Look inside Google's toy shop

Google's got a thing for robots. The company's December purchase of military robot maker Boston Dynamics was the most high-profile of a series of robotics-related acquisitions it made last year, as Google looks to expand the applications of automation and artificial intelligence.

Boston Dynamics has built a reputation for its heavy-duty robots that can run faster than Usain Bolt, climb walls like a gecko and jump as high as 30 feet. The company has worked with the U.S. military to develop advanced robots and has close ties with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.