Researchers Create Walking Bio-Bots That Are Powered by Muscle

Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing what they call “bio-bots," or machines that combine synthetic 3D-printed frameworks with biological muscle tissue.

When the muscle fibers are jolted with electricity, they contract. Those muscles are attached to 3D-printed "bones," which are flexible enough to bend under the strain, and the result is forward motion. Scientists can control the speed of each bot by varying the frequency of electric pulses.

Researchers here have worked on similar projects before. A walking bio-bot in 2012 used rat heart cells to provide motion. However, the heart cells were "always on"; researchers couldn’t control when they fired.

The new version solves that problem.

“Skeletal muscles cells are very attractive because you can pace them using external signals,” head researcher Rashid Bashir said. “We want to have different options that could be used by engineers to design these things.”

The Illinois group envisions bio-bots that act as surgical aids or drug delivery vehicles, perhaps even with their own neurons so they can recognize and respond to light or chemical stimuli.

The team’s findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Finally, Robots That Turn Into Furniture

Get ready for self-constructing, shape shifting, moving-on-command furniture — or as its creator like to call it, Roombots.

There are a lot of things we imagine our future robot overlords doing. But making, or rather being our furniture is probably not one of them. The kind of robot furnishings researchers at Switzerland-based technical university Ecole Polytechnique Federerale de Lausanne (EPFL) are working on is the stuff of dreams (and maybe a few nightmares).

Roombots are actually robotic modules, roughly 6x6x6 inches and weighing about 3 pounds, that include a few motors for three degrees of movements. They can roll slowly on the ground or use their built-in grip modules to attach themselves to each other or objects like specially-designed table-tops.

According to scientist Auke Ijspeert of the EPFL’s Biorobotics Laboratory in Switzerland, Roombots can build themselves into adaptive furniture that can change from a chair to, say, a table and even rise up to meet you. This second feature could be especially important, as one of Ijspeert’s goals is to make Roombots an assistive technology. A Roombot table could, for example, twist its legs so it becomes taller and easier to use for someone who has trouble bending down to reach the table top. Alternatively, a Roombot chair could move into place and rise up to help someone sit, instead of that person having to flop down into a tech-free chair.

The robot modules, which communicate via Bluetooth and run for an hour on a charge, can grab each other and, potentially join up in groups to turn a robot chair into a bigger robot bench. They also connect with passive modules, like a tabletop piece or anything else, like a lamp, container or camera, as long as these pieces have special notches to accept the Roombot’s powered grippers. Those same grippers also allow the modules to climb special walls. So, for example, a collection of them could line the walls of a seemingly empty meeting room and just the right number could climb down and combine into a set of self-aware conference table and chairs.

While the video is compelling, researchers have a lot of work do before we see robots tuning into furniture and rushing to offer themselves as a seat. EPFL reports that engineers hope to make the Roombots more practical by speeding up their movements and acknowledge that there’s still much work to be done on the configuration algorithms. Scientists told that industrial use is 15 years away and it could be two decades before they could be used reliably by every day consumers.

IMAGE: EPFL

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These Musical Drones Are More Talented Than Justin Bieber

Even the most skilled guitar god has nothing on these drones.

KMel Robotics created a swarm of flying hexrotors to play some sweet music. The perfectly synchronized robots float through the air to bang on drums and pluck strings to create famous classical compositions.

The band of drones perform three songs, beginning with Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra," leading into "Carol of the Bells" and finishing with a rendition of "Star Spangled Banner" that even Jimi Hendrix would approve of.

The musical machines will be rocking out live at the USA Science & Engineering Festival April 26-27 in Washington, D.C. After that, perhaps these drones should take their act on the road opening for Kesha.

VIDEO: YOUTUBE, THEDMEL

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Micro Magnet Robots Can Build Mini Super Structures

Magnets and their properties have long fascinated everyone from children to scientists, but it's unlikely you’ve ever seen them harnessed quite like this.

SRI International, a non-profit research firm serving government and industry, has found a novel way to control tiny, low cost magnets via electromagnetic pulses delivered to them through contact with printed circuit boards.

