New innovations in robotics are presented while highlighting two very unique and effective robotics challenges. For elementary school students, the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics uses hands-on robotics programs to communicate the excitement, knowledge and practical understanding of science. The DARPA Robotics Challenge is a competition of robot systems and software teams representing some of the most advanced robotics research and development organizations in the world. The robots must complete a series of challenging tasks selected for their relevance to disaster response. The importance of robotics to human safety and exploration is discussed.

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