Popular Mechanics has an interesting article on new robots coming out of Japan. One, called “The Eye,” is designed to roam the streets, identifying and picking up garbage. This will keep our streets and sidewalks clean, without having to pay crews of laborers. (Though I suppose it will increase the demand for highly-skilled maintenance workers to keep the robots in good repair.) They will be used starting next year for cleaning Japanese railway stations.

The other development is a robot that walks, and carries you with it. The ‘i-Foot” is an 8-foot-tall, two-legged robot that carries people from place to place. The driver steers it with a joystick. It can handle rough terrain and stairs that are difficult to cover on wheels. Other companies are also working on walking chairs.

The link above has video footage of the i-Foot.

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