Robotics News – Latest Headlines

A bug robot that can surf

Mechanical engineers share how they built a tiny, self-powered robot inspired by water-skimming insects.

Oct 20th, 2021

Does the brain learn in the same way that machines learn?

A new perspectives piece relates machine learning to biological learning, showing that the two approaches aren't interchangeable, yet can be harnessed to offer valuable insights into how the brain works.

Oct 19th, 2021

Four-legged swarm robots

Researchers built multi-legged robots capable of maneuvering in challenging environments and accomplishing difficult tasks collectively, mimicking their natural-world counterparts.

Oct 18th, 2021

A robot that finds lost items (w/video)

This robotic arm fuses data from a camera and antenna to locate and retrieve items, even if they are buried under a pile.

Oct 18th, 2021

Flying high-speed drones into the unknown with AI (w/video)

Researchers have developed a new approach to autonomously fly quadrotors through unknown, complex environments at high speeds using only on-board sensing and computation. The new approach could be useful in emergencies, on construction sites or for security applications.

Oct 7th, 2021

LEONARDO, the bipedal robot, can ride a skateboard and walk a slackline (w/video)

LEO carves out a new type of locomotion somewhere between walking and flying.

Oct 7th, 2021

Blockchain technology could provide secure communications for robot teams

The transaction-based communications system ensures robot teams achieve their goal even if some robots are hacked.

Oct 6th, 2021

Customized robots for everyone - groundbreaking solution for AI-based system development

The just completed Q-Rocks project presents a groundbreaking approach that is set to revolutionize robot development: With the help of artificial intelligence methods, users without any expertise will be able to cost-efficiently design customized robots for their applications.

Oct 5th, 2021

Human learning can be duplicated in solid matter

Scientists have found that learning -- a universal feature of intelligence in living beings -- can be mimicked in synthetic matter, a discovery that in turn could inspire new algorithms for artificial intelligence (AI).

Sep 22nd, 2021

Small, mighty robots mimic the powerful punch of mantis shrimp

Modeling the mechanics of the strongest punch in the animal kingdom, researchers built a robot that mimics the movement of the mantis shrimp. These pugnacious crustaceans could pave the way for small, but mighty robotic devices.

Sep 9th, 2021

Walking with coffee is a little-understood feat of physics

Understanding the physics behind natural processes provides new applications for soft robotics, manufacturing automation.

Sep 8th, 2021

Fish fins are teaching us the secret to flexible robots and new shape-changing materials

Segmented hinges in the long, thin bones of fish fins are critical to the incredible mechanical properties of fins, and this design could inspire improved underwater propulsion systems, new robotic materials and even new aircraft designs.

Aug 26th, 2021

Compact system designed for high-precision, robot-based surface measurements

System poised to enable real-time, in-line 3D inspection and boost efficiency of high-tech manufacturing.

Aug 24th, 2021

A soft robot based on a water-driven hydrogel actuator

Researchers have developed a soft actuator inspired by the unique behavior of sea cucumbers.

Aug 18th, 2021

Sex with robots: How should lawmakers respond?

Advancements in technology have resulted in the design of hyper-realistic, Wi-Fi connected, programmable sex robots that can mimic human responses, but what do these developments mean for how we regulate interactions with 'sexbots' in the future?

Aug 11th, 2021

Artificial Intelligence learns better when distracted

Computer scientists have now determined how a deep learning system well suited for image recognition learns to recognize its surroundings. They were able to simplify the learning process by forcing the system's focus toward secondary characteristics.

Jul 30th, 2021

New algorithm flies drones faster than human racing pilots

For the first time an autonomously flying quadrotor has outperformed two human pilots in a drone race. The success is based on a novel algorithm that calculates time-optimal trajectories that fully consider the drones' limitations.

Jul 23rd, 2021

New simulator helps robots sharpen their cutting skills (w/video)

A simulation engine predicts the forces acting on a knife as it cuts through soft materials, a capability that could have applications for safer food processing and surgical robotics.

Jul 22nd, 2021