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Robots mania Each year robots are getting more sophisticated and entertaining than ever before. Check out these captivating robots that can do almost anything — from reciting Shakespeare to serving shaved ice cream with a smile.
Jan. 11, 2013
A robot paints brake drums at Webb Wheel Products in Cullman, Ala. Webb Wheel hasn’t added a factory worker in three years, though it’s making 300,000 more drums annually, a 25 percent increase, because of robots.
Dave Martin
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AP
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Jan. 16, 2013
A robot cooks in a robot-themed eatery called the Robot Restaurant in northeast China. The restaurant has 20 robots that perform a variety of chores, from ushering in guests to waiting tables and cooking dishes. There’s also a robot that sings to diners as their “food is being cooked,” Mashable reports.
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AFP/Getty Images
Nov. 28, 2012
A man takes a picture of a giant Kuratas robot at an exhibition in Tokyo. The thirteen-foot-high, limited edition, made-to-order robot is controlled through a pilot in its cockpit or via smartphone. The four-ton robot can be customized in 16 different colors, and is armed with a futuristic weapons system, including a multi-rocket launcher that fires plastic rockets filled with compressed water.
Kim Kyung-Hoon
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Reuters
May 4, 2011
A man takes a ball from the hand of a pattern recognition and movement coordination multi-robot during FET 11, the European Future Technologies Conference and Exhibition in Budapest.
Attila Kisbenedek
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AFP/Getty Images
March 3, 2011
The robot Aila (Artificial Intelligence Lightweight Android) is pictured at the CeBIT IT fair in Germany. Alia not only has the ability to recognize objects, but it can also lift them.
Johannes Eisele
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AFP/Getty Images
June 6, 2011
The IT model robot is displayed at iRobot headquarters in Bedford, Mass.The company makes the Roomba and Scooba floor-cleaning machines and the PackBot, a robot that can search caves and help with bomb-disposal missions.
Scott Eells
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Bloomberg News
March 25, 2011
Surgeon Alain Herard poses next to the Da Vinci surgical robot, created by U.S. company Intuitive Surgery, in Reims, France. The robot, equipped with three arms, miniaturized wristed instruments and a 3-D camera, can be used for minimally invasive remote surgery.
Francois Nascimbeni
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AFP/Getty Images
June 29, 2011
A dentist from Showa University Dentistry School demonstrates a treatment on a dental robot patient named Hanako Showa 2 at the university in Tokyo. Japanese robot maker Tmsuk and Showa University intends for the robot, which imitates human reactions such as coughing, tongue movement and pain reaction, to be used by students during training.
Toru Yamanaka
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AFP/Getty Images
May 11, 2011
A robot called RoboThespian is displayed at the World IT Show 2011 in Seoul. The robotic actor can recite Shakespeare, sing and dance.
SeongJoon Cho
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Bloomberg News
April 7, 2011
A salamander-like robot from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne is displayed during the Bionic Robots Workshop.
Damien Meyer
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AFP/Getty Images
July 7, 2011
A goalkeeper robot defends its turf during a test before the RoboCup 2011 in Istanbul. RoboCup is the largest and most prestigious robotics event and a showcase for artificial intelligence and intelligent robotics research.
Musrtafa Ozer
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AFP/Getty Images
Aug. 31, 2011
Visitors look at robots fighting at the Taipei International Robot Show in Taiwan.
Chiang Ying-ying
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AP
Aug. 16, 2011
An assistant poses next to an industrial robot with a cat head called Mecha-Najavu, produced by Japan's Yaskawa Electric. The robot operates an ice-shaving machine that makes a bowl of flavored shaved ice as an attraction at Namja Town theme park in Tokyo. “Mecha” means mechanical and “Najavu” is a Japanese cat character, which is also the mascot for the theme park.
Yoshikazu Tsuno
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AFP/Getty Images
April 14, 2011
A visitor takes a picture of a robot made from motorcycle parts during the Taiwan Motorcycle show at the World Trade Center in Taipei.
Sam Yeh
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AFP/Getty Images
June 16, 2011
Forget the bellhop — meet the luggage robot. It’s the first of several high-tech, sleek amenities guests encounter at the Yotel, a hotel that aims to provide a trendy stay at an affordable price.
Frank Franklin II
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AP
March 15, 2011
Expedition 26 commander, right, poses with Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.
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AP
Feb. 28, 2011
Eden Sawczenko reacts to Kaspar, who is showing the “happy” stance of two open arms as she takes part in a research project in Hatfield, England. Eden attends a nursery for autistic children in Stevenage, north of London, where researchers bring in the humanlike, child-sized robot once a week for a supervised session. Children play with the robot for up to 10 minutes alongside a scientist who controls the robot with a remote control. Kaspar is programmed to do things like smile, frown, laugh, blink and wave his arms. He was built by scientists at the University of Hertfordshire at a cost of about $2,118.
Alastair Grant
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AP
Feb. 24, 2011
Robots race shortly after the start of the world's first full marathon for robots. The event was organized by technology company Vstone Co. in Osaka, Japan. Participating five robots completed 422 laps around a 110-yard indoor racetrack to cover 26 miles.
Shizuo Kambayashi
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AP
Sept. 16, 2011
President Obama, with students Meghan Clark and Nathan Hughes, watches as a demonstration of the FIRST Robot during a visit to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria. The robot was created in the school’s prototyping and robotics senior research labs for 2011’s FIRST Robotics Competition.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais
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AP
May 11, 2011
A MahaDeviBot, a robot orchestra instrument, is ready for an upcoming KarmetiK Machine Orchestra concert at the California Institute for the Arts campus in Valencia, Calif. The MahaDeviBot, a solenoid-based robot, is capable of drumming or striking 12 percussion instruments gathered from around India, including frame drums, bells, finger cymbals, wood blocks and gongs.
Damian Dovarganes
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AP
Sept. 20, 2011
A police multitask mobile robot that can be used to defuse bombs is shown in Warsaw. Robots like this might be used to help bring order in crisis situations such as rowdy football crowds.
Czarek Sokolowski
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AP
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