Spherical hexapod robot walks like a crab, dances like the Bogle (video)

Kåre Halvorsen (aka Zenta) is something of a genius in the robotic arts, as testified by the latest development in his long-running MorpHex project. By adding curved polycarbonate panels to its six feet and upper half, he's given his creation the ability to curl up into a ball when it gets tired of scuttling. Alas, he hasn't managed to make it roll around yet, or indeed fly, but the video after the break is still pretty amazing -- and almost as hypnotic as that robotic worm we caught doing the limbo.

Researchers build world's smallest steam engine that could

The world's smallest steam engine

A heat engine measuring only a few micrometres works as well as its larger counterpart, although it splutters

December 11, 2011

What would be a case for the repair shop for a car engine is completely normal for a micro engine. If it sputters, this is caused by the thermal motions of the smallest particles, which interfere with its running. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart and the Stuttgart-based Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have now observed this with a heat engine on the micrometre scale. They have also determined that the machine does actually perform work, all things considered. Although this cannot be used as yet, the experiment carried out by the researchers in Stuttgart shows that an engine does basically work, even if it is on the microscale. This means that there is nothing, in principle, to prevent the construction of highly efficient, small heat engines.

A technology which works on a large scale can cause unexpected problems on a small one. And these can be of a fundamental nature. This is because different laws prevail in the micro- and the macroworld. Despite the different laws, some physical processes are surprisingly similar on both large and small scales. Clemens Bechinger, Professor at the University of Stuttgart and Fellow of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, and his colleague Valentin Blickle have now observed one of these similarities.

"We've developed the world's smallest steam engine, or to be more precise the smallest Stirling engine, and found that the machine really does perform work," says Clemens Bechinger. "This was not necessarily to be expected, because the machine is so small that its motion is hindered by microscopic processes which are of no consequence in the macroworld." The disturbances cause the micromachine to run rough and, in a sense, sputter.

The laws of the microworld dictated that the researchers were not able to construct the tiny engine according to the blueprint of a normal-sized one. In the heat engine invented almost 200 years ago by Robert Stirling, a gas-filled cylinder is periodically heated and cooled so that the gas expands and contracts. This makes a piston execute a motion with which it can drive a wheel, for example.

"We successfully decreased the size of the essential parts of a heat engine, such as the working gas and piston, to only a few micrometres and then assembled them to a machine," says Valentin Blickle. The working gas in the Stuttgart-based experiment thus no longer consists of countless molecules, but of only one individual plastic bead measuring a mere three micrometres (one micrometre corresponds to one thousandth of a millimetre) which floats in water. Since the colloid particle is around 10,000 times larger than an atom, researchers can observe its motion directly in a microscope.

The physicists replaced the piston, which moves periodically up and down in a cylinder, by a focused laser beam whose intensity is periodically varied. The optical forces of the laser limit the motion of the plastic particle to a greater and a lesser degree, like the compression and expansion of the gas in the cylinder of a large heat engine. The particle then does work on the optical laser field. In order for the contributions to the work not to cancel each other out during compression and expansion, these must take place at different temperatures. This is done by heating the system from the outside during the expansion process, just like the boiler of a steam engine. The researchers replaced the coal fire of an old-fashioned steam engine with a further laser beam that heats the water suddenly, but also lets it cool down as soon as it is switched off.

The fact that the Stuttgart machine runs rough is down to the water molecules which surround the plastic bead. The water molecules are in constant motion due to their temperature and continually collide with the microparticle. In these random collisions, the plastic particle constantly exchanges energy with its surroundings on the same order of magnitude as the micromachine converts energy into work. "This effect means that the amount of energy gained varies greatly from cycle to cycle, and even brings the machine to a standstill in the extreme case," explains Valentin Blickle. Since macroscopic machines convert around 20 orders of magnitude more energy, the tiny collision energies of the smallest particles in them are not important.

The physicists are all the more astonished that the machine converts as much energy per cycle on average despite the varying power, and even runs with the same efficiency as its macroscopic counterpart under full load. "Our experiments provide us with an initial insight into the energy balance of a heat engine operating in microscopic dimensions. Although our machine does not provide any useful work as yet, there are no thermodynamic obstacles, in principle, which prohibit this in small dimensions," says Clemens Bechinger. This is surely good news for the design of reliable, highly efficient micromachines.

