And more recently, a third wave of robotic evolution has given rise to software robots, the ethereal cousins to their mechanical counterparts that mimic humans in conducting rules-based tasks, but live in the cloud or data center.
That's what suggests framing the research paper on the link between mass extinctions and robotic evolution as a way to understand the potential confluence of two points in the future.
The exhibition also offers face-to-face encounters with other creatures in the rapidly branching tree of robotic evolution: Asimo, Honda's advanced but diminutive automaton is there, sadly immobile next to a rather lively RoboThespian, which seems to have had a personality transplant from C3PO.
It's robotic evolution, sparked by intelligent student design.
Robotic evolution nestled comfortably between social bacteria and the game theorist?s view of cooperation, and the speakers did a nice job of cross-referencing each other (albeit with a wicked dash of sarcasm at times).
Devices like Looj and Rovio fit into a model of robot evolution that has four parts, says Tandy Trower, general manager of Microsoft's robotics group.
That's the exciting come-on for the ER1 Personal Robot from Evolution Robotics, yet another company in Internet hypemaster Bill Gross ' erratic Idealab portfolio.
A recharging station is designed consisting of a stationary docking station and a docking mechanism mounted to an ER-1 Evolution Robotics robot.
Home (and military) robot maker iRobot has just acquired Evolution Robotics, the makers of the Mint floor-cleaning robot with an R&D shop focused on navigational tools.
While that was Evolution Robotics' path, the world of robotics is just getting warmed up.
