So why is Google suddenly so interested in robots? That's the question everyone's asking after it emerged this month that the internet giant has quietly collected a portfolio of eight advanced-robotics firms. Google is【C1】______the venture as partly a long term "moonshot" project— the name【C2】______to its more bizarre or【C3】______ideas, such as its self-driving car or broadband via high-altitude balloons. But it also says it aims to【C4】______a batch of robotics products in the【C5】______term and it has a "10-year vision" of where the company is【C6】______. Based in the US and Japan, the new acquisitions make【C7】______products, ranging from walking humanoids(human-like Robots), to assembly robots, machine-vision systems and robotic special-effects movie cameras. The【C8】______of technologies that Google has acquired doesn't point to【C9】______one type of robot being developed, says Chris Melhuish. "These technologies could【C10】______anything from a smart bed to a wheeled home-assistant robot for elderly people." But Will Jackson thinks Google will use its【C11】______in search engines to allow people to find【C12】______faster in shopping malls and airports. "You would never go over and talk to a touch screen,【C13】______if a mechanical person talks to you and makes eye【C14】______and smiles it's very hard indeed not to talk【C15】______. Google knows all about our【C16】______and market preferences already. A robot would be a good【C17】______for that information." Google's moves are【C18】______of how robotics is changing, says Scott Eckert "The robotics industry is in the early stages of a【C19】______from a primarily industrial market to a dynamic technology sector," he says. "This is an exciting industry with a【C20】______future."