Top 10 Tech This Week

What's This?

By Sara Roncero-Menendez2013-11-16 20:00:58 UTC

Dreams of a technologically advanced future usually include robots. After all, as machines become increasingly useful and necessary to our lives, it's only natural that our tech relegates certain functions to mechanized humanoids. We're still a long way from robot butlers and machines that will bring the morning paper to our bedside, but the world of tech has made progress in terms of getting machines to fill some of the more typical roles in our day-to-day lives.

Pets are great but for kids with severe pet allergies, owning a furry friend can be out of the question. Enter Zoomer, the adorable robotic pup that responds to voice commands. While the robotic canine is not as fast a real dog, it does glide around quickly on the wheels and can follow children around when commanded. It's a great gift for kids who want but can't have a pet but know that teaching it basic tricks takes a little extra time and dedication.

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The Roomba is the well known cleaning robot that vacuums your home with just the push of a button. It's latest incarnation, the Roomba 880, is easy to set up and use right out of the box, to an extent. While the cleaning machine is now more powerful and better at navigating, it can still get stuck or trapped in cluttered or tight places. It might not be the best for all homes, but it can be a useful tool for busy people constantly on the run.

Why have a robot when you could be your own robot? Well, in a manner of speaking. MIT Media Labs has found a way to use Kinect to remotely perform actions using a surface made up of 900 actuators, pins and Kinects. While only able to do a few interesting tasks and tricks, it is a step towards performing complicated maneuvers from far away. For right now, watching the various actions and movements on the surface, including graphing functions in 3D, is enough to inspire awe.

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Homepage Image: MIT Media Lab

Topics: Gadgets, Tech, Top Ten Tech