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In a scene that could easily have been worked into "Short Circuit 2," a robot successfully navigated a downhill slalom course on skis this week as part of the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

Slovakian researcher Bojan Nemec demonstrated the feat in a video, which shows the toddler-size robot skiing down a snowy slope before tackling the big slalom course. Cameras attached to a computer in the robot help plot a course down the hill while sensors and gyroscopes help keep it upright. The skis are just ordinary skis.

According to Nemec, the robot could be used to test ski equipment but is unlikely to be able to compete in a downhill race against a human.

He says that now, but we wouldn't be surprised if the star of Slovakia's 2010 Winter Olympic ski team looks suspiciously like Johnny 5 in a Columbia jacket. Check out the vid to see what to watch for.