Episode 210 – HodgePodgePaloosa

Michael and Michael reprise the mobile hotel concept from last week to start off this week’s episode, with Volvo’s 360c concept car which takes into account the distances and speed necessary to make such a concept viable.  Consistent with the excellent Swedish design Volvo is known for, the physical seats in the vehicle, as well as the user experience to show the distance to destination on the glass reminded the co-hosts of a head up display.   After reacting briefly to the VR360 article noting that VR headset shipments have gone down year to year, and the Business Insider article … Continue reading

Episode 207 – Artificial Security

This weekend, the song “Eyes Without a Face” by Billy Idol must have played on the Eighties on Eight on Sirius Radio at least three times, and seems like a great way to introduce this week’s show.     Michael and Michael start off dealing with the challenging issues of security & privacy where biometrics are starting to be used in US airports to speed international flight identity checks.  Moving from facial recognition to facial mimicry, and maybe a little creepiness, the co-hosts take a look at SEER, the Simulative Emotional Expression Robot, which conveys an enormous set of feelings … Continue reading

Episode 204 – Hot to Trot Bots

Michael and Michael make a rare recording appearance at their favorite coffee shop, Bean Traders, in Durham, NC, to talk about coffee, robot dogs, and much more.   This week’s episode is fueled by discussions on artificial intelligence, machine learning, power storage & delivery, as well as the future use cases for bots both big & small.  Kicking things off with Dominic Tan’s Domo Arigato poster with 262 robots, Michael & Michael then move on to the physical robots, starting with a robotic arm with a dodecahedron grasping mechanism, designed to capture delicate undersea creatures, like jellyfish.  Continuing on with … Continue reading

Episode 196 – Fish Lips

Robots and cosmetics loom large in this week’s episode of Games at Work, just not at the same time!  Beginning with a pair of life-like robots, Michael and Michael take a look at a tortoise that is designed from the ground up to provide robot-to-human feedback on how to interact with it, turning red, and even withdrawing its head under its shell when children bang on its shell, and alternately dancing a bit when the children pet it. Another robot is designed by MIT’s CSAIL team for undersea adventure — swimming naturally as other fish do, which can allow it … Continue reading