Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 

RuBot II Robot Solves Rubik's Cube With Gusto

RuBot II is an amazing robot that can easily solve the Rubik's cube puzzle game in a completely interactive (and talkative!) way.


(RuBot II robot solves Rubik's cube)

This is the second version of the RuBot, created by Pete Redmond, an avionics technician with the Irish Air Corps. The robot is able to accept a cube from a (mere) human. The 'bot then snags the cube and hoists it up to eye camera level, where its deft manipulators scan all sides of the cube.


(RuBot II robot video)

Rarely have I seen a robot that seems to enjoy his work as much as RuBot II.

Pete Redmond was kind enough to answer a couple of questions about RuBot II:

Did you read science fiction at an early age?

    [PR] Yes, I have always loved science fiction and science fact. I have read a lot of Scifi as a kid and adult (although as a kid it was mostly comics such as 2000ad). I also watched a lot of scifi tv as a kid (I don't watch much TV these days). My favourite books from my younger days (in no particular order) are: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Bill the Galactic Hero, Star Wars, 2000AD & Judge Dredd, Dune and the Discworld series. The latest addition to my favourite bookshelf is the Gap series by Stephen Donaldson. As a kid, my favourite TV would have been Star Trek, Doctor Who, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, Lost in Space, The Six million Dollar Man....
What were the specific influences from science fiction on RuBot (if any)?
    [PR] The build for RuBot was mostly functional so didn't allow for influence. It just does what it needs to do. The head is a gladiator helmet I found on ebay so again. The music is from the movie Short Circuit and the arms kind of move a little like Johnny Five. If the question was the other way around I would say RuBot is most like Johnny Five and That is why I chose to use that piece of music. I got the idea to use lights for the mouth from Doctor Who's Cybermen.
Update 12-Oct-2006: Take a look at an earlier Rubik's Cube-solving robot that appeared in a Caltech Rubik's Cube tournament; also, look at the most recent articles on Robotics here at Technovelgy.com.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/10/2006)

Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.

| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |

Would you like to contribute a story tip? It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add it here.

Comment/Join discussion ( 6 )

Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")

Epirus High-Power Microwave Defeats Drones
'...the spreading beam of the deranging ray struck them, and Then one toppled and fell. Then another.' - Ray Cummings, 1931.

It's A Giant Robot! You Reporters Have Been Warned!
'... completely forgetting the ship at sight of the awesome figure and great head of the giant Gaut...'

Tactile Skin Supplier Map
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!' - Ray Cummings, 1931.

Robot Bees 3D Printed By Festo
'At first I was struck by the large size of these bees..' - Ernst Junger, 1957.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Current News

'If Anyone Is Watching Earth...'
'Our study of your race has convinced us that you are not fitted to leave your planet in the present state of your civilization.'

Epirus High-Power Microwave Defeats Drones
'...the spreading beam of the deranging ray struck them, and Then one toppled and fell. Then another.'

Cloud Of Space Rubbish From China's Long March Rocket
'Within seconds the material was spread out over fifty yards, in a matter of hours it might occupy several cubic miles of space...'

Biomimetic Tendons From Rochu Robotics
'... the curious parallelism to animal motions.'

Living Human Neuron Biological Compute Rack
'The men are dead, but their acquired wisdom lives on and I am the beneficiary.'

Martha Stewart Approves Ojai 'Living Room On Wheels'
'Young people found the driverless car admirable for petting.'

ESA's Draco To Study Heat Of Reentry
'...a synthetic which air-friction would erode.'

Buy A Galaxy? Maybe Start Smaller
'The sky is the limit' just got higher.

The United States Space Academy Is Official
'Is our orbit to Space Academy clear?'

Is There A Global Problem With Who Is Having Children?
'After twenty generations of shillyshallying...'

You Will Eat The Cookies Made From Plastic...
'Our planes are going to start bringing in bales of discarded plastics...'

It's A Giant Robot! You Reporters Have Been Warned!
'... completely forgetting the ship at sight of the awesome figure and great head of the giant Gaut...'

Birds Learn To Sing Pictures ala Frank Herbert's Distrans
'We will fight in the time of fighting.'

ElectionSim: China's 'Ender's Game' Battle Sim, Or Lem's 'Kingdom In A Box'?
'So, Ender, we will now begin your education.'

Tactile Skin Supplier Map
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!'

Flock Stymied By 'Adversarial Fashion'
'Forget the head atop it, the legs below, feet, arms, hands. It compels erasure.'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.