It’s rather obvious that the coming robot revolution is not going to be pretty. Oh sure, it’ll be functional, but for the most part the robots in our future are probably going to start out looking like ugly buckets of bolts, Asimo excepted of course. Maybe it’s something to do with all that electro-mechanical servo stuff…a sort of modern day steampunk?

This Robot Wheelchair for instance looks like a real mess, but what a cool piece of tech. Not only can it climb steps with uncanny skill, but it has the ability to turn in its own length, which makes it a snap to get out of tight corners. The one thing we’d note about this device is the fact that while it can happily climb single steps, we’re not sure how well it will cope with a full set of stairs, where the problems of angle and balance are more acute.

But for now we’re happy to applaud the clever tech behind this prototype, let’s hope it develops out into a genuinely useful product.