BY STEVEN SPARKMAN Here's your latest update in "Robot takeover of Earth" news. Two robots are getting blog chatter this week for inching closer to mimicking living organisms -- one step at a time. First, the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan developed this ramblin' man, BlueBiped. It's a walking robot which mimics the human gait, and has no motors or electricity. It takes a small downhill grade to keep it going, and in tests it's walked for 13 hours -- more than nine miles -- with no external power source. Video: DigInfo It works entirely through the potential energy of a downhill slope, making use of its momentum with carefully articulated joints. A writer for Popular Science praises the BlueBiped for its simplicity. "This type of forward falling motion is not exactly a new concept -- when I was your age, I had a Slinky, too -- but it's an interesting reminder that robotic technology doesn't necessarily need tons of servos and articulated limbs to accomplish a complex task." The researchers tout their robots' environmental friendliness, since it uses no fuel to move around. A writer for Wired UK explains some of their big plans for the bot. "There are two big ideas on the horizon: one is to transform the BlueBiped into some kind of exoskeleton to help people who have trouble walking. Another idea is to make the robot help out with sports equipment. Could be handy on the golf range, as long as it's all downhill." Another robot getting attention this week -- how <b>...</b>
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