Whos leading the charge to get robots into real-world settings?
Among commercial ventures, iRobot stands out. Its Roomba has become a household name–it’s even been lampooned on “Saturday Night Live”–and the company also has been working the military angle with its PackBot device. Japan’s manufacturing heavyweights are hard at work on making robots that mimic human and animal forms, such as Honda’s Asimo and Sony’s Aibo, and similar gear for household use.