This year 2022 has been the first time that I have attended ICRA, and I had never even remotely expected that it was going to be such an intense and exciting experience for me. Before starting the conference, I believed that what would interest me the most would be the state-of-the-art robots that are showcased during the conference. I am a researcher in swarm robotics, and I typically work with small educational robots. To me, the ICRA 2022 Science Communication Awards seemed a great opportunity to experience the large ecosystem of robots presented in the exhibitions and the competitions. Since I was not presenting any paper, getting to see amazing robots resulted very intriguing.

This year 2022 has been the first time that I have attended ICRA, and I had never even remotely expected that it was going to be such an intense and exciting experience for me. Before starting the conference, I believed that what would interest me the most would be the state-of-the-art robots that are showcased during the conference. I am a researcher in swarm robotics, and I typically work with small educational robots. To me, the ICRA 2022 Science Communication Awards seemed a great opportunity to experience the large ecosystem of robots presented in the exhibitions and the competitions. Since I was not presenting any paper, getting to see amazing robots resulted very intriguing.

When it comes to robots, science fiction has conditioned us to think of androids – bipedal machines approximating the human form. But the next generation of robots may be based on very different types of animals: snakes, flies, locusts and even the multi-tentacle octopus. Israeli scientists are hard at work on just such contraptions. Here's a look at seven of the most fascinating designs that can help with everything from exploring our insides to cleaning up the mess we make on the planet. Medrobotics' signature product, the Flex Robotic System, allows physicians to reach deep into the body with minimal risk.

The future is already here! Technological companions have long been seen as a key feature of futuristic societies. Well, it seems that the future is now. Whether it's mowing the lawn, vacuuming the house, or just keeping you company, robots are being used to make our daily lives easier. While they might not pilot spaceships or do anything too complex yet, robots are taking over the simple tasks.

Top most amazing and coolest ROBOTS The family of robot animals from the German developer of robotics Festo is growing. The company presents many new robots, for example: a swarm of ants that can interact with each other, as well as butterflies and dragonflies, which are characterized by all the ease and grace of these insects. When they were created, the company focused not only on their appearance, but also on behavioral characteristics. The ants coordinate with each other all their actions and movements. Each ant, that is 13-centimeter long, has on its belly a radio module, through which precise coordination is carried out.

Mammal-like robots with whiskered touch systems,machines powered by slime and dancing humanoids that can communicate with humans are just a few of the robots invading the Science Museum today. The International Living Machines conference showcases a wide array of strange machines that not only advance robotics but help scientists understand more about nature's living organisms by trying to replicate their functions. Led by the University of Sheffield, the event unites technologists from around the globe to explore the future of biomimetic and biohybrid technologies with a focus on future life-like robots. The international Living Machines conference showcases a wide array of strange machines that help scientists understand more about nature by trying to replicate it. Cutting edge machines in the spotlight include robots that move and sense like animals, biohybrid exhibits that mix biological and artificial parts, including an emotionally-expressive robot controlled by slime mould and the latest biomimetic medical devices that draw their inspiration from the natural world.

We've long been fans of the self-sustaining, wave-powered Waveglider, a maritime robot that can harvest propulsion energy from the rolling motion of ocean waves to operate far from shores indefinitely--or at least until something breaks down. Durability, then, is key to Waveglider's seafaring success, and this this year it proved its hardiness several times over. First, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began custom-fitting the Waveglider to be a long-endurance weather monitoring platform capable of staying at sea for many months at a time to intercept hurricanes and other storms gathering far from shore--a major vote of confidence for the technology. Then we learned in early November that one of NOAA's Wavegliders had deployed (and survived) off the coast of New Jersey during Hurricane Sandy, withstanding the full brunt of her destructive power as she came ashore (while beaming reams of valuable data to meteorologist back onshore). And finally, we learned that the first of four Wavegliders that set off from San Francisco last year on a trans-Pacific crossing had reached Australia, proving these robots are ready for long-duration science missions at sea with virtually no human help or interference.

We've been incredibly excited to see the progress that Boston Dynamics has been making on ATLAS in preparation for the DARPA Robotics Challenge, but we had no idea what to expect from the challenge's Track A teams, each of whom will be designing and building their own robot with capabilities comparable to what we've seen ATLAS do. Today, October 24, is opening day for the DARPA Robotics Challenge, or DRC. The press release sums it up nicely: "over the next two years, teams will compete to develop and put to the test hardware and software designed to enable robots to assist humans in emergency response when a disaster strikes." The first half of this is the hardware: DARPA is promising that an "advanced variation" of ATLAS (which is what the above picture is showing) will be ready to go by June of 2013, and will be provided to the advancing Track B and C teams (see our previous post on the DRC for more details on the tracks). As for the simulation software (pictured above), OSRF has been working very, very hard, and the DRC Simulator is currently available in beta version 1.0.

Relationships between robots and humans are quite debatable. While some believe that robots impose a threat to human occupations, others are excited to explore opportunities that robots will bring. The potential of robotics is almost unlimited as it is able to create machines for almost any operation across a wide range of industries. The financial services industry will not be an exception either. In fact, there is already a robot that was showcased at SEC in Barcelona last year – Pepper.