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http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/aug/25forbes1.htm?q=tp



Yoshiyuki Sankai's Hybrid Assisted Limb (yes, that's a nod to the haywire computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey) is suit that gives its wearer superpowers: the ability to lift an extra 88 pounds or walk long distances without tiring. The catch--the suit's battery needs to be charged every five hours. Sankai's Cyberdyne plans to rent HAL suits for $1,000 a month.



Irobot founders Colin Angle and Helen Greiner wanted to make robots that made money. The Roomba, their best-known offering, has done that, moving 2 million floor-cleaning units since 2002. The more ambitious PackBots, which take on such tasks as bomb disposal in Iraq, sell for $100,000. Next up: a bomb-sniffing robot and a robot lawn mower.



Former street mime Caleb Chung co-created the Furby, a $30 fuzzy toy that "learned" over time--and sold 50 million units. Next year he plans to start selling his next bot: Pleo, a lovable minidinosaur. Pleo was a hit at tech conferences early this year, stoking demand for the $250 toy.



John Hopkins engineering professor Russell Taylor's star pupil is Da Vinci, a 1,200-pound, $1.5 million set of mechanical arms that help out surgeons doing prostate removals and other procedures. Sleeker, more capable instruments are emerging from his lab.



Last year Stanley, Sebastian Thrun's souped-up Volkswagen Touraeg, won $2 million by winning a 131-mile race across the Mojave Desert--without a driver. Next up: In November 2007 Thrun will modify a Volkswagen Passat and let it drive itself through a 60-mile race in a city yet to be named.

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Biologist Robert J. Full and engineer Mark Cutkosky teamed up to create Stickybot, a 2-foot robot that climbs windows and other vertical surfaces at 1.5 inches a second. The robotic gecko uses hundreds of tiny (10 microns long) stalks in each toe to help it cling to walls.



Soren Lund oversees Lego Mindstorms, the world's most popular line of robot tool kits. His new Mindstorms NXT retails for $250 and boasts better software as well as a Bluetooth wireless connection. More impressive are the engineers who put the new version together--a hundred hackers who fell in love with the original version.

[Mens Rea]

Lmao @ the first one. It makes it so you can walk and not get tired. WTF get tired walking? Actually, now that I think about it, if I were walking and carrying 88lbs I might get tired in 5 hours.

And a robot to assist in prostate removals? Sign me up!

[Depth]

Originally Posted by Mens Rea

Lmao @ the first one. It makes it so you can walk and not get tired. WTF get tired walking? Actually, now that I think about it, if I were walking and carrying 88lbs I might get tired in 5 hours.

And a robot to assist in prostate removals? Sign me up!

I think the first one is geared for older people.

[Fougaisie]

Originally Posted by Depth

I think the first one is geared for older people.

and bitch pansies

[GoForkYourself]

psh, no robosapien?

[TuthMoseIII]

pfft The only robot that will change my life is a sex robot

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Originally Posted by TuthMoseIII

pfft The only robot that will change my life is a sex robot

Then you'll never leave your bunker.

[explosives]

That car looks cool, driving it could be like playing a video game. Long ago I had a fantasy of having a robot copy of a human and putting on a virtual reality headset and controlling it, doing whatever you like

[explosives]

Originally Posted by Mens Rea

Lmao @ the first one. It makes it so you can walk and not get tired. WTF get tired walking? Actually, now that I think about it, if I were walking and carrying 88lbs I might get tired in 5 hours.

And a robot to assist in prostate removals? Sign me up!

I dont think they mean walking to the x rated movies store and back, or walking to get some pizza pops from 711.