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News

• In Pictures: US military gets fired up over weaponised robots

  Check out photos of machine gun-shooting robots at Fort Benning, Georgia.

• In Pictures: World-saving robots

  These human-like robots could be the first responders to major disasters in the future

• In Pictures: The weirdest, wackiest and coolest sci/tech stories of 2013 so far

  From cool robots and unmanned aircraft to celebrity swatting and Moby Dick emoticons, it’s been an interesting high-tech year!

• Defence considers drones, while UN wants moratorium on lethal robots

  The Department of Defence’s new White Paper is exploring the introduction of defence drones for Australia, but a recent United Nations report could put the kibosh on killer robots.

• Robot swarms could be used in search and rescue: expert

  Flying and ground-based robots, which could potentially help search and rescue organisations, are under development at Monash University’s Swarm Robotics lab.

• CSIRO telepresence robots connect students with National Museum

  The National Museum in Canberra and CSIRO are trialling a virtual tour system using robots called B1 and B2. The robots, which contain telepresence technology, navigate the galleries of the Museum with a human staff member on hand to explain the exhibits.

• In Pictures: Weird and wonderful high-tech inventions of the world

  From robotic waiters and high-tech bicycles to “privacy visors,” we take a look at recent inventions that are strange but beautiful

• Robots to feature at Sydney's Big Day Out

  Tomorrow’s Big Day Out music festival in Sydney will not only feature popular bands The Killers and Red Hot Chilli Peppers on stage, but will also include several robots battling it out for champion of the basketball court.

• 2 Emerging Markets HP Should Enter to Turn Itself Around

  IBM jumped on mainframes before anyone else did. Apple's consumer devices also caught everyone off guard. Both companies are doing pretty well these days. HP can enjoy similar success, columnist Rob Enderle writes, if it rides a 'technology wave' such as personal robots or 3-D printers.

• In Pictures: The year in madly cool robots

  From giants to itsy-bitsy shape shifters, robots are hot

• Sophisticated Siri could be next BYO challenge: Intel

  Personal data agents could be part of the next wave of IT consumerization that will challenge IT managers, said Intel chief evangelist, Steve Brown

• In Pictures: Attack of the (mostly) cool robots

  New robots pick grapes, go after snakes, improve health and measure Antarctic ice

• Cyborg plants render humans even more obsolete

  The cyborg plant is not a new concept. The robot plant replacement is even less new: You can buy one for a price of $4.19 from ThinkGeek, after all. But a team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich isn't interested in solar-powered plastic toys or surgically-altered self-lighting plants that hang on a wall (creepy!) -- they're giving plants the ability to feed, water, and sun themselves, by augmenting them with iRobot technology and wheels.

• Robotic Herds Could Be the Next Step in Farming

  Fully autonomous herds of robots could be the future of farming, or at least that's what one roboticist thinks. Trossen Robotics forum member Vanmunch has developed an "Autonomous Micro Planter," which he's named Prospero.

• Robotic privacy curtain fails, but amuses the masses

  More than ever, people are taking their online and real-life privacy more seriously. Swedish inventor Niklas Roy also felt that his privacy was being invaded on a more basic level--by passers-by looking in through his large workshop window. Most might have just opted for a normal curtain, but Niklas got inventive and created the robotic curtain.