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Dynamic hydrogel used to make 'soft robot' components and LEGO-like building blocks

Using a new type of dual polymer material capable of responding dynamically to its environment, researchers have developed a set of modular hydrogel components that could be useful in a variety of soft robotic and biomedical applications.

Mar 21st, 2019

Robots enable bees and fish to talk to each other

Through an imaginative experiment, researchers were able to get two extremely different animal species located far apart to interact with each other and reach a shared decision with the help of robots.

Mar 21st, 2019

Robotic 'gray goo' (w/video)

Researchers create new kind of robot composed of many simple particles with no centralized control or single point of failure.

Mar 20th, 2019

Robot hand is soft and strong (w/video)

Gripper device inspired by 'origami magic ball' can grasp wide array of delicate and heavy objects.

Mar 15th, 2019

A robotic leg, born without prior knowledge, learns to walk

New AI algorithms could allow robots to learn to move by themselves, imitating animals.

Mar 11th, 2019

Faster robots demoralize co-workers

Researchers have found that when robots are beating humans in contests for cash prizes, people consider themselves less competent and expend slightly less effort -- and they tend to dislike the robots.

Mar 11th, 2019

Mathematics of sea slug movement points to future robots

Frilly surfaces that help slugs move may motivate future energy-efficient, soft-body robots.

Mar 7th, 2019

These robots are small, shape-shifting, and they adapt to their surroundings

The goal of this lab is to create small, lightweight robots that can reconfigure themselves in response to a need.

Mar 6th, 2019

Ultra-low power chips help make small robots more capable (w/video)

An ultra-low power hybrid chip inspired by the brain could help give palm-sized robots the ability to collaborate and learn from their experiences. Combined with new generations of low-power motors and sensors, the new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) - which operates on milliwatts of power - could help intelligent swarm robots operate for hours instead of minutes.

Mar 6th, 2019

Spider silk could be used as robotic muscle

Unusual property of the ultrastrong material could be harnessed for twisting or pulling motions.

Mar 1st, 2019

Technology assessment: Artificial Intelligence in the medical sector

Decoding of the human genome still poses puzzles that might be solved with the help of artificial intelligence. Technology assessment experts study which applications are realistic and which ethical issues they may entail.

Feb 27th, 2019

How to use the collective power of mini robots to create patterns inspired by nature (w/video)

Scientists have demonstrated how tiny robot swarms could be programmed like cells to form shapes together by relying on interactions with their neighbours.

Feb 25th, 2019

Aquatic microorganism could inspire soft robots able to move fast in narrow spaces

The elegant movements of Euglena, unicellular organisms that adapt their body deformations according to the environment, could be a model for robots that have to move in complex situations, such as soils, debris or even the human body.

Feb 21st, 2019

Brain-inspired artificial intelligence in robots

Applying neuroscience in robotics, scientists proposed a case in which robots should be designed based on the principles of the human brain. They argue that robot intelligence can be significantly enhanced by mimicking strategies that the human brain uses during decision-making processes in everyday life.