• From bionic men made of synthetic parts to a metal band entirely composed of robots,
we count 15 quirky, complex robots from all over the world
15 - Romibo • This is a remotely controlled, self-balancing
robot designed for children • Basically, it's a social creature that
gets little kids with autism who might have problems talking to adults the opportunity
to learn vital language skills - and it even offers therapy with speech, gestures and face-tracking
• This is like Furby if Furby had any use other than to stare at you with large, creepy
eyes 14 - PR2
• Like a robot from the Twilight Zone, the PR2 can basically do any household task you
want it to providing you can enter the information on a phone app
• It'll clean your dishes, flip pancakes over a stove, do the laundry and deliver kettles
to widowed old ladies • It comes with cameras, a colour stereo
view, grip sensors, onboard servers and a real live consciousness that can hook up via
wi-fi to contact other robots and plot a machine takeover of the world
• All for the low, low price of $280,000 13 - Valkyrie
• The latest "superhero" robot built by NASA coming in at 6 feet high, originally
intended for use on the international space station
• Today, the goal is to build these superbots to help human beings under attack by natural
disasters, to swoop in and save them • It comes built in with recording and sonar
equipment, several cameras and two breasts - because, why not?
12 - LS3 Quadruped • Ridiculously unsettling attempt at emulating
work horses - four-legged machines designed to carry over 400 pounds of weight with relative
ease • You can also use them for scouting, providing
this hobbling horse-legged mess doesn't scare off all animals, small children and burly
adults in a one thousand mile radius • They were built to assist campers and
mountaineers who might struggle with heavy equipment on rough terrain, and they can even
steady themselves walking over a field of unstable rocks
11 - PARO • Japanese company AIST develops a robotic
seal used for therapy, much in the same way a cat or dog has a calming effect on humans,
but without the responsibility or mess • It has a number of sensors used for assessing
its environment, with a complex on-board computer that detects a humans reactions to noises
or physical actions much in the same way a pet does - cuddle it, and it'll squeak pleasantly,
whack it, and it'll cower • Guiness voted it the world's most therapeutic
robot 10 - AnyBots "QB"
• This is a remote-controlled self-balancing virtual presence robot - which basically means,
if you're so lazy you can't get out of your chair to attend a conference in some other
part of the office, you can just send this robot munchkin to do it for you
• It also has practical uses though - if you're so lazy you can't leave your house
to check up on your kid dying from a lung disease at the hospital, you can just send
this robot munchkin to go read him his last rites
• You can also fit it with a gun and using your mouse and keyboard have it go fight wars
for you, but this is frowned upon 9 - Rex the Bionic Man
• This is one of the world's first ever bionic man that can breath, walk and talk
as we do - built from pieces of bionic body parts and synthetic organs, basically a robot
version of us • It's based on a Swiss psychologist Dr
Bertolt Meyer who himself has a robot arm and presents the Channel 4 UK documentary
about this very topic • The parts were donated by roughly 17 companies
and organisations interested in seeing where the technology could lead
8 - Telebot • This one is still under development at
the Florida International University, a robot that gives police officers who might have
been injured or disabled the opportunity to get back on the job
• It's a half-sized, wheel-equipped robot that can drive down the road and keep an eye
on the streets while cops remain at a safe distance
• Packed with three cameras for a 360 degree view and sophisticated sensors, surely no
criminal will notice this tiny, bright-white robot man suspiciously watching them in the
middle of oncoming traffic 7 - Honda ASIMO
• Widely recognised as one of the world's most advanced and popular humanoid robots,
this is the be-all end-all replacement to manual labour in the workforce
• It also helps people confined to a bed or wheelchair inside their own home, and will
even look down at you for natural conversation • It's powered by a battery that only lasts
one hour, so the key is to ask it to do something, watch it lose power, then lay in your bed
and starve to death because you pinned all your hopes on a robot
6 - Morpheus • This is less of a robot and more of a
way to control robots, but still advanced and fascinating
• This is a swim cap fitted with electrodes called Morpheus, and it lets you control electronics
using nothing but your own thoughts • While the tech is old, the ability to
control robots using your mind without having those electrodes surgically implanted in your
brain is pretty revolutionary • Just don't wear this around sexy, sexy
robots or they'll pounce on you 5 - Compressorhead
• This is an all-robot band from Germany that tour the globe performing live at concerts,
you might've already seen their viral Ace of Spades video on Youtube
• Originally the band was only composed of Stickboy, the drummer, with occasional
go-go dancers, but now you have Fingers, the guitarist with 78 fingers, and Bones the bass
player • They did a concert in Australia and have
just finished some performances in Moscow 4 - Guardium
• This is a machine designed by two Israeli firms, one that very much acts like a robot
• It's essentially a smart tank that patrols warzones and areas of interest, then, once
it finds enemies, it deploys a series of onboard weapons and defends itself if need be
• For the most part though, they're most effective scouting in groups through tough,
hostile areas to locate hidden enemies and report back to base
• Then it takes on a mind of its own and you can't beat it
3 - Porton Man • This is a robot mannequin designed purely
to test chemical and biological protective suits for the UK's armed forces
• It performs simple actions to expose wear and tear in the suits by running, sitting,
kneeling and a whole manner of typical functions for any soldier
• The benefit is, if biological warfare DID break out, we'd have an army of robots
to force the enemy into submission by walking, running slightly and sitting on the battlefield
2 - Throwbot • You treat this as a grenade, one that
won't explode in your face • You throw it towards an enemies hiding
position and let the Throwbot roll over there resistant to dust and water, then scout out
their locations • It only weighs 1.2 pounds and comes equipped
with a HD camera and infrared sensors - optionally you can attach a grenade to it and let it
ACTUALLY explode but typically blowing up your own super-expensive equipment isn't so
clever 1 - BEAR
• This is a goddamn mechanical bear robot with tank treads that charge through the battlefield,
explosive and fire resistant, pick up a wounded soldier and return them to base
• It's so advanced that it can hold up to 230 kilos of weight, but with enough delicacy
to hold an egg without breaking it • All you need to do is fit it with some
guns, nuke launchers and a bandana and I guarantee the BEAR would fire wars on its own