MODI, Smart IoT/Robotic Modules, Kickstarted

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“JUST CONNECT.” LUXROBO wants you to simply connect its MODI modules to create an IoT or robotic device in seconds. MODI is a set of cube-shaped modules that LUXROBO launched on Kickstarter.com on October 14th.  It has already reached its funding goal of $30,000 in less than three days. With MODI, you can quickly and easily create devices like a theft detector, an RC car, a mini Segway and much more.

MODI comes with 13 different modules. They are color-coded into three different types: Input, Output and Setup. LUXROBO plans to add numerous other modules to its line-up soon. To take a full advantage of your MODI modules, you would customize the interactions among the modules through MODI Studio, LUXROBO’s simple graphic coding tool. You just need to drag and drop the commands. You can also convert the graphic coding into C Language (with other languages to be added) instantly.

The first thing you notice about MODI is its simple, elegant, minimalist design. You may also be surprised to see how small the modules are, only about 2.5 cm wide and long, and 1.5 cm tall. In such a compact dimension, LUXROBO has packed in PCB, MCU and its unique magnetic connection mechanism, in addition to the apparatus that supports each module’s unique function. Taking advantage of each module’s MCU, each MODI comes with MODI OS embedded. This feature enables each module to do its own processing and store memory. Each MODI is a smart module. One of the many benefits is MODI modules do not need to be connected to a PC or some other form of a master system to function on their own.

Putting MODI modules together is a pure joy. Each module’s four sides are all equipped for MODI’s unique magnetic connection. When placed close to another module, a pair of magnetic prongs come out slightly to form a tight and secure magnetic connection with the other. It is a lot of fun to try the automatic magnet connection over and over. Another advantage of MODI is its compatibility with Lego blocks. You can easily recycle the Legos or Lego-compatible blocks that you may have stored away to build a nice housing to your MODI devices.

LUXROBO aims to make IoT and robotic technologies more accessible for everyone, and that goal is captured in their vision of “Robotics of Things.” With its Kickstarter campaign, LUXROBO has taken a big step towards its vision of Robotics of Things. Until November 22nd, you can back LUXROBO and get MODI modules at approximately 40% off the estimated prices.

About LUXROBO:

LUXROBO’s roots are in robots. The founding team and core R&D members studied robotics together in college and have entered and won numerous international robot competitions together. LUXROBO was founded with the vision “Robotics of Things,” making robotic and IoT devices readily accessible for everyone.

LUXROBO is young and fearless. It was founded while its core members were still in college. It had no fear in developing its own OS for MODI and its own SW coding tool in MODI Studio. Even with MODI still in development and with no revenue stream to show, LUXROBO has been honored and recognized as one of Korea’s top technology-based startups, including being awarded Top11 at this year’s Echelon Asia Summit.

LUXROBO is ready for next big steps and challenges. LUXROBO has supplemented its young talents with experienced engineers and marketers from Samsung Electronics. With the Kickstarter campaign under way and supply of MODI modules to the UK soon to follow, LUXROBO is ready for a take-off.

Kickstarter Campaign:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/luxrobo/modi-create-anything-you-want-with-robotics-of-thi

Tanky Drone Introduces an Insanely Fast FPV Racing Quadcopter

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Los Angeles, CA — October 25, 2016 — Tanky Drone, a start-up drone design company in Southern California today introduced Tanky, a first person view (FPV) racing drone — at just 460 grams all-up-weight, Tanky features a remotely tiltable camera for ease of landing, tough-as-nails impact-resistant injection molded plastics, sleek aesthetics, and an aerodynamic design. Tanky delivers incredible performance. It can reach speeds upwards of 100 mph with 2305 motors and 1.0Ah 4S battery, a combination that delivers an amazing power-to-weight ratio. With its streamlined aerodynamic shape and obstruction free thrust column, Tanky performs on par with any custom made competition-bred craft.