Huawei Honor gets Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade, feels honored

By Amar Toor posted Dec 12th 2011 6:40AM It looks like the Huawei Honor has been honored with a helping of Ice Cream Sandwich. The Chinese manufacturer posted a "demo-build" of the update to its support page today, offering Android 4.0 in both simplified Chinese, as well as the standard suite of languages included in the Android pack. The update comes less than a month after the release of Ice Cream Sandwich's source code, and well in advance of some other manufacturers. You can take it for a spin now, at the source link below.

Let the turkey power your Christmas tree lights

By Sharif Sakr posted Dec 12th 2011 8:12AM No one's attempted this in a commercial product before, but Nihon Dengyo Kosaku Co has reportedly developed a device that makes it achievable: a 'rectenna' that can fit inside a microwave oven and recycle unused wave energy. The palm-sized gadget combines both an antenna for catching waves and a rectifier for converting them into DC current, with a maximum output of 100 watts. Foods with a low water content have the worst heating efficiency, which means they offer the best opportunity for reclaiming energy -- so stodgy Christmas cuisine would be perfect.

Android Market web store update adds user review filters, changes lives

By Amar Toor posted Dec 12th 2011 10:33AM It looks like Google has rolled out yet another update to its Android Market web store, bringing a slew of new filtering features for especially investigative users. In particular, the refresh allows consumers to filter user reviews by a handful of parameters, including star ratings, app version and device model. Best of all, you can use any or all of these filters simultaneously, thereby allowing you to isolate, for example, all five-star reviews of a specific app from users of a specific handset. It certainly sounds like a useful addition, and one you can check out for yourself, at the source link below.

EZ-Robot releases build-your-own kit, realistic Cylons due any time now (video)

DJ Sures' homemade Wall-E was the beginning of his project to bring personal robotics to the masses: thanks to his company, EZ-Robot. The startup sells kits that let you retrofit that Teddy Ruxpin doll in the garage into a fully-functioning killbot. $235 will buy you a wireless controller, ultrasonic distance sensor, wireless tracking camera, three standard servos, two continuous rotation servos, battery pack and software that'll let you control the bot without having to learn to code. The software also includes vision tracking (facial, motion and color), speech recognition and the whole thing will even integrate with your Roomba -- although we're not sure how far you'll get if you ask it for a sandwich.

Dish Network surfaces as possible Plan B for T-Mobile if AT&T merger falls through

By Brad Molen posted Dec 12th 2011 2:14PM Dish Network had reportedly been considered a potential candidate to receive divested T-Mobile assets from AT&T if it couldn't secure initial approval of its acquisition from the government. Dish, however, has publicly opposed the acquisition -- and now it's clear that there were some ulterior motives in wanting to see the merger fall through, because Bloomberg reported this morning that the satellite provider wants to merge its spectrum assets with T-Mobile if things don't go so rosy in the acquisition. According to CEO Joseph Clayton:

We want to... create a national wireless network, video, voice and data. We've got expertise in satellite TV, and we will in satellite broadband. The voice part, we'll need some help with.

A partnership with T-Mobile would ideally help both companies: it would help Dish get one step closer to its goal of a wireless network that bundles smartphones, tablets and satellite under the same umbrella, and would cast a bright light on T-Mobile's questionable future. How does "Ollo" with LTE-Advanced on Magenta sound?

Robots finally able to follow 'make me a sandwich' command (video)

Pancakes? No problem. Cookies? You got it! Sandwich? ...is there a Subway near by? Why robots have such a hard time slapping meat and cheese on bread is beyond us, but we're glad the crack team at the Technical University of Munich has finally figured out how to teach them. The dynamic duo of James and Rosie don't exactly blaze through their task of making a sandwich and some popcorn, but at least they're nice enough to toast the bread for your salami- and cheese-based chow. As usual, the moves here are not preprogrammed, the two bots make decisions on the fly based on a complex "reasoning" mechanism and data it can cull from a Kinect. Check out the videos below to watch two carefully construct a simple, layered lunch.

