Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

Engineers combine AI and wearable cameras in self-walking robotic exoskeletons

Robotics researchers are developing exoskeletons and prosthetic legs capable of thinking and moving on their own using sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

March 15, 2021 Read more

Biomorphic batteries could provide 72x more energy for robots

Researchers develop a new rechargeable zinc battery that integrates into the structure of a robot to provide much more energy. The battery membrane is a nano-material based on cartilage, using recycled Kevlar.

March 12, 2021 Read more

Robots learn faster with quantum technology

A crucial question for practical applications is how fast intelligent machines can learn. An experiment has answered this question, showing that quantum technology enables a speed-up in the learning process.

March 11, 2021 Read more

Robots can use eye contact to encourage reluctant participants in groups

Researchers published results of experiments in which robots led a Swedish word game with individuals whose proficiency in the Nordic language was varied. They found that by redirecting its gaze to less proficient players, a robot can elicit involvement from even the most reluctant participants.

March 10, 2021 Read more

Army of robots pushes the limits of astrophysics (w/video)

One thousand newly-minted microrobots will soon be deployed at two large-scale telescopes in Chile and the United States. These high-precision instruments, capable of positioning optical fibers to within a micron, will vastly increase the quantity of astrophysics data that can be gathered - and expand our understanding of the Universe.

March 5, 2021 Read more

Helping soft robots turn rigid on demand

New type of control system may broaden robots' range of tasks and allow safer interactions with people.

March 3, 2021 Read more

Novel soft tactile sensor with skin-comparable characteristics for robots (w/video)

A robotic gripper with the sensor mounted at the fingertip could accomplish challenging tasks such as stably grasping fragile objects and threading a needle.

March 1, 2021 Read more

This robot doesn't need any electronics (w/video)

Engineers have created a four-legged soft robot that only needs a constant source of pressurized air for all its functions, including its controls and locomotion systems.

February 18, 2021 Read more

Intelligent robots for targeted combating of viruses and bacteria

Service robots can help ensure that buildings and means of transport are cleaned and disinfected regularly and with consistently high quality.

February 12, 2021 Read more

Soft underwater crawling robot inspired by brittle stars (w/video)

A team of researchers has created a soft robot inspired by the quick and agile brittle star, the first mobile and untethered underwater crawling robot.

February 12, 2021 Read more

Emerging robotics technology may lead to better buildings in less time

Innovators developed and are testing a novel construction robotic system that uses an innovative mechanical design with advances in computer vision sensing technology to work in a construction setting.

February 10, 2021 Read more

Robots sense human touch using camera and shadows

Researchers have created a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to detect a range of physical interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, without relying on touch at all. Instead, a USB camera located inside the robot captures the shadow movements of hand gestures on the robot?s skin and classifies them with machine-learning software.

February 9, 2021 Read more

How modern robots are developed

Robots are interesting to neuroscience and neuroscience is interesting to robots. Such collaborative development contributes to progress in both fields, bringing us closer to developing more advanced android robots and a deeper understanding of the structure of the human brain.

February 3, 2021 Read more

Discovery could lead to self-propelled robots

Researchers discovered how to make materials capable of self-propulsion, allowing materials to move without motors or hands.

February 1, 2021 Read more

'Bleep-bloop-bleep! Say 'cheese', human'

Good portrait photography is as much art as it is science. There are technical details like composition and lighting, but there's also a matter of connecting emotionally with the photo?s subjects. Can you teach that to a robot?

January 29, 2021 Read more

Squid-inspired robot is a good swimmer (w/video)

Using the pulse-jet mode that squid and jellyfish use to propel themselves, researchers developed a flexible robot that is as efficient at swimming as its biological models. Further research could lead to robots that can move even more efficiently than aquatic animals.

January 22, 2021 Read more

Designing customized 'brains' for robots

A new system devises hardware architectures to hasten robots' response time.

January 21, 2021 Read more

Bio-inspired robotics: learning from dragonflies

Scientists have completely decrypted the biomechanical functional principle of what is known as the labial mask of dragonfly larvae. The technology used here could lead to a significant enhancement of agile robot systems.

January 20, 2021 Read more