Gadgetory

today's robots are finding new ways to help humans I'm Bridget Carey this is your scene that update meets Milo an expressive two foot tall humanoid robot that resembles something out of a Japanese anime cartoon he speaks slowly as he plays games and teaches trivia to kids he even throws dance parties but this isn't just another talking toy Milo is designed to help children with autism while you may think his dancing skills could use some work there's actually something incredible going on beyond the wires and gears research has shown that children are opening up and engaging with Milo better than with human teachers children on the autism spectrum were found to engage with the robot 87% of the time compared to 3% with a therapist kids with autism can feel comfortable with computers but communicating with people can be a challenge Milo serves as a bridge and his expressive face helps teach social skills research says children using Milo in therapy have increased eye contact body language and friendliness created by Dallas based company Robo kind Milo is being used now in 50 schools as an autism therapy tool Milo was just one of several robots on display at the Robo universe Expo in New York City robots are predicted to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world and although robots have been serving in assembly lines for decades now some arms on the factory floor are getting more human-friendly check out Baxter from rethink robotics when Baxter is working at the assembly line his eyes give him some human personality but they also are a safety feature his eyes give a clue on which arm is going to move next normally robot arms in a factory have to be surrounded by a protective fence because you know they can kill you if you get hit now the fence is not necessary because they stop when detecting any resistance robot arms are also easier to program for smaller or mid-sized businesses I was able to program this arm in less than two minutes without any coating to create a series of positions you can physically move the arm to where you wanted to go now next and it just remembers next time you go shopping a robot could give you assistance Lowe's home improvement is using these rolling information kiosks if you need to find an item just say it or type it in and it'll show you where it is and it leads you to the aisle it's located the maker fellow robots says it's learned a few lessons in early tests one frustrated customer hit it with a shopping cart on purpose but other robots could even follow you around new bot ik had one called the doog that demonstrates how signage can follow you on a show floor like a little puppy that's your tech news update you can head over to cnet.com for more from our studios in New York I'm Bridget Carey