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Next generation robotic legs for when the going gets rough (w/video)

Horses and other animals inspire new designs for smarter, faster, more agile robotic legs.

Aug 11th, 2014

AI, robotics, and the future of jobs

This report is the latest in a sustained effort throughout 2014 by the Pew Research Center's Internet Project to mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The report covers experts' views about advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, and their impact on jobs and employment.

Aug 9th, 2014

Robot folds itself up and walks away

A team of engineers used little more than paper and Shrinky dinks - the classic children's toy that shrinks when heated - to build a robot that assembles itself into a complex shape in four minutes flat, and crawls away without any human intervention.

Aug 7th, 2014

Hitchhiking robot thumbs its way across Canada

A talking robot assembled from household odds and ends is hitchhiking thousands of kilometers across Canada this summer as part of a social experiment to see if those of its kind can trust humans.

Aug 2nd, 2014

Driverless cars - issues arising for insurance companies

Lloyd's of London, the insurance underwriter, has recently produced a report about how autonomous car technology will affect the insurance industry. According to the report, insurance companies will have to create new methodologies on how they measure risk and charge motor insurance premiums.

Jul 26th, 2014

Electronic nose could aid in robotic rescue missions

Researchers developed a device that allows multiple robotic platforms to follow the path of certain odors. A technology which could aid the search and rescue of people in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes or floods.

Jul 23rd, 2014

Origami wheel robot (w/video)

Robotics researchers propose an origami-wheel design that is capable of varying its own transmission ratio between motor torque and ground reaction force, effectively creating a passive, continuously variable transmission.

Jul 21st, 2014

Wrist-mounted device augments the human hand with two robotic fingers (w/video)

Twisting a screwdriver, removing a bottle cap, and peeling a banana are just a few simple tasks that are tricky to pull off single-handedly. Now a new wrist-mounted robot can provide a helping hand - or rather, fingers.

Jul 18th, 2014

Artificial intelligence - Quick to recognize

Neural networks that function like the human visual cortex may help realize faster, more reliable pattern recognition.

Jul 16th, 2014

Squishy robots (w/video)

Phase-changing material could allow even low-cost robots to switch between hard and soft states.

Jul 14th, 2014

Drone lighting

Autonomous vehicles could automatically assume the right positions for photographic lighting.

Jul 11th, 2014

Your next Angry Birds opponent could be a robot (w/video)

With the help of a smart tablet and Angry Birds, children can now do something typically reserved for engineers and computer scientists: program a robot to learn new skills. The Georgia Institute of Technology project is designed to serve as a rehabilitation tool and to help kids with disabilities.

Jul 10th, 2014

Power consumption of robot joints could be 40% less, according to a laboratory study

Researchers have studied how it is possible to save energy in the propulsion of flexible joints without losing precision.

Jul 3rd, 2014

Meet Ladybird, a solar-powered farm robot unveiled in Australia

The 'Ladybird' was designed and built specifically for the vegetable industry with the aim of creating a ground robot with supporting intelligent software and the capability to conduct autonomous farm surveillance, mapping, classification, and detection for a variety of different vegetables.

Jul 1st, 2014

Muscle-powered bio-bots walk on command (w/video)

A new generation of miniature biological robots is flexing its muscle. Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign demonstrated a class of walking 'bio-bots' powered by muscle cells and controlled with electrical pulses, giving researchers unprecedented command over their function

Jun 30th, 2014

Winners named in global underwater robot event

Student teams controlling underwater robots from the United States, Canada and Russia were the winners Saturday in a global competition at the only federal freshwater marine sanctuary in the United States.

Jun 29th, 2014

DARPA announces new challenges, teams, and research goals for the Robotics Challenge finale

From June 5-6, 2015, California will be the stage for the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals. Teams from around the world will meet at Fairplex in Pomona to compete for the $2 million prize to be awarded to the team that best demonstrates human-supervised robot technology for disaster response.

Jun 28th, 2014

Space-tested robot inspires medicine and manufacturing uses

Robonaut, a human-like robot designed by NASA and General Motors, has been on the International Space Station since February 2011. Researchers have been testing the robot's ability to perform certain tasks to free up human crew time and energy.

Jun 28th, 2014