At the moment, no single robot can do very much. The competencies have been cobbled together: 1 robot is able to grab a soup can when you tell it to put it on a shelf; another will look you in the eye and make babbling noises in keeping with the inflection of your voice. One robot might be able to learn some new words; another can take the perspective of a human collaborator; still another can recognize itself in a mirror. Taken together, each small accomplishment brings the field closer to a time when a robot with true intelligence — and with perhaps other human qualities, too, like emotions and autonomy — is at least a theoretical possibility. If that possibility comes to pass, what then? Will these new robots be capable of what we recognize as learning? Of what we recognize as consciousness? Will it know that it is a robot and that you are not?

2009-03-05: Robot overview

Robotic systems continue to evolve, slowly penetrating many areas of our lives, from manufacturing, medicine and remote exploration to entertainment, security and personal assistance. Developers in Japan are currently building robots to assist the elderly, while NASA develops the next generation of space explorers, and artists are exploring new avenues of entertainment. Collected here are a handful of images of our recent robotic past, and perhaps a glimpse into the near future.

Compare with similar galleries from the last few years:

Robots at work and play
Robots part 3
More robots
Robots

(all put together by Alan Taylor). The progress is palpable.
2016-02-24: Don’t be fooled by the goofiness: This is amazing progress.

2023-08-31: World Robotics Conference

Bionic butterflies and performing humanoids: Beijing’s World Robot Conference – in pictures