robots

Shoppers view and take photographs of humanoid robot "Chihira" at the information reception desk of Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo.

World News

She's Almost Real: The New Humanoid On Customer Service Duty In Tokyo

4:15pm May 15, 2015

by Elise Hu

In Tokyo, a stylish new department store receptionist isn't a human at all. It's a lifelike silicone robot with movements so real, it's fooling some customers.

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These robotic arms are part of a modular kitchen that's been set up so that the robot chef can find exactly what it needs.

This Robot Chef Has Mastered Crab Bisque

11:00am April 19, 2015

by NPR Staff

The system, a pair of robotic arms, learned to cook by mimicking the motions of a top chef. Even though it can't smell or taste, its maker says the robot should be able to make 2,000 meals by 2017.

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Made of cardboard, BlabDroid asks tough, personal questions that many people are apparently willing to answer.

SXSW Debuts Robot Petting Zoo For A Personal Peek Into The Future

6:43pm March 18, 2015

by Laura Sydell

Robots are coming — in fact they're already here. One exhibit at the South by Southwest interactive festival lets visitors get up close and personal to our future overlords.

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Dolls depicting Elsa from the Disney film Frozen — the movie's merchandise is expected to be the most popular gift for girls this holiday season — await pickup Sunday at an Amazon warehouse in Tracy, Calif.

Amazon Unleashes Robot Army To Send Your Holiday Packages Faster

9:32am December 03, 2014

by Rachael Myrow

In its endless quest to get goods to customers fast, Amazon has hired squads of speedy robots. In warehouses where human "pickers" walked miles a day, machines now zip shelves of goods back and forth.

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Since it was built by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service in 1998, 90,000 emergency responders have come to "Disaster City" to climb over mangled steel and through derailed chemical trains.

In 'Disaster City,' Learning To Use Robots To Face Ebola

12:05pm November 29, 2014

by Lauren Silverman

A Texas training site prepares first responders to deal with emergencies like earthquakes and bombings. The facility is now turning to outbreaks like Ebola, and smart machines may play a key role.

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Even this early model, a little penguin rover with clearly visible wheels, was accepted into the huddle. Later models, like the one shown in the video below, had the tires concealed.

Science

WATCH: The Robotic Baby Penguin That Spies For Scientists

3:34pm November 10, 2014

by Priska Neely

The emperor penguins of Antarctica are adorable. They're also pretty skittish when humans come around to collect data. Researchers at the University of Strasbourg have a solution: a penguin rover.

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Shaft, a small Japanese company, makes one of the most advanced humanoid robots on the planet. In December, Shaft's bot grabbed the top spot at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's Robotics Challenge.

With Google's Robot-Buying Binge, A Hat Tip To The Future

8:56pm March 17, 2014

by Steve Henn

The price and difficulty of building robots has fallen, and Google has scooped a half-dozen robotics firms. It's a safe bet that bots will be an increasing part of our workplaces and daily lives.

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