Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

Cutting the cord on soft robots

Developers from Harvard's School for Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have produced the first untethered soft robot - a quadruped that can stand up and walk away from its designers.

September 12, 2014 Read more

Making drones more customizable

A first-ever standard 'operating system' for drones could soon help manufacturers easily design and customize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for multiple applications.

September 12, 2014 Read more

Researchers demonstrate direct human brain-to-brain communication via the internet

In a first-of-its-kind study, an international team of neuroscientists and robotics engineers have demonstrated the viability of direct brain-to-brain communication in humans.

September 3, 2014 Read more

Socially-assistive robots help kids with autism learn by providing personalized prompts

In a pilot study, researchers found that children with autism spectrum disorders showed improved or maintained performance in learning imitative behavior by interacting with humanoid robots that provided graded cueing, an occupational therapy technique that shapes behavior by providing increasingly specific cues to help a person learn new skills.

August 28, 2014 Read more

'Robo Brain' will teach robots everything from the Internet

Robo Brain - a large-scale computational system that learns from publicly available Internet resources - is currently downloading and processing about 1 billion images, 120,000 YouTube videos, and 100 million how-to documents and appliance manuals. The information is being translated and stored in a robot-friendly format that robots will be able to draw on when they need it.

August 25, 2014 Read more

C2D2 fighting corrosion

Bridges become an infrastructure problem as they get older, as de-icing salt and carbon dioxide gradually destroy the reinforced concrete. A new robot can now check the condition of these structures, even in places that people cannot reach.

August 22, 2014 Read more

Delivery by drone

New algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions.

August 21, 2014 Read more

Research paves way for development of cyborg moth 'biobots' (w/video)

Researchers have developed methods for electronically manipulating the flight muscles of moths and for monitoring the electrical signals moths use to control those muscles. The work opens the door to the development of remotely-controlled moths, or 'biobots', for use in emergency response.

August 20, 2014 Read more

Secrets of how worms wriggle uncovered could be of use in robotics

An engineer has found how worms move around, despite not having a brain to communicate with the body.

August 19, 2014 Read more

A self-organizing thousand-robot swarm (w/video)

Following simple programmed rules, autonomous robots arrange themselves into vast, complex shapes.

August 14, 2014 Read more

My car drives, parks and charges itself for me

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just drop off the car in front of the station and let it do the rest? Soon it will be possible, thanks to V-CHARGE, an EU ICT research project.

August 12, 2014 Read more

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.

August 11, 2014 Read more

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.

August 9, 2014 Read more

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.

August 7, 2014 Read more

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.

August 2, 2014 Read more

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.

July 26, 2014 Read more

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.

July 23, 2014 Read more

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.

July 21, 2014 Read more