Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

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.

July 22, 2021 Read more

Origami comes to life with new shape-changing materials (w/video)

Researchers have created butterflies that flap their wings, flower petals that wiggle with the touch of a button and self-folding origami drawing on new advances in soft robotics.

July 21, 2021 Read more

Engineers 3D-print a soft robotic hand that can play Nintendo - and win

The key breakthrough was the ability to 3D print fully assembled soft robots with 'integrated fluidic circuits' in a single step.

July 17, 2021 Read more

Insect-sized robot navigates mazes with the agility of a cheetah (w/video)

This flexible, durable robot can traverse complex terrain and quickly swerve to avoid obstacles, qualities that could one make it an asset for search and rescue operations.

July 4, 2021 Read more

Recycling robot could help solve soft plastic waste crisis

Researchers are developing a unique method to increase recycling of soft plastics - by creating a smart, automated robotic system that uses robotics and AI to sort recyclable waste.

June 23, 2021 Read more

Smart elastomers are making the robots of the future more touchy-feely

A new generation of robotic tools are beginning to be realized thanks to a combination of strong 'muscles' and sensitive 'nerves' created from smart polymeric materials.

June 22, 2021 Read more

Researchers explore the shallow underground world with a burrowing soft robot (w/video)

Taking their cues from plants and animals that have evolved to navigate subterranean spaces, researchers have developed a fast, controllable soft robot that can burrow through sand. The technology not only enables new applications for fast, precise and minimally invasive movement underground, but also lays mechanical foundations for new types of robots.

June 16, 2021 Read more

Electrohydraulic arachno-bot a fascinating lightweight (w/video)

Goodbye, bulky components and connectors: A team of scientists has now found a new way to exploit the principles of spiders' joints to create lightweight robots.

June 16, 2021 Read more

Miniature robots controlled by magnetic fields (w/video)

A team of scientists has developed millimetre-sized robots that can be controlled using magnetic fields to perform highly manoeuvrable and dexterous manipulations. This could pave the way to possible future applications in biomedicine and manufacturing.

June 15, 2021 Read more

A robotic hand that updates itself

To capture the sophisticated mechanics of in-hand manipulation, a team of researchers designed a robotic system that relies on its ability to map out how it interacts with its environment to adapt and update its own internal model.

June 15, 2021 Read more

The powerhouse future is flexoelectric

'Giant flexoelectricity' breakthrough in soft elastomers paves way for improved robots and self-powered pacemakers.

June 3, 2021 Read more

A helping hand for working robots

A reimagined robot hand combines strength with resilience, sidestepping the problems that accompany existing designs.

May 28, 2021 Read more

The path to more human-like robot object manipulation skills

What if a robot could organize your closet or chop your vegetables? A sous chef in every home could someday be a reality.

May 28, 2021 Read more

The robot smiled back (w/video)

Researchers use AI to teach robots to make appropriate reactive human facial expressions, an ability that could build trust between humans and their robotic co-workers and care-givers.

May 27, 2021 Read more

Slender robotic finger senses buried items (w/video)

The technology uses tactile sensing to identify objects underground, and might one day help disarm land mines or inspect cables.

May 26, 2021 Read more

Transforming our understanding of deep learning

A team of scientists aims to make Deep Learning more accountable and transparent by better understanding the decision making process behind the algorithms.

May 26, 2021 Read more

Helping drone swarms avoid obstacles without hitting each other (w/video)

Engineers have developed a predictive control model that allows swarms of drones to fly in cluttered environments quickly and safely. It works by enabling individual drones to predict their own behavior and that of their neighbors in the swarm.

May 18, 2021 Read more

Magnetic spray transforms objects into millirobots (w/video)

A spray-on magnetic coat turns any object into a robot controlled by a magnetic field. The biocompatible robots can walk, crawl and roll, and switch motions on demand.

May 13, 2021 Read more