SkyDrive and Windows Phone cozy up, apps can now directly integrate with the cloud

By Brad Molen posted Dec 12th 2011 2:11AM Microsoft, in an effort to continue integrating SkyDrive into Windows Phone, made a few changes to the cloud service's API this week. The new adjustments now give third-party Windows Phone apps full access to SkyDrive, complete with the ability to upload and share pictures, videos and docs. These changes were apparently the result of a lot of feedback from developers, and HandyScan just became the first company to show interest by incorporating the new API features into its Windows Phone app. The program, which offers the ability to scan a document or object, now offers the option of uploading these scanned images directly to SkyDrive. Of course, we imagine we'll soon be seeing a flood of developers proclaim their intent to journey "to the cloud." For more about HandyScan or the API, head to the links below.

Engadget Mobile Podcast 116 - 12.12.2011

Engadget Mobile Podcast 116 - 12.12.2011 - Engadget #mobileweb{background-image: -webkit-gradient( linear, left bottom, left top, color-stop(0.51, #3991D0), color-stop(0.5, #57ACE8), color-stop(1, #80CAFF));background-image: -moz-linear-gradient( center bottom, #3991D0 51%, #57ACE8 50%, #80CAFF 100%);position: relative;width:980px;overflow:hidden;margin: 0 auto;text-align:center;border-color:#666666;border-width:1px;border-bottom:0px;height:128px;border-style:solid;display:none; visiblity:hidden;}.btn{background-image:linear-gradient(-90deg, rgb(129, 203, 255) 0%, rgb(87, 172, 233) 48%, rgb(57, 146, 209) 52%, rgb(57, 146, 209) 100%);background-image:-webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom,color-stop(0%, rgb(129, 203, 255)), color-stop(100%, rgb(57, 146, 209)), color-stop(48%, rgb(87, 172, 233)), color-stop(52%, rgb(57, 146, 209)));background-image:-moz-linear-gradient(-90deg, rgb(129, 203, 255) 0%, rgb(87, 172, 233) 48%, rgb(57, 146, 209) 52%, rgb(57, 146, 209) 100%);filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorStr='#9981cbff', EndColorStr='#993992d1');-ms-filter:"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorStr='#9981cbff', EndColorStr='#993992d1')";background-color:rgb(10, 6, 249);width:492px;height:92px;border:2px solid rgb(129, 203, 255);border-radius:15px;-moz-border-radius:15px;-webkit-border-radius:15px;padding:10px 20px;box-shadow:0px 2px 1px rgb(255, 255, 255);-moz-box-shadow:0px 2px 1px rgb(255, 255, 255);-webkit-box-shadow:0px 2px 1px rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:40px;font-weight:bold;color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-shadow:0px 2px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);text-decoration:none;} Back to Mobile View Free Engadget for Android - get the app now! @import url("http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/aol-standard-hat.css");#GH_ { float: none; width: 100%; margin: 0 0 -3px; }#GH_hat { float: none !important; border: 0 !important; margin: 0 auto !important; background-color: transparent !important; }#GH_ #GH_hat_links #GH_hat_A_first{ margin-left:-5px; _margin-left:0; }#GH_ #GH_hat_more,#GH_ .GH_hat_more{ margin-left: 590px; }#GH_ #GH_hat_links #GH_hat_A_second { border: 0; }#GH_ #GH_hat_links{ width:100%; }#GH_ #GH_more_list{ margin-left: -300px; }@-moz-document url-prefix(){#GH_ #GH_hat_links { margin-bottom: -5px; }#GH_ #GH_hat_more,#GH_ .GH_hat_more{ margin-left: 585px; }}AOLMAIL Engadget Classic Mobile HD ALT ENGADGET U.S. ESPAGÑOL ???? ???? ??? ???? DEUTCHLAND NewsHubsGalleriesVideosPodcastsThe RecapReviewsFOLLOW US ON TWITTERSUBSCRIBEABOUT / FAQTIP US .at15t_email{background-position:0px -4120px} Engadget Mobile Podcast 116 - 12.12.2011By Trent Wolbe posted Dec 12th 2011 7:50AM Podcast It's more than two hours. It has the latest news on obscure phones too brave to be released in the USA. It has strong opinions about BlackBerry. It's the Engadget Mobile Podcast.

