Ok so most of you probably love movies like “Terminator” or “Transformers” or “Short Circuit” or “iRobot,” right? What would you do if those same beloved science fiction movies were actually science fact? The New York Times released an article recently detailing just how some scientists are worried that machines may become more than just our tools to make life more convenient.

Take a look: “Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man”

So, what do you think would be the best way to avoid having something horribly reminiscent of a scifi  happen where humans and robots battle it out in post-apocalyptic fashion?

We were sad to recently hear that iRobot is terminating their WiFi-camera-on-a-robot project. It seems that after doing field testings, they discovered the market was not as profitable as expected so they’ve decided to pull back to their core business.

I also learned that the bulk of iRobot’s finances come from the military and that the origin of the Roomba-style hoover robots began as a military project for a de-mining robot which gave birth to an algorithm that ensures that 100% of a given surface will be walked through.

And to add to that it appears that their consumer electronics business is actually barely break-even. Hopefully they can pull through and keep on creating their line of unique bots.

39cm in height and 2.5Kg in weight, Nuvo is a small and light home-use-type humanoid robot aimed being marketed as a daily life companion. With 15 degrees of freedom (6 for each leg, 1 for each shoulder and 1 for the head), this small robot can dance, talk, play music, tell time, click pictures and even shake your hand.

Nuvo is also equipped with joint angle sensors, rate gyro sensor and acceleration sensors to allow ZMP calculation and proper balancing. The infra-red sensors give feedback of the surroundings and saves the robot from banging into dead-ends. It is capable of walking at a speed of 3 metres a minute, can balance over a variety of terrains and can even stand up from a fallen position. Nuvo’s features don’t just stop at walking, but it is also programmed to respond to a variety of voice commands from its owner.

If you ask Nuvo to shake your hand it will walk over to you, and reach out its hand for you to shake. If you want it to move forward, you simply tell it to do so and it responses by walking forward with smooth human-like motion. You can also ask Nuvo to give you the time, play your favourite music or even take pictures for you with it’s built in camera.

A new type of battery based on the radioactive decay of nuclear material is 10 times more powerful than similar prototypes and should last a decade or more without a charge, scientists announced this week.

The longevity would make the battery ideal for use in pacemakers or other surgically implanted devices, developers say, or it might power spacecraft or deep-sea probes. You might also find these nuclear batteries running sensors and other small devices in your home in a few years. Such devices “don’t consume much power,” said University of Rochester electrical engineer Philippe Fauchet, “and yet having to replace the battery every so often is a real pain in the neck.”

Fauchet told LiveScience the batteries could last a dozen years. They’re being refined at Rochester. The technology was developed with the help financial support from the National Science Foundation and has been patented by BetaBatt Inc.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo are exploring robots to serve tea. In a demonstration this week, a humanoid with camera eyes made by Kawada Industries Inc. poured tea from a bottle into a cup. Then another robot on wheels delivered the cup of tea in an experimental room that has sensors embedded in the floor and sofa as well as cameras on the ceiling, to simulate life with robot technology.

University of Tokyo professor Tomomasa Sato believes Japan, a rapidly aging society where more than a fifth of the population is 65 or older, will lead the world in designing robots to care for the elderly, sick and bedridden. Already, monitoring technologies, such as sensors that automatically turn on lights when people enter a room, are becoming widespread in Japan.

The walking, child-size Asimo from Honda Motor Co. greets people at showrooms. NEC Corp. has developed a smaller companion robot-on-wheels called Papero. A seal robot available since 2004 can entertain the elderly and others in need of fuzzy companionship. Sato says his experimental room is raising awareness about privacy questions that may arise when electronic devices monitor a person’s movements down to the smallest detail. On the bright side, the tea-pouring humanoid has been programmed to do the dishes.

Fujitsu has unveiled its HOAP-3, a humanoid robot like QRIO but with the performance of ASIMO into the mainstream robotics market. Hoping to get a hold in the newly emerging and thriving robot technology field, HOAP-3 is an fully autonomous, independent robot.

Fujitsu’s HOAP-3 can walk, grasp objects and even carry on a simple conversation. Standing at an impressive 60cm (2ft) and 8.8kg (20lbs.) weighing nearly , this robot is fully able to navigate comfortably around obstacles while remaining unobtrusive.

Additions to this version include image recognition and some various sensors. I also didn’t realize the thing has a Pentium M processor and runs Linux, and Fujitsu Automation even publicizes the internal interface info…so this thing would be great to rewire and hack for custom uses.