Misc. Gadgets, Robots ChouChou Electric Butterfly flutters to life inside a jar

Most robot pets may not be easily mistaken for the real thing, but that's not likely to be the case with the ChouChou Electric Butterfly, which might even have a few people reaching to free it from its jar. Unfortunately, it's the jar that keeps the butterfly "alive" -- it has some AA batteries in its lid that apparently allow the butterfly to respond to vibrations and flutter about. That may not sound like much, but the effect is pretty striking -- see for yourself after the break. Of course, just because it's simple doesn't mean its cheap. You'll have to shell out a hefty $76 to bring this one home.

AQUA2 amphibious robot is super cute and fast, less annoying than most pets because it has no head

The AQUA2, built at McGill University in Montreal, is the first of its kind. You see, the AQUA2 is a robot that can both dive and swim in water, and move about on land. The amphibious bot can explore water up to 120 feet and is tethered to a remote control via ethernet or fiber optics. The 'headless' robot's flippers make it a pretty impressive swimmer, and it's also strikingly fast on even rough terrain. Check out the video after the break.

Virginia Tech researchers reveal full-sized CHARLI-L humanoid robot

Dr. Dennis Hong was kind enough to give us a glimpse the CHARLI robot on The Engadget Show this weekend -- or its leg, anyway -- but he and his students have just now finally revealed the full-sized bot that's been described as a "robot teenager." As we'd heard, CHARLI is actually a series of robots that initially consists of the 5-foot tall CHARLI-L (or lightweight, pictured above), and the forthcoming CHARLI-H (or heavy), both of which are completely autonomous, with a full range of movements and gestures thanks to a series of pulleys, springs, carbon fiber rods, and actuators (not to mention some slightly more mysterious AI). What's more, while CHARLI-L is currently restricted to walking on flat surfaces, CHARLI-H promises to be able to walk on the uneven ground around the Virginia Tech campus, and eventually even be able to "run, jump, kick, open doors, pick up objects, and do just about anything a real person can do." Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any video of CHARLI-L in action just yet, and it is still somewhat of a work in progress -- the researchers say it will be able to speak soon, and they're also busily working to improve its soccer skills in time for this year's RoboCup.

Android and Arduino-packin' Cellbot features voice recognition, autonomy, and charm to spare

The Cellbots gang has been furiously productive as of late. Not even a month after their wooden "boxbot" was first spotted on You Tube the project has moved on from its humble beginnings of lumber and windshield wiper motors to a full-on a neon green acrylic Truckbot that uses a G1 and Arduino board combination for control. Sure, we've seen Android-powered robots before, but these guys have done some pretty cool things, and have no intention of stopping now. They've already implemented an ultrasonic range detector so the 'bot can override the operator and prevent itself from running off a cliff (although we'd like to suggest mounting one on the rear as well -- for obvious reasons), voice recognition, and the Android compass into the control system. If anything, the amount of progress makes this project very well worth keeping an eye on

Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge

The Far East just gets more surreal each day. For instance, how about a Japanese restaurant in Thailand served by robots? You can thank Lapassarad Thanaphant for her 30 million baht ($927,600) investment in the Bangkok-based Hajime restaurant and its four motorised servants from Japan. The brave souls who dare to enter can place orders on touchscreens, and in return watch a lanky humanoid deliver the dishes, followed by some slick dance moves if its not too busy serving others. Oh, don't worry, these samurais are tied to a track so they can barely reach you, plus you get to cook your own food in the style of Shabu-Shabu (Japanese hot pot) or BBQ, so enjoy your freedom before they take over your cooking as well.

Fujitsu's robot bear designed to win over the elderly, but we're on to it

Man, what is it with Japan, robots, and the elderly? We've been hearing about projects like RI-MAN and Ninomiya-kun for years now. And sure, it looks good on paper -- design an ultra-realistic (or ultra-cute) robot, stick it in a room with the unloved elderly person in your life, and forget about the lot of 'em. The problem? Apparently the aforementioned "olds" don't like it one bit. In fact, it seems that they'd prefer a stuffed animal. Not to be outdone by this admittedly low-tech solution, Fujitsu has built a prototype Teddy that features a camera for face tracking, a network of touch sensors, and a catalog of 300 responses to various stimulus -- "which range from giggling and laughing, waving its paws around, and pretending to fall asleep complete with recorded snores," according to SlashGear. Another possible use for the as-yet-unnamed bear would be for school children. Who wuvs our cuddly robot overlords? We do, don't we? Yes we do...

Philosopher ponders the implications of robot warfare, life with a degree in philosophy

H+, our favorite transhumanist magazine, has just published a chat with Peter Asaro, the author of a paper titled "How Just Could a Robot War Be?" In this interview (co-authored by our old friend R.U. Sirius) the gentleman from Rutgers explores the philosophical implications of things like robot civil war, robots and just war theory, and the possibilities of installing some sort of "moral agency" in the killer machines that our military increasingly relies on. But that ain't all -- the big thinkers also discuss the benefits of programming automatons to disobey (certain) orders, drop science on a certain Immanuel Kant, and more. We know you've been dying to explore the categorical imperative as it relates to the robot apocalypse

Inhabitat's Week In Green: 3D printed veins, solar cell towers, and the Ingocar

At Inhabitat we've seen 3D printers that create entire buildings out of stone and complete meals out of simple ingredients, but this week we watched in awe as scientists used a 3D printer to create the world's first "printed" human vein. And if advances in biotech get your blood flowing, you'll be excited to hear that this week a team of researchers successfully tested a new type of nanobot that travels through the bloodstream to turn off tumor cells. Contact lenses are also getting a much needed upgrade as scientists unveiled a new type capable of fighting glaucoma and other diseases by dispensing a powerful dose of medication.

In other news, solar energy is lighting up the world at large as India gears up to power all of its cellphone towers with photovoltaic cells, saving 5 million tons of CO2 and $1.4 billion annually. And speaking of silicon cells, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently unveiled its latest creation: a super robot capable of assembling an entire photovoltaic cell in 35 minutes flat. We also looked at a prototype of a prismatic solar balloon that uses a colorful new type of solar cell to soak up the sun's energy from high in the sky.

Finally, this week we took an in-depth look at the Ingocar, a hydraulic hybrid drive vehicle so light and efficient that it promises a mileage of 170MPG. This next-gen vehicle uses hydraulic fluid under pressure to accelerate, brake, and eliminate the need for a heavy mechanical drive train, making it 50% lighter than hybrid electric vehicles. And if you've ever experienced the maddening anxiety of circling for a parking spot on crammed city streets, relax - there's an app for that!

Robovie-mR2's puppy dog eyes make it the perfect spy

This Robovie isn't a dexterous grabber, a powerful computer or a walking tank like its Vstone counterparts. No, at first blush, the Robovie-mr2 is just your average designer Japanese cutebot, albeit one with an iPod Touch for a heart, but that's exactly why this one foot tall bot makes the perfect spycam. No one would suspect it hides 18 servo motors, a miniature CCD camera, speakers and microphone inside its demure, puppy dog exterior (hear it speak Japanese after the break), much less that you can directly control every movement over WiFi. And even should they catch your Robovie eavesdropping, they'd be hard pressed to execute a being with such powerful charm. Hit up the gallery if you don't believe us -- this robot knows just how to beg for its life.