You Are Obsolete: Robots Going Everywhere Man Has Gone Before -- And Beyond

They tap into the brain. They roam Antarctica and the Martian landscape. They conduct orchestras. Yes, they even scale cliffs in the Grand Canyon.

They are robots.

Is this the first wave of a worldwide takeover? Well, no. But these mechanical beings of all shapes, sizes and complex capabilities have captured the attention of tech hounds across the globe and here at Switched headquarters, where we're happy enough with our Roomba.

Are you a monkey? Well, then, today's your lucky day, because now you can control a robot arm with your mind. We assume you want to peel that banana, but you'll just have to be satisfied with marshmallows, for now.

Are you a thrill-seeker or an explorer? Yes, there's a robot or three for you. On Tuesday, Panasonic sent the Evolta Robot up the side of a Grand Canyon cliff for seven hours to prove the might of its new long-lasting, high-power Evolta battery. From bottom to top, the robot traversed 1,740 feet, powered along by what Guiness now calls the longest-lasting alkaline battery in production. Six bucks buys you the battery, although for now, it is only available in Japan.

Maybe that's too much nature for you? Fine. Tackle just about any wall surface with SRI International's wall-climbing robot, which uses "electro-adhesion" to scale even dusty and dirty walls.

Need to explore the South Pole? In Atlanta, researchers at Georgia Tech have modified a children's snow mobile, creating the SnoMote, which they hope will skid around the icy expanse, gathering data and maybe occasionally doing figure eights in the pristine powder.

For those of you attuned to the finer things in life, may we suggest a concert conducted by robots? It's a must-see for any orchestra aficionado. Yo Yo Ma and company played along to the direction of a baton-wielding ASIMO on May 13. Check the video after the break.





In all, it's been a busy few weeks for our mechanical friends.

Here's to hoping they don't learn how to write...

Tags: robot