DARPA Robotics Challenge Gears Up For Finale

It is National Robotics Week April 4 to 12, so we're celebrating with a week of special coverage on some of our favorite robots. Yesterday, we covered our 10 favorite robots. Today, we thought it would be fun to show robots in action.

Sometimes, robots sound cooler in theory than they are in real life. You hear that a robot can play soccer. Then you watch it, and it moves in slow motion, barely kicking the ball. We've found 10 robot videos that live up to the hype one way or the other. They all do what they're advertised to do. And they all celebrate an achievement in robots, whether it's sublime speed, strength, or moments of sweet humanity.

[Ever wanted to know what robot room service was like? Read Robot Room Service Delivers the Goods. ]

There are also a couple of silly videos, of course. Because what would a celebration of robots be without a dog fighting a robot? Check out our top 10 robot videos and celebrate National Robotics Week with us.

The 10 Best Robot Videos Ever

1. Lifelike robots from Japan. We're not there yet, but we're getting frighteningly close.

2. This precision swarm of robots from Harvard might show why robots really will take over the Earth.

3. Disney will soon let you play catch and even juggle with a robot in its theme parks.

4. Disney had the cute version. This is the version on steroids if you want to see a robot go far beyond human capability.

5. Yes, putting your baby on Roomba is a thing.

6. Apparently we use robots to torment our pets.

7. But sometimes we torment the robot, too!

8. I defy you not to smile at these robots dancing.

9. Of course, sometimes there are frustrations along the way. Not every robot is perfect out of the box.

10. But if everything goes well, this is what you get.

There you have them, folks -- the best robot videos on the Internet so far. But at the speed that robotics is advancing, I'm sure some of these will be surpassed quickly. Which ones are your favorites?

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