A series of robotics novelties were showcased at the annual Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas. Among the most remarkable novelties was a new telepresence robot by iRobot called AVA. The working prototype uses Microsoft Kinect-type sensors for safe navigation. It moves using omniwheels and can be controlled using an ipad mounted on its height-adjustable head or by simply pressing touch sensors around its neck. Another interesting robot was demonstrated by CMU's Quality of Life Technology Center. Rather than using a stiff robotic arm, the group showed how an assistance robot can use inherently safe inflatable arms to perform tasks like sponge-bathing a patient (much more QoLT@CES2011 here). Other novelties included Dreambot's Wheeme massage robot, two new Robovie humanoids by Japanese company Vstone, a new Scooba floor-scrubber by iRobot, the relaunch of robot toy dinosaur Pleo by Innvo Labs, the Hom-Bot vacuum cleaner robot LG Electronics, the first US demo of Cyberdyne's HAL exoskeleton, and the smart-phone controlled Sphero robot, essentially a small, remote controlled sphere, shown in the video above.