IHMC to show off robots

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Some of the world's most advanced robots will be on display next week at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Robotics Lab in downtown Pensacola. The open house is April 10, from 4-7 p.m., at 201 E. Wright Street. It's part of fifth annual National Robotics Week April 5-13. Among the robots on display will be Atlas, a humanoid robot built by Boston Dynamics and used by IHMC in the DARPA Robotics Challenge in December 2013. IHMC, which wrote the programs that allowed Atlas to perform life-saving tasks during a disaster, finished second among 16 of the world's top robotics development teams. Also on display at the April 10 open house will be FastRunner, a two-legged, fast-moving platform inspired by the ostrich, and NASA's X1 exoskeleton, designed to help astronauts exercise in space and to help disabled humans walk on Earth. The event is free and will feature demonstrations and tours. (Source: IHMC, 04/01/14)