Robots don't just want our jobs, they want our video games too!

What’s the surest sign that robots aspire to be more like humans? They play video games. The Tetris-Bot operates completely without human interference to play games of old school Tetris on a computer. Creator Branislov Kisacanin patched together a webcam, a digital signaling processing board, and some NXT Lego as a fun educational project for his kids. Best. Dad. Ever. Don’t worry about your high score just yet though, Tetris-Bot is still stuck on level 1. Heh, we’ve all been there. Watch the Lego robot demo its burgeoning skills in the video below, with the Tetris-Bot itself appearing around 1:48.

Released just in time for National Robotics Week, Kiscanin’s setup is a sweet piece of engineering. The visual processing takes place in the TI DSP board (DM6437) which analyzes the screen and decides the next move in span of just 1 frame (~33ms). The board then communicates with the NXT robotic components via LED lights. According to comments on Kiscanin’s YouTube channel, the key-punching robot is capable of 3 strokes a second, but runs at about half that speed. Which means that Tetris-Bot has room for easy improvement. It may soon be seen defeating level one and making its way to the leaderboard.

The Lego Mindstorm series is being used to build some amazing devices. We’ve seen robots that can solve the Rubik’s cube and Sudoku at break neck speeds, as well as Lego ATMs and a Lego Flexpicker! I know of one researcher who’s even developing a humanoid face out of Lego that can interact with its environment. The Tetris-Bot is just one more example of how these “childhood toys” have moved out of the range of simple building blocks and become a versatile platform for amateur robotics. Hopefully they’ll stay focused on defeating the games of yesteryear and not their human masters.

[screen capture and video credit: Branislav Kiscanin]
[source: BranislavKiscanin Channel on YouTube]

Wowwee's Cinemin Swivel projector is just one of many hand helds using the DLP chip.

When it comes to selling cool gadgets, the best technology doesn’t always win. Sometimes being popular is more important than having the best specifications. That may be true for the upcoming competition in handheld projectors. Singularity Hub recently discussed projectors in mobile phones, and there’s also a growing trend of independent plug and play versions of these devices. Texas Instruments (stock: TXN), Microvision (stock: MVIS), and 3M (stock: MMM) are all competing fiercely to dominate that trend. What strikes me, though, is the sheer number of third party companies that are adopting TI’s DLP™ technology. That chip may have already secured its spot at number one. Check out some product videos after the break.

Just the concept of a hand held projector is cool enough to give a geek the bends, the fact that we could see them in a phone is added awesomeness. As we said before, TI collaborated with Samsung to create both a mobile phone and an independent hand held device (the MBP-200) that use their pico projector. Add to that list Wowwee’s Cinemin™ Swivel, the Optoma Pico PK-101, and a projector from Bug Labs. All have specs that are in the same ballpark as the Samsung MBP-200. Take a small step up in size and you have Acer’s K10 Pico Projector, Toshiba’s TDP-F10U, Dell’s M109S, and the BenQ Joybee GPI. With this many companies using the DLP™ chip, you can bet that someone is going to find the optimized sweet spot of pricing, power, accessories, and advertising. It’s just a matter of time.

While I’ll leave the debate as to which of the DLP™ using projectors is best to the gadget gurus, I do want to point out two unique things. One, the Cinemin™ Swivel has a built-in hinge in its design that allows it to operate without a stand or prop. Cool. If that doesn’t do it for you, they also have a static version (Cinemin™ Stick) and a larger Cinemin™ Station. Second, while most of these projectors are going to cost you above $400, Dell is running a weird promotion to get their projector for $299. Very cool.

Cinemin Swivel Video [please excuse the creepy ambience]

Why should a Singularity Hub reader care about all of this? Well, as I said last time, competition is every tech-geek’s dream come true. It leads to great innovations, cheaper gadgets, and sometimes unexpected break-throughs. The big three companies are going to fight over projector phones (Microvision has a deal with Motorola for a protoype), and if the competition wasn’t enough, now we have all these companies working on the TI DLP technology just on its own.

And the plethora of pico projectors also indicates that the hand held projector trend is a secure one. We’re approaching a day when everyone’s media will not only be personalized but also carried on their person. Smart phones already combine web access, music, and communications. Add in shared video experiences and you’ll turn into a walking media exchange center. Such devices would be about as futuristic as the proverbial jetpack. And they’re just around the corner.

Now, it’s possible that just as a multitude of MP3 players evolved into iPod mania, projectors will find one brand that becomes synonymous with the concept. But in the meantime competition is key. With so many companies supporting DLP™, it may have become a pico-projecting Hydra. Come on Microvision and 3M, there’s room for more than one monster in the game.

Don’t know whether or not a hand held projector is a good buy for you? Maybe this humorous ad for the BenQ Joybee GPI will help:

The pico projector phone from Samsung makes it easy to share.

Not satisfied with just creating a cell phone with a projector, Samsung released the MBP-200, an independent device that just has the pico-projector module. This allows anyone with a micro-SD card to project images, video, or text anywhere they want. Right now it’s only available in Korea, but you can bet tech-geeks on this side of the Pacific are clamoring for a chance to get their hands on it. Check out the CES video for the MBP-200 after the break.

Want some more footage? Check out videos of the MBP-200′s competition. 3M has launched the MPro110, a projector with remarkably similar specs to the MBP, though with full VGA. Microvision hopes to trump everyone with their Integrated Photonics Module. The IPM supports the highest resolution of the three. Power consumption is a big issue, so all three companies are being tight-lipped about it (see note in comments). The Microvision mobile projector device, also called a “pico projector” may not ship until later this year, as a component laser is slow to go into mass production. While you’re waiting, you have to see the so-bad-it’s-good commercial for the device below.

Whenever I see a technology battle between companies I get really hopeful. Not only are 3M, TI, and Microvision going to push each other to make projectors smaller, more powerful, more efficient and with higher resolution, they should keep the prices low. It will be interesting to see which phone company (if any) picks up the 3M or Microvision module. Already Microvision is soliciting wide spread 3rd party development by offering their pico projector module in an evaluation kit for a (relatively) cheap $5k. Those of you with the hardware inclination may want to jump on and see what you can do with it.

We’ve talked about large scale projectors as art installations, and cameras with projectors, now that hand held devices and phones are included 2009 is officially the year of the projector. That should provide a lot of new ways to share information and creativity on the fly. I’m thrilled that TI/Samsung will start bringing movies to cell phones. Now, if I can only get people to stop bringing their cell phones to movies…

*photo credit: Noel McKeegan