Last we heard from Aldebaran Robotics' Nao robot it didn't exactly have all that many skills to show off, simply waving to the camera and uttering a few words to prove that it was more than just an illustration. It looks like it's been spending the last few months learning some new tricks though, with it now able to stand on its own two feet and walk across the room. As you can see in the video linked below, however, it isn't all that graceful, and it certainly doesn't look like it'll be challenging PLEN to a skateboarding competition anytime soon.

As if WowWee didn't give us all enough robotic video action during last week's CES, now we've got a more domesticated rendition showing off in front of the camera as Aldebaran Robotics' Nao flashes its lights and waves to the crowd before emerging onto the market. Right on schedule, the company's previously elusive humanoid bot is finally making some appearances, and while we're still not sure how it'll look entirely, the firm's site has been recently updated to showcase bits and pieces, and to presumably prove the whole thing wasn't a shenanigan. Nevertheless, the Nao prototype is indeed looking mighty fit, and while we've no way of proving his waving video was actually triggered via a WiFi controller programmed with Linux, that's precisely what we're led to believe. So go on, hit the read link for a few sneak peeks at the robot itself, as well as the crew behind the creation, and hopefully we'll get a finalized product here before too long.

[Via LinuxDevices]

French start-up Aldebaran Robotics has recently gone public with its plans to deliver a humanoid household robot by 2007, although judging from their website, they still seem to be milking the mystery aspect pretty well, complete with tantalizing close-ups of unidentifiable robot parts. If it ever becomes a reality, Aldebaran's "Nao" robot looks like it could be a big brother to Kyosho's Manoi AT01, standing a full 22 inches tall and, from its silhouette at least, looking like it rolled off the same assembly line. The bot should also please homebrew aficionados, running on Linux and controllable via its built-in WiFi, with customization possible using the open source URBI programming language. Best of all, it appears that Nao comes complete with kung-fu grip action, although we're guessing it'll be too expensive to risk an updated bout of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.

[Via Linux Devices]