RoboCup German Open, Standard Platform League
Sonntag, 7. Mai 2017 – LIVE aus Magdeburg
produziert vom StreamTeam der HTWK Leipzig
https://streamteam.htwk-leipzig.de
RoboCup German Open, Standard Platform League
am Samstag, 6. Mai 2017 – LIVE aus Magdeburg
produziert vom StreamTeam der HTWK Leipzig
https://streamteam.htwk-leipzig.de
produziert vom StreamTeam der HTWK Leipzig
https://streamteam.htwk-leipzig.de
BRISTOL, U.K. (Jan. 3, 2017) — Pokemon Go introduced the magic that comes from augmented reality to the world. As fun as it was, it was limited to watching onscreen battles between digital creatures. Now, augmented reality breaks out of the screen with MekaMon: the world’s first premium gaming robots that battle in both the physical and virtual worlds, creating a limitless experience for gamers everywhere.
Created by Reach Robotics and available for purchase today at MekaMon.com, MekaMon starts at $279 and is a new way to experience augmented reality, robotics and video games, where the whole universe is one giant battlefield.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEo7D2fwJ3Q
Augmented Reality, Real Robots
Inside the MekaMon app, the smartphone screen becomes a dashboard for controlling and customizing the real-life robots, as well as a gateway for augmented reality gameplay. In single player, the screen transforms into a vast augmented reality world where players embark on an epic campaign and gamers learn how to strike, evade, and
master the robot’s controls. MekaMon’s tracking technology enables robots to transcend the physical environment and become one with digital gameplay in real time.
Mechanized Warriors
MekaMon’s robots have gone through 27 iterations over three years of development to become premium fighting machines. Features include:
In multiplayer mode, friends battle in bot-to bot-combat as well as arcade-style, co-op gameplay that spans Tug of War, Last Man Standing, and more. MekaMon robots can also connect to multiple devices, allowing for cooperative gameplay for two people and up. In single-player mode, gamers progress through the MekaMon campaign and earn upgrades and experience points that they can use later for future battles.
As the robots battle, they level up and achieve new capabilities and weapons that can be customized in the mobile app based on a player’s strategy. Digital items augment abilities and boost health and recovery times, adding a layer of depth and strategy to upgrade choices and inventory.
Co-founded by 25-year-old Nigerian robotics engineer Silas Adekunle, Reach Robotics has assembled a team of leading engineers, game designers and computer vision PhDs and experts who have built their
reputations working at Aston Martin and Airbus. The result is a premium robotics product that’s easy to play but difficult to master and aimed squarely at bringing consumer robots to the multi-billion dollar toys-to-life market.
“At the root of everything we build is the premise that gaming is an experience that goes beyond a screen. We imagine a world where things come to life in front of you,” says Silas Adekunle, CEO and cofounder of Reach Robotics. “Our inspiration came from building robots in STEM classes with underprivileged students in the U.K., and while we got our humble start there — we’re ready to introduce a new twist on hardware and video games and unleash our battling robots.”
Enlist in the MekAcademy
The first 500 people to buy MekaMon will receive exclusive features and enter the MekAcademy, a club that offers special promotions, battle advice and more. For a limited time, a single MekaMon is available in the Lone Wolf Battle Pack for $279 while the Ultimate Battle Pack contains two MekaMons and is available for $499 – a discount of more than 35 percent from its retail price.
To purchase MekaMon today, go to: MekaMon.com
About Reach Robotics
Founded in 2013 by CEO Silas Adekunle, CTO Chris Beck and COO John Rees, Reach Robotics is creating the future of gaming by fusing robotics, reality-bending technology and competitive play. MekaMon is the company’s first product and the company is backed by world-class investors like London Venture Partners, Qualcomm Ventures, Hardware Club, Iglobe Partners, Passion Capital and Techstars.
