Autoblog

Dutch inventors might have ushered in the return of the full-service station. Yet like so many other things being taken out of the hands of flesh and blood people, the new full-service could be an all-robot affair. The robot -- called the Tankpitstop robot -- is affixed to the bowser, and if it recognizes the make and model of car, and your gas cap doesn't need a key, it will open everything up and start pumping.

The creation is the brainchild of a gas station operator who said he saw a robot milking a cow, and figured that a robot could fill a car. Heck, if robots can build cars and fill their fluids, we figure there's no reason why they can't fill a tank. The question now is how to let drivers know that the robot knows how to fill your car. What you don't want is to pull up in your freshly-waxed ride and hear the robotic equivalent of "Hmmm, let's try this..." As it stands, the robot costs €75,000. No telling what a station's liability insurance will cost.

[Source: Reuters]

Toyota and Sony are forming a new partnership to enter a segment rarely tackled by mainstream automakers, the single-seater vehicle market. Back in 2005, Toyota unveiled the i-swing, a concept car that was basically an armchair on wheels. This time around it's making a serious attempt at creating a viable one-seater vehicle, and has enlisted the help of several Sony engineers to help see it to fruition.

Sony has sold several major patents surrounding its robotic technology to Toyota and seven of its researchers are temporarily working with the carmaker on project called the next-generation "transporter."

Toyota has already developed a new robot-on-wheels called the TPR-Robina. The robot is used as a guide at its headquarters and has the ability to avoid obstacles and talk with visitors. Sony, meanwhile, has abandoned the early work it's done in robotics and is instead focusing on improving its core electronics business.

[Source: Drive]

It's official: the Transformers are taking over Autoblog, and we gleefully surrender. Any other time a 1976 Camaro sits on a turntable, we wisely give it precisely zero attention. Throw a few Transformer logos on the stand less than a month before the movie hits theaters, and the story gets front row treatment.

The Barcelona Motor Show opens on June 9th, and kids and grownups alike get to see first hand what the old Bumblebee looks like up close. We think the stand would be even cooler if it were the '09 Camaro, but hey, the '76 version was pretty cool too. You can see it by hitting the jump to view the short clip.

[Source: Carscoop]

Being the pundits we are, we have plenty to say in Autoblog Podcast #58. We start right off addressing the rumors of a GM/Chrysler deal, and offer myraid reasons why it's not a good idea yet may be justifiable to some folks. We move on to flogging the VW/GM suicide commercial debate for a little while, which sets the stage for us discussing the Daytona 500, naturally. It's also revealed that John's on board to give NASCAR as much of a chance as he can stomach this season. So far, that amounts to about an hour and a half before the siren song of video games becomes too loud to ignore. Wrapping up, we trade opinions on the Maserati Coupe and the Audi A5 before touching briefly on the impending XM/Sirius merger. It's chock-full of good stuff this time around, so enjoy the 'cast! We'll try and have an enhanced version with video up for you as soon as possible.

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Among those sounding the gong against GM cowing to an anti-suicide group's offense at its Superbowl spot is the star of the commercial himself. The robot, who shall henceforth be referred to as Ricky, reveals a few things about the production, and how the spot plays to the robot population. It was interesting to learn that the bridge jumper was a stunt double who'd had his entrails removed prior to the leap. Certainly makes the spot seem more like a snuff film now, doesn't it? We hope the Anti Snuff Film Congress or some other group of Dudley Do-Rights will keep their traps shut and just deal with being offended for five minutes.

Basically, Ricky takes his own offense to the AFSP's offense at the spot, and expresses what we all would like to say. Lighten up for five damn minutes and let us enjoy our football game. He also points out that there's been no crying over the other spots, which could be seen as offensive to some other cabal of crusaders bent on being whiny for their cause. At least Ricky has his SAG card, so he can supplement his income during plant shutdowns. We'll keep an eye on movies that feature robots, hoping to catch a glimpse of the little yellow devil. In the meantime, we couldn't agree more when Ricky says - "this touchy-feely s*** is totally outta control in this country."

Thanks for the tip, Ed!

