Want to sell your Robot ? 7 tips to get the best Price !

Want the highest possible value for your used robot? With a little bit of preparation you'll be able to sell your robot faster and for more.

* Don't Cut Robot Cables
Resist the urge to remove the cables for your robot, tooling, or controller. Stripping the cabling from your robot system is equivalent to stripping dollars off your final sale price.

* The Dangers of Selling Parts
If you want to receive the best possible price for your robot, it's wise to keep all the parts together. You may think it won't affect the overall price of your robot if you sell the teach pendant or an amp, but your eventual robot sale price will be much higher if the entire system is intact.

* Be Knowledgeable
It is very helpful to know the manufacturer and model of the robot you are trying to sell before you start the robot selling process. You'll also need to inspect your robot for completion prior to calling buyers. Are all the important parts intact? Has anything been damaged or parted out? This knowledge will save you time and effort when discussing the robot with potential buyers.

* Pictures are Important
One of the first things buyers ask for is pictures of the robot you have for sale. These pictures don't have to be glamour shots, but they do need to show all the important items being sold: robot, controller, tooling, etc. Having photos on hand will speed up the selling process and may even lead to a higher sale price.

* The Last 6 Months
During the last half year where has your robot been and what has it been doing? Buyers will be able to determine a lot about your robot if they know its activities for the past half year. Was the robot working in a foundry, performing arc welding, or sitting in a storage facility?

* Special Equipment
Anything beyond the robot and controller is considered special equipment (EOAT, tracking, positioners, turntables). These items typically increase your selling price. Remember to inform buyers about these items and send pictures.

* Starting Price
You often receive a higher selling price for your robot if you provide the buyers with a reference point. Inform them of your estimate or any amount left on the books, and the buyers will be more likely to meet your asking price.

Robotics Integrated With Human Body In Near Future?

Spanish researchers have carried out a study looking into the potential future impact of robots on society. Their conclusions show that the enormous automation capacity of robots and their ability to interact with humans will cause a technological imbalance over the next 12 years between those who have them and those who do not.

“Just as we depend upon mobile phones and cars in our daily lives today, the next 15 years will see mass hybridisation between humans and robots,” predicts Antonio López Peláez, a professor of sociology at Spain’s National Distance Learning University, UNED, and co-author of the study on the future social impact of robots, jointly carried out with the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies.

International experts working on inventing and adapting cutting edge robots for practical use were interviewed during the study, in order to find out by when we will be regularly using the models they are currently designing. All agreed on 2020 as a technological inflection point, because by then robots “will be able to see, act, speak, manage natural language and have intelligence, and our relationship with them will have become more constant and commonplace”, said López Peláez. This will follow a revolution in robotics after which they will no longer be sophisticated machines, but tools to be used on a daily basis, helping us with a large number of work and social activities.

What will robots do for us?

Automation currently exists in areas such as water management or unmanned aircraft that fly and shoot missiles, but whole new areas of robot use will open up in future.

One such use will be in a medical context, as exoskeletons to help disabled people move, helping to make them less dependent on others.

Even more significant will be the insertion of robots into our bodies, such as intelligent implants in the brain, which will improve our rational thought, and nanorobots to be released into the blood to clean our arteries.

Another important role will be the replacement of people working in the areas of security, surveillance or defence. According to Professor López Peláez, it is predicted that 40% of armies will be automated with robot soldiers by 2020 “just as a car factory is today, which will result in less human deaths during violent conflicts”.

Robots will be intelligent machines to be incorporated into both domestic and industrial life: they will help us to clean our houses, will milk cows on farms, and will be programmed to work 24 hours per day in factories without resting, with a yield equivalent to three day shifts. In addition, replacing human labour with robots will prevent workers from being exposed to dangerous, stressful or unhealthy environments, thus reducing labour-related risks.

The most striking feature of this technological revolution are social robots, machines with artificial intelligence, and with which we will have emotional and even intimate interactions. “A robot might be a more effective partner and a better person than the humans we actually have in our immediate lives: just as you can see dog owners talking to their pets today, soon we will be talking to robots,” says López Peláez – to such an extent that sexual robots are currently being designed to carry out pleasurable personal interactions. These will be equipped with the required sensorial abilities, such as touch. “Since they will be used as objects, sexual robots may be able to act as a future substitute for prostitution or pornography.”

