Photos: Humanoid robots come to life at MIT

These screenshots taken from an Obrero video show how the robot can determine where a hole for an object is, "feel" when the object has been correctly placed, and let go.

Torres-Java said he chose the name Obrero, which means "worker" in Spanish, because one of the applied uses would be to mimic a human worker assembling parts. Obrero is also a literal translation of the Czech word "robota".

Most robots working on assembly lines today are simply programmed for one or two distinct repetitive tasks. A robot such as Obrero, which relies more on touch than sight, would be able to find parts and assemble them even if they were not placed in an exact position or the correct direction on an assembly line, according to Torres-Java.