Voice-controlled drones and robot dinosaurs: London Toy Fair 2015 highlights

The 62nd annual toy fair in London opens today (21 January), featuring a whole host of new gifts and gadgets for children.

The UK toy market has experienced it's best year since 2010, with growth of 4.4% in 2014. The latest figures, announced by the British Toy and Hobby Association, have seen the industry reach 3bn. Experts already predict 2015 to be a strong year for the toy industry, with an expected market increase of 3%.

Drones, robotics and movie merchandise appear to be in fashion this year, along with traditional craft toys.

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Dr Vytas SunSpiral - NASA Robot Man | London Real

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NASA Engineer Dr. Vytas SunSpiral.
Dr. Vytas SunSpiral of NASA gives a lecture in Lausanne, Switzerland about Intelligent Robotics and joins us to talk about how he uses human physiology and movement in his designs, why the study of animals can help him construct better robots, how collision avoidance isn't perfectly possible in the real world, and how martial arts and gymnastics inspire his creations.

"The only reason to have a brain is to control motion, originally." - Vytas (01:33)

"Animals that are moving change their relationship to gravity all the time." - Vytas (03:15)

"Collision avoidance isn't perfectly possible in the real world, there are other actors out there." - Vytas (04:03)

"You've all heard of the chicken with its head cut off, and it's a funny joke but it's real." - Vytas (05:27)

"This is where I get to brag about the work you do here [at EPFL]." - Vytas (06:16)

"How do you find humans inspire your robotic work?" - Brian (07:09)

"To get the disruptive 'game changing' ideas you have to attack the problem from a different angle." - Vytas (09:17)

"Are you trying to build robotics that are going to land on Mars someday?" - Brian (11:20)

"I used to do a lot of medieval martial arts and I always used the Sun as a symbol on my shield." - Vytas (18:31)

Music: Kevin MacLeod

http://www.magicalrobot.org/
http://ti.arc.nasa.gov/tech/asr/intelligent-robotics/
http://www.epfl.ch/index.en.htmlaus
http://www.nccr-robotics.ch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lausanne

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