Robot Tuesday - Robot 007

According to this article I just found in New Scientist, Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Laboratories at Cherry Hill, New Jersey have developed a robot which has the ability to evade detection by humans. It knows how to sneak around and change direction enough that it won't be spotted by surveillance, from sentries in both known and unknown locations.

It creates a 3D image of its environment, and calculates lines of sight, in order to avoid them. Apparently the AI isn't up to much yet, but it is being developed and this is exciting. Unless you're worried about spy robots sneaking in to your top secret base past your spy defences.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928044.700-surveillance-robots-know-when-to-hide.html

Robot Saturday - Robot round-up

Having been part of the Big Bang Fair in London this week, I saw a couple of cool robot-based exhibits (including, but not limited to, a guy with a stall entitled 'Learning Mathematics with Robots' which is just a great concept). I have been inspired by this experience to share a couple of robot-related gems.

Hitachi develops robot that can rollerskate



He's 80cm tall, responds to voice commands and can move over uneven surfaces at up to 3.7mph. That's faster than I can move on roller skates, anyway.

http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/hitachi-reveals-roller-skating-robot-697359

Wall-climbing robot at University of Utah



If you're worried about the inevitable robot uprising, you can no longer be sure of safety if you're hiding on the roof of a building with completely smooth concrete walls with no interruption. THIS DUDE IS AFTER YOU!

http://www.unews.utah.edu/p/?r=080310-1
(Youtube Video)

And finally
Buttersafe, Tuesday 1^st March - Robot Cat

Odd Cakes

I'm visiting relatives this weekend, and was offered a taste of chocolate cake by someone who loves Marmite. As a person who is also not indifferent to Marmite in a positive direction, I was impressed by the deliciousness and nice Marmitey aftertaste. I found a recipe for a Marmite based cupcake, involving peanut butter, here, which are also topped with peanut butter.

It reminded me of a couple of other kinds of chocolate cake I have heard of/seen made which contain unexpected ingredients.

• Chocolate Guinness Cake
  
  It's possible to bake half a can of Guinness into a chocolate cake, and it still tastes pretty much like normal chocolate cake. I think you might need a little more sugar than usual to counteract the bitterness of the stout. You can also put some in the icing, if you make it carefully with icing sugar. This recipe by Nigella just has a plain cream cheese style icing, which I imagine works just as well.
  
  
  
  http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-guinness-cake-3086


• Courgette Chocolate Cake
  
  In the same way carrot cake manages to involve a grated vegetable without being in any way at all wrong, it's also possible to secrete an entire courgette (also grated, don't be silly) in a chocolate cake. I believe it results in a lovely moist cake which doesn't actually taste like it's got a courgette in it. I imagine it's good for getting kids to eat veg, although as someone who has a serious love of courgettes anyway, that's unnecessary for me. This recipe from BBC Good Food looks awesome, and also incorporates mixed spice which sounds even lovelier.
  
  
  
  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/633634/chocolate-courgette-cake


• Some other ones which I haven't had much experience of but which I have found recipes for:
  
  Tomato Soup cake
  Chocolate mayonnaise cake
  
  Also worth a mention is Red velvet cake, which is commonly coloured using beetroot, and is proper well red and that.

So, hopefully you've not been sick yet at the thought of such strange combinations. If you do try making any of these, let me know how it goes. I'm inspired/tempted to make a carrot cake, once I have a bit more free time.

I bet Tim Vine would have a fit.

EDIT: Just found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen, one of my favourite recipe blogs, for Red Wine Chocolate Cake. It apparently tastes just nicely of red wine, but it works best as a thin cake - not too tall, giving smallish portions - and goes well with a nice mascarpone cream.