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August 12, 2009 |
More Robots
Scientists, students and corporations continue their work around the world in the field of robotics, persistently improving and redefining their capabilities, interfaces and roles in society. Unmanned vehicles fly above war zones, telerobotics give humans a broader virtual presence and humanoid robots gain more parity with humans, refining their movements and responses. Collected here are a handful of recent photographs of robotics in use around the world. [Previously on TBP: Robots] (36 photos total)

Picture of the iCub robot taken on July 1, 2009 during a presentation at the Bron research institute near Lyon, France, part of an EU-funded Robot Cub project. The iCub robots are about the size of three-year-old children, with highly dexterous hands and fully articulated heads and eyes. They have hearing and touch capabilities and are designed to be able to crawl on all fours and to sit up. (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Japanese robotic scientists set up their service robot "Eraser" on June 30, 2009 on the eve of the "RoboCup," the world's largest robotic event, hosting 408 teams with 2,300 scientists and students, in Graz, Austria. Gerald Steinbauer, organizer of the event, said that the aim is for the engineers to build robots by 2050 which will be able to beat the world champion football team. (DIETER NAGL/AFP/Getty Images) #

In this April 3, 2009 photo, a robotic tail fin, whose actions are dictated by microprocessors housed in an attached Tupperware container, is seen in professor John Long's Vassar College science lab in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Long is among a small group of researchers worldwide building robots that can do things like shimmy through water or slither up shores to aid the study biology and evolution. They believe the practice is likely to grow as technological advances allow robots to mimic biological actions far better than before. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) #

Visitors gather to admire a robotic woman on display at a science and technology exhibition in Beijing on May 20, 2009. China is rapidly increasing its spending on research and development with funding growing by an annual average annual of 18 percent over the past five years. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) #

Japan's robot venture ZMP displays 1/10-scale platforms for automobile research and development called "RoboCar Z" during a press conference in Tokyo on June 9, 2009. The small vehicles with many sensors were made for research and development of autonomic driving, safety and energy-saving technology and for education of engineers. (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Cooking robot "Okonomiyaki Robot" pours the ingredients for okonomiyaki (Japanese flour cake) over a heated cooking pan during its demonstration at the International Food Machinery and Technology Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, June 9, 2009. The Okonomiyaki Robot, developed by Osaka-based robot system integrator Toyo Riki Co., can demonstrate the whole process of okonomiyaki cooking as stirring the ingredients in a bowl, pouring them on the heated cooking pan, turning the okonomiyaki over with spatulas and serves it on a plate and asking you what types of sauces and other condiments to go with it by using both arms. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) #

Rescue workers operate a hyper rescue robot "T-53 Enryu", developed by Japanese robot venture Tmsuk to remove debris, during a demonstration at Kitakyushu city in Fukuoka prefecture, western Japan on July 3, 2009. Kitakyushu Fire Department deployed the 2.8-meter tall, three-ton robot which can be operated manually by a person aboard it as well as by remote control to lift heavy objects with its two arms. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) #

A prototype of the X-47B Navy Unmannded Combat Air System (UCAS) sits on diplay at Naval Air Station Pax River Webster Field Annex in St. Inigoes, Maryland, on August 10, 2009. The X-47B, made by Northrop Grumman Corporation, was built to demonstrate the first-ever aircraft-carrier-based autonomous launches and recoveries. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) #

Humanoid robot KOBIAN displays a surprised expression during a demonstration at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, June 23, 2009. KOBIAN which can express seven programmed emotions by using its entire body including facial expressions has been developed by researchers at Waseda's Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, led by Atsuo Takanashi and robot manufacturer Tmsuk, based in Kitakyushu, southern Japan. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) #

An Iraqi soldier walks past a remote operated bomb disposable robot unit at the Besmaya Combat training center on the outskirts of the capital Baghdad, on July 05, 2009. The Iraqi-run Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) School trains some 900 Iraqi Army EOD technicians per year. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) #

In the lower center of this photograph, mounted on the blue platform, is the head of a silkmoth, including its brain and antennae, with electrodes linking the brain to the vehicle during an experiment at a laboratory in Tokyo on June 9, 2009. Japanese scientists at the Tokyo University's Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology found that motor commands sent to the vehicle in response to odour stimuli could be translated into signals to steer the machine in real time, in an experiment toward creating insect-machine hybrids. Potential future scernarios might include law enforcement technicians releasing a swarm of robot-moths to sniff out a distant drug stash. (YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images) #

A model holds up a robot, called "Be-Robot" at the International Robot Show in Taipei, Taiwan on August 5, 2009. The "Be-Robot" seen here, designed and made in Taiwan, is 9cm tall and can walk, kick and perform push-ups. It is priced at 12,000 NTD ($366) and is awaiting verification by Guinness World Records to replace its predecessor, the 15cm version, as the world's smallest humanoid robot. (REUTERS/Pichi Chuang) #

A technician adjusts a robot during a robot show at the Nankang World Trade Center in Taipei, Taiwan on August 5, 2009. There are 321 booths from 91 units taking part in this four-day exhibition which includes robot parts, controllers, education, house cleanning, and security robots. (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images) #
More links and information
RoboCup - Official site
Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man - NYTimes.com, 7/25