Snow Shoveling Robots - The i-Shovel Robot is Ready to Rid Your Walkway of Snow::It’s Winter and with Winter comes snow. This means snow angels, snowmen, snowball fights and also clearing (and salting) the drive and walkway. This year save your back and body from shoveling with the… [More]

Top 50 Robots in 2009::Domo arigato Mister Roboto, here is a countdown of the Top 50 robots featured on Trend Hunter this year... Unlike the robots you grew up with, these bad boys will blow your mind. If you finish eating… [More]

Robotic Mousetraps - Jake Easton Creates a Truly Modern Way to Get Rid of Rodents::There are many ways to kill rodents but Jake Easton has designed a truly hands-off, robotic mousetrap system called ‘Better Mousetrap.’ This shiny, sleek, aluminum robotic mousetrap combines electronic… [More]

Robot Insects for Kids - Hexbug Micro Robot Creatures Are One of 2009's X-Mas Must-Haves::This close to Christmas, you have undoubtedly seen a 2009 top toy list.  But to find one where the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster didn’t make it to the top piqued my curiosity. The list was compiled by the Wyoming… [More]

Robot Dance Battles - Mini Robot Dancers Wow the Crowd at Japan's IREX::These shimmying, twisting and swaying robot dancers competed in the 6th Annual Robo-One Gate International Robot Exhibition (IREX) in Japan. Robo-One is a robot competition category for bipedal humanoid… [More]

Amazing Unicycling Robots - Murata Girl is a Modern Mechanical Wonder::Murata Girl is a unicycling robot, she is also the cousin of Murata Boy a bicycle riding robot who was created in 2005 by Japan-based Murata Manufacturing. Murata Girl was modeled after a primary school-aged… [More]

Human-Like Mechanical Limbs - The Shadow Dexterous Hand Can Mimic Our Movements::The Shadow Dexterous Hand was seem at Tokyo’s International Robot Exhinibition 2009. It comes with the CyberGlove which one wears when remotely operating this mechanical limb. In combination the glove… [More]

Lambent Transformers - The Robolamps by Robert Matysiak are More than Meets the Eye::Just when you thought that the world couldn’t get any better, here come the Robolamps by Robert Matysiak. They bring together humanity’s two great loves: light and robots. Using plumbing supplies and… [More]

72 Cartoonish Robots - From Disco-Dancing Robots to Smelly Emotional Robots::Although we are making leaps and bounds in regards to robotic technology, I can’t help but note that there are still many cartoonish robots being produced. I admit, some of the robots in this cluster are… [More]

Noodle-Making Robots - The Sanuki Shokunin Crafts Delicious Asian Pasta Before Your Eyes::We need a noodle-making robot in the TrendHunter office, if only to curb the amount of instant noodles consumed on a daily basis. The Sanuki Shokunin robot makes traditional, high-quality buckwheat soba… [More]

iPhone-Controlled Cars - Austin Engineers Combine the Auto With Mobile Technology::A bunch of Austin-based engineers have produced the ultimate futuristic mobile application, using the iPhone as a remote control device to drive a car. These remote control-happy scientists prefer to live… [More]

Exercising Robots - Bandit is a Socially-Assistive Robotic Personal Trainer::Bandit is a personal trainer, and also a robot. This exercising robot was developed by researches at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Bandit is part of professor Maja Mataric’s lab, which specializes… [More]

Picturesque Robot Paintings - Brian Despain Art Shows Robots Living Life to the Fullest::Roq La Rue Gallery is now showing this Brian Despain art, featuring robots in some unusual circumstances. They’re experiencing the world one situation at a time, from swimming with fish to chatting with… [More]

Robotic Bikers - Joules is the Perfect Tandem Biking Partner::Love going for a bike ride but are too lazy to actually pedal? Joules, the robot bike chauffeur, is here to help. The bicycle-pedaling robot sits on the back of a tandem bike. All you have to do is sit… [More]

Flame-Throwing Gadgets - The Prometheus Device Packs Some Serious Heat::Have you ever wanted a superhero power? I wanted to do the Bat Dance like Adam West, but that is not really a power. How about shooting flames out of your palms? Everett Bradford created the Prometheus… [More]

44 Kids Tech Toys - Virtual and Hi-Tech Toys Signal the End of Old School Big Bird::If you’ve used Google at all today, you might have noticed Sesame Street’s Big Bird legs. Why the sudden tribute to the iconic kid’s program? Well today is Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary. Yes, it’s been… [More]