“Tanky is a new generation of ready-to-race fpv drones. It’s not a toy. It’s a true speed machine, just like a sports motorcycle or a Formula 1 racecar. We optimized it for speed, minimized the weight, without compromising on design,” said lead designer, Bogdan Ryabyshchuk.

“One of the problems with drone racing today is the limited selection of ready-to-race crafts. This means that if you want to get into the hobby and sport of drone racing you need to build it yourself. This process usually takes a few weeks, rewards the naturally mechanically inclined, and does not guarantee a fast craft. After building your craft, you also run into another problem—learning to pilot it. So what do you do if you don’t have time to build a fast racing drone, but want to get into the sport? We decided to eliminate this barrier.

With Tanky, you have the option to buy it ready-to-fly, so you can start learning how to pilot it right away and become a drone racer,” said Yuki To, co-designer of Tanky, “So anyone can enjoy the exploding hobby of FPV flying and racing.”

“FPV drone racing is an immersive experience, enabling you to experience flight, speed, and exhilaration, without compromising on personal safety. When you inevitably crash, Tanky’s major components are protected with tough as nails polycarbonate. A polycarbonate skin not only protects the vital components, but also hides unsightly wiring. If the plastics do break on harsh impact, they are easily replaceable. This gives you the added benefit of being able to switch up your plastics to a different color, for a different feel, and to upgrade your components to stay on the cutting edge of innovation.”

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1970204458/tanky-drone-insanely-fast-fpv-racing-quadcopter

Harvard University Based Startup Launches New Robot, Root, That Teaches Anyone To Code

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All ages and skill levels can learn coding in an intuitive, interactive way.

 CAMBRIDGE, Mass. October 26, 2016 – Scansorial, a startup emerging from Harvard University, is on a mission to bridge the coding gap with the launch of their newest invention, Root: a fun, easy-to-use robot which teaches coding to anyone ages four to 99. Root has over 50 sensors and actuators with which it can draw, erase, play music, explore its world, and even defy gravity by using magnetism to drive on wall mounted whiteboards — making coding activities applicable to a range of topics, social, and way more cool.

With its interactive nature and easy setup, Root is the perfect tool for learning from authentic coding experiences at home, with teachers in classrooms, and has a social platform to share programs around the world. Root appeals to children as young as four and grows with them as a familiar and consistent platform — offering years of learning opportunities rather than days. As their coding skills improve, they’ll advance from programming with a blocks-based graphical interface (a child can use it even before they know how to read) to programming with fully text-based languages like Swift, JavaScript, and Python.

Another thing that makes Root special is the interplay with iPad. Not only is it programmed from an iPad, with Root’s app the iPad sensors can be used to interact with Root in real-time (for instance, the iPad can be programmed to act as a steering wheel.) Programs can be modified even while they’re running which facilitates the real-time debugging of code as children flexibly pause, step through, or add instructions at any point. Root also promotes agent-based thinking by showing exactly what the robot sees on the iPad.

“We have a big problem in our country, nine out of 10 parents want their kids to learn computer science but only one out of 10 elementary schools actually teach it. This leaves 58 million kids stuck in the middle not knowing how to get a computer science education,” Zee Dubrovsky, CEO of Scansorial.

“We are thrilled to support Root as it heads out to change the world of education. iRobot is committed to STEM learning and excited to see one of our alumni carry this passion forward in a startup aimed at bringing robotics and programming into homes and classrooms.“ Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot.

About Scansorial, PBC

Founded in 2016, Scansorial is a Public Benefit Corporation on a mission to make coding accessible for learners of any age. Scansorial makes robots, apps, and curricula that allow people to instantly set up, create, and share interactive coding lessons. Robots are the best way to engage in the journey of learning how digital stuff really works. Scansorial is a privately-held company headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

Root Team

The Root team has over 50 years of collective experience in launching and building consumer products (iRobot, Sonos, Apple) and software/education services (Microsoft, Disney, PLTW, Harvard, MIT). This includes launching four coding robots (Create, Kilobot, AERobot, Multiplo), launching two graphical coding environments (MIT App Inventor, Minibloq), and launching three consumer robots (Roomba, Scooba, Looj).