The patented process, known as Diamagnetic Micro Manipulation (DM3), can move magnetically actuated micro-robots at speeds of up to 3 CM per second, in any direction and even along curved circuit boards. As long as there’s an electromagnetic current running through the circuitry, the magnets will hold on and do your bidding. The system can host not just one magnet on a board, but dozens, which can work together or perform separate task. All the instruction comes through the electromagnetic pulses in the board.

Making one or even dozens of little magnets move and almost dance in unison is entertaining, but it's when SRI started adding what it calls "effectors" to the magnets that things got really interesting. "Effectors" are basically little pieces of wires or other add-ons that allow the magnets to pick up, hold and manipulate materials.

In the video above, the magnets are programmed to grab, move and glue carbon-fiber sticks. Eventually, they built a 29-centimeter-long truss capable of supporting up to 2 kg.

According to SRI, which is working on the project with DARPA, "Our vision is to enable an assembly head containing thousands of micro-robots to manufacture high-quality macro-scale products while providing millimeter-scale structural control."

The company believes these micro robots could someday power entire micro factories.

The video, by the way, looks pretty mundane until you realize it’s garden variety magnets acting as if they’re alive and capable of working as hard as you’re everyday construction worker.

IMAGE: SRI INTERNATIONAL / SCREEN GRAB

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Bionic Kangaroo Hops Into the Future of Robotics

Finally, a robot that successfully imitates a living thing without making you think of human extinction scenarios from The Terminator.

Germany-based Festo has unveiled its latest creation, the Bionic Kangaroo, a hopping robot fashioned in the image of a real kangaroo.

Weighing just over 15 pounds and standing 39 inches tall, the robot has the ability to jump forward at lengths of about two-and-a-half feet and has a vertical leap of a about one-and-a-half feet.

With an outer shell designed to mimic the form of a kangaroo, from its tiny front paws down to its curved tail, the robot jumps using pneumatic springs working in conjunction with sensors in its heels and main body. When it lands, it uses the recovered energy stored during leaps for its next jump.

The Bionic Kangaroo has two motors for the hips, one motor for the tail and, instead of a pouch, the robot's stomach area contains a pressure accumulator.

The robot's movements can be controlled through a user's wireless armband. Using various arm motions, the wearer can direct the Bionic Kangaroo to hop forward or turn in small circles to change its direction.

Although the company has not offered any specific uses or commercial release details for the robot at present, the Bionic Kangaroo represents its latest successful attempt to robotically mimic the look and locomotion of a living creature.

This time last year, the company took the wraps off a flying robot called the BionicOpter, a tiny drone with the appearance and hovering movements of a real dragonfly. 

IMAGE: FESTO

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U.S. Navy's Robot Firefighters Prepare for a Test Run

A former United States naval vessel will be set on fire this August, and the Navy will send robots to put out the blaze.

The Navy is testing robots that will put out fires instead of having sailors do the job. The humanoids may be tasked with dousing fires aboard naval vessels full-time within a few years, experts within the Navy told. But before that happens, the machines will have to pass a test in August at Mobile Bay, Ala., aboard a decommissioned vessel dedicated to firefighting exercises, the ex-USS Shadwell. This will mark the first time the bots have practiced on a ship.

Firefighting is a team effort, and adding robots to the equation won't change that. The humanoids will operate hoses just like living, breathing humans, and their eyes will be able to recognize flames. Their movements, however, will be dictated by hand and voice commands given by a person standing nearby.

Those verbal orders will be especially important.

“If you have an iPhone, you probably have tried to interact with Siri, and there are whole webpages dedicated to Siri fail," Paul Bello, Ph.D., a program officer in cognitive science at the Office of Naval Research. The Navy can't afford any fire fails, because every misunderstood command means the flames burn a bit longer.

An English-recognition system will allow the robots to interpret commands within the context of fighting fires, Bello said, since sometimes a human's literal words can differ from what he meant.

“You say very little [as a firefighter], but what you say ends up entailing a lot," Bello said. "You’re depending on your teammate to know enough about you and to know enough about the situation [that they will understand what you're saying]."

The August test run will almost certainly include some kinks, and while engineers problem-solve, others in the Navy are trying to find ways to make the humanoids more cost effective.

Tom McKenna, Ph.D., a program officer in biorobotics and pattern recognition at the Office of Naval Research, a single firefighting robot could cost about $1 million, though that price is likely to fall when the Navy finalizes a prototype and a way to mass produce. They'll still be pricey, though, so perhaps the robots should look into doing some dusting and sweeping if they want to earn their keep.

