When are robots NOT required to be efficient, super-smart, or uniquely useful? When robots are art, of course. More and more robots are being created from used and found parts all over the world for sheer viewing and cuddling pleasure of general public and lucky collectors. Here are some of them:

Gadget Lab Hardware News and Reviews Company Offers Free Robots for Open Source Developers By Priya Ganapati January 20, 2010  |  3:17 pm  |  Categories: R&D and Inventions Robotics company Willow Garage is giving 10 of its robots free to researchers in return for a promise that they will share their development efforts with the open-source community. “The hardware is designed to be a software developer’s dream with a lot of compute power inside and many of the annoying problems with general robotic platforms taken care of,” says Steve Cousins, CEO of Willow Garage. “We have created a platform that is going to accelerate the development of personal robotics.”

We’re in trouble… The Population of this country is 300 million. 160 million are retired. That leaves 140 million to do the work. There are 85 million in school. Which leaves 55 million to do the work. Of this there are 35 million employed by the federal government. Leaving 20 million to do the work. 2.8 million are in the armed forces preoccupied with killing Osama Bin-Laden. Which leaves 17.2 million to do the work. Take from that total the 15.8 million people who work for state and city governments And that leaves 1.4 million to do the work. At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals. Leaving 1,212,000 to do the work. Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons. That leaves just two people to do the work. You and me. And there you are, sitting on your ass, at your computer, reading jokes. Nice. Real nice.

.related_box { margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 550px; list-style: none; } .related_box p { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 5px; } .related_img { display: block; width: 80px; height: 80px; } .related_item { float: left; display: inline; width: 80px; padding: 0 5px 5px 5px; height: 150px; } .related_item p { margin: 0; padding: 0; } .related_list { margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.keyword_text { margin: 0; padding: 0; height: 50px; } remo robot robot enthusiasts have yet another option in the DIY humanoid robot kit category with the remo. this new robot is named after its remote controlled computer, which communicates with a PC wirelessly over bluetooth. this feature allows the robot to have a more sophisticated processor without the added weight or bulk or carrying it directly

Chiba University researcher Hiroshi Ryu has unveiled what may be the first of a new wave of rescue robots. Dubbed the Hummingbird Robot, the tiny robot features four wings that flap 30 times per second, a miniature motor, and is controlled via infrared sensors.