Dolls, Robots and Dreams: the aim is to engage more girls in Science & Tech by connecting their tablets and smartphones to their dolls via a robot
January 31st, 2017, Spielwarenmesse, Nuremberg, Germany
While millions of robots and mini-drones have been sold this year, few have ended up in the hands of women or even girls reflecting a deepening gender gap in the world of technology.
Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills, hands-on problem solving skills, and confidence with technology.
These are exactly the skills that SmartGurlz aims to develop.
SmartGurlz has a unique offering of stylish scooter robots, dolls and books with digital elements such as an e-learning platform that teaches basic coding. The idea is to encourage girls from being consumers of technology into creators and code writers.
‘We at SmartGurlz believe that kids learn by playing and childhood is a time for setting the foundation for further educational pursuits,’ said CEO and Co-Founder, Sharmi Albrechtsen, ‘we wanted to modernize doll playing to reflect changing times. The end result are really amazing mini-drones shaped like fashionable Italian scooters and Segway-like vehicles that are self-balancing, driven by App and can be coded using our own coding platform SugarCoded TM.’
The self-balancing aspect is unique since the robot can maneuver in small rooms, on carpet, inside and outside. SmartGurlz’s CTO, Thomas Kølbæk Jespersen has been working with Aalborg University and DTU’s robotics departments to finalise this unique feature.
Launched this 2016 Christmas in Denmark, Switzerland and UK, SmartGurlz charms geeks and toy masters but most importantly impresses girls and their parents with the amount of creative fun coding can give.
Designed by tech toy start-up company, SmartGurlz Aps, girls playing with SmartGurlz gain three major learnings:
1. SPATIAL REASONING. Girls learn how to direct/orient their robots in new environments and interpret maps.
2. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. Girls learn to program their robots using our specially made kids coding software App called Sugar CodedTM*.
3. STORYTELLING & PROBLEM SOLVING.Girls learn to story tell and solve missions via coding.
*SugarCoded was inspired by open-sourced Scratch, the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab and uses elements from Blockly, created by Google.
SMARTGURLZ NEW YORK STORY: CHARACTERS & BOOKS
SmartGurlz first product line is SmartGurlz New York ™ which focuses on the everyday adventures of 4 young talented women studying at the fictional New York Institute of Technology – N.I.T.
A collaboration with the Kurhn Doll Company allows us to offer high quality fashion/action dolls that represent the ideals of SmartGurlz New York TM.
SmartGurlz New York dolls are naturalistic and smartly dressed with simple elegance that you may find in a real-life, young woman touring around a college campus in the ‘Big Apple’, New York City. The multi-cultural dolls represent various education backgrounds including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and our books highlight each girl’s corresponding story line.
SmartGurlz New York products are available Christmas 2016.
Siggy: Robot, Doll and Apps • Ages 6+
Digital Products:
SugarCoded App • Free
a strategic game-like interface that teaches coding and allows for self-build coding projects available at both App Store and Google Play
ABOUT SMARTGURLZ, A/S.
SmartGurlz is a fun, tech toy to engage girls in design, robotics and computer programming using their mobile phones and tablets. It’s created for girls who want to take playing with fashion dolls to the next level, and the name of our little company. (We’re brand new!)
A scientific legend brought back to life
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1240047277/professor-einstein-your-personal-genius
Hong Kong (PRWEB) January 23, 2017 — Today Hanson Robotics launched a Kickstarter campaign for an uncannily human-like robot version of Albert Einstein. The company aims to honor the iconic and imaginative scientist and bring fully expressive robots direct to consumers.
Professor Einstein is a 14.5” personal robot with the ability to walk, hold a natural conversation, learn your name, maintain eye contact, answer questions, entertain and teach science. He’s cloud and Wifi connected, allowing for dynamic interaction with a tablet and the corresponding Stein-O-Matic app to learn and play games.