It is now possible to pre-order Root exclusively through Kickstarter through November 30. A limited number are priced at $145 which is only a fraction of its retail value. With a pledge of only $10, the campaign will put that money aside for schools in need that can’t afford Root. For any backers with deeper pockets, a pledge of $10,000 will put 60 Roots in a school of their choice and the campaign will promote these backers as a School Hero. Follow #SchoolHero to see who out there will step up to the plate and join this cause.

Kickstarter page: http://kck.st/2exTJN8

Pictures from Legoworld Utrecht 2016

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Real Warbots

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A fundamentally new approach to real-time strategy games! We transfer the mechanics of genre from the virtual world into the real world, on the real robots.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/382353368/real-warbots

Real Warbots is a strategy game for two or more players. Game mechanics is the same as computer real-time strategy games. As usual, players will collect resources, defend the base and eliminate the enemies. However, the game is not on the computer screen, but in the real world with the participation of real robots. Moreover, as there are robots, the control will be also different from the standard “clicking and dragging”.

There are three types of robots:   Scout, Worker and Tank

It is a seemingly well-known set of actions as in all RTS games; however, these are robots, and nobody is preventing players from racing with obstacles, hunting the cats, passing beer bottles or anything else that may spring into your mind.

Controlling robots

The player must make an algorithm of robot actions from simple blocks like shoot, move, turn etc. After that, the algorithm is wirelessly sent to the robot who begins to carry out his task. If the situation changes, the player makes a new algorithm, sends it to the robot and it starts acting in a new way.

The player is free to make algorithms of any difficulty. Someone will make them small, of several clicks, and will be sending new tasks to the robot all the time. Another player will spend some time before the game and make a big algorithm from maybe thousands of commands.

Which approach is right for you will show only practice and player experience.

Map.

Everything that the robots see by their sensors is displayed on the screen on the player’s map. Obstacles are shown as simple lines and help to understand where the robot can’t go. Other robots or resources are shown with the special icons.

It helps the player to understand the distance between robots and their surroundings even if he can’t see it by his eyes.

Personification.

Every robot has its own identification number given to him “at the factory” that will never be changed. That means every robot will be unique and have its own name.

The number of each robot will be placed in the general base and all its victories on official competitions will be written in the hall of fame of Real WarBots.

Accessories.

Apart from robots, there are several other things necessary for the game:

  • “Energy” and “Materials”.
  • Walls
  • Ammo for Robot-Tank
  • Beacons(optional)
  • Factory(optional)

Heroes.

Robots get experience points which can be spent on improving the various characteristics: hit points, speed, etc. or for the purchase of various perks.

Later, will be created the robots-heroes  with the best abilities, possibly on a completely different chassis, such as hexapods

Interface

Players are provided with software environment. It can be divided into several areas for convenience:

  • a working area, where you can make the algorithm from several blocks;
  • a map with obstacles which robots see around them;
  • a list of buttons for program blocks;
  • a list of player’s robots. Every robot has its own identification number, the part of which will be shown in the list

Kickstarter Site: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/382353368/real-warbots

iRobot Reports Strong Third-Quarter Financial Results

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Exceeds Third-Quarter and Increases Full-Year 2016 Financial Expectations

Oct 25, 2016

BEDFORD, Mass., Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended October 1, 2016.

iRobot logo.

„Our third-quarter performance was outstanding. We delivered revenue and profitability exceeding our expectations. Based on our Q3 results and the excellent momentum we have going into the holiday season, created by our successful marketing programs, we are increasing our full-year financial expectations for the second quarter in a row. We now expect fiscal 2016 revenue of $650 to $655 million, Net Income of between $38 and $41 million, EPS of between $1.36 and $1.44, and Adjusted EBITDA of $88 to $92 million. These expectations reflect our increased confidence that 2016 growth in the United States, of more than 25%, will drive total consumer revenue growth of approximately 15% for the full year,“ said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive officer of iRobot.

