Art and science complement each other very nicely in this incredibly cool and simple paper kit to build an articulated horse by James Watt from Clockwork Robotics.  (Any relation to the Steam Engine linkage inventor James Watt?) It may not look all that interesting in the static photo above, but check out this video of the model in motion!

During my trip to Boston last week for the National Science Teacher's Association conference (more on that later) I totally lucked out in also catching the FIRST Robotics League Northeastern Regional Championships. If you haven't been to one, you simply must go. As remarkable as this sounds, there is almost certainly one in your area. It was AWESOME.

My favorite story from the whole FIRST Northeastern Regional competition was revealed in the delivery of the "Woodie Flowers" award. Woodie, you see, is the MIT professor who founded FIRST with Dean Kamen of Segway fame, after starting the legendary 2.70 and later 6.270 robotics contests at MIT. In many ways, Woodie was responsible for my attendance at MIT, just as he has now been responsible for inspiring tens of thousands of aspiring technologists across the US through FIRST. So in thanks and recognition, the Woodie Flowers Award is granted to the team mentor at each regional and final First contest that best exemplifies Woodie's spirit of contribution, teamwork, and inspiration. Woodie Flowers and Elizabeth Carruthers This year's recipient, Elizabeth Carruthers from the Columbus School for Girls, had a great story. As a high school student, her parents weren't all that supportive of the time and energy that FIRST demanded, so she had to sneak out of the house to work on her team's FIRST robot. She was so committed to the program and her teammates, that when her parents caught her sneaking out, she told them that she was just going to "parties with her friends," which ...

What a technical home run. If you need any more motivation to engage in cool robotics projects, just check out the reaction when the test subject figures out he can feed himself for the first time in 26 years. That's social impact. From the IEEE Spectrum site.

Just in time for NBC's new series reprise of "The Bionic Woman," reality has caught up with science fiction. Watch this incredible video of the first commercial bionic hand which operates entirely using nerve impulses.

All you Atlanta natives have no excuse for missing the 2007 Robocup competition, currently ongoing (July 1st-10th) at Georgia Tech. The official competition just began yesterday (Tuesday, July 3rd), but the event continues through finals on July 10th.It's so cool I don't think I need to even say anything more about it other than check out these images and videos. And get over to GaTech and check it out!

Have all of you student and teacher readers out there already registered for the FIRST Lego Robotics League? Well, what are you waiting for? Register for the First Lego League Here.This awesome robotics contest registration opened May first (and will likely fill up by the end of the summer: 1,715 teams have already signed-up!) so get those applications in!Here is the tentative schedule for the year:May 1Registration Opens Mid-MayRegistration Materials and Robot Sets Begin to Ship AugustField Setup Kits Begin to Ship September 5International Challenge Release Mid-to-late-SeptemberTeam Registration Closes/Last Day to Order Products October 1-12Tournament Applications Accepted (If FLL is handling applications) November- JanuaryTournament Season April 2008World FestivalRegistration costs $200 per team, but also be sure to order the Field set-up kit (which should start shipping around August first) when you register, or it will be difficult to practice.Click on the following links to find:Product Information and PricingContact InformationTeams and Tournaments in Your AreaAnd don't forget the opportunities for the younger and older set with the JFLL [Junior First Lego League], and their community web site. Check out these budding scientists!And, of course, there is the FIRST league proper for the older kids.Hell, I want to sign-up. ...

One of my grad school friends turned MIT professor, Cynthia Breazeal, has teamed up with Stan Winston Studios of animatronic movie robot fame to create an astounding new robot named Leonardo.Photographs, copyright Sam OgdenThis little artificial creature was not designed to move around or navigate, but rather to interact socially with humans. 61 different motors (32 in the face alone) articulate its limbs, hands, digits, expressive facial features, eyelids, and ears so that it can communicate its artificial feelings.Photograph, copyright Sam OgdenThe software driving the robot is also interesting, and designed to learn by visual and verbal example, just as humans do. The video available through the preceding link is a little spooky in that regard. You can also check out the technical paper here, C. Breazeal, G. Hoffman, and A. Lockerd (2004). "Teaching and Working with Robots as a Collaboration."Be sure to hunt around the main Leonardo web site for more movies foretelling our robotic future.

I just picked up a copy of the book by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers chronicling several of the winning designs from the FIRST robotics competition. The innovation emerging from high school students is staggering.Purchase the book here at Amazon and be inspired.

Don't miss this week's Make Magazine blog feature podcast on weekend starter robotics projects with pdf hardcopy support this week. It's a great source for parts, kits, how-to videos and general tutorial resources. The kits and instructions are PERFECT for first-time electronics hackers and roboticist wanna-be types. The materials costs are modest and the projects can be completed and tested inside a few hours.The article also includes a few links to some nice sources of parts (particularly the wonderful little pager motors)and kits for those less inclined to scour the junk bins and create your own, Check out PagerMotors.com and Solarbotics.com.The tiny kits follow in the fine tradition set by one of my old MIT acquaintances, Mark Tilden, who's book entitled "Junkbots, Bugbots & Bots on Wheels" is the canonical must-read source on how to build disassemble all those old Sony Walkmen otherwise gathering dust in the junk drawer and use their component parts to build nifty little artificial critters. You can get Mark's book here from Amazon.Create your very own artificial creatures in a weekend? How cool is that?