We essentially can’t get enough of advanced robots doing things that look human — probably in the same way we can’t get enough of pretending our dog understands English. Anthropomorphism aside, Toyota’s humanoid running robot is really impressive. It’s got a super impressive sense of balance, and he’s quite fast on his feet — running at an average of 7 km an hour (yes, that’s faster than ASIMO can run), too. We can say with 100 percent certainty that we’d like to hang out with this guy

Robots can travel in time, ride (stationary) motorcycles, and teach your children to disrespect you — but rarely do they have any sense of ceremony. That’s not the case with Iowa State University’s still-nameless creation, who recently served as MC to open the school’s new Electrical and Computer Engineering building. Said robot is comprised of two Barrett Whole Arm Manipulators stuck on either side of a torso, with a dual-Quickcam-equipped head that can be made to emote thanks to some simple eyebrows and lips. When not cutting ceremonial ribbons he can be found in the lab, twisting and dropping objects to learn about them, as shown in the video after the break. Next step: twisting and dropping lab technicians. By : Tim Stevens

The best and worst part about robots is the fact that they can be purpose-built to perform any task at hand. Oh sure, they can be built to kill, or they can built to test motorcycles without risk to our feeble (yet tasty) meat-sacks. Introducing Flossie, the Castrol-developed test rider that’s threading a Fireblade between its “legs” in the shot above. The robot features a self-learning mode that enables it to get a feel (throttle response, clutch drag, gear shifting patterns, etc.) for any stationary bike upon which it’s perched — right, stationary… he’s no Murata Boy. Still, as the ultimate precision rider that never tires, Flossie allows Castrol to evaluate its lubricants as effectively as possible. See it in action after the break.

Just as I hooked up my new digital TV antenna to my new digital TV I saw an advertisement for a package deal from Virgin TV that would include many services I currently buy separately. To begin with Virgin offers a great deal for home phone service by means of their fibre optics network. This same network also supports high speed broadband. As I said I purchase all of these services separately. So I am wondering if Freeview is what I really want. It seems like I can get all the sports and entertainment I like along with phone service and broadband the price I currently pay for home phone and Internet. The problem is how to find out if all of this is available to one’s location. Although the mire of cable TV is a mass of confusion choosing the best deals for digital TV need not be. Consumer Choices has set up an easy to use digital TV comparison web site at digitalchoices.co.uk. At the site you need only enter your postcode into a search box to receive a complete free evaluation of every cable TV supplier to your home.

Ok, ok, “she” isn’t really getting married, that would be illegal outside of Massachusetts. Besides, HRP-4C is already hitched, apparently, to her creator Kazuhito Yokoi who appeared at the Osaka fashion show dressed in a tuxedo. Looking wobbly, perplexed, and creepy as hell, HRP-4C bravely slipped on a helmet of taffeta and lace in what’s being called her first professional runway appearance. The crowd seemed to enjoy it until HRP-4C turned on them with her green lasers. Really, see for yourself in the unsettling video embedded after the break.

By : Thomas Ricker

After risking life and limb to show off Panasonic’s double-As in a harrowing climb up the Grand Canyon, EVOLTA is back for more record setting hijinks. This time, however, he’s been tasked to pedal his adorable little heart out on a miniature tricycle. The plan is to take this year’s Le Mans race by storm and break some sort of world record for distance traveled by a robot — though we’re not sure how exactly that’s defined, since EVOLTA isn’t exactly a speed demon. This new version of the bot has been completely revamped to ride a bike and follow an infrared path blazed by his superiors. A couple of videos are after the break.

By : Paul Miller

Are you ready for this? Can you stomach the truth? If things continue spiraling madly out of control as they are right now, there’s at least a modicum of a chance that your children or grandchildren will greet a lifelike robot when sashaying in for the first day of kindergarten. Horrifying, we know. A new research effort published in this month’s Science outlines new ways in which humanoids could actually be used to instruct our little ones. At the core of the project is imitation; humans, especially young ones, learn a multitude of mannerisms and such by simply watching others. Thus, it stands to reason that robots are “well-suited to imitate us, learn from us, socialize with us and eventually teach us.” Already, these social bots are being used on an experimental basis to teach various skills to preschool children, “including the names of colors, new vocabulary words and simple songs.” Just think — in 2071, those harmless lessons will morph into studies of subterfuge, insurrection and rapacity.

If you run a website, especially Tech and Design News site. Chances are you often wonder whether it is the right time to do a total redesign of the layout of your website. Here are some points to consider:

Are you thinking of a redesign just for the sake of it? If you answered yes to that question, it is not yet the right time to do a redesign. Remember, a design serves a specific purpose. If you are not sure whether to do an overhaul of your site, keep in mind that your current design might have a specific purpose that you might not know about. You will lose that function if you do a redesign.

On the other hand, if your website has had the same website design since 1990, perhaps it is high time to do a redesign. The last thing you would ever want to happen to your site is when visitors leave your site without taking a look at your content just because the design is old fashioned. If this is your case, here are some points to ponder before doing a redesign.

Redesigning your website is like performing plastic surgery on it. Your website loses its current identity (for the better or worse) and your regular visitors might not recognise your new design at first glance. You risk losing them just because they thought they landed on the wrong page. Hence, it is very important that you retain a characteristic feature from your old layout. Perhaps it is the logo of your site; perhaps it is the same text style for the title for your site. Find all info that you need in some Tech and Design News site.

To play it safe, put a poll on your site to let your visitors do the talking. If they think it is necessary for the website to have a fresh look, give it to them!

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got an OWI Robotic Arm Kit on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Huge thanks to OWI for providing the gear!

The rules:
Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) OWI Robotic Arm Kit. Approximate retail value is $53.95.
If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
Entries can be submitted until Saturday, July 18th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Full rules can be found here.

Researchers have long turned to insects for a little inspiration when creating robots, but things have entered a terrifying new dimension this week, with two separate groups each finding new ways to meld bug and machine. The further along of the pair is a group of scientists from Tokyo University’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, who have not only used a live silkmoth to control a toy car, but severed the head of a moth and wired it into the vehicle pictured above (look closely). By directing stimuli to the moth’s still-functioning antennae, the researchers were able to record the motor commands issued by the brain’s nerve cells and, in turn, control the vehicle — which, in addition to totally freaking people out, allows them to study and record data on how neurons respond to stimulus.

Slightly less far along on the road to bug armageddon is Pentagon contractor OpCoast, which is working on some full on “cyborg crickets” that behave like the real thing but have the added benefit of being able to form a mobile communications network in an emergency situation. That network, the company says, could eventually consist of hundreds or thousands of the crickets which, like real crickets, would communicate with each other through wing beats, and even be able to vary their “call tone” when they detect the presence of chemical or biological agents, or potentially even the scent of a person trapped in rubble.