Hosts: Myriam Joire (tnkgrl), Brad Molen, Joseph Volpe
Guest: Dante Cesa
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Tycho - Coastal Brake (Ghostly International)

00:02:40 - Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon LTE hands-on (video)
00:21:24 - HTC EVO Design 4G review
00:32:50 - Carrier IQ VP says software poses no threat to user privacy, backs up his argument with metaphor
00:45:21 - LG Nitro HD review
00:59:55 - LG DoublePlay review
01:20:05 - Nokia reportedly looking to sell Vertu, Russian oligarchs reportedly upset
01:22:12 - Eyez 720p video streaming / recording glasses hands-on (video)
01:28:00 - RIM loses BBX trademark battle, next OS is named BlackBerry 10
01:37:26 - Meizu MX first hands-on!
01:40:10 - T-Mobile and Nokia announce December 14th event, Windows Phone cometh?
01:47:35 - Eric Schmidt: 'Android will be bigger than iOS'
01:49:15 - Samsung's two-faced SCH-W999 Android plays the dual core, dual SIM game
01:52:52 - Listener questions



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Leave A Comment Email This mobilepostmini, podcast, podcasts var disqus_title = "Engadget Mobile Podcast 116 - 12.12.2011";var disqus_identifier = "20125690"; blog comments powered by Disqus Lenovo IdeaPad U400 review 3 hours ago Galaxy Player 4.0 review 9 hours ago Engadget Mobile Podcast 116 - 12.12.2011 11 hours ago Inhabitat's Week in Green: 5 megawatt solar roof, driverless electric cars and ten of the world's craziest Christmas trees 22 hours ago Switched On: A road trip with Siri 1 day ago SEE ALL Microsoft replaces Andy Lees as Windows Phone head 2 hours ago HP: webOS to live on through open source, hardware lineup still dead (for now) 3 days ago AT&T's 4G LTE network is live in San Francisco 3 days ago RIM loses BBX trademark battle, next OS is named BlackBerry 10 5 days ago Apple's request to block Samsung Galaxy tablet, phone sales in the US is denied 9 days ago SEE ALL The most commented posts on Engadget over the past 24 hours.No resultsTrending posts from Engadget on Twitter, updated hourly.Download leaked BlackBerry OS 7.1 now, make your mobile hotspot dreams come true - Engadget219EZ-Robot releases build-your-own kit, realistic Cylons due any time now (video) -- Engadget213P.S. it's not a Vita: Yinlips' Android-based YDPG18 -- Engadget207Groundbreaking photonic chip could spark Quantum Computing revolution -- Engadget143Robots finally able to follow 'make me a sandwich' command (video) -- Engadget139New quantum tunneling transistors to make PCs less power-hungry -- Engadget33 Joystiq Metal Gear Solid website provides handy timeline of many confusing events Dirt Showdown ditches rally for arcade-style events Polytron working on Kinect project, Microsoft 'interested' TUAW Logitech's Fold-Up Keyboard brings comfortable typing to the iPad 2 Don't want to buy an iPhone 4S? Rent one Spacetime Studios' MMOs go cross-platform with a Chrome release TechCrunchNSFW: When Good SEO Goes Bad“I Work For The Internet” — Show Congress How You Really Feel About SOPAArchimedes Labs Launches As An Incubator For Mobile Startups HuffPost TechSINKING SHIP?Addictive Gaming Classic Comes To iPhoneGroupon A Surprise Hit For The Holidays  Tech gdgtSlashdotMAKETechnology ReviewArs TechnicaTechMemePhone ScoopDesign FFFFOUND!Core77Popcorn ShowerMoCo LocoDesign*SpongeThe SartorialistNews HuffPost PoliticsThe Daily BeastHuffington PostTaxesStock QuotesDJIALifestyle LifehackerHuffPost WomenStyleListPersonal financeGadlingEnvironmental InhabitatGoodAutoblog GreenShelterPop - Green LivingEntertainment MassivelyThe Onioni09HuffPost CelebritySpinnerMoviefone  Engadget Classic Mobile HD ALT FOLLOW SUBSCRIBE ENGADGET U.S. ESPAGÑOL ???? ???? ??? ????? POLSKA DEUTCHLAND ABOUT US FAQ TIP US ON NEWS What our ratings mean10 - A perfect product9 - Nearly perfect, but...8 - Great product with few flaws7 - Solid product with some minor issues6 - Decent, but not as good as it could be5 - Fair; not great, but not horrible4 - Okay, but we can't recommend it3 - Very few redeeming qualities2 - Almost no redeeming qualities1 - Pure crap AOL Tech © 2011 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | Advertise With Us Boss of the Year Entry Form

