Bill Gates Backs 'Huggable' Medical Robot

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is throwing Microsoft money at a Belgian company called Anty, which is developing "an intelligent, autonomous HUGGY ROBOT." Gates is quoted in a HealthEurope article as saying, "They are creating a robot called 'Probo' (I don't like the sound of THAT. -Ed.) which will be used as a tele-interface to interact with the children on three different levels: entertainment, communication and medical treatments. The R&MM research group will take care of the mechanical part of the robot, whereas ETRO will focus on the aspects of vision, hearing and speech."

Video Shows Robot Teaching Self How to Walk

A four-legged robot called Starfish was developed by Josh Bongard, Victor Zykov, and Hod Lipson at the Computational Synthesis Lab at Cornell University. The robot was designed to THINK ABOUT WAYS TO WALK, then try them. The process is probably very similar to a newborn mammal's, which is exactly what this robot looks like as it learns to walk.

(props to BotJunkie)

Pollution Hunting Robot Jumps Like a Flea

Researchers at Italy's Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna have created a tiny robot that JUMPS LIKE A FLEA. The robot is being outfitted with sensors that detect toxic mercury. The idea is to turn robots like this loose, and let them jump around, looking for pollution.

'Robot Surge': 3,000 Robots Headed For Iraq

The Pentagon is rushing 1,000 ROBOTS to Iraq by the end of the year starting September 24, followed by 2,000 more over the next five years, to protect troops from suicide bombers and roadside bombs. Although robots in war zones isn't new, the sheer numbers of this "surge" are staggering.