Questions for discussion
EPISODE 31
Tsunami
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Before watching the BtN story, record what you know about tsunamis.
What triggered the Indonesian Tsunami?
What is the significance of the `Ring of Fire’?
What are tectonic plates?
What happens when tectonic plates quickly push against each other?
Explain how a tsunami happens.
The wave gains ____________ and _____________ as it heads towards the
coast.
8. What early warning systems are in place to know when and where a tsunami is
likely to hit?
9. Explain the criticism about the tsunami warning systems.
10. Illustrate an aspect of the Tsunami story.
Write a message about the story and post it on the BtN guestbook
http://abc.net.au/btn/guestbook.html
Made in China
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Discuss the issues raised in the Made in China story with another student.
China has the ______________ largest economy after the _______.
Why are a lot of products made in China?
Describe the working conditions at some factories in China.
How are workers protected in Australia?
Explain what happened to a group of people working in a mobile phone and
computer factory?
7. What has been the environmental impact of the booming economy in China?
8. What is being done to improve working conditions and the environment?
9. What do you understand more clearly since watching the BtN story?
10. What is the main purpose of the BtN story?
a) To entertain
b) To explain
c) To warn
d) To criticise
Test your knowledge in the online quiz.
Video rental
1.
2.
3.
4.
© ABC 2010
What was the main point of the Video rental story?
What are some experts predicting about the future of DVD shops?
How will the internet impact on DVD shop rentals?
Explain the different types of movie rentals available online?
2ND NOVEMBER 2010
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What do you think are the advantages?
What are the disadvantages?
How are DVD shops trying to adapt to the changes?
What are the advantages of borrowing movies from a DVD shop?
What do you think? Would you prefer to get movies online or from a DVD
shop? Explain your answer.
10. What do you know about this topic that you didn’t know before watching the
BtN story?
`Would you prefer to rent movies for a DVD shop or an online service?’ Vote in the
BtN online poll.
Sea cucumber
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Briefly summarise the BtN story.
The sea cucumber is a type of marine vegetable. True or false?
What are sea cucumbers compared to in the BtN story?
What sorts of things do they like to eat?
Describe some physical features of a sea cucumber.
Why are people farming them in ponds?
How are they processed?
They are used in soups and stir fries because…
How are sea cucumbers being used to help save prawn farms in Vietnam?
What was surprising about this story?
Create a quiz, crossword or wonderword about sea cucumbers using the facts from the
BtN story and other sources.
Robot soldiers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
In your own words, explain what a robot is.
The job of the robots in the BtN story was to…
Who has been involved in building the robots?
How do the operators communicate with the robots?
What do robots have that allows them to sense their surroundings?
How are the robots in the BtN story similar to a remote controlled car?
What are the advantages of using robots instead of humans?
What is first prize in the competition?
Apart from combat situations, what other uses could robots have?
Name three facts you learnt watching the Robot soldiers story.
Respond to the following question: Do you think robots make our life better, easier and
safer? Hold a mini debate about the topic.
Robot soldiers
Focus Questions
© ABC 2010
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
In your own words, explain what a robot is.
The job of the robots in the BtN story was to…
Who has been involved in building the robots?
How do the operators communicate with the robots?
What do robots have that allows them to sense their surroundings?
How are the robots in the BtN story similar to a remote controlled car?
What are the advantages of using robots instead of humans?
What is first prize in the competition?
Apart from combat situations, what other uses could robots have?
Name three facts you learnt watching the Robot soldiers story.
EPISODE 31
2ND NOVEMBER 2010
Learning Area
Design and
Technology
More about robots
Key learning
Brainstorm with students some responses to the following questions:
Students will
investigate what
robots are, how
they work and the
impact they have
on our lives.

What is a robot?

What do they look like?

What are they used for?
Record responses on a mind map with robots at the centre.
In groups, ask students to come up with a range of possible questions
around the topic of robots.
Collect the questions from each group and display them. Discuss with
students the criteria for selecting questions for inquiry. Questions that may
be precluded include those which most students already know the answers
to or that may require unavailable resources.
Students should be encouraged to generate their own questions however
some possibilities include:
What are the components of robots?
How do they work?
How are they constructed?
How can robots help particular groups in society, for example
disabled people?
How do robots impact on our lives?
What is the future of robots?
Ask students to complete the following chart as they go through the inquiry
process. This can be done individually, as a group or a whole class.
What
do
I What do I
know
about want to find
robots?
out about
robots?
© ABC 2010
How will I find
out?
What I have
learnt.
Students can demonstrate their learning in a number of ways. These
include:

Create a `did you know?’ about robots.

