CRI听力:World Robots Review 2011

In the United States, the birthplace of jazz, Shimon the robot musician started the year grooving to the beat, playing the marimbas in a jam session.

Shimon has been programmed with a funky mix of styles of different jazz legends, composed of 30 percent Charlie Parker, 30 percent Thelonius Monk and 40 percent Professor Weinberg's own style.

Looking for help at home? Well, a social robot could be just your cup of tea-or coffee.

Singaporean scientists at the ASORO project are developing sociable automatons to serve as in-house companions or even office receptionists. Mika, all set to serve morning coffee, is one of a new breed of people-friendly robots, designed to work in social situations.

In June, researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK unveiled the world's first control system that allows robots to think for themselves.

The team has designed a fleet of perfectly balanced robotic satellites that rotate around a pivot point, similar to real satellites. They glide on roller bearings across a purpose-built glass table, mimicking the zero-gravity properties of space, and are powered by eight small propellers.

Using onboard cameras, the robots are able to observe other satellites as well as navigate using overhead markers that replicate the stars in our solar system.

A robotic elephant trunk and an electronic jellyfish were just two of the robots on show at the Worldskills 2011 fair at London's Excel in October.

The Aquajelly robot, pulsing up and down under its own propulsion, has no obvious practical purpose but may help inspire the next generation of robotics inventors.

Another creature closely based on a natural and familiar form is the Eccerobot. He may have only one eye, but this friendly robot can wave hello. The Geneva-based team behind Eccerobot want to make their robot user-friendly and as anatomically accurate as possible.

In contrast to most mechanical devices, Eccerobot is closely based on the internal workings of the human body. It has the same internal structure of a spine, discs and elastic muscles. It's floppy and elastic. So, it's more than just a pretty face. Rob Knight, is the CEO of Robot Studio, which developed Eccerobot.

"We're trying to copy the internal mechanisms of the human body rather than just the external forms, which is what pretty much all other robots do. And the reason for that is that we want robots to not just to look like us but to move like us, interact with us in a safe way."

2011 was the 90th anniversary of the term "robot" first coined by Czech writer Karel Capek in his play "RUR." Robotics in 2012 has a lot to live up to.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.