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Robots
A robot is a machine that is programmed to perform certain tasks autoamtically.
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All Content on this topic
Robot Bartender
If you visit the "Robot Bar & Lounge” in the eastern German town of Ilmenau, your drinks are most likely to be mixed by a robot. Carl is controlled by a computer at the end of the bar and understands simple orders. Guests can even carry on short conversations with him - for example, about the weather.
Spectrum: Laugh? A robot made me cry!
Find out about the French board game that's helping school kids in Burkina Faso learn the golden rules of fighting malaria. Also: innovative Indian health tech. And we quick start the auto-correct humor debate.
The autocorrect humor bind
We don't often hear about computers having a deeper, more emotional side. But scientists in Finland are examining how they might be able to make hi-tech devices tickle our funny bones.
Episode 1: Myon - A Robot Hits the Stage
The humanoid robot Myon will be playing a lead role in "My Square Lady" in Berlin's Komische Oper as an experiment for Manfred Hild, a neuro-robotics specialist at the Humboldt University who built the robot. Myon has to learn to respond to human emotion, express it and evoke it in other human beings.
New generation robots get smart
Exhibitors at Hanover's industrial trade fair believe that the future belongs to fully automated production lines, and to smart robots. A scary thought for some who wonder whether this automated future will still have room for humans? But industry experts allay such fears, saying smart robots are simply there to assist humans, not replace them.
Deep sea robots
A newly developed deep sea robot has been presented at the Hanover trade fair.
Sub on hold as searchers listen
Officials in charge of tracing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have said they will hold off on sending a robot sub deep below the Indian Ocean surface. Instead, the team will listen for any final clues to narrow the hunt.
Tech in a magic world
The secret's almost out: DW looks at how technology is influencing magicians and their tricks.
New industry, new robots
The Hanover industry fair provides an idea about how far robots will be allowed to take over.
The iPad magician's tricks
Magicians and technologists are collaborating. It's changing the secret world of magic. And the Internet is making it easier for us to learn their tricks. The trend is also driving innovation. But how far?
Smart robots made in The Netherlands
We take a close-up look at how one engineering firm in The Netherlands is putting Industry 4.0 into practice. The Cellro company in the Netherlands is a specialist in intelligent robots, which don't need to be stopped and retooled when a new object comes down the assembly line. 20 percent Cellro's customers are in Germany.
Robots with Feelings
Robots are likely to become more and more common as time goes on. Yet, these "Robot People” still look barely human, which could make it harder for humans to accept robot company in the long term. That is why scientists in Augsburg are working on creating a more human and emotional robot.
Robots to the rescue
The growing field of non-destructive testing is making things like bridges, buildings and railroads safer than ever before. Advances in sensor technology and robotics mean testing infrastructure is now faster and less costly than only a few years ago. Germany's Fraunhofer Institute is one of the pioneers in this crucial field.
Preventing industrial accidents
In the engineering sector there's a growing area called "non-destructive testing," which helps prevent accidents before they happen. Germany's Fraunhofer Institutes is a pioneer in the field.
Humanoid Robots
We head to the Robotics trade fair Innorobo in Lyon, France. There around 140 established companies, start-ups and research institutes are showcasing how humanoid robots are set to change the way we live.
Communicating with Robots
When humans communicate, facial expressions, gestures and body language play a big role in the conversation. Without realizing it, we imitate our counterparts in order to understand what they are feeling.
Spectrum: Me, you…We are the robots!
Find out how robots will represent you in society, and meet the people in Vienna, who are listening in but don't care about your phone calls...we're talking infrasound! Then there's the trick-inspired birthing method.
You and the robots
Human interactions are extremely complex, so it's taking time to develop robotics to the point where they can be used in human ways. But a new project in the UK aims to bring this future much closer with robot proxies to represent us in public.
Robots get suited up
It helps if you know how to make use of two talents that seem worlds apart: that of a seamstress and a mechanical engineer. DW takes a look at how combining these two skills successfully helps to extend the life span of industrial robots.
Robots get suited up
It helps if you know how to make use of two talents that seem worlds apart: that of a seamstress and a mechanical engineer. DW takes a look at how combining these two skills successfully helps to extend the life span of industrial robots.
Understanding bees
A researcher in Berlin sent a robotic bee into a hive to understand how bees communicate.