The robot guides users through the world of science and beyond by presenting interactive lessons, eye-popping slideshows, daily mental kick starts, thought experiments, jokes, brain games and more. With new activities added to the Stein-O-Matic every day, Professor Einstein’s robust reward system allows users to earn IQ points, which can be used to unlock special items, bonus games and avatar upgrades.
The idea for Professor Einstein was born out of toy inventor Andy Rifkin’s lifelong fascination with all things Einstein, and the values he stood for. Hanson Robotics founder and CEO Dr. David Hanson approached Andy about teaming up to create a robot, which led to the formation of a unique shared vision. Rifkin was invited to join as Hanson Robotics’ Chief Technology Officer and the robot was developed under the Hanson Robotics umbrella.
“Professor Einstein has an adaptive learning ability, which means that if you don’t understand something, he will modify the way he presents the information,” said Rifkin. “He has infinite patience. He will keep trying different ways of explaining things until it “clicks” for you. Plus, because he teaches through jokes, metaphors, and games, he makes learning genuinely fun.”
“It was crucial for us that Professor Einstein would embody a sense of playfulness and wonder,” said Hanson. “He had to inspire imagination, be a great conversationalist, and make the gestures and facial expressions that the real Albert Einstein was known for.”
The Professor Einstein Kickstarter campaign runs from January 23 – February 27, 2017. Early bird pricing starts at $249 USD. For a full rundown of the pledge levels visit the Kickstarter page.
Heute ein Gastbeitrag von Roman Kessler, Gründer Make Rhein-Main. Vielen Dank für diesen Beitrag.
Von Roman(ä)make-rhein-main.de
Der InMoov-Androide ist ein Roboter aus dem 3D-Drucker, der aussieht wie ein wissensdurstiger Student. Das Open-Source-Projekt des Franzosen Gael Langevin hat sich schnell weltweit verbreitet. Die Frankfurter Maker-Community will den UrVater des InMoovs und seinen hochentwickelten Androiden jetzt erstmals nach Deutschland holen – und du kannst helfen.
Je nach Version und Ausbaustufe kann der InMoov verschiedene Dinge: Von komplizierten Handbewegungen, bis hin zur Bewegung im Raum und Spracherkennung. Und sogar Dance-Moves! Angefangen hat alles 2012 mit einer Hand. Der französische Designer Gael Langevin beschäftigt sich eigentlich mit Skulpturen, der InMoov ist aber viel mehr eine Vorform von Commander Data.
Insgesamt soll es auf der ganzen Welt schon rund 250 InMoovs geben. Auch im Rhein-Main-Gebiet gibt es einen InMoov, den Studenten von Prof. Neser gedruckt und zusammen gebaut haben. Der kleine darmstädter Bruder des großen Vorbilds aus Paris war bei lokalen bisherigen Maker-Messen www.make-rhein-main.de immer ein großer Hingucker. Jetzt wollen wir den Erfinder Gael zu unserer 5. “Make Rhein-Main” (vom 18.-19. März 2017) nach Frankfurt holen – quasi die deutsche, blauäugige und die französische Version einander vorstellen.
Seit 2014 veranstalten wir rund um Frankfurt die “Make Rhein-Main” in unregelmäßigen Abständen. Wir sind eine unabhängige (!), eigenständige Community, die klein angefangen hat. Bei unserer ersten Messe, waren vielleicht knapp 300 Besucher. Inzwischen ist das Projekt gewachsen und hat eine Eigendynamik entfaltet. Das liegt auch daran, dass wir alle Überschüsse immer wieder in die Messe stecken (ähm,… haben… und nun gerade pleite sind, aber dazu unten mehr).
Nicht nur erreichen wir jetzt weit mehr als 1.000 Besucher – wir waren im Mai 2016 auch zur “European Maker Week” nach Brüssel eingeladen. Klar: Da waren Politiker und Lobbyisten – aber wir haben auch Gael und seinen InMoov getroffen. Uns hat das Ding echt umgehauen, weil es so… ja, menschlich war. Und der InMoov wurde eben nicht von einem japanischen Konzern erschaffen, sondern wird auch in der Open Source-Community ständig verbessert.
