Scientists studying animal behavior and movement have developed robotic birds and bugs capable of anything from surveillance to space exploration. Here are five of our favorite biologically inspired machines.

Help for disabled people has increasingly been the domain for skilled dogs. But Georgia Tech’s Healthcare Robotics Lab has another solution. Their answer: The EI-E, a robot that can perform basic household tasks on command. (Published in the February 2009 issue)

This week, high school students around the country—and from 10 other nations—began the round-the-clock effort to build a robot fit for international competition before time runs out in mid-February.

The Odyssey IV can reach depths of more than 19,000 ft to explore the ocean's depths on its own, fight strong currents and gather crucial data. Our intrepid reporter uses it to run down a seagull.

From Singapore, PM gets a sneak peek at the latest new robot showdown. And these iRobot mods could lead the way for smaller countries to hand-build autonomous armies of their own.