Robotics

When designing new robots, engineers often look to nature for inspiration. They base their robots on the designs and behaviors of snakes, fish, humans, and more, such as sea slugs, whose feeding behaviors have been studied in recent research by the Carnegie Mellon University Biohybrid and Organic Robotics group under... Read more

A new AI-powered tool created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science could change the way we manufacture and build things.... Read more

Science frequently draws inspiration from the natural world. After all, nature has had billions of years to perfect its systems and processes. Taking their cue from mollusk catch muscles, researchers have developed a low-voltage, muscle-like actuator that can help insect-scale soft robots to crawl, swim and jump autonomously in real-world... Read more

To effectively tackle a variety of real-world tasks, robots should be able to reliably grasp objects of different shapes, textures and sizes, without dropping them in undesired locations. Conventional approaches to enhancing the ability of robots to grasp objects work by tightening the grip of a robotic hand to prevent... Read more

Modern robotic systems—in drones or autonomous vehicles, for example—use a variety of sensors, ranging from cameras and accelerometers to GPS modules. To date, their correct integration has required expert knowledge and time-consuming calibration.... Read more

Animals like bats, whales and insects have long used acoustic signals for communication and navigation. Now, an international team of scientists has taken a page from nature's playbook to model micro-sized robots that use sound waves to coordinate into large swarms that exhibit intelligent-like behavior.... Read more

Watch Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot doing training routines, or the latest humanoids from Figure loading a washing machine, and it's easy to believe the robot revolution is here. From the outside, it seems the only remaining challenge is perfecting the AI (artificial intelligence) software to enable these machines to handle... Read more

Give robots a specific job—say, placing a can on a conveyor belt in a factory—and they can be extremely efficient. But in less-structured environments with varied tasks, even seemingly simple things like unscrewing a light bulb or turning a door handle, things get a lot trickier.... Read more

From a seed-inspired design to a 26-minute flight time on a single rotor, a new monocopter developed by SUTD researchers marks a 10-year journey towards redefining how efficient small flying robots can be.... Read more

Humanoid robots, robots with a human-like body structure, have so far been primarily tested on manual tasks that entail supporting humans in their daily activities, such as carrying objects, collecting samples in hazardous environments, supporting older adults or acting as physical therapy assistants. In contrast, their potential for completing expressive... Read more

Mechanical engineering researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have designed a mattress that helps prevent bedsores by alternating pressure across the body and, at times, increasing peak pressure rather than reducing it to restore blood flow.... Read more

A straight wall is not necessarily a climate-optimized wall. Depending on the wall's exposure to sun and shade, there is an ideal angle for individual bricks. The calculations come from a digital design configurator—and in the future, a robot will help craftsmen to position the bricks precisely. In a workshop... Read more

A high-tech district in the Chinese capital is opening an all-service robot store on Friday to push a national drive to develop humanoid robots.... Read more

A flexible robotic sheet that can grasp objects and move across surfaces has been created by a team of researchers led by Jung Kim from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.... Read more

A POSTECH research team has developed a thin, flexible robotic actuator inspired by human muscle proteins. As thin as paper, yet capable of generating strong forces, this robot can maneuver through tight spaces and manipulate objects, making it suitable for a wide range of applications—from surgical robots to industrial equipment.... Read more