„As we have said previously, the revenue split between Q3 and Q4 is always difficult to predict due to the timing and shipment of consumer products for the holiday season. This year, our new partner in China requested Q3 delivery of some Braava jet and Roomba orders that we were expecting to ship in Q4. This resulted in higher than anticipated consumer revenue and profitability in Q3.

„We are very excited about our results year-to-date and the outlook for the fourth quarter as our successful marketing programs continue to drive demand generation in the U.S. and overseas. It is very satisfying that, in this transformative year, our current full-year expectations are well above those we provided in February.“

Financial Results

  • Note: Financial results for the third quarter of 2015 include the Defense & Security business which was sold onApril 4, 2016. There are no results for the Defense & Security business included in our financial results for the third quarter of 2016, other than support services provided by iRobot, recorded as other income.
  • Revenue for the third quarter of 2016 was $168.6 million, compared with $143.6 million for the third quarter of 2015.
  • Net income in the third quarter of 2016 was $19.5 million, compared with $12.8 million in the third quarter of 2015.
  • Quarterly earnings per share were $0.70 for the third quarter of 2016, compared with $0.42 in the third quarter of 2015.
  • Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2016 was $35.5 million, compared with $25.9 million in the third quarter of 2015.

Business Highlights

  • Year-over-year consumer quarterly revenue growth of 23% was driven by APAC following a very successful launch of Braava jet in that region.
  • Domestic revenue grew 13% over Q3 last year, and orders-in-hand plus anticipated Q4 orders support our expectation of substantial year-over-year quarterly growth in Q4.
  • We introduced the Roomba 960 and connectivity for Braava jet, expanding our suite of connected products for the home.

Financial Expectations

Management provides the following expectations with respect to the fourth quarter and fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.

Q4 2016:

Revenue                    

$202 – $207 million

Net Income                   

$10 – $13 million

Earnings Per Share          

$0.36 – $0.44                          

Adjusted EBITDA               

$22 – $26 million

 

Fiscal Year 2016:            

Revenue                           

$650 – $655 million                                        

Net Income                      

$38 – $41 million

Earnings Per Share           

$1.36 – $1.44                                      

Adjusted EBITDA              

$88 – $92 million                                            

 

Third-Quarter Conference Call
iRobot will host a conference call tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss its financial results for the third fiscal quarter 2016, business outlook, and outlook for fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2016 financial performance. Pertinent details include:

Date:          

Wednesday, October 26, 2016  

Time:                     

8:30 a.m. ET

Call-In Number:      

847-619-6396

Passcode:              

40924300

 

A live, audio broadcast of the conference call will also be available at http://investor.irobot.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=193096&p=irol-EventDetails&EventId=5206143.

An archived version of the broadcast will be available on the same website shortly after the conclusion of the live event. A replay of the telephone conference call will be available through November 3, and can be accessed by dialing 630-652-3042, passcode 40924300#.

About iRobot Corp.

iRobot designs and builds robots that empower people to do more. The company’s home robots help people find smarter ways to clean and accomplish more in their daily lives. iRobot’s portfolio of solutions features proprietary technologies for the connected home and advanced concepts in navigation, mobility and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.

Plobot is a colorful coding companion that takes programming beyond the computer screen

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A revolutionary robot toy helps your kids learn computational thinking through physical play

An educational robotics startup is pioneering a new way of teaching computational thinking and programming through physical interactions with command cards.

How the Plobot platform works

Plobot is an Arduino-based robot learning companion designed for four to eight year-olds. It’s designed to be a child’s first encounter with coding concepts – using cards and storytelling versus syntax and computer screens.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1365116576/plobot-a-robot-coding-companion

Each command card represents a block of code, directly triggering actions for the robot through its built-in RFID scanner. Kids can make Plobot navigate a maze of obstacles, play music, light up with different colors, sense nearby objects, and much more.

Swiping the cards in sequence strings together a ‘program’ the robot follows, with the „Play“ card working as an execute function. Amplifier cards mimic loops and conditionals, changing the effects of the other cards.