Since the ships are designed for people, the bots will function at a higher level if they are built like humans. They will be able to climb ladders, turn doorknobs and perform other basic physical tasks to help them carry supplies from one place to another. If the firefighting goes according to plan, the humanoids might take over other dangerous duties, too, such as administering medicine on the battlefield or scoping out disaster areas before soldiers are sent in.

Guns are out of the question, though; the U.S. Department of Defense has a strict policy against handing weapons to autonomous bots. McKenna said the Office of Naval Research has not conducted any studies in that area.

Neither McKenna nor Bello revealed a concrete timeline for a rollout of the robotic firefighters, but they hope it will take no longer than a few years.

IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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Real-Life RoboCop in Development for Disabled Officers

RoboCop may be blasting his way into theaters this week, but in reality, a cyborg like him is probably still 100 years away from patrolling our streets.

But don't tell that to this team of undergrads from Florida International University's Discovery Lab. They're already hard at work on a real-life RoboCop. Granted, it's nowhere near as advanced as the tech depicted in the movie, but their "Telebot" is nothing to ignore.

The six-foot tall, 75-pound prototype combines telepresence and robotics to eventually allow disabled police officers and military personal to serve as patrol officers. Built from scratch, Telebot functions via an Oculus Rift headset, a motion-tracking vest, arm bands and gloves — all worn by a remote person. The headset gives that person a live-feed of the robot's field of vision while the vest relays movements to the robot. The motion-sensing gloves control robot's hands.

The Telebot was made possible by Jeremy Robins, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, who donated $20,000 towards the project to help his disabled veteran friends get back into the work force.

"Our next step is to fabricate the external shell of the robot and to tune up the software...and finally, field test it," said Nagarajan Prabakar, an associate professor in the FIU School of Computing and Information Sciences.

This article originally published at Discovery News.

Image: WILFREDO LEE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Self-Assembling Cubes Could Be First Step Toward Real Transformers

As the approach toward robotics in the science community has evolved over time, researchers are finding ever-more-clever ways to manipulate the physical structures and unique locomotive abilities of artificially intelligent constructs.

One particularly revolutionary new take on the modern robot is called the M-Block, a modular robot in the shape of a cube that works with an array of identical blocks to build ever-changing structures in any number of shapes.

Developed by John Romanishin, a research scientist at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, along with several colleagues, each M-Block moves thanks to an internal flywheel that can turn at up to 20,000 revolutions per minute. Once the flywheel stops in a pre-programmed direction, the momentum of the shift moves the block in that direction.

Because the M-Block has no outside moving parts, its internal locomotive dynamic makes the robot appear as if it’s being pushed by some invisible force.

On the M-Block’s exterior are a series of magnets, eight on each side of the cube, and a cylindrical magnet on each edge. This series of magnets allow each block to easily attach itself to another, regardless of the vertical or horizontal position of the blocks.

The combination of the flywheel-generated motion along with the magnetic connections allows sets of M-Blocks to constantly transform into a wide array of shapes of varying height and intricacy.

In the future, the team envisions significantly smaller versions of the self-assembling blocks that would work together so seamlessly that to the naked eye the collection of miniature blocks would look like liquid steel.


Until then, the team is working on building 100 hundred of the M-Blocks to explore the broader possibilities of how the current version of the robots can be used outside of the lab.

Image: MIT

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This Robotic Muscle Is 1,000 Times Stronger Than Yours

Researchers have developed a new robotic muscle that is 1,000 times stronger than a human's, thanks to a material with a wide range of properties.

Vanadium dioxide has been the belle of the ball in the materials world, prized for its ability to change size, shape and physical identity. Now, material enthusiasts can add muscle power to the list of those extraordinary attributes.

Led by Junqiao Wu, a physicist with joint appointments at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the material-sciences division and University of California, Berkeley’s department of material science and engineering, a team of researchers demonstrated a micro-sized robotic muscle created from vanadium dioxide, according to robotic muscle is 1,000 times more powerful than a human muscle. It can catapult objects 50 times heavier than itself over distances five times its length — all within 60 milliseconds.

