One of the biggest draws at the recent Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems conference was a human-like robot called DARwin - which stands for Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence. DARwin was part of the Office of Naval Research's exhibit.
The groundbreaking new robot developed by the Virginia Tech Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory is, according to Armed with Science:
A family of fully autonomous humanoid robots capable of bipedal walking and performing human like motions.
So, why is it so important that DARwin was part of the Office of Naval Research's exhibit? Well, according to Dr. Larry Schuette, ONR's director of innovation:
"A presence at this premier event on autonomous technology is a good opportunity for us to share our vision for the future of unmanned systems for the Navy from a science and technology perspective."
Why is it I can't get the Herbie Hancock song "Rockit" out of my head?
Anyhoo, take a look at the video posted by the Office of Naval Research of DARwin trying to bend it like Beckham:
Soccer-Playing Robot Wows Crowd at Navy Showcase (Video)
