Why is it that the Japanese make so many robots and give them the creepiest designs they can find? What happened to robots that looked like robots? I’d be more comfortable talking to Robby the Robot than the creepy ass Telenoid R1.

This robot is so creepy it makes Gene Simmons look like a nice guy. The idea is that the blob-like android would be teleoperated and is the size of a small child and is used by kids to transmit their presence to grandparents and others that are far away.

Before robots take over the world, they’ll have a few obstacles to overcome. Obstacles like cats. As evidenced by this video where some guy decided to pit his robot arm against his girlfriend’s cat.

The result is both adorable and tragic. And it’s all from the robot’s POV. Makes me want to watch a whole movie about cats and bots battling for the fate of the Earth, but that’s just me.

Well we made it to another Friday without being killed by a robot army. That’s always something. Over at Botropolis we continue to keep a watchful eye on all things robot. If they gain sentience we will know it. If they begin to dream, we will know it. But if they get us first and silence us, God help you all. Here’s some of what we covered this week:

Robots Using Lightsabers.

Schoolgirl Robot Dances.

The weekend is upon us once again. Friday is definitely a day for celebrating. Celebrating the fact that you weren’t injured, maimed or killed by one of humanity’s mechanical creations. Congratulations, you made it through the week in one piece. But how many more weeks do we have? No one knows. I only know that Blue Oyster Cult was right. Don’t fear the Reaper. Fear the robots. Here’s some of what we covered this week over at Botropolis.

OmniZero.9: He transforms, gives humans rides.

DARPA: Remote-controlled cyborg beetles.

Use your head: Robot controlled by thought.

Panasonic’s cute battery-lovin’ mascot is at it again. Last time, he was showing off his abilities by scaling a Grand Canyon cliff. Now EVOLTA is back and he’s still all about breaking records and the hearts of fan-girls everywhere. This time he will be riding a mini tricycle in order to set a world record for distance traveled by a robot.

We’re rooting for the little guy, but we aren’t so sure he is gonna make it. I mean EVOLTA isn’t exactly fast is he? The bot does have some upgrades from his previous version however. He can ride a bike and follow an infrared path set up by his human handlers.

Another week, another robot roundup. John Connor really has his work cut out for him. Right now it may be cute to make Nuclear Fuel Cells that fuel Terminators, or Transforming dinosaurs, but it’s no longer fun and games when a naked Terminator shows up in your town and steals your clothes and motorcycle. Here’s some of what we covered on Botropolis this week:

NSFW: A Girl Gets Transformed.

iPod Touch: It makes a good robot head.

iRobot: Ember bots.

To Serve and Protect: Robocop armor.

It’s that time of the week again where we take a look at all of the things that will lead to Terminator hunter killers. They can’t be bargained with, they can’t be reasoned with, but they can be captured by our robot blog for posterity. So that one day in the far future, when the human rebellion finally gathers together enough pieces to re-assemble a computer and a rough internet, they can see how it all began.

CB2 Child Robot: A face only a robot mother could love.

MechRC: Your face on a robot.

NSFW: Women who prefer robots.

Vintage Toys: The God-Jesus bot.

It’s been a busy week in robotics and we’ve been busy documenting humanity’s eventual downfall over at Botropolis. The road to Judgment day is not just paved with cold steel hands clutching human hearts. They will ingratiate themselves into our lives with cute Pixar movies, geeky robot toys and medical advancements that only advance their own agenda. Here’s just some of what we covered this week:

Doctor Who: Robot sighting on set.

Girl-On-Droid Action: Chicks dig Astromech droids.

Robots and Golf: i-SOBOT becomes a Golf Celebrity Spokesperson.

Flying over Mars: NASA’s Ares UAV.

For those of you who like crystals and cute robots playing jump rope, meet Robot Dreamy Tina. She’s the newest member of the Philips Active Crystals line from Swarovski. She joins her blinged out robot relatives Robot Happy Laura and Robot Naughty Raymond.

Perfect for robot-loving geek girls and can be worn as a pendant or charm. It will store up to 500 songs or 2000 photos with its 2GB capacity. The LED ears light up as data is transferred.

Over at Botropolis we have a compilation of awesome robot tattoos. If you’re gonna get some ink, consider getting something in the likeness of our future lords and masters. You never know, those who carry the mark of the bot may be spared on that future day of reckoning when the rest of us are all just charred corpses.

Remember Murata’s amazing bicycle riding bot? Well, they’ve created a girl that basically one-ups the poor guy and shows him up by riding only on one wheel. Her name is Seiko, a 20-inch tall, 11 pound unicycle riding robot. Just like her male counter-part, Keisaku-kun, Seiko sports a chest-mounted gyro to keep her upright and uses Bluetooth to communicate with a PC that gives her instructions.

If you find yourself in Japan, you can watch the whole family of robo-daredevils do their thing at CEATEC Japan 2008. One-upped by a girl who only needs one wheel? That sucks. Check out a video below of the original, our favorite bike riding bot, casually riding around looking like some robo-hoodlum up to no good.

Check out this spoof of The Shining with Tribot as Danny and 2 Femisapiens as the twin girls. It’s great for a hearty geek laugh. After seeing this mini movie, I firmly believe that we should be re-creating all sorts of classic movies with robots. All the time. Toy robots. Go on, you know you want to click it.

Finally, more robot USB drives are hitting the market. Now we are getting more then we can handle. Some are even downright shiny like this one. Philips’ Active Crystal collection has been around for awhile. This time around it’s got Swarovski crystals in the 2008 range. The 2GB Robot Naughty Raymond, in black, is already available, and to give him some companionship, here comes the USB Happy Laura.

It’s set in white with sparkling crystals for the body and features for the face. The cute girlly bot even has ruby lips! Happy Laura has a 2GB capacity and will be available in Europe for $238. This is probably more glitz and glamor then you really want on a USB drive, but if you happen to be a rich robot loving gal, I guess it’s perfect.

This right here is a nerd dream come true. It’s not new by any means, the picture being from the 1982 San Diego Comic Con, but it is worthy of sharing since it shows that nerd evolution has been at a stand still for almost 30 years.

I’m guessing it didn’t score the owner any hot babes, but it must have been very satisfying watching jaws drop as the U.S.S. Enterprise rolls down the street. It’s really a sweet piece of work. If I could take a moment to nitpick over geek detail, the flag should be a United Federation of Planets flag and the seat should more closely resemble Kirk’s. I wonder if you can fix it with a tricorder.

Everybody’s favorite whacked out, dancing, escape pod looking robot from Sony is finally making its way from Japan to the USA. The small egg-like bot can blast tunes from it’s built-in speakers, move its cute little flippers to the music and spin around. Is it useful? Hell no. And we like it that way.

The bot comes with pre-choreographed routines for songs. (“Also Sprach Zarathustra,” Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend”, Earth Wind and Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland”) You can also use the choreography software to create dances for own tunes. The 2GB bot can be had in black or white, and found online or in Sony stores for $400.