This year’s International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS2013) was held in Tokyo, Japan— a globally recognized hotspot for some of the most fascinating robots on earth. Under the name of New Horizon, this conference aimed to get participants looking forward towards a new era of intelligent systems capable of meeting the needs of the fast-changing times we live in.

The event which was held over six days this November, drew top-notch experts from various areas of robotic expertise. Most of us robot lovers are well acquainted with rough-terrain rovers like AlphaDog, BigDog, and Cheetah. Responsible for developing the machines mentioned above, CTO and founder of Boston Dynamics, Mark Raibert, gave a plenary talk at this year’s IROS. The theme of his discourse centred on the theme of what makes machines capable of leaving the lab and entering the real world? And, how do we enable them with the kind of athleticism and agility normally only found in humans and animals?

But what about the robots we’d like to keep in labs? Masayuki Yamato, of Tokyo Women’s Medical University has been investigating the use of robots in regenerative medicine. In fact, Yamato is currently looking at how robots may be able to help fabricate transplantable layers of cells.

You may be familiar with the use of medical robots but now researchers like Tim C. Lüth from Technische Universität München in Germany are looking at ways to manufacture robots quickly for one-time use with individual patients. The solution is straight out of Sc-Fi: disposable robots made from 3D printers.

A large robot exhibit was also part of this year’s event- held every 2 years the International Robot Exhibition (IREX) marked it’s 20th anniversary. Many of the humanoid robots on display may have seemed to take on an almost eerily-human appearance. To explain the rhyme and reason for our feelings about creepily life-like bots, the event also held a special session:The Uncanny Valley Revisited, A Tribute to Masahiro Mori

This little contraption probably won’t be found at the beach and it’s not about to bite anyone’s toes either. In fact, all it really wants to do is take a look around. The latest version of the Sand Flea, developed by Boston Dynamics, is able to jump up to 10m thanks to the help of a CO2 powered piston. Sand Flea can perform about 25 of these types of jumps before it needs to refuel.

The idea is that the sand flea can be sent over walls and other obstacles, sending information back about what’s going on through means of a video stream. The bot is able to stabilize itself in mid air so it can capture footage even while being airborne. It’s relatively large wheels absorb shock during hard landings so it’s ready to go again once it hits the ground.

The video below features a similar robot recently acquired by a US police department. It’s nothing like Robocop but it will help keep officers safer by allowing them to explore areas that might be too dangerous for people to head into. The robot can also conduct video surveillance in indoor and outdoor environments using both regular and infrared lighting.

Are there other ways that robots could make work in urban environments safer? If you’re interested in a European initiative that envisions robots as companions and assistants, click HERE.

Militaries around the world view physical exhaustion of their soldiers as one of their main challenges, since soldiers often have to carry loads of up 50kg on their backs through rough, volatile terrain. So why not ease the load with the help of a four-legged robot?
We’ve mentioned this project in a previous post but now, in collaboration with Boston Dynamics, The Us’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agengy (DARPA) has given us a peek at the latest version of AlphaDog, also known as the Legged Squad Support System (LS3).

The LS3 did well in prior lab tests but now it’s been let out to play in the open air.  Previous models of the  robot were already able to overcome unexpected obstacles and carry a heavy load but perhaps the most impressive feature in the newest model is that the robot can now respond to certain commands, much like its live furry counterparts. It can also be “trained” to follow a particular person and it has sensors that allow it to distinguish between different objects such as trees and rocks. Being able to detect these obstacles, it can also make autonomous corrections in order to avoid them and continue on its path. This summer Alphadog’s expected to be tested on a course of over 40km while carrying a load of about 200 kg. Do you think it’s up for the challenge?

Alphadog is being developed for military purposes, but it’s not hard to envision other distinct applications for a biomimetic bot such as this one. This type of robot could be useful in a wide range of  situations that are often physically taxing for humans: search and rescue missions, space and deep sea exploration and assistance in natural disaster relief. This canine copycat is designed for land use, however other biomimetic bots are being created for both avian and aquatic applications. If you’re interested in the notion of combining nature’s age old principles with today’s cutting edge technology, you may want to check out the the European initiative, robot companions for citizens.