Vanadium dioxide is valuable because it is one of the few known materials that is both an insulator and a conductor. At low temperatures, vanadium dioxide acts as an insulator, but at 67 degrees Celsius (152 degrees Fahrenheit), the material abruptly becomes a conductor. What's more, vanadium dioxide crystals undergo a “temperature-driven structural phase transition” when warmed, rapidly contracting along one dimension, while expanding along the other two. All of this makes vanadium dioxide the perfect material for creating artificial muscles.

However, the device's appeal doesn't stop there. Because of its ability to “remotely detect a target and respond by reconfiguring itself to a different shape,” there’s potential to create larger systems of the vanadium dioxide muscles, according to the report.

“Multiple micro-muscles can be assembled into a micro-robotic system that simulates an active neuromuscular system,” Wu said. “This simulates living bodies where neurons sense and deliver stimuli to the muscles and the muscles provide motion.”

Image: Berkeley Lab

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It's All Fun and Games With Speedy Sphero 2B Robot

The problem with a lot of today's robots is that they're a little boring. Don't get me wrong. Cleaning windows, mopping floors and helping people conduct telepresence meetings is cool and important, but these tasks aren't intrinsically entertaining. Thankfully, there are companies like Orbotix. Its smartphone or tablet controlled Sphero robot ball is all about fun and games.

Here at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, the company unveiled a new member of the Sphero family, the Sphero 2B. It's a tube-shaped robot, about the size of two Spheros side-by-side. Like the original, it has a polycarbonite body that houses a sophisticated collection of motors, LEDs, infrared so it can interact with other Sphero 2Bs, and low-power Bluetooth connectivity.

Orbotix takes advantage of the shape, equipping Sphero 2B with interchangeable wheels that move independently of each other. This lets the robot perform tricks and maneuvers virtually impossible with the ball-shaped Sphero.

We know and love Orbotix for their magical Sphero robotic balls, which can roll themselves around without any external moving parts. It seems like just a few months ago (barely five months) that we met the second generation of their round robot, so we were more than a little bit surprised that when at CES this week, Orbotix decided to introduce a completely new, and completely different, rolling robotic toy: the Sphero 2B.

The big change on the Sphero 2B is the most obvious one: the thing's got wheels. Whereas the original Spheros use drive systems completely contained inside their sealed shells, the 2B is more like a traditional remote-controlled car. This makes it less waterproof, but a heck of a lot faster: controlled with your iOS or Android device over Bluetooth low energy, the 2B can drive at over 5 meters per second (have fun trying to keep up with it), which is quick enough to get about a meter of air if you launch it off of a jump. And the more traditional steering system makes it a bit easier to drive than a round Sphero, ensuring that when you do go off of a jump, it's intentional.

What might be most interesting to us about the 2B is the fact that it's been designed from the ground up to be modular and customizable. The shell, wheels, treads, and wheel hubs can all be swapped out, so you can give the robot knobbly off-road tires for traction, or slick tires for speed. We're expecting to see a bunch of different options show up from Orbotix, and even more options to show up from users who want to take a crack at making their robots better.

The other new piece of hardware in the Sphero 2B is an infrared cannon of sorts, along with infrared sensors, contained in the body of the robot. The first application for these is going to be for robot battles, where you can chase another Sphero 2B around, "shooting" at it with infrared light (which looks similar to the battle mode in the robotic car racing game Anki Drive). You'll also be able to pick up a set of infrared beacons, allowing you to create invisible light fences that you can program your 2B to stay within.

Like the original Spheros, the 2B is open and programmable, and we're looking forward to what new kinds of programmability (and even autonomy) users might be able to leverage with the infrared beacons. You can expect to see the Sphero 2B up for sale by fall of 2014, for significantly less money than its brethren at under $100.

Image: Orbotics

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Dancing Drones Drop a Beat and Get Their Groove On

The use of drones is a hotly debated topic right now. These robots of the air could be used for spying or they could deliver Amazon packages — no one really knows.

But thanks to YouTube channel TheDmel, we at least know one thing for sure: Drones can groove.

While waiting for the rest of the world to figure out what the heck to do with those enigmatic fliers, the guys at KMel Robotics decided to drop a beat and choreograph a handful of drones for some fun. We can see these talented machines put to good use on Broadway — maybe WALL-E the Musical is right around the corner.

