To find out more about what goes into programming a humanoid robot and the future of robotics, we talked to the team leader, Todd Danko.

Gizmag: What is Lockheed Martin, a company associated more with aircraft and defense in the public mind, doing in a robot competition?

Danko: The whole point is to look for new opportunities. We think that investing in mobile manipulation, which is effectively what we're doing, will be very useful in future applications like underwater or space robotics; places where it's very difficult or impossible to get people to do those tasks. You can use our systems to tell robots what to do, and let the robots do those things.

 Why did Lockheed opt for using Boston Dynamics's humanoid Atlas robot?

We're in a world that's complementary to the humanoid form. If you have a very constrained task, like in a factory, a humanoid isn't the right answer.