The article
The article I read about was not about the robot itself but rather, it showcased the ability to "teach" a robot a preferred way to move specific objects when around humans. The goal of this was to create a program that could help make robots a more viable solution in jobs where there are humans present and have them operate in a safer manner. In the article, Cornell researcher have a robot arm set up to check things out in a grocery store scenario. The bot picks up a knife and moves to to one of the bags and nearly injures a bystander. A "trainer" then steps in and guides the arm through the preferred way the bot should move the knife. Over the course of several corrections the bot displayed several possible movement paths that it could preform and allows the "trainer" to chose the safest one. By the time the "trainer" corrects the bot one final time it has learned to move the knife away from humans as well as to point the knife away from humans.
future implications
This ability to program robots to move in safer ways around humans will have a major impact upon where robots will be put to use. In the future there my be robotics arms that will check out your groceries faster and more efficiently than of a human worker. Robots could be employed in a more active role in dangerous occupations such as construction and demolition. Robot could aslo be used for things as simple has serving food in a cafeteria.