In a world where futuristic developments roll out on the regular, ROBO-STOX took the time to find the need to know robotics news - so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights of the week of Oct. 18-24 in the world of robotics and automation:

MUST SEE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Drone captures stunning footage of killer whales.

For the first time in history, a hexacopter was used to aid in killer whale research. The footage has already helped to gain invaluable information on observational, aerial views which provide researchers with a vantage point they’ve never before had - above water surface level.

BOTS TO COMBAT EBOLA: Researchers plan to meet in discussion about robots to assist against Ebola at a conference on Nov. 7, 2014. The Safety Robotics for Ebola Workers conference will gather healthcare experts and robotics researchers to investigate and collaborate the possibilities to how robotics can help bring down Ebola.

LIGHTING UP THE SKIES: ABB is partnering with Vestas to bring electricity to off-grid communities in Africa. By using ABB’s micro-grid power stabilization solutions and refurbished Vestas wind turbines, the project hopes to reach communities that couldn’t sustain such power on their own.

UPWARD CLIMB: iRobot, the company that brought you the in-home robo-vacuum and caters to the military with defense robots, had an earning growth for Q3 that beat expectations. Shares are trading 14 percent higher after an earnings report showed a 87 percent profit growth.

A RECIPE FOR DISASTER DISCERN: Researchers in Mexico have recently created an algorithm that may be used to help robots discern between rubble and humans in disaster relief situations. With the use of cameras and motion detectors, the bot will create maps of the area with image recognition.