Google robotics could focus on navigation, machines moving from place to place

Google wants to bring more robots to the real world. But instead of focusing on the fanciful stuff of sci-fi lore, the tech giant is focusing on simpler automated stuff. Think robotic arms sorting through specific objects, instead of something like C-3P0.
Google hasn't said much about its robotics initiatives since the company said it was rebooting its efforts last month. But on Tuesday, Vincent Vanhoucke, the division's new leader and a principal researcher at Google, shared some insight on what the company could be focusing on.
Those areas include navigation and working on better ways for robots to interact with humans, Vanhoucke said at the Articulate conference in San Francisco. And while Google has said it's been working a lot on developing robot arms, Vanhoucke noted that the company is also taking a look at robotic locomotion, or the methods robots use to transport themselves from place to place.