Sightless Mabel's Fancy Footwork a Giant Leap for Robotkind

Robots with legs are, you might think, no great shakes. After all, they come in both four- and two-legged varieties--of the former, Boston Dynamics' Big Dog and Little Dog are the most notable, and you can check out the latest video from small fry here. When it comes to two-legged versions, everyone has heard of Asimo, Honda's uber-robot, whose bottom half consists of a rigid geared drivetrain, meaning there's not a whole lot of coping with uneven terrain that he can do.

Enter MABEL. She's...