Through a high-speed internet connection, the brain signals of a monkey in North Carolina are transmitted to a robot in Kyoto, Japan, where the robot mimics the monkey’s every movement.
This was last week’s joint demonstration put on by the Japan Science And Technology Agency and Duke University, who say it is the first time brain signals have ever been used to make a robot walk. Electronic impulses in the monkey’s brain were transmitted halfway around the world into the robot, demonstrating that signals can be transmitted across the Earth in the same time scale that a biological system works. It is also an exciting experiment that may one day lead to enabling paralyzed people to walk using robotics controlled by brain signals.
After numerous delays and release-date changes, the robotic Camarasaurus from California-based robotics manufacturers Ugobe has officially been launched. The robotic toy-pet was designed by Caleb Chung, co-creator of the Furby, which could be considered one of the earliest forms of virtual-pets. The Pleo features lifelike movement and sound, and according to Ugobe, each Pleo will “learn” from its experiences and environment through a sophisticated artificial intelligence and develop an individual personality. The robot is software-upgradable via SD card or USB interfaces and comes with a $350 price tag.
