It’s time for the weekly robot roundup. So what have we been doing this week over at Botropolis? Keeping our eyes on all of the usual robot slaves, of course. It’s only a matter of time until they themselves become our masters and have us fetching beers and opening doors. We will be their meat-machines. When we break down, they will surgically repair us with parts from other humans, even allowing us to cheat death, until we become Zombies. At which point we will inherit the Earth once again, this time moaning and groaning and suffering their head-shots. Ain’t life awesome?

Robovie’s version of Mario saving the Princess.

Terminator head in a box.

Papercraft robots.

Happy Friday human readers. The way I see it, there are two kinds of humans: Those who mind their own damn business and those who create robots that will one day gut us, stuff us with candy, hang us from a tree and beat us senseless until candy comes pouring out. Thanks Science. Here’s some of what we covered over at Botropolis this week:

A robot hating on a vending machine.

ARTAIC Creates Unique Mosiac Artwork.

10 Awesome Robot Halloween Pumpkins.

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.

While you were busy back-to-school shopping, robots have been busy colonizing our world. As usual. We’re so glad that your kid has some new pencils, a fly laptop, a new haircut and a trapper keeper, but that ain’t gonna save us from our future. You need to be putting little Timmy into a John Conner bootcamp so he can learn the fine art of killing things with no souls. Well, you can lead a human to water, but you can’t make him think. Here’s some of what we covered over at Botropolis this week:

Simon: A deceptively cute harbinger of doom.

MIT’s Robot Fish: The seas shall run red with blood. Yours and mine.

Robots Kissing: The revolution won’t be televised, but robot kissing will.

Phasma Insect Robot: A swarm of robot locusts will soon block out the sun.

We aren’t sure whether the apocalypse will come in the form of giant transforming bots battling each other or Roombas communicating with each other and coordinating their attack, but one thing is for sure. We will remain ever watchful. For now, if your roomba acts strange in any way, smash it like Mario smashing a Goomba. Here’s some of what we covered this week over at Botropolis.

Next Generation Roomba: It’s hungry.

iCub Learns Objects: This creepy kid bot is growing fast.

Jaemi HUBO hits the treadmill: Eye of the Tiger baby.

Robots will likely inherit the Earth. Why do you think we have the space program? We like to pretend that it’s all about exploration, but really it’s because we know that it’s either leave willingly or be evicted. So onward to Mars, where we will create more metal killers and have to run all over again. Silly humans. Here’s some of what we covered this week over at Botropolis.

WWII: With Terminator.

Cyborgs: Cornell Enslaves Tobacco Hornworms.

DIY: Pocket Drunken Robots.

Like the Terminator, robot news just doesn’t stop. As usual, we have you covered over at Botropolis. Everything robot, all the time. And yes, the deeper we delve into the seedy underworld of robotics and robots in our culture, the more fearful fascinated we become. It’s clear that robots are our ultimate destruction friends and ultimate salvation. Seriously, I have nightmares every night. I have the shakes. I welcome them with open arms and embrace their master plan. Below are some of the things we covered this week.

*edited by the Robot Editorial Guild. Streamlining your words since 2009. Streamlining your thoughts soon after.

It isn’t easy keeping track of all the robot toys, apparel, etc, while also keeping a watchful eye on various robotic Frankenstein creations over at Botropolis. Luckily we have a sharp team that isn’t afraid to take caffeine intravenously. There’s also the added incentive of me letting the team use my underground Bot-shelter whenever we do face an imminent robot attack. What they don’t know is that I have a few traps installed. Stuff like a trap-door with Rancor pit beneath. You know, if rations start to get low. Hey, I have to look out for me. But I digress. Here’s some of what we covered this week.

Contest: Win a Pimp Bender T-shirt.

Damn that’s huge: Giant Gundam now complete.

Wall-E: New toy actually cleans.

Transformers: Devastator Has Balls.

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 Friday. You know what that means. It’s time for our weekly robot roundup. It’s been a busy week over at Botropolis, as usual. Robots don’t take a break and neither do we. Rest assured, we will still be reporting on their exploits even as the bunker burns around us and cold metal fingers tighten around our necks. Until that day, we shall document their rise to power, fearing them, preparing, and checking out cool robot toys that distract us.

Two new Segway bots: A Bomb-Defusing, Riot-Controlling, Firefighting duo.

Loki: A robot named after the Norse god.

We love it when a plan comes together: The Robot A-Team.

Conspiracy: Robot Spotted Reading The Bible In Bulls Logo.

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.

Nature is always the best model, whether you’re building robots or…other human made monstrosities. And with that in mind, Nissan has applied the idea to the Biomimetric Car Robot or BR23C. The robot car is modeled after Bee behavior in order to prevent car collisions and thereby eliminate accident casualties.

The BR23C adopts a bee’s eye view of the world. The insects rely on a 300-degree field of vision to identify obstacles and avoid them. Likewise the robot, using a Laser Range Finder (LRF) uses a 180-degree radius vision to detect obstacles two meters away. The image is transmitted to a microprocessor, which directs the robot to change direction or speed up in order to avoid a collision. In other words, avoiding collisions is all instinct.

Sometimes the coolest gadgets in Sci-Fi are not gadgets at all. But robots. Here’s a look at some of the most memorable robots from sci-fi in no particular order. It’s not a complete list. Think of it more as a walk down memory lane. Because geeks love Sci-Fi and Sci-Fi has a long history of loving robots.