Disney is showing off a highly responsive remote controlled telepresence robot the technology within which should have applications in surgical robotics. The major advancement is the hydrostatic transmission that allows the robot to mimic human movement to a high degree. While being so rapid and agile, the robot is also haptic, transmitting the pressure of the contact it’s making with other objects to the user, making hard things feel hard and soft feel soft.
It’s really something to be seen and do note the section around 1:10 showing off inserting a thread into a needle, foreshadowing surgical applications:
Paper: A Hybrid Hydrostatic Transmission and Human-Safe Haptic Telepresence Robot…
(hat tip: Gizmodo)