Flower power: This robotic flower was built using Qwerk, a new robotics platform from Carnegie Mellon University. The robot’s petals can open and close in response to changes in light, and it can catch a thrown ball detected by infrared sensors. Credit: Jon Lisbon

Beneath the white paperboard petals of a robotic flower--which can open and close in response to changes in light, or catch a thrown ball detected by infrared sensors--lies a new standardized robotics platform called Qwerk. Developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Qwerk is designed so that almost anyone can use it to build his or her own custom Internet-enabled robot. It's a platform that CMU computer scientist Illah Nourbakhsh hopes will launch an open-source robotics movement and "democratize robot design for people intimidated by current techniques and parts."

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