Plastic Pugilist Costumes - Life-Sized Rockem Sockem Robots are Better than Your Costume::Rockem Sockem Robots are a great toy that lets children vent their frustrations via plastic figurines. Ian Austin has not let his childhood dream of becoming a real life Rockem Sockem Robots figurine die.… [More]

Senior Cyborgs - Douglas Kalberg Gives Us a Glimpse into the Future::An art student from Sweden, Douglas Kalberg, gives us a look at what our great-great-grandchildren will look like once they are old. Featured in his “Hand Drawn Images" gallery, the photo is one of many… [More]

Iconic Robot Hoodies - R2-D2 Hoodie is an Easy Way to Dress Up for Halloween::Frosti is a hoodie designer and a a self-proclaimed “vessel of awesomeness.” I think I am going to have to agree with her on this one. Coming out with a nice selection of kickass hoodies for the Halloween… [More]

16 Expressive Innovations - From Expressive Lids to Emotional Meat::Sometimes you’re sitting alone and all you want to see is a friendly (or at the very least, an empathetic) face. Imagine your surprise (and perhaps delight) if you do happen to look over and discover a… [More]

Robotastic Artworks - Robot Art by Brian Kappel is Funny -- Until We're Their Slaves::Art is can be inspired by anything and has no bounds, which is exactly why art geared to a certain demographic is even more scintillating -- especially when your demographic is robots and you make robot… [More]

Robotic Bees - Harvard Researchers Get $10 Million to Create Robobees::The National Science Foundation has awarded Harvard researchers $10 million to create a coordinated colony of robotic bees. The project is named Robobees. On the plus side, the robotic bees won’t be able… [More]

Sensory Robotic Limbs - Scientists Confirm First Feeling Hand::Scientists from Italy and Sweden have confirmed the first surgically implanted artificial hand that has feeling. For the first time in history, scientists have successfully implanted a prosthesis capable… [More]

Shape-Shifting Blob Bots - Chemical Robot Prototypes to Enter Inaccessible Spaces::The soft, shape-shifting chembot blobs that roll around and change shape in order to gain mobility are still experimental, but they are part of DARPA’s Chemical Robots Program vision. The DARPA program… [More]

Computer Whiz Wastelands - Tech Skills Go to Waste in 'Guitar Hero'-Playing Robots::If an individual is gifted with a technological mind and serious mathematical skill, they should really use it to better the world. Making 'Guitar Hero'-playing robots does not fall in the ‘bettering the… [More]

Life-Saving Robots - Robocue Comes to the Rescue Where Humans Hesitate to Go::There are a lot of situations where it is extremely dangerous for one person to help another. The threat is often too high in earthquake wreckage and bad car accidents. Now to assist humans in peril comes… [More]

Animal-Inspired Robotics - Robotech Cheetah's Mechanical Design Based on Biology::Robotic designer Sangbae Kim, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Biomimetic Robotics Lab has undertaken an ambitious project: Building a lightweight carbon-fiber-foam composite robotic… [More]

Superhero Anatomy Enhancers - The Power Loader Exoskeleton Lets Users Lift 220 Pounds::For those who always wanted the strength of the Hulk, this may be your lucky day because of the Power Loader Exoskeleton. A Japanese company called Activeink (which is a Panasonic subsidiary) has created… [More]

Futuristic Street-Sweepers - Scarab by Olga Kalugina Could Make the Garbage Man Obsolete::Your local garbage man might soon be out of a job: The Scarab by Olga Kalugina is a new street cleaner that you could be seeing on the roadways. The Scarab has the maneuverability of a Roomba, but is designed… [More]

Possessed Pianos - This Musical Robot by Peter Ablinger Can Give Speeches::Just in time for Halloween comes this possessed piano!  No, it’s not really possessed, but I think it is pretty creepy. I wouldn’t want it sitting there “staring” at me after watching the movie 'Poltergeist'… [More]

Adorable Robotography - 'Robots' by Slawomir Jarocki Puts Human-Like Sculptures to Work::It's tough not to love this photo set of adorable robots by Slawomir Jarocki. Each sculpture looks just like a worker doing his job--complete with baseball cap, round glasses and little vest. And the composition… [More]

Fire-Fighting Mini-Bots - The Hoya Robot Goes into Harm's Way to Help Firemen::South Korea’s Hoya Robot has developed a prototype for a robot that will assist firemen while fighting fires. Designed to check out dangerous situations rather than spraying water everywhere, the mini… [More]

22 Steampunk & Cyborg Insects - From Remote-Controlled Beetles to Steampunk Bees::This slideshow of cyborg insects and steampunk bugs proves how fascinated we are with remixing nature, especially creepy crawlies. From DARPA-sponsored military spy bugs to immaculate insects created out… [More]

