors. "

In Soviet Russia

[Anonymous Coward]

In Soviet Russia, the Chairbot throws Ballmer!

Yes, but...

[dsmitchell1]

Will it run Linux?

(someone had to ask...)

Futurama?

[CensorshipDonkey]

NIXON'S BACK, BABY! RAR!

RobotCop

[christus_ae]

RoboCop! *orgasm*

Dr. Mung Mung's invention

[obtuse]

I call it the catbird seat, Brian Pinhead.

Break it and you shall pay dearly valet person.

http://home.jps.net/~lsnyder/9_tick.html

Dexter's robot

[Zarf]

This looks just like a robot from Dexter's lab. Sweet.

I have seen better

[EdwinZ]

http://www.art-design.umich.edu/plus/?p=184 Any Brit's out there who watched the first episode of Paul Merton's trip to China will have seen Mr Wu's robots. This Chinese farmer is entirely self taught and as the link shows, makes much more trendy robots for carrying people around in. Just imagine a chain gun on the back of that thing!

Xerces' Chair

[MutualDisdain]

This is what Xerces would sit on if the movie 300 were set in the future

That's nothing...

[Zarf]

Clearly this robot is a superior walker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHtEt_x6FI

There are many subtle points to walking that this robot clearly shows a finer control over. I think this superior walking style represents the future of walking robots.

Sigourney Weaver

[pointbeing]

Already had one of these things plus it could carry stuff. Additionally, in the first movie she was kinda hot.

If it were ever more appropriate...

[killjoy966]

I, for one, welco--ah, forget it...

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[flappinbooger]

That's what I thought too when I first saw the thing - "Hmmmm... Make it about 2-3 times as tall, fusion reactor, armor, missiles - Battlemech!"

oblig-

[WiFireWire]

I, for one, welcome our new robotic chair overlords

Am I the only one

[Raynor]

that sees an AT-ST?

What do you get...

[GodfatherofSoul]

...when you combine a robot and a chair?

My job

Mechno-Chair

[teal_]

Viceroy Gunray has one of those... http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mechno-chair

I've seen this before...

[c0d3h4x0r]

...oh, now I remember:

"PLEASE EXIT THE CHAIR! YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO COMPLY! 9! 8! 7!..."

Hedonism Bot

[c0d3h4x0r]

Now they just need to build a robot that sits permanently attached in the robot chair, and they'll have implemented Futurama's HedonismBot!

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[KDR_11k]

I was thinking this would end up like the Luggage...

Whoah

[SirStiff]

This.. is the coolest thing.. I have ever seen.

it's not going far!

[simkn]

In the video, has anyone noticed that the thing is plugged into the wall? It's not going too far before pulling it's own plug! In fact, the driver puts it in reverse just when the cord is getting stretched out.

I can only hope this isn't a power cord (maybe just a data link) or anything else that is required. Or perhaps it's required only for the prototyping purposes. Or maybe it's currently recharging its batteries.

Still, it really struck me as funny... a pair of robotic legs won't be too useful if you can't stray more than 5 feet from a wall outlet!

Re:If you're gonna build a chairbot, do it right..

[captainClassLoader]

The good Doctor (Memory) says:

I go there about five times a year, and every time it's like Bloated Freaks on Wheels week.

Dude, I think you've just named my next band.

Legs for the disabled

[kbox]

When asked what his experience testing this device was like, a disabled man was quoted as saying "it's just as convenient as a wheelchair, Only far more terrifying".

only in America!

[BigBadBus]

Is this to allow American fatties (who sue McDonalds et al. because their obesity is never their fault, oh dear me, no sir) to meander to the fridge to get more snacks without getting off their well-groomed all-American asses?