A robot from Gecko Robotics is being used to clean the exterior of a Navy vessel. Pennsylvania company Gecko Robotics has revealed that its hull-scaling robot, which can identify structural issues, has been adopted by the US Navy. The military force will now utilize the technology on the first amphibious assault vessel and one more destroyer from the Arleigh Burke-class. The CEO of the company stated in a press release that they are happy to use their advanced technology which has been evaluated and authenticated by Navy technical leaders and sustainment officials. The Navy has a crucial responsibility and Gecko will support them by ensuring they have the necessary tools to execute their tasks securely and efficiently in today's constantly evolving geopolitical scenario.

Officials say using the RadPiper robot is safer, tremendously faster and more accurate than the current method of workers taking external measurements. They also say it could save tens of millions of public dollars on cleanups of that site and one near Paducah, Kentucky.

Hoffman, an assistant professor at Cornell University who studies human-robot interaction, partnered with Google to develop the robot to watch YouTube clips alongside children with autism. These children often have trouble understanding how to react emotionally to social situations. Using machine learning, Hoffman and the team at Google are working on designing ways for Blossom to act during different videos to help autistic kids learn key social cues. The project is still in its infancy, and the team hasn't shared many details. But the idea is a touchstone in Hoffman's 14-year quest to build softer, gentler robots–ones we might even pass down to our children and grandchildren one day.

The autonomous robots are designed to climb scaffolding and buildings by wrapping around a poll or beam and then rolling upward via an oscillating joint motion. Using built-in sensors and cameras, the robots would then inspect the structures or handle other dangerous tasks now done by humans, said Dennis Hong, director of Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory and the faculty adviser on the project. The robots are each roughly three feet in length and use a movement unique even in nature. "These are really wicked cool robots," he added. The need for autonomous tools in the construction field is great.

In classical sculpture there is a great emphasis on movement. In the world of robotics, the emphasis is on actual motion. For the last several years Riga, Latvia-based new media sculptor Krists Pudzens has been fusing the two disciplines with his "electromechanical art." In his first major exhibition, SHIFT, Pudzens showcases a number of kinetic and interactive works created between 2007 and 2014. The show features seven objects that explore various types of perception like audio, visual and tactile sensations, but also function as "closed, introverted" systems with distinct appearances and movement.

We all know work is changing thanks to technology -- how we interact with colleagues, how we communicate, and the tools we use are all developing at a whiplash-inducing pace. But according to architect and designer Jennifer Magnolfi, when it comes to how tech is changing office life, we haven't seen anything yet. As Magnolfi explained to the audience at a recent Google re:Work event, she has a bit of an unusual specialty. She studies advanced, futuristic workspaces such as submarines, hacker spaces or robotics labs, where human workers rely heavily on cutting-edge technology and are innovating how people and machines interact. These aren't your typical workers, Magnolfi concedes, but she believes their experience today is a window into the workspaces more of us will experience in the future.