A headstart in computational thinking

By breaking down each task into a sequence of steps, kids exercise problem solving and creative thinking abilities, while picking up core coding concepts such as variables, conditionals, and loops. This helps pave the way for a foundation in computational thinking, and sparks an early interest in computer science.

Plobot can take up to 50 instructions in one sequence. With card expansion packs, Plobot provides countless possible combinations that make it one of the most versatile screen-free coding platforms in the market.

In addition to command cards, Plobot works with ‘stations’, circular pads with labels like ‘school’, ‘ice cream shop, or ‘home’ which serve as goal posts during programming activities and adds a storytelling element to the lessons.

Plobot’s exterior is made of easy to clean plastic, and kids can customize Plobot using stickers, clay, and or attaching Duplo blocks on its back.

 

A Maker’s Journey

Plobot began in 2013 as Rodolfo Cossovich’s side project. Rodolfo is an Argentinian robotics engineer and inventor who teaches robotics at New York University.

“We started with the idea that children learn best through physical play,” Cossovich shares, “The challenge was fundamentally how to make the code-learning experience more interactive and engaging without getting kids in front of computer screens.”

Plobot participated in Make in LA’s hardware tech accelerator to move the project forward. The edtech startup has developed a custom curriculum around Plobot which it has pilot-tested with hundreds of kids in international schools and coding bootcamps in Shanghai, Taipei, Buenos Aires, Washington DC, and other cities over the past year.

“Computational thinking is becoming core literacy for the next generation. Plobot gives kids a headstart. Many parents have described Plobot as a physical version of Scratch. We use this physical coding approach to help kids become better thinkers through play.”

Plobot is set to launch on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter the third week of October at a retail price of $159. An introductory price of $79 (50% off retail price) will be offered to early backers.

The Kickstarter campaign can be found here.

Anki launches critically acclaimed Cozmo robot

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A Little Robot with a Big Personality, Cozmo Marks a New Era for Consumer Robotics

Anki’s Cozmoments Marketing Campaign Highlights the Emotional Connection Possible Between Robot and Human

October 17, 2016 – San Francisco, CA — Anki, the consumer robotics and artificial intelligence (A.I.) company, today announced it has launched Cozmo – one of the most sophisticated consumer robots on the market. “Unlike its less sophisticated predecessors in the toy market, Cozmo has advanced software to backup its smarts,” notes The Verge. Tech aside, Cozmo is a small bot with a big brain and an even bigger personality. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Cozmo has more personality and charm than any other robot toy I’ve played with,” and Gizmodo opines, “You can play with Cozmo for twenty minutes and forget all about it being a toy. It feels…real.” Cozmo is charming, a bit mischievous, and unpredictable. He recognizes and remembers people over time through games and playful interactions. Priced at $179.99, Cozmo is available in the U.S. at major retailers including Toys”R”Us, Apple Store, Best Buy, Amazon.com and Anki.com.

“Cozmo not only represents a significant engineering milestone, but is a physical manifestation of robots that have a deep personality and character like the ones we’ve come to love in Hollywood films,” said Boris Sofman, co-founder & CEO, Anki. “We are setting a new standard for the types of emotional experiences people can expect from consumer robotics products, and we are incredibly excited for everyone to meet Cozmo. Our robot is more than a breakthrough in entertainment as the technology within Cozmo will play an integral role in shaping other aspects of our lives.”

Always Game. Cozmo refuses to sit tight and wait for fun. He’s ready to play. The more Cozmo and his human friend get to know each other, the more skilled he’ll become as new activities and upgrades are unlocked. The free Cozmo app, which runs on compatible iOS, Android and Kindle Fire devices, comes packed with gameplay content and constantly introduces new ways to play. Cozmo even brings his own toys to the game — three interactive Power Cubes that he’s always willing to share. So whether he’s playing with his Power Cubes or challenging players with his favorite games of speed and skill, he’s always ready for action.