Using student’s key questions as a guide create a WebQuest about
robots. The following website explains how to do it
http://webquest.org/index-create.php

Create an illustrated glossary of technical `robot’ words

Present research findings in a PowerPoint presentation or Microsoft
Publisher.

Construct a robot using recycled materials with an explanation about
the specific task/s it performs.

Using Lego Mindstorms NXT design and build a robot that performs
a specific task.
Further investigation
Respond to the following question: Do you think robots make our life better, easier and
safer? Hold a mini debate about the topic.
 Related Research Links
ABC News – MAGIC robot target defence missions
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/13/3010372.htm
Flinders University – Flinders robots makes war games final
http://blogs.flinders.edu.au/flinders-news/2010/07/29/flinders-robotsmake-war-games-final/
Electronics news – Electronics expertise on show in combat robot challenge
http://www.electronicsnews.com.au/news/electronics-expertise-on-showin-combat-robot-chal
Defence, Science and Technology Organisation – MAGIC 2010
http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/MAGIC2010/
The Tech Museum – Robotics
http://www.thetech.org/robotics/index.html
Sea cucumber
Focus Questions
1.
2.
Briefly summarise the BtN story.
The sea cucumber is a type of marine vegetable. True or false?
EPISODE 31
2ND NOVEMBER 2010
© ABC 2010
Learning Area
Science
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What are sea cucumbers compared to in the BtN story?
What sorts of things do they like to eat?
Describe some physical features of a sea cucumber.
Why are people farming them in ponds?
How are they processed?
They are used in soups and stir fries because…
How are sea cucumbers being used to help save prawn farms in Vietnam?
What was surprising about this story?
Echinoderms
Discuss with students the BtN Sea cucumber and record what students
know about the sea creature. Explain to students that sea cucumbers belong
to a group of marine animals called ECHINODERMS.
Echinoderm means `spiny skin’ in Greek even though not all species have
spiny skin. Students will choose one species of echinoderm to research in
depth. The following table can be used to guide their research.
Scientific and
common name
Appearance/anatomy
Shape, size, colour,
body parts,
symmetry
Habitat
Where does it live in
the world? What
part of the ocean?
Why?
Diet
What does it eat?
How does it gather
its food? How much
and how often?
Predators
What enemies does it
have? How does it
protect itself?
Other key questions students can research include:


What is the difference between bilateral and radial symmetry?
How does the water-vascular system in an echinoderm work?
Students create a model or labelled diagram of their chosen echinoderm.
The following website has a range of images to help with their
model/diagram http://www.starfish.ch/reef/echinoderms.html
© ABC 2010
Display echinoderm models and diagrams in the classroom or public space
in the school.
Self assessment
What changes would you make to your model/diagram? Why?
What worked well? Why?
Further investigation
Are there any advantages of being headless, brainless and not having bilateral
symmetry? Discuss your thoughts in small groups.
 Related Research Links
ABC Foreign Correspondent – Sea cucumbers to help Vietnamese fish
farmers
http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2010/s3046712.htm
Thinkquest – Sea cucumber
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001418/seacuc.html
National Geographic – Sea cucumbers
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/invertebrates/seacucumber
Oceanic Research - Echinoderms
http://www.oceanicresearch.org/education/wonders/echinoderm.html
PBS – The shape of life
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/shapeoflife/animals/echinoderms.html
Jungle walk – Echinoderms
http://www.junglewalk.com/popup.asp?type=s&AnimalWebsiteID=10084
BtN: Episode 31 Transcript
02/11/10
© ABC 2010
On this week's Behind the News:

Why China's boom might mean bust for their workers and the
environment.

How the internet could kill your local DVD store.

