Robots to descend on Brisbane for convention

FIRST ON 7: Robots from around the world are about to descend on Brisbane.

The Queensland University of Technology is set to host a unique convention in August that will give visitors a glimpse into how robotics will soon become a part of daily life.

Robotronica is an open invitation to anyone with an interest in robots, bringing the most advanced robots and their creators to QUT.

Robots may seem a novelty to some, but researchers predict they'll play a big role in our future.

Austrian fly-bots that are synchronised to fly in unison, in time to music, are set to come to skies above Brisbane.

Guida-bot, a machine that maps its surrounds to navigate effectively, may one day become a useful tool in helping keep the elderly independent for longer.

Ag-bot has already replaced expensive, heavy machinery on an Emerald farm, freeing up farmers from doing the work that no one wants to do.

Professor Peter Corke believes this isn’t a means of taking jobs away from people.

“it's expensive to train people up - they stay for a while and then they leave, so maybe these are jobs that people shouldn't be doing,” he said.

Robotronica will even be hosted by a robot – a droid that is a doppelganger of his Japanese creator.

The convention begins at 11am on August 18 at the The Queensland University of Technology.

For more information, head to www.qut.edu.au/robotronica.