Similar to Anki’s robotic battle-racing hit, Anki OVERDRIVE, new content and game modes are introduced via free software updates, which ensures that the relationship with Cozmo will stay fresh and exciting year round. A software update, which includes new game mode and features, will be rolled out in December in time for the holidays.

Hundreds of Emotions. A Few Tricks Up His Sleeves. Cozmo’s emotions aren’t random. His personality, driven by powerful A.I., is brought to life with complex facial expressions, a host of emotions, and his own voice and emotive language. His vision system, which includes a camera on the front of his OLED face, allows him to constantly scan his environment and recognize people. His eyes even light up when he sees a familiar face. Cozmo also comes with his own dynamic soundtrack that matches his mood and corresponds with the games and activities, elevating playtime to a uniquely cinematic experience. This merger of robotics, deep A.I., game design, and a film-like approach to developing Cozmo’s character, brings to life an experience that has never been thought possible or implemented outside of a movie screen.

The Little Bot with Super-powered Smarts. There’s more to Cozmo than what meets the eye. His powerful technology lets him survey the world, explore it, and make decisions based on his mood. He is the product of over six years of steadfast research and development by a team comprised of some the best and brightest people across a variety of disciplines including PhD roboticists, world- class animators, renowned game developers, and a lead designer of the Batmobile. Powered by advanced robotics, A.I., and computer vision, Cozmo has a brain that processes more data per second than all the Mars rovers combined. More than three-hundred parts make up Cozmo, but his deceptively small size means he can fit in the palm of your hand.

Anki is also introducing the Cozmo Software Development Kit (SDK) Beta, a free, intuitive and connected robotics platform that’s as useful for makers and hobbyists as it is for educators and researchers. With the SDK, Anki is giving consumers unprecedented access to robotics in a highly versatile package. It’s powerful but easy to use, complex but not complicated, and can be used in industries ranging from entertainment to academia.

Cozmo retails for $179.99 and ships with one base charger and three interactive Power Cubes. For a full list of current device compatibility, visit here:

Keep up with @Anki news & connect with us at: Twitter.com/Anki, Facebook.com/Anki, YouTube.com/Anki, and Instagram.com/Anki!

WiLoader: The WiFi Programmer for Arduino & AVR

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WiLoader is the new generation of programmers that uses WiFi instead of cables to Program, control and monitor Arduino boards and AVR based Robots over WiFi.

Introducing WiLoader, The new generation of programmers:

WiLoader easily connects to existing WiFi network, so developers can program their AVR microcontrollers, Arduino boards and Robots over WiFi. It doesn’t need any kind of cable for computer connection, especially USB ones. Because it employs WiFi, even smartphone can be used to configure, communicate, control and monitor targets via a WiFi-UART bridge.

WiLoader is embedded inside Arduino IDE

WiLoader is easy to set up, use and control. Since Arduino is an open source software and also has a lot of cool features and rich libraries, PetuniaTech will release a software patch for Arduino IDE to support and handle all WiLoader capabilities. WiLoader can be chosen like any other programmers inside the Tools menu. It is compatible with all operating systems and it performs flawlessly.

WiLoader has a WiFi-UART bridge called WiCOM. Users can send and receive serial data over WiFi by connecting WiLoader dedicated serial pins to AVR UART pins (RX, TX). Just like other COM ports that Arduino serial monitor uses for communicating and debugging MCUs.

Robotics is easier with WiLoader !

WiLoader is wise choice when developers and hobbyist are working with robots or any kind of portable devices. It can program target boards on the go without stopping and connecting it to a computer every time. Users can even create a customized app for PC or smartphones to control their robots by sending commands over WiFi. Also this WiFi-UART Bridge can be used to monitor robot status and sensor values.

PetuniaTech has launched WiLoader campaign on Kickstarter. WiLoader is selected as “Project We Love” by Kickstarter too. Backers can pledge to this project until November 7th and choose different rewards such as single WiLoader pack and WiFi Robot Kit. A free eBook named “Connected Robots” will be available for Robot Kit backers too.

WiLoader Campaign Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petuniatech/wiloader-the-wifi-programmer-for-avr