The impact of a robotized society

The study also looks at the possible repercussions of incorporating robots into society. On one hand, just as with uneven access to technologies such as the Internet, they will open up a new gulf, this time a robotic one. This will result in a cultural distinction being drawn between companies and people who can afford to buy robots to help with their activities – and those who cannot. The robotic gulf will also favour more industrialised societies, potentially widening the gap between the first and third worlds, or providing greater possibilities for success in logistics and war. On the other hand, López Peláez says that “just as many Japanese people today believe that their robots are alive, we will attribute human characteristics to robots, and we may even define robots’ rights”.

Another major concern is that if robots are to carry out so many labour tasks and replace human labour, unemployment may rise just as it did in the 19th century with the invention of textile machines. The robotics experts interviewed for this study claim that factories with high robot use will retrain workers to work in other, though possibly more poorly paid, areas. However, they also point out that the situation will balance out with the development of new services involved in the design and maintenance of the robots.

Robotic Welding,Is it really worth the Investment?

The initial cost of a robotic welding system can be a big turn-off. Is it really worth the investment? A quick look at the financial impact of welding robots makes it clear. The real question is - can you justify not investing in robotic welding?

Taking Less Time:
Robotic welding system will get the job done quickly. One welding robot can typically handle the work of four manual welders. Not only are robotic welding systems capable of higher throughput and speed, they save time by eliminating work-in-progress (WIP), and mistakes.

Unlike laborers, robots don't require breaks, vacations, etc. With sleepless robotic workers, your work can continue steadily, without interruption, 24/7. This in turn, will increase your throughput and productivity, providing still more benefit from robots. Use our return on investment (ROI) calculator to find out how much you may benefit from introducing a welding robot at your facility.

Cut the Cost of Direct Labor:
The cost of manual welding can be steep. Manual welding requires time, skill, and concentration. It is also dangerous. Employees must be managed, insured, etc. It's not hard to justify robotic welding when it keeps everything automatic and consistent. With robots, human welder shortages won't touch you either. Plus, robots will allow you to redistribute your workforce.

Saving with Safety:
When justifying the cost of robotic welding versus manual welding it's important to consider safety. Robotic welding will help you save money by making your workplace safer. Welding is a dangerous application. Flash, fumes, sparks, and heat make manual welding a taxing and hazardous job.

With robotic welding, you protect workers and reduce costs. Robot welding systems endure the hazards and often increase production. Insurance and accident-related costs are reduced considerably.

Conserve Materials: Another Way to Justify Cost
Even the most skilled welders make mistakes. However, with welding robots everything is regulated, including power and wire. Automated welding systems conserve energy by running consistently (fewer start-ups).

Plus, the weldments that are created are extremely consistent. The accuracy afforded by robotic welders means there is less wasted material and time. Conserve your material increase product quality at the same time!

iRobot Gets Order for more Battlefield Robots

Bedford's iRobot Corp. said today that it has received a $3.7 million order from the Naval Sea Systems Command, or NAVSEA, under an existing contract for its battlefield robots.

The order is for delivery of 17 PackBot system robots and repair parts to NAVSEA by Jan. 31. The PackBot robots will be customized for NAVSEA and equipped with advanced tools and sensors that enable technicians to detect, identify, and disable explosive devices from safe distances, the company said.

Under NAVSEA's existing contract, the military services could order up to $264 million in robots, spare parts, training and repair services. The order disclosed today brings the total value of NAVSEA orders placed to date to approximately $102 million, iRobot said.

IRobot said it has delivered more than 1,900 PackBot robots to date. The company also makes home robots, such as the Roomba, which can perform such chores as vacuuming a room.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)

Robot Toy: The New Generation Play Tool

Gone are the days when children satisfied themselves with simple games of hopscotch or tag. Heck, there are practically no more “simple toys” in the toy market nowadays wherein it’s slowly being dominated by more and more complicated contraptions. From toy PDA electronic models to enhanced walkie talkies, children nowadays have more discerning taste when it comes to their playing pleasure. So in an age where cell phones and digital cameras are just all too common, what’s really the buzz about the wonders of a robot toy? What makes a robot toy tick? And probably, most important, what makes a robot toy click? To put things simply, an electronic robot toy is an extremely sophisticated piece of technology especially for children who have always been used to playing with either plastic, wooden or plush toys.

Things are indeed changing nowadays, a robot toy is practically what each and every kid, well boys that is ask for in their wish list. Starting with the very hip and ultra high-tech robot toy, Robo Sapien which promises to be a whole more than just a simple robot toy. A smart robot toy like this actually tries to break the mold ordinary plastic robot toys that only has blinking lights and beeping sound effects. Robot toys that are available on the market today are far more sophisticated especially since they’ve been able to make these robot toys more interactive. A very important factor when it comes to ensuring its saleability in this rapidly changing world of toy commerce.

