This robotic “smart” planter wanders around on six articulated legs to make sure your precious greens get enough natural light, prompting the observation: “This is called a cat. You’ve invented a cat.”

And there’s something to the comparison — cats self-regulate, so why not plants? Heliotropism draws plantlife naturally to the sun for nutrients, causing owners to shift around their habitats, but there’s no need with this bot. It can even stomp to demand water, like an impatient pet.

Developed by Vincross in China, the self-optimizing micro-robot can walk around and make sure any houseplant gets sufficient sun or shade. The HEXA was originally a simple walker, until its inventor put a pot into it.

So the whole thing may seem (and be) a bit silly, but it does add some interactivity to a home, particularly for people who aren’t around enough to take care of animals (or perhaps even an idle houseplant). Also, it’s a pretty good way for a robotics manufacturer to get people interested in their products.

“Robots are THE next big platform. We’ve all dreamed of a world where robots interact with and help humans in their daily lives. But the reality is, robots have a long way to go. Limited access — robots are either too expensive and complex isolated to a lab or too simplistic, a child’s toy — has kept innovators, explorers and the masses at bay.”

“Meet HEXA, the first of a new generation of accessible, programmable robots from Vincross. HEXA is a six-legged, highly maneuverable, compact robot that comes complete with all the necessary sensors. Along with HEXA, we deliver MIND, a robotics OS and SDK, where for the first time individuals don’t need to know underlying hardware and complex mechanics to learn and create interesting robotics functionality.”

Weighing close to 10,000 pounds, the complex shape and curvy form of this stainless steel bridge reflects the multi-axis printers that made it, line by molten line, and help highlight the potential of metal-printing technologies.

The MX3D Bridge was designed by Joris Laarman Lab (with engineering help from Arup and other partners) and spans just over 40 feet. It is constructed from a new type of steel, laid down by a team of robots. There is a certain roughness that is a byproduct of the printing process, which could be buffed away, but also may be left to highlight the novel method of construction.

Tucked in a linear warehouse with ordinary-shaped tools and materials, the design really stands out — it is full of winding curves, demonstrating possibilities for complex forms for architectural, industrial, maritime and space applications. Shot out beyond Earth’s orbit, machines like these may build the first non-terrestrial colonies on the moon or Mars using local materials.

This first bridge, however, which has been going through design and construction phases for a long time now, we be installed over a canal in Amsterdam next year, after being subjected to rigorous load tests and analyzed so engineers can learn from and iterate on its design. Given its unusual shape, it doesn’t fit typical building codes — new ones may need to be written for its future counterparts.

Combining architecture, advertising and technology, this car dealership lets users punch in numbers to bring their vehicle of choice down a 15-story showroom looming above in full view. The tall lit-up facade of Autobahn Motors acts as a billboard and show space, letting fans scope out a Lamborghini from a distance then take it out for a test drive on the streets below.

The design responds in part to the lack of surface real estate in this space-crunched island city-state of Singapore, but it also serves as great marketing for the business. While not the first such automobile-vending tower in the world, it is the largest, and it works quickly: a user-selected vehicle can be brought down in just two minutes from the floors far above. Given land scarcity in cities, this unusual-looking typology makes a lot of sense, and could start to spring up in other places as well.

Meanwhile, for those in the United States: Carvana has smaller versions located in Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee. These are less a response to density issues and more driven by marketing and novelty.

And while the towers aren’t quite as tall the effect is still pretty neat – modular platforms provide vehicles on demand from an array of sports cars, hatchbacks, minivans and trucks.

As a bonus for fans of quirky interactivity: their system operates even more like a vending machine – users are given a giant coin to insert, which lets them bring down the vehicle of their choice from the display racks above.

Boasting practical portability with an eye to aesthetics, the new PowerEgg stands out against its more ungainly competitors, able to fold up into a smooth oval when not in use.

PowerVision “wanted to create a beautiful yet functional design for the poweregg,” explains CEO Wally Zheng. “The oval shape is not only clean and pure but also has the structural and functional benefits. This simple yet vital design means that this is more than a flying robot but a work of art.”

The device features a 360-degree panoramic HD camera able to relay long-range video, advanced optical flow sensors for indoor navigation and an easy-to-use remote control.

Developed over a year and a half, a great deal of work went into structural engineering, particularly making the moving parts work as it transforms to active from passive modes and back again.

“We want flying a drone to be child’s play, something even a five-year-old can do,’ continued Zheng. “With this next generation of drones, much like the internet expanded access to information in the virtual world, drones 2.0 led by innovations like the PowerEgg can expand access to the physical world and bring together humans and machines in this journey.”

With all the focus on flying drones, grounded versions can fly under the radar, like the bot driving this latest business from the co-founders of Skype. Facilitating robotic deliveries in London, Starship Technologies aims to advance driverless automation in smaller steps, beating autonomous car companies to getting driver-free wheels on the ground in England.

The little driverless electric vehicles that will be making the rounds are six-wheeled rovers just over 20 inches tall and able to be packed with a sizable load of goods for short shipments.

Customers simply select items online, pick from delivery windows, then track progress on an app and tap on their logged-in device to open the lid when their shipment of stuff arrives.

Cruising at just four miles per hour, it remains to be seen how they will handle even sidewalk foot traffic, let alone road crossings. Its creators also presumably anticipate that a watchful public (and CCTV cameras) will help keep the little drones safe on their journeys. However, the bots can also directly relay distress signals to the police in an emergency or be remotely operated by human pilots as needed.

They also come with an antennae that both helps with wireless connectivity but also provides visibility beyond each drone’s natural height.

“Our vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero environmental impact,” say the founders. “We want to do to local deliveries what Skype did to telecommunications.”

So far the robots have only been tested indoors (interoffice experiments), but the company aims to hit the streets (or at least sidewalks) next year.

It is in many ways an attempt to solve the ever-vexing ‘last mile’ problem: “The last few miles often amounts to the majority of the total delivery cost.”

“Our robots are purposely designed using the technologies made affordable by mobile phones and tablets – it’s fit for purpose, and allows for the cost savings to be passed on to the customer.”