Cars as Schools of Fish - Nissan Explores How Cars That Mimic Fish Can Help Avoid Collisions::Japanese engineers at Nissan Motor Co. have been studying fish and their ability to swim collision-free in large groups, and are trying to apply their discoveries to future vehicles. So far, these engineers… [More]

Cyborg Insects - UC Berkeley Houses Remote Controlled Live Beetles (UPDATE)::Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have managed to control the movement of beetles. They have done this by connecting small radio antenna to electrodes and shocking the beetles nervous… [More]

Thought-Controlled Battle Bots - Mind Impulses Control Robot Warrior's Movements::Japanese college student Taka Ichikawa has created the world’s first thought-controlled battle robot. He controls the robot through electrodes attached to his head that read his neural impulses. For example,… [More]

Roboctopus Arms - Alien-Inspired Power Loader Gives Superhuman Strength::This Power Loader may have been inspired by the movie ‘Aliens,’ but I also see an eerie resemblance to a certain Doctor whose similar experiments ended up melding four wiry metal appendages to his human… [More]

16 Robotic Exoskeletons - From Subaquatic Exosketetons to Robotic Legs::The advancement of robotics and technology, overall, has allowed the geek in us embrace what has seemed (until recently) to only exist in underground scientific experiments and Japanese anime: robotic… [More]

95 Reality Alternatives - Living Our Lives Through Alterations and Surrogates::The movie, Surrogates is set in a futuristic world where humans live isolated from one another and interact through cyber-connected surrogate robots. It’s full of adept observations and social commentary,… [More]

Digital Pup Detectives - The Bionic Dog Sniff Can Identify and React to Anything::If it’s appropriately labeled with an RFID tag, the bionic dog Sniff will be able to distinguish it and respond to it. Created by students from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Sniff is a digital… [More]

11 Tributes to R2-D2 - From Sci-Fi Knitting to Disco Dancing::The little bleeping sounds from Luke Skywalker’s adorable robot will always be recognizable to our generation. This collection of tributes to R2-D2 include home entertainment systems, trash cans, mailboxes… [More]

Domestic Metal Smashers - Recycle from Home with the Automatic Aluminum Can Crusher::With the Automatic Aluminum Can Crusher designed by Doug Wehrly for Zertronix, you can now recycle metal from the comfort of your own home. Battery operated and small enough to store on any garage shelf,… [More]

Lightning-Fast Stacking Machines - The Flexpicker Robot Can Pile 400 Pancakes a Minute::The ABB Flexpicker robot stacks up to 400 pre-made pancakes a minute. ABB points out a new buffering feature that lets the robot adapt to inconsistent pancake flow by keeping a reserve, which is nifty… [More]

Real Childhood Monsters - Robot Dixie is an Epic Mix of Childhood Toys by Brian Lee::You'd better be nice to artist Brian Lee or else he’ll sic ‘Robot Dixie’ after you. His monstrous eight-foot-tall creation is made of what children dream of—quite literally. A piano, Barbies, Tonka truck… [More]

Never-Ending Drawing Machines - The Perpetual Storytelling Apparatus Can Go On Forever::The Perpetual Storytelling Apparatus is a drawing machine that illustrates a never-ending story by the use of patent drawings and is the brainchild of Julius von Bismarck and Benjamin Maus. The perpetual… [More]

Science-Aided Immortality - Ray Kurzweil Says We're 20 Years Away From Living Forever::Immortality could be just around the corner, according to futurist Ray Kurzweil. Nanobot technology, he says, will keep our organs going indefinitely. That could make death an avoidable fate. We’ve all… [More]

Motorized Unicycles - The Honda U3-X Unicycle Is a Sit-down Segway::You’d think a unicycle would have only one wheel--hence the name ‘unicycle’--but not so with the Honda U3-X. The super sleek, futuristic ride takes unicycling to a whole new level by combing multiple wheels… [More]

Autonomous Robotic Wheels - The Carrier Wheelchair Ensures User is Completely Independent::A new wave of robotic wheelchairs is taking over the traditional wheelchair scene, and the Carrier Wheelchair is set to be at the top of this robo-chair craze. Effective for traveling over any terrain… [More]

Boat-Cleaning 'Bots - BUG Will Save the U.S. Navy Millions & Reduce Emissions::The Office of Naval Research has developed a new Bio-inspired Underwater Grooming robot. Known better as BUG, the boat-cleaning ‘bot will keep a ship’s hull free of barnacles, oysters and other marine… [More]