Exoskeletons for paraplegics
A German-Japanese venture is helping paraplegics to stand with the help of robotic exoskeletons
Free thinking robots
It's time we face the truth: robots are going to have to start thinking for themselves, using artificial intelligence. The farther we get from Earth, the more autonomous space probes and robots will need to be.
Autonomous robots
Robots will have to learn to think for themselves in space. Artificial intelligence is the key.
The future is a robot
The best robots are semi-autonomous: they can go it alone, but we still program them. They can go where we humans can't go - or shouldn't - such as into danger zones. Makers and researchers have been showing off their latest models at Eurathlon 2013.
My Friend, the Robot
Researchers at the German Aerospace Center are trying to determine whether robots make good companions. As astronauts often suffer from physical and mental problems during long missions, scientists and psychologists came up with the idea of using robots as personal trainers and companions.
Not a pre-fab in the house
Makers, as the moniker implies, are people who like to make things. Their growing community is changing the way some people think about technology - what we can do with it and what we want to do with it. Our reporter fancies himself a maker, too.
Robots for pensioners
Humanoid robots are helping elderly Germans in their daily lives.
Saving Space
Rupert Koch has devised an automated parking system. A driver doesn't have to do anything - he just leaves his car at a designated spot and the rest is done by a high-tech robot.
Panoramic photo tech
360 Cities - a web community of photographers - boasts 360 degree panoramas from around the world.
Drone warfare
Drones and robots are increasingly being used to replace soldiers in combat.
Bionic Man Unveiled in London
A team of scientists has unveiled a bionic man nicknamed Rex, short for "Robotic Exoskeleton." And the technology behind Rex could have exciting implications for the future of prosthetic limbs.
Robots learning like kids
You could hardly deny that robots are everywhere these days. But for them to be useful, they still have to be programmed by people. Computer scientists in Germany are looking for ways to teach robots how to teach themselves.
Robots to the rescue
The European Military Land-Robot competition is a showcase for autonomous robots.
Exit: Robots play the James Bond theme song
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have equipped small flying robots with four rotors and programmed them to play the James Bond theme song. And we’ll show you how it works.
Robotic exoskeleton in action
Claire Lomas was paralyzed from the chest down in a horse riding accident, but earlier this year used the ReWalk robotic exoskeleton to complete the London marathon. John Frijters of Argo Medical Technologies tells us how ReWalk works.
Thinking robots
Computer scientists want to teach robots how to learn independently.
Europe applauds Mars landing
DW's Holly Cooper watched the landing at the operations center of the European Space Agency in Darmstadt, where scientists applauded the Mars landing.
NASA celebrates Mars landing
After an eight month journey NASA's nuclear-powered Mars rover Curiosity has landed safely. The rover is to embark on an ambitious mission to uncover whether the planet could once have supported life.
Robotic helpers
Harnessing brain waves to help disabled people could radically change lives.
Thought-controlled robotic arms
An experiment presented by science magazine, Nature, involving a paralyzed American woman, who had directed a robotic arm to pick up a cup of coffee with the power of her thoughts has given some a sense of hope. But it could take years for the technology that harnesses brain waves to make it to market.
Cutting costs
Could robots help Germany's fledgling electric car business by lowering production prices?
What robots can do for electric cars
Price is one of the main reasons why many car-buyers have not made the leap to electric cars yet, as well as anxiety about range and where to recharge. Scientists at Munich's robotics expo, Automatica, believe that robots might hold the key to improving the outlook for these vehicles.
Air acrobats
Unmanned mini-helicopters are increasingly being deployed in numerous applications.
German winners in Robo-Cup
Europe's largest robotics contest has been won in the household section by a student team from Bonn University. Their homely humanoid impressed jurors by watering flowers, offering snacks and rearranging furniture.
Man on the Moon: Sustainable research in outer space
Scientists, politicians and businesspeople are all fascinated by the moon. They want to build manned stations on the moon and extract its raw materials. Perhaps one day soon, this vision will become a reality.
Tomorrow Today's viewer question
How can we protect ourselves from space debris?
Robot help
Honda's revamped humanoid robot Asimo can function within the contaminated Fukushima plant.
Intelligent robots
Frank Kirchner develops machines that will make their way to the moon - or Mars.
Robotic surgeons
An Irish hospital swears by its medical robots in performing routine gynecological surgery.
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