And Aussie students working with the US army to create
battlefield robots of the future.
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to another week of Behind the News.
Also today we catch up with some families in Vietnam that are
farming cucumbers but not the vegetable kind.
Tsunami
Reporter: Natasha Thiele
INTRO: First up though a sad story. We've yet again been reminded
of the devastating force of a tsunami.
Last week the Indonesian island of Sumatra was hit after a massive
earthquake triggered a wave that killed hundreds of people.
And some are still missing.
So how do tsunamis happen and what systems are in place to help
save lives.
Tash explains.
© ABC 2010
NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: This is what a tsunami can look
like.
Huge waves that sweep across the ocean and onto land, destroying
buildings and lives.
The waves are so strong; they can travel faster than a jet plane!
Tsunamis are caused by sudden movement on the ocean floor, either
from earthquakes, volcanoes or underwater landslides.
In this case, the tsunami was triggered by a quake.
About 90 percent of all quakes happen around a place called the 'ring
of fire', a circle around the Pacific Ocean.
It's home to about three-quarters of the world's volcanoes and some
of the biggest eruptions.
You see, the earth's made up of what are called 'tectonic plates'.
They're a bit like this jigsaw puzzle of the world, floating in this pool.
The plates are constantly moving, something like a few centimetres a
year!
Usually we don't feel a thing, but if the plates crash into each other
quickly or rub against each other, they can create an earthquake.
But not just any earthquake can cause a tsunami, first it has to
happen under the ocean.
© ABC 2010
REPORTER: Imagine these bricks are like two plates on the ocean
floor. If one of them suddenly does this, it'll push water high up into
the air.
And when that happens, the water surges towards the coast, gaining
size and more speed as the water becomes shallow. In this tsunami,
waves got up to three metres high.
A huge tsunami happened near Sumatra back in 2004. It damaged
lots of countries near the `Ring of Fire'.
It killed more than 225,000 people in 14 countries.
Following the tragedy, governments promised early warning systems
would be improved.
Special sensors and equipment are in place to let people know when
and where a tsunami is likely to hit.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre tracks earthquakes, using things
like seismographs, and sends out warnings.
Beaches and nearby areas are evacuated and everyone is moved to
higher ground for their safety.
Even with warning systems in place, it's sometimes impossible for
people to reach safety, because they live too close to where it's
happened.
Unfortunately in this case, there were sensors to detect a tsunami, but
they'd been vandalised or stolen.
Some countries are concerned warnings aren't going out early
enough.
© ABC 2010
There have been times when warnings have been issued and nothing
serious has happened.
Scientists say they're working to improve the system, but they can't
take any chances.
They say it's better to evacuate everyone, even if it's sometimes a false
alarm, because if a bad tsunami did hit the consequences would be
terrible.
Although experts say Australia's at a very low risk of being hit by a
massive quake or a tsunami, it's still good to know the warning
systems are there to alert us if something happens.
Presenter: And hopefully it doesn't.
OK, let's catch up with what else has been happening in the news with
Alfie.
The Wire
Indonesia's most active volcano has erupted again shooting more gas
and ash across the local communities.
Many locals had just begun returning to check on their homes and
livestock creating panic once again.
Last week Mt Merapi killed 36 people and forced more than 50
thousand people into temporary shelters.
At least three new eruptions have been recorded since the volcano
erupted last week.
© ABC 2010
Mt Merapi, which means 'mountain of fire' is the most active of the
Indonesia's 69 main volcanoes.
********
A man is being hailed a hero for helping fight off a shark that attacked
a young female diver.
Elyse Frankcom was working on a dive tour off the coast of Western
Australia when a shark attacked biting her hip and leg.
One of the tour's passengers Trevor, reached out and grabbed the
shark’s tail as it grabbed Elyse before pulling her back on board the
boat.
Elyse is recovering in hospital.
The attack didn't stop hundreds of people hitting beaches as
helicopters searched the waters for the shark.
********
And finally it's a dream come true for most kids a room packed full of
toys.
They were collected by sisters Julie and Sissy but they're not keeping
them.
They're being shipped to hospitals around Australia for sick kids to
play with.
The toy drive was started by these two to honour their sister who
spent a lot of time in hospital unwell.
© ABC 2010
Now other sick kids will have a special soft friend to help them
through.
China Made
Reporter: Kirsty Bennett
INTRO: Whether it's phones, cameras or computers, China is known
as the place to make gadgets.
Production has boomed but there're a few bad sides to all this
