Strange New World: Tech Picks of the Week

April 17, 2009— -- We've been thinking a lot about robots lately with the awesome new Terminator trailer on the Net and all the leaked images from the new "Transformers" movie.

It turns out there is a lot of other news in real-life robotics this week as well. There was also a shakeup at the top of the U.S. computer sales charts and some Twitter news. Here now, our picks of the week.

The Robobusiness 2009 conference is going on this weekend in Boston, proving that robots are not our future but our present. They already affect our daily lives in more ways than we realize and promise to do more soon.

And the markets for their application seem to have no bounds.

The elderly may be one potential market for robotics. Robosoft and SRI International are showing off the robuLAB10, which combines navigation software with a roving robot that can navigate its environment, follow its owner, and even assist in certain tasks, such as carrying items.

The company is offering it as a platform to developers who are looking to build robots for the home, particularly for elderly people who may need help around the house.

Kids born with mental disabilities are on the list as well. Research is being done to develop robots that help kids with autism socialize better.

On a more fun front, robotics looks as if it'll be part of gaming.

Tom Dusenberry, president of Robonica, is speaking about robots and entertainment at the conference. Back at ToyFair, we got a preview of Robonica's cool robot gaming technology, bound to be a hit next Christmas, but we were a bit bummed to learn that its introduction has been delayed. It's hoped that will be the only delay.

Of course, human/robot integration is always of interest. The cybernetic evolution of prosthetics is already a reality -- check out the iLimb -- but not always a high-profile subject.

Paralympics champion Aimee Mullins is looking to change that by publicly speaking about her collection of prosthetic legs. The subject is also catching the eye of designers and leading some fashionistas to ask the question: Do prosthetics need to look human?