Name: My seven species of robot -- and how we created them
Uploaded: 2010-04-07T12:16:00Z
Duration: 15 min 58 s
Description: Meet seven all-terrain robots -- like the humanoid, soccer-playing DARwIn and the cliff-gripping CLIMBeR -- built by Dennis Hong's robotics team at RoMeLa, based at Virginia Tech. Watch to the end for the five creative secrets to his lab's success.

Meet seven all-terrain robots -- like the humanoid, soccer-playing DARwIn and the cliff-gripping CLIMBeR -- built by Dennis Hong's robotics team at RoMeLa, based at Virginia Tech. Watch to the end for the five creative secrets to his lab's success.

My seven species of robot -- and how we created them

The drive to create new kinds of robots comes from blending playful curiosity, brainstorming, and relentless problem solving. Seven unique machines, from a three-legged walker inspired by physics to a $200 air-powered hand, show how unconventional thinking can reshape technology. Behind these breakthroughs are late-night sketches, fearless idea sharing, and a lab culture that values fun as much as rigor. Creativity thrives when teams trust each other to explore, fail, and persist.