Robot Uses Obstacles Instead of Avoiding Them

So far Robots have been programmed to avoid things when navigating in their environment.  Sébastien Lengagne of Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan developed a method for robots to use objects (which would otherwise be seen as "obstacles") to their advantage. Instead of avoiding a small object, they could simply move it in order to clear their path or lean on large objects such as chairs or tables in order to gain better stability. Although his results are outstanding and could lead to a rethinking of robot mobility, one main "drawback" is that his current prototypes behave much like elderly people when moving or leaning on objects. See the video below for a demonstration of this new motion algorithm as used by the HRP-2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUvA1IUFETs Via NewScientist.