Image: KMel Robotics

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Ozobot Is a Smart Robot That Plays Games With You

LAS VEGAS — Ozobot, a game-playing robot, wants you to get physical with digital games and it could be on to something.

According to a recent study by the Entertainment Software Association, more than half (58%) of all Americans play video games, which may lead some to believe that fewer people are playing physical board games. On the other hand, the same study says 34% of online gamers play puzzles, board games, game shows, trivia and card games, which suggests many still yearn for some old-school gaming.

These findings could help explain the motivation to develop a product like Ozobot. It’s a tiny, one-inch-tall robot designed to work on top of tablet and smartphone screens, as well on as paper. What's more, it will follow both digital and physical lines that players draw on the fly, and can even reportedly tell the difference between a digital and physical surface.

“We set out to breathe new life into game night –- that experience which, as an individual or as a group of friends –- has become a bit tired and repetitive between board and video games,” said Nader Hamda, CEO of Ozobot.

Unveiled at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas, the motorized rolling robot uses light sensors in its base to read digital screens and other surfaces.

The idea is that Ozobot melds the digital world with the physical, playing interactive games with the screen and with other Ozobots. At launch, Ozobot will work with a number of downloadable mobile apps (iOS and Android) that the company developed: OzoLuck, OzoDraw and OzoRace. The last game will include a physical track, on which up to two bots can race around at up to 3-inches per second. Ozobot is also working on a dev kit so third parties can build new games for the robots. Developers may have their work cut out for them since Ozobot can reportedly recognize up to 1,000 instructions.

Each Ozobot will include changeable skins and LED lights, which let players know what the robot is “thinking” or doing. The robots charge via a mini USB port, and each one should run for up to 40 minutes on a charge, according to Ozobot.

Ozobot is still in development, and the company is raising funds on Kickstarter. It hopes to ship Ozobot in time for the 2014 holiday season.

Image: Ozobot

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World's First Commercially Available Self-Driving Car Launches

LAS VEGAS — Companies like Google have been toying with the concept of self-driving cars for years, but France-based robotics company Induct announced on Monday that its intelligent, electric and driverless vehicle is now available in the U.S.

The Navia shuttle — which can carry up to eight passengers — launched on Monday at the 2014 International CES show in Las Vegas, making it the world's first commercially available self-driving vehicle.

The car will most likely be used at public places such as airports, college campuses, theme parks or sports arenas to eliminate pollution and congestion, rather than for home use. Navia costs about $250,000, which is about 40% less than the cost for operating a similar shuttle with a driver.

"Navia is different than other driverless vehicles out there because it is intelligent, self sufficient and environmentally friendly," a company rep told Mashable. "Users can summon Navia from their smartphones like an Uber for driverless cars or call it up from their desktop."

After boarding the shuttle, passengers use a touchscreen to select where they want to go. The shuttle also doesn't need a special infrastructure such as rails or a designated path, so it can travel anywhere.

The vehicle, which doesn't go faster than 12.5 mph, uses onboard lasers and sensors to detect obstacles in its path, so it doesn't rely on GPS to get from one point to another. The vehicle also uses different camera viewpoints to allow depth mapping and 3D perception to make sure it steers clear of pedestrians and other roadside objects.

"Navia can operate in any environment, with the necessary authorizations from local city, state and national authorities," the spokesperson said. "We’ve already worked with several beta testers to enable the use of Navia at their locations with little issue."

It's currently deployed in beta version at a technical college in Switzerland (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and a high-security industry park run by the United Kingdom Atomic energy Authority.

For information about how to purchase the Navia shuttle, contact the company here.

Image: Induct

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iRobot Rebuilds Its Scooba Robot Mop With 3x the Power

iRobot’s line of robotic home cleaning assistants continues to grow, and the latest addition is an update to its Scooba Floor Mop called the Scooba 450.

This new intelligent mop is slightly heavier and larger than its previous incarnation, the Scooba 390. According to iRobot, it's also three times more effective at clearing dirty floors than the last model; Scooba's internal components, including the motors, brushes and fans, have all been replaced.

The Scooba's exterior should be familiar to most Roomba robot vacuum owners: It’s round and about 2.5 inches tall. Just a few buttons grace its top. The main one, in the center, begins cleaning; it's encircled by LED lights that indicate cleaning time left and status. The information button, when pressed, talks to you aloud about the robot's status. The third button is for choosing between two cleaning cycles: either 40 minutes (roughly 300 square feet) or 20 minutes. Unlike the Roomba, though, Scooba cleans the floor continuously until the cleaning time cycle is done.