growth.
Some factory workers ended up in hospital after being exposed to a
toxic chemical.
And in some places the environment has suffered too.
So how is China handling it all?
Kirsty checked it out.
KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: It's all happening in China right
now. The country's grown into the second largest economy in the
world after the US and international companies want a piece of what
they're making. Many companies get their products like cameras and
clothing made in China because they're much cheaper. That's because
wages there are low and there are stacks of people looking for jobs. In
countries like Australia we see the end result but not the many hands
that put these products together.
Millions of people work in factories across China and working
conditions are sometimes bad. Often, employees are expected to work
© ABC 2010
long hours and in some places, even young kids have been put to
work.
KIRSTY: When you go to work in Australia, there are laws to make
sure the workplace is safe and that you're paid the right amount of
money for your age and the job you're doing. In China there are also
laws but not all factories follow them.
Employees from this small factory know what it’s like to work in poor
conditions. They say there were putting stickers on Apple laptops and
iPhones when they became ill. It's believed a dangerous chemical used
to put the sticker on is to blame and it's left some of them unable to
walk. This woman says after breathing in the chemical her hands
became numb and she couldn't run. It's not known if the products
were real Apple ones or fakes. Employees aren't the only ones getting
hurt factory pollution is destroying once beautiful waterways and
views.
This river runs near a business where old computers from countries
like Australia, the US and Japan are pulled apart and recycled. The
toxic stuff in the keyboards and screens is leeching into the
groundwater. Other rivers are dirty too but locals still have to use the
water. In the sky, the pollution is just as obvious. At this village an
incinerator that burns medical waste is about 200 metres away. In the
past two years eleven people from here have died from different types
of cancer. There are laws to protect the environment but some
businesses aren't being monitored or punished if they do the wrong
thing.
It all sounds pretty gloomy but not all companies are ignoring the
health of their workers and the environment. There are some factories
that are trying to give their employees a safer place to work. The
government says it's also making a system to help producers get rid of
their waste in more environmentally friendly ways. There's still a long
way to go in a country that doesn't like to be watched or told what to
do by outsiders. But it’s all to make sure that China's boom doesn't
mean bust for the country's natural wonders and its people.
© ABC 2010
Quiz 1
OK time to test you out with a quick quiz.
The question is: When did video rental shops become popular in
Australia?
1970s
1980s
1990s
Answer: 1980s
And they rented movies on VHS tapes. Anyone remember those?
Video Rental
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: Last week we told you about the National Broadband Plan
which aims to give Australian's much faster internet.
Well this week we're bringing you the story of what could be one of
its first casualties.
For ages families have headed down to the local video store to rent a
movie.
But with the internet now becoming an easy and reliable place to get
a flick where does that leave the good old overnight DVD?
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: It's the recipe for a good night in.
© ABC 2010
Take popcorn, lollies and some of the latest DVD releases and mix
well.
But one part of this picture might soon become a thing of the past.
It's not the popcorn, or the lollies, or even the latest movies.
It's the local video shop.
Scenes like this might become pretty common over the next ten years.
Experts are predicting that the future of DVD rentals is looking bleak.
DR JOHN SILVER, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF
TECHNOLOGY: I think the days of the DVD local store are
numbered. It’s is just a question of timing.
The predictions have all come about because of the internet which, if
you have a good connection, means the world is truly at your
fingertips.
News, songs or even the latest blockbuster films can be yours within
minutes.
NATHAN: Up until now, a lot of the movies downloaded over the
internet were illegal copies. But now, legal movie rental businesses
are popping up everywhere on the net. And their target is to take the
place of your local video store, without you ever having to leave your
home.
There are a few different types of movie rentals available online.
The first is online mail rental stores.
© ABC 2010
Basically, you look up the website, choose what movies you want to
watch and the DVDs are posted out to you.
On the upside, you can keep them as long as you want before you post
them back, and you don't need a fast internet connection to take
advantage of it.
But on the downside, most charge a monthly subscription fee, rather
than just a once off rental charge.
