MyDeskFriend Robot Penguin - Your Window To Facebook

Social networking is the buzz word in this age and people are looking out for better ways to stay connected to their buddies thorough the social networking sites. Robots and other devices linked to social networking sites aren't exactly anything new, but few have been in the form of tiny robot penguins, and even fewer have been tiny robot penguins with hats. That bit of mold-breaking comes courtesy of upstart Arimaz of Switzerland, which is now busy showing off its MyDeskFriend "Facebook companion" that's set for release this September. This Peniguin Robot is able to mosey about your desk without falling off and react to your voice like any good robot, but its real secret is that it can connect to Facebook and read your messages, or even be controlled (some may say tormented) by your real Facebook friends.

The web-connected mydeskfriend will be able to connect to your Facebook account and read your messages and your feeds, in a robotic voice I assume. Your friends will also be able to interact with it via Facebook, thereby avoiding interacting with you. So it’s a friend middleman.
As everyone knows, eyes are the window to a persons emotions. Eyes reflect the feel of the person. Taking this universal truth into robots too, the MyDeskFriend Robot Penguin can express the feeling with its eye.! Yes! Believe it or not, eyes change colors to convey its mood, for example yellow to convey happiness and red when its in a bad mood. It can also do other robot stuff, like move around and follow your finger.



The MyDeskFriend Robot Penguin has 5 infrared sensors that prevent it from careening off the precipice that is the computer desk, which has supposedly become the favorite hangout of an increasing number of humans, all of them hungry for interaction and companionship, not realizing that its because they stay in front of their damn computers for so long that they lack company. The mydeskfriend has certain “needs”, like food, exercise and “meds”, and you and your friends can attend to it via Facebook. The robot also responds to touch, like poking or shaking, as well as voice commands. Its software will supposedly allow its “personality” to evolve over time.

Arimaz, the company behind mydeskfriend, is entertaining the possibility of licensing the technology behind the toy so that there’ll be more robots for everyone. The MyDeskFriend Robot Penguin will be available in September for $99 .

Robotic Arm Washes Dishes

The University of Tokyo is developing a series of robots that perform housekeeping chores such as washing dishes and doing laundry. A video showing one of the University’s robots washing and stacking dishes recently popped up on YouTube.

According to a Reuters news item, the prototype dishwashing robot is part of a series of housekeeping robot designs developed in association with Panasonic. The University hopes to see products based on its designs begin showing up in consumers’ homes in about five years.
The University’s prototype dishwashing robot’s hand is equipped with 18 sensors of five different types, Reuters reports.

The following Japanese-language video shows the robot carefully picking up, rinsing, and stacking dishes in a dishwasher.

The robot’s developers currently are focused on making the robot smaller, lighter, and faster, with a goal of having it “put away dishes in five minutes after a family of four has finished dinner,” Reuters reports. Another design in the series picks up clothes, puts them in a washing machine, and operates the driver on its own.

The series of housekeeping robots appears to be a project of the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Information Science and Technology’s Mechano-Informatics department.

USB Dancing Robot

Do you need a companion who can anytime dance at your favorite tunes? Then this USB Dancing Robot is the perfect gadget for you. Similar to the Sony Rolly Dancing Mp3 Player, this robot can dance to your tunes and steal the show.

Just plug in the USB Dancing Robot into your PC, put on some tunes, and this fun robot will dance along to your music. This USB Dancing Robot also has a spare USB port so you can plug one of your USB gadgets in, or even another USB Dancing Robot.

So sacrifice a single USB port and you can have your very own 7-inch-tall, dancing robot to tirelessly bust a move for your pleasure. After detecting whatever tune you have playing, USB Dancing Robot will start swaying and flashing LEDs to the beat. And that looks like all it'll do. Forever.
Despite all this eye ball stealing qualities, the price of the USB Dancing Robot is not very amicable. The USB Dancing Robot is a tad steeply priced for what it is at 25$, and it'll only work with Windows XP or 2000. Its boxy retro design is lovable, but its crazy zany face seems quite funny.