Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

Robots put to work on e-waste (w/video)

Researchers have programmed industrial robots to tackle the vast array of e-waste thrown out by consumers every year.

November 18, 2014 Read more

Magic tricks created using artificial intelligence for the first time

Researchers working on artificial intelligence at Queen Mary University of London have taught a computer to create magic tricks.

November 17, 2014 Read more

Artificial muscle capable of 'remembering' movements developed

Researchers have developed artificial muscles which can learn and recall specific movements, the first time that motion control and memory have been combined in a synthetic material.

November 14, 2014 Read more

Inflatable robotics helps spark idea for silver screen star (w/video)

Make-believe soft robot in Disney's newest movie has roots in real-world robotics research.

November 14, 2014 Read more

Robots to become just another household device, like a television or a microwave oven

The most important humanoid robots in the world have a date in Spain next week at Humanoids 2014.

November 14, 2014 Read more

Cats and athletes teach robots to fall (w/video)

Georgia Tech studies mid-air orientation and impact behavior in both cats and humans as it applies to reduced impact in falling robots, especially those that one day may be used for search-and-rescue missions in hazardous conditions.

November 13, 2014 Read more

Using 3D printers to print out self-learning robots

3D printers make it possible to create sophisticated robots and other objects.

November 12, 2014 Read more

Electric cars without drivers

E-Mobile will park independently in the future and will also be able to find the next charging station without a driver. Researchers are working on electric cars that can travel short distances autonomously. On the basis of cost-effective sensors, they are developing a dynamic model that perceives the environmental situation.

November 12, 2014 Read more

Cockroach cyborgs use microphones to detect, trace sounds (w/video)

Researchers have developed technology that allows cyborg cockroaches, or biobots, to pick up sounds with small microphones and seek out the source of the sound. The technology is designed to help emergency personnel find and rescue survivors in the aftermath of a disaster.

November 6, 2014 Read more

The world's most advanced bionic hand

A prosthetic hand, which provides a sense of touch acute enough to handle an egg, has been completed and is now exploited by the NEBIAS project after 10 years of research.

November 6, 2014 Read more

Hybrid fluid transmission enabling light and swift robotic arms (w/video)

Engineers routinely face tradeoffs as they design robotic limbs - weight vs. speed, ease of control vs. fluidity. A new hybrid fluid transmission promises to eliminate some of those tradeoffs, making possible robot arms that are light enough to move swiftly and gracefully, yet with precise control.

October 30, 2014 Read more

Game technology can make emergency robots easier to control

A method borrowed from video gaming can make remote-controlled emergency response robots easier to use - enabling the operator to focus more on the dangerous situations they face.

October 30, 2014 Read more

Reading robots' minds (w/video)

A new spin on virtual reality helps engineers read robots' minds.

October 29, 2014 Read more

Robot project envisions factories where more people want to work

Rather than taking jobs, robots will one day soon join people on the factory floor, as co-workers and collaborators. That's the vision of a EUR 6.5 million project: Symbiotic Human Robot Collaborative Assembly.

October 15, 2014 Read more

How to train your robot: Can we teach robots right from wrong?

While machines are becoming ever more integrated into human lives, the need to imbue them with a sense of morality becomes increasingly urgent. But can we really teach robots how to be good?

October 14, 2014 Read more

Robot sherpas to save lives in the Alps (w/video)

Scientists are working on robots that are expected to save lives in calamity situations in the Alps. The emphasis within this SHERPA project is on cooperation between human rescue workers, the ground robot with a robotic arm and flying robots.

October 10, 2014 Read more

Mind-controlled prosthetic arms that work in daily life are now a reality

For the first time, robotic prostheses controlled via implanted neuromuscular interfaces have become a clinical reality. A novel osseointegrated (bone-anchored) implant system gives patients new opportunities in their daily life and professional activities.

October 9, 2014 Read more

Quantum robotics - using quantum computing to accelerate machine learning

Quantum computing will allow for the creation of powerful computers, but also much smarter and more creative robots than conventional ones. This was the conclusion arrived at by researchers, who have confirmed that quantum tools help robots learn and respond much faster to the stimuli around them.

October 6, 2014 Read more