The second type is movies on demand.
For this you need a really quick connection, because it basically
means you download the whole movie to watch for a limited time
only.
Once your time is up, the movie will disappear from your hard drive.
It all sounds really convenient, but on the downside, it costs a lot for
the equipment and the internet connection to be able to do it.
And if that's all not enough, there is a bit more competition for the
traditional DVD store too called DVD kiosks.
Essentially they are little DVD vending machines - without the store
or the attendant.
That makes them cheaper to run and available in more places.
NATHAN: All this new competition sounds like pretty bad news for
the local DVD store, but are they really in as much trouble as it
sounds?
© ABC 2010
Well maybe not.
Many are trying to adapt to new technology and are making their
stores available on the net.
And a lot of movie fans will never want to give up on being able to
browse the aisle, or talk to their local movie expert.
But their other secret advantage is one that hasn't really taken off yet.
The latest hot movie technology is undoubtedly 3D, which looks like
it'll be a big hit in the future.
But downloading one will also take a big hit to your limit, because at
40 to 60 gig, they're just too big to download quickly or easily.
That makes a quick trip to the movie store not sound so bad!
So maybe there will be enough room for both of these businesses on
our entertainment lists in the future.
Now we'd like to know what you guys prefer so let's make that our poll
this week.
Online Poll
The question is: Would you prefer to rent movies from a DVD shop or
an online service?
To vote, just head to our website.
© ABC 2010
And let's look at what you thought in last week's poll.
We asked you if Australia should continue fighting the war in
Afghanistan?
And we got a big response.
40% voted yes and 60% said no.
Sea Cucumber
Reporter: Natasha Thiele
INTRO: You won't find them at your average fish and chip shop but
some people reckon it doesn't get better than stir-fried sea cucumber.
They're a seafood delicacy in some parts and they cost heaps.
We heard about some families in Vietnam that are farming sea
cucumbers and we wanted to find out a bit more about these
amazing creatures.
Tash was surprised to find they also offer a free cleaning service.
NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Your bedroom is like an ecosystem.
You need to keep it clean like vacuuming it up!
The ocean pretty much needs the same treatment and that's where
these guys come in.
They're called sea cucumbers and believe it or not, they're a type of
marine animal!
© ABC 2010
They're like underwater vacuum cleaners, eating other animals waste
and organic material like dead plants.
They're closely related to starfish and sea urchins and can live up to
ten years.
They have a leathery skin and they can grow up to a metre long.
In the animal world they're fairly simple creatures, but no less
amazing.
REPORTER: Well I didn't want to cut up a real sea cucumber, so
here's my plasticine version of one. So if I cut it open, this is what it
looks like. It's pretty basic. It's got a mouth at one end, a ring of
nerves and a digestive tract. So things go in through one end and out
the other. And the weird thing is, it doesn't have a brain!
Sea cucumbers come from the sea. They normally live on the ocean
bed in really deep water.
But now, more people are farming them in massive ponds because
there aren't as many left in the ocean.
And it can be one big family affair!
Mums, dads and the kids get together to help farm these curiouslooking creatures.
Getting them ready for your dinner plate is quite a process.
You don't fillet them like you do with fish.
© ABC 2010
They're caught, they're gutted, then soaked in salt for a while and
finally left to dry.
Then they can be sliced up and put into soups and stir-fries, but for a
kilo you're looking at up to 200-dollars.
Sea cucumbers are a traditional Chinese delicacy because they're rich
in protein, so they're meant to be good for you.
KERRY STAIGHT, LANDLINE REPORTER: I kind of thought I'd
hate it. So, it's okay. It's, you can taste the mushroom really strongly.
So I don't know if I can really taste the sea cucumber.
Some farmers in Vietnam not only farm sea cucumbers, they also
farm prawns.
But they're really struggling with disease in prawns, so that's where
the underwater vacuum cleaners come in.
The cucumbers could help save their farms.
When prawns are grown in a pond, you get a build-up of organic
material as sediment.
That's their poo and other waste that falls to the bottom, which
eventually becomes poisonous and kills the prawns.
But having sea cucumbers there means they suck up all that yucky
stuff, and keep things nice and clean and the prawns healthy.
It's like if you don't clean out your fish tank regularly, your fish could
die.
© ABC 2010
Scientists are now looking into whether prawns and sea cucumbers
can grow together in the same pond.
If they survive, it could keep prawn farms cleaner and perhaps help
farmers make more money.
So maybe this isn't the last we've heard about the sea cucumber!
Presenter: And there's more info about sea cucumbers and the other
