Still, when my editors and I discussed whether we'd rather invest in a robot or several plane tickets to New York, we'd choose the latter.

WSJ: My Life as a Telecommuting Robot

If China, Russia or anyone else for that matter launched a Mars rover and we were watching robot wars millions of miles away, we'd be in space heaven.

ENGADGET: This is the Modem World: Curiosity Killed the Fanboy

D. student Roxana Leontie developed a program that would allow the robot to carry items without stable centers of gravity say, bottles of water or half-filled bags of pet kibble.

FORBES: Robots Are Learning To Take Care Of Pets

Thanks to spotty Wi-Fi coverage, we'd go a short distance, talking naturally, then halt as the robot lost signal, or veered off.

WSJ: Working With Robot Rachel

D. in computer science and put in 19 years at IBM developing an important robot software language.

FORBES: Robo-docs

D. in aerospace engineering and wrote a thesis on insectlike drones, some troops insist that they get the same robot back not a replacement unit.

WSJ: In the Afghan War, a Little Robot Can Be a Soldier's Best Friend