Scientific American features a look back at "The Year in Robots." Seen here is Toyota's robot violinist. Our mechanical overlords were busy last year, crawling through a collapsed mine in Salt Lake City, driving themselves through a mock urban setting to win military money, and dancing with toddlers. From Scientific American:
This sampling merely scratches the surface of the past year's advances in robotics that whet the appetite for what's to come: Early next year, for instance, researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder will benchmark robotic devices to precisely mix and measure medications used in treatments such as chemotherapy. The robotic Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit are currently hunkering down in anticipation of the harsh Martian winter season but will soon resume their exploration of the Red Planet. And Scandanavian research firm Sintef is developing artificially intelligent equipment to help offshore oil and gas drilling platforms run more safely and efficiently.
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