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Engineers create a caterpillar-shaped robot that splits into segments, reassembles, hauls and crawlsEngineers at Princeton and North Carolina State University have combined ancient paper-folding and modern materials science to create a soft robot that bends and twists through mazes with ease.... Read more
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Stretchable e-skin could give robots human-level touch sensitivityA first-ever stretchy electronic skin could equip robots and other devices with the same softness and touch sensitivity as human skin, opening up new possibilities to perform tasks that require a great deal of precision and control of force.... Read more
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Leveraging robots to help make wind turbine bladesResearchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have successfully leveraged robotic assistance in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, allowing for the elimination of difficult working conditions for humans and the potential to improve the consistency of the product.... Read more
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Random robots are more reliable: New AI algorithm for robots consistently outperforms state-of-the-art systemsNorthwestern University engineers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm designed specifically for smart robotics. By helping robots rapidly and reliably learn complex skills, the new method could significantly improve the practicality—and safety—of robots for a range of applications, including self-driving cars, delivery drones, household assistants and automation.... Read more
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Natural language boosts LLM performance in coding, planning and roboticsLarge language models (LLMs) are becoming increasingly useful for programming and robotics tasks, but for more complicated reasoning problems, the gap between these systems and humans looms large. Without the ability to learn new concepts like humans do, these systems fail to form good abstractions—essentially, high-level representations of complex concepts... Read more
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An artificial mind, with a lifelike body: Amid a world of evolving AI, a Las Vegas man brings his creations to lifeYou wanna see her move? I think that's the fun part.... Read more
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A miniature wireless robot that can effectively move through tubular structuresRobots have already proved to be promising tools to complete complex and demanding maintenance tasks. While engineers have developed a wide range of robots that could help to maintain and repair infrastructure, many of these robots need to be plugged into external power sources, which limits their real-world application.... Read more
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Paper power: Origami technology makes its way into quadcoptersOver the past decade, researchers all around the world have been finding new and exciting use cases for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Commonly called "drones," UAVs have proved their worth across many fields, including photography, agriculture, land surveying, disaster management, and even the transportation of goods.... Read more
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Trotting robots reveal emergence of animal gait transitionsA four-legged robot trained with machine learning by EPFL researchers has learned to avoid falls by spontaneously switching between walking, trotting, and pronking—a milestone for roboticists as well as biologists interested in animal locomotion.... Read more
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Researchers use ChatGPT for choreographies with flying robotsProf. Angela Schoellig from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) uses ChatGPT to develop choreographies for swarms of drones to perform along to music. An additional safety filter prevents mid-air collisions. The researcher's results demonstrate the first time that large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT can be used in... Read more
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An affordable miniature car-like robot to test control and estimation algorithmsThe development and testing of algorithms for robotics applications typically requires evaluations in both simulated and physical environments. Some algorithms, however, can be difficult to deploy in simple hardware experiments, due to the high costs of robotics hardware or to difficulties associated with setting up this hardware inside robotics labs.... Read more
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A six-armed robot for precision pollinationOver the past decades, dozens of animal species have become extinct, while thousands of others are now at risk of disappearing. Endangered species include various pollinators, including bees and some types of moths, butterflies, and flies.... Read more
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Researchers develop an automated benchmark for language-based task plannersIf instructed to "Place a cooled apple into the microwave," how would a robot respond? Initially, the robot would need to locate an apple, pick it up, find the refrigerator, open its door, and place the apple inside. Subsequently, it would close the refrigerator door, reopen it to retrieve the... Read more
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Built-in bionic computing: Researchers develop method to control pneumatic artificial musclesCreating robots to safely aid disaster victims is one challenge; executing flexible robot control that takes advantage of the material's softness is another. The use of pliable soft materials to collaborate with humans and work in disaster areas has drawn much recent attention. However, controlling soft dynamics for practical applications... Read more
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Underwater robot pioneers new energy-efficient buoyancy controlA remotely operated underwater robot built by a team of Rice University engineering students pioneers a new way to control buoyancy via water-splitting fuel cells. The device, designed and constructed at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen over the course of a year-long senior design capstone class, offers a more power-efficient... Read more