Mark your calendars and set your DVRs for 10 pm/9 Central time, Thursday, September 25, as the History Channel rolls out "The Works: Robots," the finale of a new documentary series hosted by Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute alumnus Daniel Wilson. In addition to highlighting the university, the program features Chris Urmson, director of technology for the Urban Grand Challenge and Boss, the Chevy Tahoe that won it last year; senior systems scientist Omead Amidi and his autonomous helicopters; RI Associate Professor Howie Choset and his Snakebots; RI Ph.D. student Marek Michalowoski with the dancing Keepon robot, and Metin Sitti, associate professor of mechanical engineering, demonstrating a nanobot so small it can sit on top of a dime. Social robots Grace and Tank, fathered by RI Research Professor Reid Simmons, make cameo appearances along with Gyrover, a wheeled robot developed by Robotics Institute Project Scientist Ben Brown.       

  The Works is described as a more interactive version of The History Channel's Modern Marvels, with the same attention to detail and stunning visuals. Producer Jessie Ward says their approach is to blend the footage they shot over several months with acquired and archival material to produce a potpourri of robots representing the past, present, and future.