New Robot Designs Inspired by Biology

Even as modern robotics flourishes, most industrial and other robots only follow pre-programed algorithms. They have difficulty recognizing and dealing with unexpected conditions. Cambridge University roboticist Fumiya Iida studies the diversity and adaptations of the Earth's evolving life forms to design more autonomous "bio-inspired" robots. He says the future of robotics lies in understanding how living creatures adjust to environmental changes. What do his new robots look like? This program examines the future of robots from the perspective of a leading roboticist abroad.