A Selection of Strange Robots

Sometimes, robotic creations seem a bit strange and you have to wonder why they have been developed. However strange they may seem, researchers and developers are learning from them all the time, and who knows that useful creations strange robots could lead to.

Kurata Robot

The huge Kurata robot, made by Suidobashi Heavy Industry in Japan, is the type of robot you would expect to see in science fiction films. It stands 13-foot-tall and is equipped with machine guns and rocket launchers. Although in reality, these are BB guns and fireworks. The robot can be piloted from a cockpit inside it or be remotely controlled using a smartphone.

Nao Robot

This interactive robot has cutting-edge motion, vision and audio abilities. Developed by the French company, Aldebaran Robotics, it is autonomous and programmable. This small robot can walk on different surfaces, track and recognize faces, express and understand emotions and react to touch or voice commands. It can also dance Gangnam Style.

BigDog

Boston Dynamic developed BigDog back in 2005. It was built to help soldiers where the terrain is to tough for vehicles to carry their equipment, a bit like a pack mule. Its sturdy legs enable it to carry 340pounds of cargo and it moves at 4mph. The development was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Authority (DARPA) which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Defence that deals with the development of new technologies.

H1N1 Flu Robot

Not many people would think of this when robots are being discussed as it is a humanlike bot that has been designed to simulate the symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus, or as it is more commonly known, swine flu.

The robot is covered in materials very close to human skin. It can sweat, cry and have convulsions. If they are not treated properly the symptoms get worse and, in some cases, they can stop breathing and die.

RoboSimian

Usually, when NASA is mentioned it is spaceships and astronauts that come to mind. Most people would not relate them to robots, but they have been a leader in the field of robotics for several years. In 2013, NASA entered the DARPA Robotics Challenge and won 5^th place with RoboSimian. This is a four-footed robot that is like a giant spider and it was developed to aid rescue workers in both natural and man-made disasters. Fondly called Clyde by its creators, it can climb stairs, navigate through debris and difficult terrain as well as opening doors in drywall, using and power drill and drive a car.

Other Strange Robots

There are plenty of other strange robots that have been developed, including Walk-Man that is 6-foot-tall and was developed for search and rescue missions, soft robots that look very delicate but have an amazing amount of strength, snake robots and many more too numerous to mention.