Der Plan war schnell gefasst: Der InMoov von Gael aus Paris muss zu uns kommen! Denn bislang war unsere „Make Rhein-Main“ immer eine eher regionale Veranstaltung – eben von und mit den Nerds aus der Nachbarschaft. Die haben Eltern und Kindern erklärt, wie man mit moderner Technik bastelt.
Aber was wäre, wenn wir plötzlich einen solchen internationalen Szene-Star bei uns präsentieren würden? Würde das nicht alle anderen Maker zusätzlich inspirieren und motivieren? Der Gedanke treibt uns an.
Als wir dann endlich wieder eine Zusage für eine Halle hatten (in einer Stadt wie Frankfurt ist die Suche ein Albtraum!!) haben wir Gael dann über Twitter angefragt. Er erinnerte sich sofort an uns und schrieb uns von einem Trip aus Indien, wo er gerade den InMoov vorstellte.
Gael war mit dem InMoov auch schon in aller Herren Ländern. Lustig, ist nur, dass Gael den InMoov noch nie in Deutschland vorgestellt hat. Dabei sind wir doch fast Nachbarn. Wir sind daher extra stolz über die Zusage des InMoov-Erfinders!
Wie kommt der InMoov aus Paris nach Frankfurt?
Allerdings müssen wir natürlich die Reisekosten für Gael, seine Frau und den Bot übernehmen – und zwar VOR der nächsten “Make Rhein-Main”. Das ist nur fair. Nur: Da wir gerade die hohe Kaution für die Hallen bezahlt haben, sind wir mehr oder weniger pleite.
https://www.startnext.com/make-rhein-main-2017
Du kannst uns aber helfen, den großen, tanzenden und sprechenden InMoov zum ersten Mal nach Deutschland zu holen! Noch bis zum 20. Februar 2017 läuft die Crowdfunding-Aktion hierfür auf startnext, damit wir die Reise-Tickets und Unterbringung vor der Messe bezahlen können. Im Kern ist das ein Vorverkauf für die Make-Tickets – aber wir haben auch “Dankeschöns” für alle, die nicht mal eben vorbeikommen können. Zum Beispiel unser Armband oder unser T-Shirt.
Das Crowdfundig soll die unabhängige „Make Rhein-Main“ 2017 zu einer echt europäischen Messe machen. Und den InMoov samt Erfinder und Anhang endlich mal nach Deutschland bringen.
Wenn das Geld reicht, wollen wir versuchen zwei weitere europäische Ausstellern für euch nach Frankfurt zu holen: Paula Pongratz aus Österreich und das Team von Precious Plastic aus den Niederlanden.
Paula Pongratz aus Österreich bastelt “postapokalyptischen Schmuck.” Also Schönes aus dem, was von unserer Zivilisation übrig bleiben wird: NATO-Draht, Elektronikbauteile, Verschlüsse aus Plastik. Paulas Favorit: die Borsten großer Straßenkehrmaschinen. In ihren Händen werden daraus Ringe, Armbänder, Ohrringe oder Diademe.
In den letzten Jahren war die Kommunikationsdesignerin mit ihren Werken zum Beispiel beim 33C3, dem jährlichen Kongress des Chaos Computer Clubs in Hamburg, und verschiedenen Maker-Messen in halb Europa. Mit ihren Workshops bietet Paula vor allem Kindern die Gelegenheit, selbst mit dem zu basteln, was wir meistens achtlos wegwerfen: “Das kann man doch noch weiter verwenden” ist Paulas Credo.
Von Precious Plastic haben wir aktuelle noch keine Bestätigung, dass sie kommen, wenn wir die Kosten übernehmen. Aber es sieht ganz gut aus.
