In its quest to develop functional -- and sometimes terrifying -- robots, Boston Dynamics has unleashed a veritable petting zoo of futuristic-looking machines. In recent years, the tech company, owned by Japan's SoftBank Group, has released videos showing dog-like robots unloading dishwashers and climbing stairs, galloping Bovidae-like creatures that can run move faster than Usain Bolt, and a mesmerizing humanoid robot that leaves some YouTube viewers convinced that a robot takeover is imminent. In its latest video, the first to surface in about five months, a Boston Dynamics robot has acquired a new form, one that resembles an emu. Despite its large size -- it's six feet tall and weighs 231 pounds -- the wheeled machine glides across a warehouse floor with ease, demonstrating its ability to pick up and move large boxes using what appear to be suction cups at the end of a long neck. It's referred to as "Handle" and, according to the company, was designed to carry up to 33 pounds while maneuvering in tight spaces.

Russian company Kalashnikov have released a robot - and it's not quite what anyone expected. 'Igorek' ('little Igor', not its official name) was revealed to the public on Monday in Moscow by the company behind the famous AK-47 gun which has sold more than 100 million units worldwide. The 13-feet (3.96m) tall, 4.5-tonne, manned robot is designed for "carrying out engineering and combat tasks", according to Kalashnikov, at the ARMY Forum. The Forum describes itself as the "world's leading exhibition of arms and military equipment, the authoritative platform for discussing innovative ideas and developments for the armed forces". For the moment, however, Igorek is completely immobile.

Over the last several years, a team of roboticists at the University of Tehran has been working on increasingly large and complex life-size humanoids. For their latest project, however, the Iranian researchers decided to build something smaller--and cuter. Surena Mini is a knee-high robot with a sleek 3D-printed body, articulated limbs, and a round head with two camera-eyes. "The main purpose of this robot is to provide researchers and students with a reliable robotic platform for educational and research applications," Aghil Yousefi-Koma, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Tehran, told IEEE Spectrum. He added that his group also has plans to offer the robot "for helping autistic and deaf children."

Over the last several years, a team of roboticists at the University of Tehran has been working on increasingly large and complex life-size humanoids. For their latest project, however, the Iranian researchers decided to build something smaller--and cuter. Surena Mini is a knee-high robot with a sleek 3D-printed body, articulated limbs, and a round head with two camera-eyes. "The main purpose of this robot is to provide researchers and students with a reliable robotic platform for educational and research applications," Aghil Yousefi-Koma, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Tehran, told IEEE Spectrum. He added that his group also has plans to offer the robot "for helping autistic and deaf children."

Handle is a research robot standing 6.5 ft tall, travels at 9 mph and jumps 4 feet vertically. It uses electric power to operate both electric and hydraulic actuators, with a range of about 15 miles on one battery charge. Handle uses many of the same dynamics, balance and mobile manipulation principles found in the other quadruped and biped robots Boston Dynamics' build, but with only about 10 actuated joints, it is significantly less complex. Wheels are efficient on flat surfaces while legs can go almost anywhere: by combining wheels and legs Handle can have the best of both worlds.

The International Space Station will soon be getting some new robot occupants. Astrobee is a robotic cube packed with sensors, cameras, computers, and a propulsion system. It's designed to help astronauts around the ISS with a variety of tasks. While the robot is designed to fly freely on board the ISS, for testing on the ground, Astrobee is mounted on top of a sled that uses a jet of CO2 to create a low-friction air bearing above a perfectly flat (and very enormous) block of granite. This allows the researchers to simulate microgravity in two dimensions to test the robot's propulsion and navigation systems, but once it's up in space, the entire robot will consist of just the cube that's defined by the blue bumpers, without all of the stuff underneath it.

Robots are not new to the industrial world. But as technology keeps getting better, more robots are helping humans in the workplace. Some of the world's top robot innovators recently gathered at an expo in New York to show off their best machine workers. One person attending the RoboUniverse expo said robots are important because they can take over tasks humans do not want. The founder and CEO of a new company called Blue Workforce, Preben Hjørnet, said robots will always assist humans, not replace them.