Innovative robot designs that prove that 2021 has been the year of AI breakthroughs!

Artificial intelligence has catapulted in the last few years, and advancements in this area give me the impression that it won’t be long before robots are walking among us all the time! There was a time when the only forms of robots we could see were toys or vacuum cleaners, or if we were lucky, an AI-enabled lawn mower in the backyard of a cutting edge individual. technology! But we’ve come a long way since then. From a Japanese robot playing basketball at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics to a Doctor Octopus-inspired robot harvesting fruit, the potential and reach of robots is growing exponentially by the day. The world as a whole is slowly moving away from perceiving robots as evil beings who want to take over Earth and accept that they can have vast and undeniable use in our day to day lives. Whether programmed for fun or functionality, bots are always intriguing to look at and examine! And we have selected a few really innovative ones that completely blew us away!

1. Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games robot

At the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, world-class athletes were showing off their talent, but a robot stole all the limelight during a basketball game between the United States and France. Demonstrating the early stages of the machine-dominated dystopian future, the seven-foot robot developed by Toyota engineers pulled off a perfect three-point and midfield shot. The oddly-designed robot took center stage at the half-time break in a showdown. Toyota engineers have created this free-throw shooting robot in their spare time for the past two years – and at play – the intelligent machine has beaten human gamers piecemeal. He did a great job of an easy free throw, three point shot and a clear half court shot (just like Stephen Curry) in tandem to wow the crowd!

2. Nybble

Named Nybble, the toy comes from the folks at Petoi (who even built a scaled-down consumer version of the Boston Dynamics dog called Bittle). Nybble, however, has a body made from laser-cut MDF sheets and runs on its proprietary NyBoard processor, developed specifically for the robotic cat. The robot cat is equipped with two ultrasonic sensors on the front that act as the robot’s “eyes”. It sports a USB input that allows you to connect it to a device to tinker with its open source code and teach it new tricks (in Scratch, Python or C ++), and even comes with Bluetooth and WiFi dongles as well as an infrared. remote control.

3. The Hexapod Pro

With its jellyfish-inspired aesthetic, the Hexapod Pro comes with a central processing hub with multiple fisheye cameras for 360 ° viewing, and a set of 6 flexible arms with 3 fingers per arm for picking up objects. Created by Australian designer Chris Koch, the Hexapod Pro is best used for performing tasks that require basic tracking and object picking skills. Perfect for use in orchards for picking fruits and vegetables, or on beaches and forests to clean up after humans (it’s a robot uprising story just waiting to happen), the arms of the Hexapod Pro are equipped with a pair of flexible robotic grippers which are perfect for being able to tear products firmly without damaging them, or effectively lifting various objects from the floor without dropping them.

4. The Novabot

Lawn mowers offer the perfect opportunity to develop, test and refine AI-based driving systems, and that’s exactly what Novabot does, in a car-shaped design no less! The lawn mower comes with a variety of sensors on the front and a 360 ° HD camera on the device’s “windshield”, allowing it to automatically navigate your lawn or outdoor areas. The NovaVision â„¢ system developed by the robot allows it to detect and recognize its location, the surface on which it operates and the objects around it. Without the need for cables or perimeter guides, Novabot can circulate in the premises, alternating between grass and earth (the large all-terrain tires allow it to work on concrete, brick, pebbles and even paved paths) and even when working on uneven surfaces and slopes, while cleverly avoiding humans, pets, obstacles, fences and vehicles… and yes, even dog poop.

5. The Pankraz pictogram

Turning the act of getting your own portrait into an event itself, Wegner created his Pankraz Piktograph to draw portraits of spectators at events such as science exhibitions, trade fairs, and museums that they can take back to the House. With the push of a button on a portable remote control, the Pankraz Piktograph takes photographic portraits of its users and then transforms them into a delicate pencil sketch. Once the photograph is taken, it is translated into a vector representation, which can then be drawn by the robot’s automated styluses. By equipping the Pankraz Piktograph with technical makeup to master various drawing styles, users can choose to have their photo drawn from quick minimalist styles to more intricate or abstract renderings.

6. The flippy robot from Miso Robotics

The Flippy robot from Miso Robotics is the kitchen assistant we all need! This is especially handy if you own a commercial kitchen and need that extra help. The robot can work 100,000 hours continuously. Once programmed, the AI ​​Assistant operates automatically on its own, without requiring any assistance or assistance from you. However, you can still control the robot and customize its settings through its control screen. Personally, I would love to have a kitchen assistant, but I think the Flippy robot from Miso Robotics would be more ideal for large-scale kitchens!

7. Robots Rangers

Industrial design student Segev Kaspi has designed a conceptual team of robotic forest druids who will each play a role in rehabilitating forests through planting seeds, analyzing data, and more. The futuristic and almost intimidating robots are a three-person team designed to support reforestation efforts and sustainable forest management. Called Rikko, Dixon and Chunk, they will each have a specific role to play in making the process efficient. Robotic foresters operate in systems that change according to the needs of the forest. They can also work individually or in groups depending on the situation. Each robot is assigned a role in the management and preservation of the forest, which is also reflected in its design language.

8. The Astro

Modeled as a WALL-E-ish robot with doggy proportions, the Astro can follow you around the house, respond to your voice commands, let you video chat with friends and family, and even monitor your home while you’re asleep or away, by connecting to their Ring Video Doorbell alert services. The robot sports a large display for a face (with emotive, ring-shaped eyes), runs on wheels (so it can’t climb stairs right now), and even comes with two nifty little built-in cup holders. in the back so he can carry your water, coffee, soda or beer, being an attentive little butler-dog-sentry designed to be cute and approachable … unless you’re an intruder, of course .

9. The CLEANSE robot

Discover the CLEANSE robot designed by Yifeeling Design to disinfect public places such as subways or shopping centers. This autonomous robotic platform moving on independent drive wheels significantly reduces the risk of airborne illnesses in public transport – especially subways. It is put into action as soon as the metro train arrives at the station, first guiding passengers to the exit of the station, analyzing the less frequented places and choosing the route accordingly.

10. MeowMate

Designed by Joint Technology Co, MeowMate is the perfect companion for your cats when you are away! The adorable little gadget follows your cat all day (it just replaces you) and helps you keep an eye on it! It features ultra-clear 1080p video quality and HD voice intercom, allowing you to watch and hear your pet crisp and clear. It also has real-time delay monitoring compensation to ensure high synchronization between images and sounds. You just need to download the MeowMate app on your smartphone, turn on the MeowMate device and scan the QR code at the bottom of it to connect it to the app on your phone. You can then control MeowMate on your smartphone and move it around as you like. It allows you to interact with your pets remotely and keep in touch with them.