1.   But while waiting for markets to develop, robot makers face a struggle to stay afloat.

2.   Fortunately for U.S. manufacturing industries, some small American robot makers stayed the course, as did the big Japanese robotics makers.

3.   Other challenges come from robot makers who see no reason not to plough on with homegrown operating systems.

4.   Robot makers also plan to make models that dust, take out the trash and clean bathrooms.

5.   Robot makers from Disneyland and Hollywood were putting the finishing touches this week on the likenesses of gods, scenes from Indian epics and computerized special effects.