[Source: autoextremist]

What with the pulling of the Snickers Superbowl spot and now this uproar, it's getting to the point where you can't say anything. Seriously, do these people look for ways to be offended? The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has called for General Motors to pull the spot where a depressed, laid-off robot ultimately jumps off a bridge. The group also wants the spot scrubbed from the GM website and restrictions on video sharing sites like YouTube from posting the ad. Finally, the AFSP has requested an apology from GM and would like the automaker make efforts to inform the public about mental illness and suicide (translation: they want a donation from GM). WHAT!? Newsflash: General Motors is in the car business. It seems to us that the AFSP is the proper body to be working toward informing and educating the public about their cause.

This is like watching relatives come out of the woodwork when someone wins the lottery. We sincerely hope that GM's got the intestinal fortitude to stand firm against this type of brazen, outstretched-hand whining. Attempting to go digging into the pocket of General Motors does little to help further the cause of the suicide-prevention group. In fact, looking for money makes the group appear less credible. We'd rather see some robots jumping to their end than any actual humans laid off by the automakers. Of course, suicide is not funny, but there is a certain amount of dark humor that infuses the American Psyche, and the commercial's presentation was done in the most tongue-in-cheek manner. How can you take anything narrated by Don LaFontaine's "theater trailer voice" and with "all by myself" as a soundtrack seriously? We understand where the group is coming from, but it's totally out of line to be asking GM for some kind of underwriting because of a humorous tv ad. We haven't heard the AFSP making any noise about the rampant portryal of hara-kiri and other violence on other shows (heck, there was a bloody suicide on ER just last week!). Nor have we heard an uproar over other commercials aired during the Super Bowl that contained suicide themes. Both Washington Mutual and Career Builder aired such spots. In the end, it's a robot! We weren't aware that Antropomorphs are people, too.

[Source: AdAge]

You didn't think the only commercial General Motors would air during the big game on Sunday would be a spot made by a bunch of college kids, did you? No, GM has its own ad in the works that won't have to work hard to beat the flop it fielded last year. A 30-second preview of the ad has been released on YouTube, and it appears the ad is for General Motors as a whole and not any one specific brand. The star of the spot is Robot, an articulating mechanical arm with some serious self-esteem issues that works in a GM assembly plant. Turns out that the little guy doesn't know what to do with himself when the cars he helps assemble roll off the factory floor. He's so distraught that he takes a job as a drive-thru order box, and then pitches himself off a roof to end it all. It's funny, but a little strange, too. Not that the ad agency intended this, but it feels like you're watching a union member who just lost his job. It's just a preview, however, so we'll wait until the full 60-second version airs on Sunday to pass judgment. Once it goes live, you'll also be able to check it out by visiting this site.

[Source: One of GM's many ad agencies]

Whenever the day's got you down, there's nothing like watching Honda's Asimo robot take a face plant to turn your frown upside down. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, however, the Japanese automaker and future master of Japan's robot army, Honda, had a chance to redeem its robot on stage. This time, Asimo not only climbed up and down stairs, it also danced liked Justin Timberlake circa 2001, bent it like Beckham, and ran across the stage and around in a circle, each step lifting its entire body off the ground for .08 seconds. We salute you Asimo, our robot master! (Just practicing.)

Check out the video of Asimo's performance after the jump.

[Source: Gizmodo via Techeblog]

As product demonstrations go, this is what you would call a worst case scenario. Right at the one minute mark, the Honda Asimo robot has an issue making it up the steps and takes a faceplant on the floor below, shattering his glass "face" and saying what sounds like "sleeping". We're not sure if it was nap time or too much saki, but the quick dimming of the lights and unfurling of the wheeled wall demonstrates some pretty quick thinking, and obvious preparation for such a mishap. We hope you get a laugh out of it as much as us and the folks in attendance.

[Source: TechEBlog]

Related posts:

• Honda's Asimo grows up, joins the workforce

Honda Research Institute (HRI) has teamed up with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATRI) to developing working technology allowing humans to control robotic devices simply by thinking about the task - a breakthrough that could change the way we control our motor vehicles.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan a subject's brain as they make a simple physical motion, the system can replicate the motion using a robot in near real time (said to be about seven seconds for a rock-paper-scissors type of gesture). The system requires no surgical implant of electrodes, and no specific operator training is necessary. While the performance is considerably slower than would be required for something like a collision avoidance system, it's likely that a bit of time and the application of the "modern-day bigger-hammer approach" (read: more computational power) will help close the gap.

Potentially, the fatal flaw of the system is its reliance on actual thought processes - something said to be completely missing in many of the world's worst drivers.

[Source: Medical News Today]