Nowadays though, things have changed radically. Robots are so much closer to being ‘human assistive’ that it is hard not to ponder where we will be with robotic technology in the next few decades, especially when you think about the rapid take up of technology with the smartphone and tablet computers.
You may have heard of the high profile Honda Asimo or even been lucky enough to talk to one, or perhaps you have played with a Lego Technics kit or maybe even know a geeky coke bottle glasses boy who has had a NXT kit in their time, but have you seen what a quick cash injection can get you from a robot perspective these days?
Wow. I have done some searching, and some investing in my days, so here is my latest list of hot robot ‘toys’ to get you thinking.
My first choice of robot bipedal humanoid available today would have to be the
Kondo KHR-2HV Humanoid Robot Kit
Then for around the same amount of money is the
Kumotek KT-X Standard Bipedal Humanoid Kit
Then earlier on there was this cool looking bipedal dude, but he was a bit slower and clunky and has since been discontinued
Now if you are looking for less of an investment you can get into the very popular Bioloid which is also a biped robot, and has all the programmability of the others but is under a $1K!
Bioloid – Robotic Construction Kit
The guys over there at Tribotix are really cool too, don’t be shy to ask them questions as they are genuine robot geeks there to help and educate. They are actually involved in the Uni where I got my Masters in Digital Media at the University of Newcastle.
I’d love to spend a year just building each one of those robot kits and seeing what they can do but that would be a huge outlay that wouldn’t really pay back in the long run. But I still couldn’t help but notice just how far hobby robotics had come since I had last looked. Fully programmable bipedal dancing robots? Tres cool.
What robot kits have you experimented with?