Video games have been a common staple when it comes to electronic toy gadgets for children, however these cannot be considered as a robot toy. The once popular Tamagotchi may look and feel like a video game but it is actually in fact a robot toy as well. What’s differentiates the Tamagotchi from being a video game you might ask? Well for one thing, video games are just electronic role playing mind games wherein you have a specific goal or task that must be taken care of while a robot toy like the Tamagotchi is actually highly dependent on the interaction between the Tamagotchi and the user. The Tamagotchi is actually a simulation of what is supposed to be of an animal, just like ordinary toy robots which are mock-ups of human beings while a video game is merely an audio visual device that is used to play games.

There are actually all sorts of robot toys available on the market today, from highly sophisticated, not to mention, costly, Robosapien to outdated Tamagotchis to high tech robot toy pets that have caused quite a stir even in Japan where people don’t really have that much time to take care of a real dog. Robopets have been creating a lot of buzz in the toy market because of their highly innovative design and almost life like actions, Robopet is a pet dog that can play fetch, run, heel, even bark at you.

This robot pet has certainly come a long, long way from the old wind-up robot toys that used to be every kid’s fancy. Come to think of it, not only children are getting into the whole robot toy craze, with many grown adults now getting more and more hooked to the highly sophisticated robot toys on the market. Considering that adults do have the spending power as compared with children who are still reliant on their parents’ mercy, toy companies are also trying to come out with robot toys that can be appreciated by adults as well.

Toy Robot Intended to Save Humans From Evil.

When roboticist David Hanson thinks of the future, he fears that man will accidentally create a super-sentient artificial intelligence that is heartless and clinically insane.

Zeno is a 17-inch robot boy who smiles, laughs, recognizes your face and remembers your name.

So to save the world, he formed Hanson Robotics and built Zeno, a 17-inch robot boy, who smiles, laughs, recognizes your face and remembers your name.

Fending off the end of the world may be a heavy mantle to hang on the shoulders of a 17-inch robot that's still in prototype stage, but Hanson does call Zeno the superhero of the singularity.
"We want to be damn sure that by the time [robots] become as smart as we are, they have a conscience and compassion and that we are friends.," Hanson said. "There's no guarantee. They could be psychotic."

Zeno is himself a visitor from the future — a robot who reached consciousness in 2029, but is found by government web crawlers. From there he's put into a government academy for artificially intelligent robots, where those in charge may have nefarious motives.

"The world will need a superintelligent hero," Hanson said. "Superintelligent agents are also able to spawn technology that could destroy us all."

This narrative, crafted by Hugo award winner Tony Daniel and University of Texas performance professor Thomas Riccio, is intended to make Zeno into a character that people identify with and want to to see develop — something with the depth of a movie character or a figure from a Homerian epic.

That makes Zeno into as much of a sociological experiment as it is a technical marvel or fun toy.

"The idea is to create a cultural phenomenon and accelerate the use and humanization of the technology," Hanson said. "Robots have gotten steadily more capable but humans' expectations that robots should have minds keeps biting robot developers."

Which is to say that Hanson wants Zeno to change robots and humans.

Zeno already does "know" people, and in his mind, has a knowledge container that stores a photo of the person and details about that person. The next step is getting Zeno to start making theories about the world, discarding the dumb ones and amplifying the plausible ones.

That, according to Hanson, is the essence of intelligence, and once a robot can combine that ability with the knowledge available on the internet, superintelligence won't be far off.

Hanson Robotics hopes to begin selling a mass market version of Zeno for about $300 starting sometime in 2010.

Zeno has charmed visitors at Wired's NextFest tech celebration for the last two years, including an ongoing run in the 2008 pavilion in Chicago's Millennium park (open through Oct. 12).

When roboticist David Hanson thinks of the future, he fears that man will accidentally create a super-sentient artificial intelligence that is heartless and clinically insane.
Hanson Robotics
Zeno is a 17-inch robot boy who smiles, laughs, recognizes your face and remembers your name.
(Hanson Robotics)
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So to save the world, he formed Hanson Robotics and built Zeno, a 17-inch robot boy, who smiles, laughs, recognizes your face and remembers your name.

Fending off the end of the world may be a heavy mantle to hang on the shoulders of a 17-inch robot that's still in prototype stage, but Hanson does call Zeno the superhero of the singularity.