Android co-creator to develop real androids for Google

It’s a good thing we have SpaceX, or Google’s “moonshots” would almost certainly be more literal than those we see today. The company, which has recently set itself to fixing such problems as the global energy crisis and death, could never turn away from such a placid, mocking challenge as the moon, were a suitably trendy genius not already concerned with it. Google’s upper management seems obsessed with proving that the company’s unique sort of privatized populism can act in those areas we assume are too difficult or advanced for human improvement. The latest arena for such corporate chest-beating surpasses space, energy, and even life extension in terms of sheer sci-fi appeal.

Yes, Google has set itself on a very broad and nonspecific road to developing robots for general use, hinting at a future seen in The Jetsons and I, Robot. The as-yet-unnamed new company is helmed by Andy Rubin, a legendary Google elder most famous for leading the Android division to its place as the (arguably) dominant mobile OS. (Unbelievably, there are as yet no plans to work the Android name into this venture.) Rubin has a background in robot engineering that predates his time with both Google and Apple, which together with his track record as a rabid achiever, makes one thing very clear: Google is tired of waiting for robots.

Spiri is a flying robotic development platform for your dreams of global domination

Pleiades’s Spiri autonomous flying robot is a unique take on the quadrotor helicopter. Most remote control helicopters are designed around the idea that your interactions will be focused around maneuvering the device. By giving Spiri a (Linux-operated) brain, Pleiades wants to shift the focus and make this robot a programmable companion.

Spiri comes equipped with plenty of features as well, including three cameras, 4 GB of storage, GPS capabilities, plus Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB connections. Pleiades lists Spiri's battery life at only fifteen minutes per flight, but once Spiri begins to fade, it will automatically travel back to its charging perch and refuel. After recharging, it’s straight back to work.

This is clearly a project designed with developers in mind. Spiri is an open-source platform and Pleiades can’t stress enough how important the development community is going to be if Spiri is funded. The Kickstarter campaign just recently went live, but has already garnered nearly $15,000, so be sure to at least get a good look at Spiri before all of your friends are walking around accompanied by a flying robot.

Separating Hype from Reality on Amazon’s Drones

Amazon’s plans to deliver packages by drones, which it predicts “will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today,” has been widely dismissed as little more than clever self-promotion.

Yet, in some contexts, drone delivery has shown potential. Last year, a startup called Matternet in Palo Alto, California, tested drones as a way to deliver supplies to refugee camps in Haiti and found it cost only 20 to 70 cents to deliver a two-kilogram package 10 kilometers—at least a fivefold savings compared to standard truck delivery.

“Technically it is totally feasible,” says R. John Hansman, a professor of aeronautics at MIT. “The key issues will be if the [Federal Aviation Administration] allows this kind of operation—they should—and if the business case makes sense.”

Sony PlayStation 4 Is The Fastest Selling Console Ever In The UK

Sony launched their new PlayStation 4 in the UK on Friday and already it has become the fastest selling console ever in the UK, even beating Microsoft’s new Xbox One next generation games console.

The Xbox One games console launched on November 22nd 2013 around the world and is priced at $499.99 in the US, £429.99 in the UK and 499.99 Euros throughout Europe and $599.99 AU in Australia.

Sony launched their PS4 console to compete with the Xbox One in the US and Canada early last month and managed to pass 1 million sales in just 24 hours. With Microsoft following up with the same sales but on a worldwide basis.

To re-cap the Sony PlayStation 4 console will be equipped with 8-cores of AMD Jaguar processing power supported by 8GB of GDDR5 RAM together with a next generation AMD Radeon graphics card to process your games graphics.

Other features of the next generation PlayStation 4 console include a 500GB storage drive, together with 2 x USB 3.0 ports, and 1 x AUX port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and HDMI port. The PlayStation 4 specs for the camera include a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 together with (x2) pixel capture at 60fps. In the box the PlayStation 4 system will include 1 x Wireless controller (DualShock 4), 1 x Mono headset, 1 x AC power cord, 1 x HDMI cable and 1 x USB cable.

Copycat Russian android prepares to do the spacewalk

This robot is looking pretty pleased with itself – and wouldn't you be, if you were off to the International Space Station? Prototype cosmobot SAR-401, with its human-like torso, is designed to service the outside of the ISS by mimicking the arm and finger movements of a human puppet-master indoors.

In this picture, that's the super-focussed guy in the background but in space it would be a cosmonaut operating from the relative safety of the station's interior and so avoiding a risky spacewalk. You can watch the Russian android mirroring a human here.

SAR-1 joins a growing zoo of robots in space. NASA already has its own Robonaut on board the ISS to carry out routine maintenance tasks. It was recently joined by a small, cute Japanese robot, Kirobo, but neither of the station's droids are designed for outside use.

Until SAR-401 launches, the station's external Dextre and Canadarm2 rule the orbital roost. They were commemorated on Canadian banknotes this year – and they don't even have faces.