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The Engadget Show is live tomorrow with Boeing, the Tokyo Motor Show and the year's best gadgets

We'll be dashing through the proverbial tech snow, laughing all the way at 6PM ET tomorrow. We're gonna tour the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, take a trip to Tokyo Motor Show and check out the best gadgets of 2011.

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Download leaked BlackBerry OS 7.1 now, make your mobile hotspot dreams come true

By Terrence O'Brien posted Dec 12th 2011 6:46PM An early peek at BlackBerry OS 7.1 revealed that RIM's handsets would finally be getting mobile hotspot capabilities. Now you can download the leaked update yourself and start sharing your Torch 9810's data connection. Of course, it goes without saying, this is not an official update yet and the usual caveats about stability and the danger of bricking your device apply. Then again, that might seem like a small price to pay for a feature that's become standard on practically every other mobile OS. Hit up the source link to get your hack happy hands on the unsanctioned 7.1 upgrade for the sliding BlackBerry.

Get your Doodle Jump and Flight Control on as the Android Market sale continues into day 7

On the seventh day of the Android Market sale, your true love should give you Super KO Boxing 2. Or Flight Control, or Flick Soccer, or any of the other seven apps available today for ten cents. If you haven't been following along the past week, Google's been celebrating its ten billionth Android app download by offering a ten-day sale, and today's offerings -- ten in total -- are rife with games and a couple returning favorites. Everything you see in the above screenshot is available for a dime, so head over to the source link if there's something you've been pining for, or if you're just trying to collect the whole set.

NASA looks to send landers to Europa in 2020, wants to break the ice

By Amar Toor posted Dec 12th 2011 8:34AM There's still a lot of mystery surrounding Jupiter's moon Europa, but researchers at NASA seem fairly certain that there's a watery ocean lurking beneath its icy exterior. Their theories may finally be put to the test later this decade, thanks to a concept mission crafted by astronomers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. According to Space.com, JPL researchers have come up with a plan that would send a pair of landers to Europa by 2026, in the hopes of finding out whether the rock has ever supported life forms. The endeavor certainly wouldn't be easy, since Jupiter blankets its moon in heavy radiation, but researchers think they can mitigate these risks by sending in an extra lander as backup, and by keeping the mission short and sweet. Under the plan, each 700-pound robot would use a mass spectrometer, seismometers and a slew of cameras to search for any organic chemicals that may be lodged within the moon's ice. Neither craft will sport a protective shield, so they'll only stay around the planet for about seven days, so as to avoid any radiation damage. At this point, the mission is still in the concept phase, though the JPL is hoping to launch both landers by 2020. JPL researcher Kevin Hand was quick to point out, however, that this would be a "habitability mission," and that NASA doesn't expect to find any signs of current life on Europa. Lars von Trier was unavailable for comment.

ASUS delays Transformer Prime's release until WiFi fix is found (update: Prime to be released the week of 12/19)

By Billy Steele posted December 12th 2011 4:21PM If you were hoping to get you hands on a Transformer Prime this month, prepare to be disappointed. After hearing rumors of the ASUS slate's delay due to Wifi issues, we've now received confirmation from ASUS Canada via one of our tipsters. The company says that "the WiFi range on the TF201 did not meet our quality standards" and that it will not release the product until the wireless is up to snuff. In order to combat the issue, ASUS "will be implementing a new solution," though it declined to elaborate on what the solution would be. Naturally, no timetable for the Transformer Prime's release was provided either. So, if you jumped on the pre-order, let us know if you've heard the same song and dance from ASUS in the comments below.

[Thanks, George]

Update: We heard back from ASUS US and were told the Prime is still scheduled for release the week of 12 / 19.