Das Projekt des Niederländers Dave Hakkens dreht sich rund um Recycling: Ihn störte der Plastikmüll an Stränden. In den wenigsten Ländern besteht überhaupt ein System, das altes Plastik wieder nutzbar macht. Und so landet der Abfall, den die Natur nicht abbauen kann, im Meer. Eine Möglichkeit, dies zu unterbinden, hat Hakkens mit seinem Projekt “Precious Plastic” gefunden: Aus vier billigen Maschinen zum Selberbauen besteht seine “Plastikwerkstatt”. Sie schreddern das Plastik, schmelzen es ein und bringen es in neue Formen. Der WWF Brasilien fand die Idee großartig, in einer Favela entstand bereits eine mobile Plastikwerkstatt.
Zusammengefasst: Wir die Make Rhein-Main Community, versuchen gerade den InMoov-Androiden zum ersten Mal aus Paris nach Deutschland zu holen. Wenn das Geld reicht, kommen sogar Paula aus Österreich und Precious Plastic. Im Crowdfunding kannst du uns unterstützen, auch wenn du nicht zu unserer nächsten Messe kommen kannst.
Neugierig geworden? Dann unterstütze uns bei startnext und lerne die uns und den InMoov im März persönlich kennen!
https://www.startnext.com/make-rhein-main-2017
AUSTIN — JANUARY 24, 2017 — Today, bots_alive launched its Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the distribution of a cutting-edge smartphone kit that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology to build robot creatures that feel believably alive.
The complete bots_alive set includes a Hexbug® Spider and a bots_alive smartphone kit that brings the spider to life. The kit contains an infrared blaster that sends remote control signals from the smartphone directly to the Hexbug Spider, an easy-to-apply decal for the Hexbug Spider, and a set of special “vision blocks’”with which owners create the world the robot interacts with—and change that world as they wish.
These physical pieces complement the bots_alive iOS and Android app, which runs all software for augmented reality—including seeing where the robot and the vision blocks are—and artificial intelligence to determine the robot’s behavior. One vision block is often sought by the robot, and the rest are obstacles the robot avoids; owners influence the robot’s behavior by creating areas to explore, mazes, and barricades, and changing them on the fly.
“The bots_alive kit makes an autonomous robot creature out of a popular remote control toy,“ said Brad Knox, founder and CEO of bots_alive. „Our vision is to create artificially intelligent robot creatures that feel organic and alive. By packaging our cutting-edge technology into an affordable kit, we’re excited to bring more organic, lifelike robot characters into the hands of enthusiasts around the world.”
Through a new artificial intelligence technique the founder developed at the MIT Media Lab, the robot creatures are both goal-oriented (like other autonomous robots) yet also uniquely organic: hesitating, looking around, thinking about its next move, and making mistakes, all at a lifelike cadence. This new category of character AI is built during development by demonstrating what the robots should do through puppetry rather than by directly programming them. The bots_alive team is optimistic that this technique will be broadly applicable to robot characters and non-player characters in video games.
In addition to the complete bots_alive set, campaign supporters can also opt-in to a add another Hexbug Spider as a companion and competitor to the first, and they can stock up on vision blocks to enable complex obstacle courses. Owners of Hexbug Spiders can buy the bots_alive smartphone kit alone.
The goal of the 23-day campaign is to raise $15,000 by mid-February, with plans to begin shipping the bots_alive smartphone kits in September.
People can join the initiative by visiting the bots_alive Kickstarter page at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bradknox/1389638767?token=9ca2853a
About bots_alive bots_alive is a robotics startup that’s introducing a new, more organic form of robot artificial intelligence. Its cutting edge technology uses a simple smartphone kit to bring a mindless remote control Hexbug Spider to life. Founded by Brad Knox, bots_alive aims to build compelling, lifelike robots that are fun, affordable, and offer limitless play.
For more information, please visit www.botsalive.com.