The Scooba 450's cleaning process for tile and sealed hardwood floors is very similar to the Scooba 390. It starts by sweeping up and dust and debris on the floor, then washes the floor in clean water, the whole time using iRobot’s “iAdapt” algorithm to determine the room's layout. Next, Scooba uses its collection of brushes and squeegees to scrub, clean and suck up the excess liquid. The dirty liquid and debris collect in a tank separate from the cleaning tank, though both are housed in a removable part.

If you already own a Roomba robot vacuum, you're in luck; the new Scooba 450 will work with all your Roomba virtual wall units. They're small, battery-powered devices that keep Scooba cleaning where it's supposed to and out of places it doesn't belong, like rooms with rugs.

iRobot also introduced a new “Dry Dock” charging and drying station that holds the Scooba 450 vertically and dries out the interior by running air through it. This inhibits microbial growth.

The station sells separately for $79.99 and the new Scooba 450 lists for $599 — $100 more expensive than the previous Scooba. Both are on sale on Tuesday iRobot.com.

Image: iRobot

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NASA shows off a squishy robot rover that could land on Titan

NASA likes to pack light for extraterrestrial visits, so it has been developing a tensegrity rover a rod-based robot that uses cable tension to absorb blows and roll around, rather than a bulky chassis. Thanks to the agency's demo for IEEE Spectrum, we now know what a prototype of the explorer, Super Ball Bot, looks like in action. While it's not very graceful with only some of its motors working, the vehicle has little trouble getting across a room by squishing itself. The clever design should come in handy for a potential mission to Saturn's moon Titan. Since the robot collapses into a smaller shape, NASA could pack multiple units into one spacecraft and study more of the moon's surface. It also wouldn't require the usual airbags or parachutes to land; a Super Ball Bot could fall from more than 62 miles above Titan without taking damage. Any interplanetary expedition is still years away, but it's already evident that future rovers could bear little in common with their modern-day equivalents.

You can hear SunSpiral and Agogino describe the basic approach and some of the work done so far in the video below.

As the video makes clear, there are still kinks to be worked out. The simulated ball bots perform much more smoothly than their real-world counterparts. But if all goes well, Titan might one day seen an armada of tumbleweed-like robotic explorers, hunting for evidence of life on the hazy moon. The approach, Agogino, says, “is unique. And it could be revolutionary.”

Image: NASA, IEEE Spectrum

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NASA Plans to Put an 'Iron Man' Robot on Mars

NASA's Superhero Robot

At 6'2", 275 pounds, NASA's latest robot look like a decent football player, but Valkyrie could be earmarked for another human profession — astronaut.

The android — which was built to be a search-and-rescue bot — comes with sonar equipment, cameras embedded from head to feet and a giant backpack battery. Its arms, legs and hips aren't as flexible as a person's, but it moves in a similar fashion, which could be important for studying the limits of human motion on Mars.

"Likely NASA will send robots ahead of the astronauts to the [red] planet," Nicolaus Radford, head of the Dexterous Robotics Lab at NASA, said in a video about Valkyrie. "These robots will start preparing the way for the human explorers. And when the humans arrive, the robots and the humans will work together in conjunction."

Radford wants NASA's Mars-bound robots to help people build houses and lay the foundations of civilization on humanity's second planet, which means these android helpers are taking a big step up from their predecessors that were tasked with chores such as vacuuming.

Valkyrie, which looks so much like Iron Man it even has a glowing orb in its chest, will compete with other androids at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Robotics Challenge. The competition compares robots in categories such as strength and dexterity to determine which would be best to deploy in emergency situations that are too dangerous for people.

The competition looks stiff. DARPA's own robot, Atlas, shows an ability to avoid minor ground obstacles in this YouTube video, and has human-like details down to rotatable wrists. An android built by Team THOR (Tactical Hazardous Operations Robot) also demonstrates that its feet can adjust to changes on the ground.

None of these robots is likely to be the one that first visits Mars, but an advanced version of any of them could see the inside of a space shuttle in the not-too-distant future.

Image: YouTube, IEEE Spectrum

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