This is a $2.1 Million Robot Hummingbird and It Could Save Your Life [Robots]

This tiny, flying robot flaps its wings 30 times per second—just like a real hummingbird—and will one day save lives by searching for survivors in wreckage and spots not easily accessible by humans.
So far, the development of this hummingbird has cost $2.1 million and that number's growing. Japanese researchers are hoping to make the robot hover at a point in mid-air—just like the bird which inspired it—as they control it using infrared sensors. Once they manage that and add a tiny camera, they imagine that the robot will "be used to help rescue people trapped in destroyed buildings, search for criminals or even operate as a probe vehicle on Mars."
A space-exploring, human-saving, crime-stopping robot bird? Brilliant.
[Gizmodo via PhysOrg via Engadget]

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Someday, Robots Will Do Our Work and Play [Robots]

This video of the Festo CyberKite shows exactly how we'll arrive at our dystopian future. Robots will do our jobs and play our games. Eventually, completely devoid of feeling, we'll all...say, look at that kite go!
[Gizmodo via IEEE Spectrum]

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Virgin Galactic shows off first commercial starship

We’ve posted about Virgin Galactic before, but this might be their biggest announcement yet. Take a look at SpaceShipTwo in all its glory, ready to launch the wealthy into flight.

Branson and company just unveiled SpaceShipTwo in the Mojave desert today, and it’s looking good. Testing has already started, however full blown commercial flights aren’t expected to start until 2011. Given the history of the space program, that seems best. Branson has stated previously that the first people to go up will be him, along with his family and the designer of the spacecraft, Burt Rutan. A seat on the ship will cost roughly $200,000 so I’d suggest you start saving now.
[CrunchGear]

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