Got a thing for robots? For the first time ever, the general public will have a say about which automatons are inducted into Carnegie Mellon University’s Robot Hall of Fame (RHOF).

"The technology and art of robotics are advancing at an increasingly rapid rate and so the Robot Hall of Fame also must evolve," Shirley Saldamarco, RHOF director and faculty member at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, said in a statement. "As more students, workers, and consumers become accustomed to robots, it seems like a natural step to give the public a voice in selecting inductees."

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Pharmacists spend most of their day filling scripts and counting pills. Often times they seem rushed and have very little time for a customer’s questions.  That may change with the implementation of a robotic pill dispenser capable of filling 5,000 scripts a day. 

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Imagine tossing out your cast net to scoop up some bait for a fine day of fishin', but along with minnows, you find a robot! An assistant professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University is developing robotic fish in order to help schools avoid oil spills, natural disasters, and manmade dangers. 

"Schooling fish have a rich system of information sharing," explains Dr. Maurizio Porfiri. "They decide when to school based on a wide variety of factors, including vision and pressure cues from other fish. By studying these cues, we can learn how school members recognize - and follow - a leader."

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If you have $15,000 to spare and your boss doesn't mind cutesy (creepy?) robots, you might to consider investing in the Anybots QB. The QB is a telepresence robot that can go into the office for you, sparing you the hassle of stressful commutes or annoying coworkers.

“The QB is an extension of you,”  Bob Christopher, chief operating officer of Anybots told Wired.com. “It removes the barriers between people and work so people can teleport themselves to the office space.”

Anybots QB will be available this Fall. Check out the video below.

Source: Wired.com

Who wasn't excited when the first self check-out lanes appeared at grocery stores? That is, until the machines started malfunctioning, like repeatedly telling you to bag our item when you already did! Anyway, this new invention from Japan hopes to make your self check-out experience much more enjoyable.

Meet PaPeRo, the robotic cashier recently introduced at RetailTech Japan 2010. Apparently the company behind this 15" tall talking robot has been trying to find the perfect purpose for him (or her?) for nearly a decade and I guess they've settled on this. Clever.

PaPeRo verbally guides you on scanning your items and making a payment, although those same instructions are clearly displayed on the screen as well, so I think this little guy is just for fun. The video below shows how it works. The coolest part is how the guy pays by simply scanning his cell phone! Now that's a useful innovation!