stories on today's show on our website.
The Score
OK let's catch up with what's been happening in sport.
The Wallabies have beaten the New Zealand All Blacks for the first
time in ten tests with a kick after the siren by 20-year old James
O'Connor.
JAMES: There are things you dream about, ever since I've been a kid
I've always done those world cup final kicks or Bledisloe final kicks,
yeah it's a dream come true.
The Wallabies started the match flying to a 12 point lead and flying
over to celebrate it.
But the All Blacks clawed it back with three unanswered tries.
The Wallabies came at them again and James O'Conner led the
charge crossing the line on the siren then following it up with the
pressure kick to take victory.
© ABC 2010
The reserve kicker says he'd love to take on the job fulltime.
And it's been a big journey from the sands of central Australia to the
sands of Bondi beach for these young indigenous runners but the
finish line is even further New York City.
Their aim is to run the gruelling New York marathon after being
personally selected by champion Australian runner Rob De Castella.
But for today, they're just taking some time out to learn to surf.
GRAB: It's not going to be easy, there's going to be some ups and
downs, so we have to get through it together if we can.
The boys still haven't run a full marathon yet but training like this is
getting them closer to their goal.
Running a marathon is a huge achievement so let's have a quiz about
that.
Quiz 2
The question is: What distance is a full marathon?
24 km
42 km
48 km
Answer: 42 km
© ABC 2010
Robot Soldiers
Reporter: Kirsty Bennett
INTRO: Imagine inventing ways to suss out threats or bombs in a
war zone to save lives.
Well there's a bunch of school kids working on building the next
generation of battlefield robots.
They're doing it with uni students as part of an international
competition.
So we sent Professor Kirsty to meet the brains behind these remotecontrolled soldiers.
KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: They've got eyesight, some skills
and a mission just like a real soldier. These are battlefield robots out
on patrol. Their mission is to locate threats like a bomb or baddies
and give everyone the heads up back at base.
AIDAN, STUDENT: OK it looks as if we've found a terrorist.
KIRSTY: OK, so these robots aren't really in a war zone - they're in a
university lab. This is where students from the uni and year 11's from
the Australian Science and Maths School have been building them.
PROF. DAVID POWERS, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY: You've got just
the wheels to go on at this point.
KIRSTY: They started out by testing the technology on computer and
then built three different types over the past year.
© ABC 2010
MATTHEW, STUDENT: Well you've got your motor in down here so
that basically you know it tells it where to go and stuff, you've got the
computers which allow it to communicate wirelessly to the computers
how we control them and you've got the cameras which basically you
can see what they see.
KIRSTY: The robots can also suss out what's around them using
infrared sensors. The sensors send out beams of light to help see what
lies ahead. It's all sounds high tech but they borrowed a few ideas
from the toy box.
The way the robots move and turn is the same as a remote controlled
car. The only difference is there's software in the robot to give it's a
mind of its own.
PROF. DAVID POWERS, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY: In terms of the
remote controlled cars what's different is that the intelligence is on
board rather than having an intelligent person driving them over a
remote link.
KIRSTY: All this so called "intelligence" is what the students have
been working on. Their job is to program the robot to take commands
and instructions like what to target. In this test, the robot has to pick
out the students in red 'cause they're the bad guys. But sometimes the
robots head towards the wrong target!
EDEE, STUDENT: And just start going forward and we couldn't stop
it that was the main that we had so running into things mainly or if
we programmed it badly it would run into a tree or whatever.
KIRSTY: This team is the only one in Australia which has made it into
the final round of a competition run by US and Aussie departments.
And the winner can score 750 grand! If the technology catches the
judges attention it could end up helping out in the military or with
other situations at home.
© ABC 2010
JORDAN, STUDENT: Well in the battlefield it could be used instead
of a soldier so you don't have the human aspect of someone getting
killed.
GANDALF, STUDENT: In mines if there's an area that's dangerous
could be caving in could send a robot in much safer and you could still
get all the information you needed.
KIRSTY: At the moment, the robots still need humans to control them
but the aim is to get them working alone.
KIRSTY: Is there ever a point where they could take over the world
and humans?
STEPH: Maybe you never know!
KIRSTY: Well let's just hope they get the technology right!
Presenter: Little bit scary to think about.
Closer
Well that's all we have for you today.
We'll see you next time!
© ABC 2010