Robotics news
Robotics
Electrofluidic fiber muscles could enable silent robotic systems
Muscles are remarkably effective systems for generating controlled force, and engineers developing hardware for robots or prosthetics have long struggled to create analogs that can approach their unique combination of strength, ...
Apr 9, 2026
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Robotics
Origami-inspired robot built from printable polymers uses electric current to move
With their ability to shapeshift and manipulate delicate objects, soft robots could work as medical implants, deliver drugs inside the body and help explore dangerous environments. But the squishy machines are often limited ...
Apr 9, 2026
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These AI-powered guide dogs don't just lead, they talk
Guide dogs are powerful allies, leading the visually impaired safely to their destinations, but they can't talk with their owners—until now. Using large language models, a team of researchers at Binghamton University, State ...
Apr 8, 2026
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Wearable robots improve coordination between pairs of violin players
In some settings and when completing some collaborative tasks, humans are required to coordinate their movements or actions with those of others. A clear example of this is musical performance, particularly instances in which ...
Magnetic coil setup guides microrobots without seeing them
SMU researchers have created an electromagnetic coil system that can control microrobots without requiring continuous visual tracking of their position—a significant advancement that could enable microrobots to operate inside ...
Apr 7, 2026
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Robotics
Too many cooks, or too many robots? Finding a Goldilocks level of randomness to keep robot swarms moving
Picture a futuristic swarm of robots deployed on a time-sensitive task, like cleaning up an oil spill or assembling a machine. At first, adding robots is advantageous, since many hands make light work. But a tipping point ...
Apr 6, 2026
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Robotics
Resilient actuator shows potential for space-ready soft robots
To be safely and reliably deployed in outer space, underwater and in other extreme environments, robots need to be able to withstand harsh conditions without breaking. In addition, they should be able to promptly and rapidly ...
Apr 5, 2026
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Robotics
Air-powered artificial muscles could help robots lift 100 times their weight
Researchers at Arizona State University are developing bio-inspired robotic "muscles" that will enable robots to operate in boiling water, survive abrasive surfaces, bypass impediments that keep their motorized counterparts ...
Apr 2, 2026
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Robotics
Introducing MirrorBot, a robot designed to foster human connection
While technology has made the world "smaller," it has also pulled individuals apart, thanks to mobile phones and other devices that command our attention. Cornell University researchers are using technology, in the form of ...
Apr 2, 2026
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Robotics
Do you trust me? A framework for making networks of robots and vehicles safer
From birds flying in formation to students working on a group project, the functioning of a group requires not only coordination and communication but also trust—each member must be confident in the others. The same is true ...
Apr 2, 2026
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Robotics
Combining the robot operating system with LLMs for natural-language control
Over the past few decades, robotics researchers have developed a wide range of increasingly advanced robots that can autonomously complete various real-world tasks. To be successfully deployed in real-world settings, such ...
Robotics
Researchers build a robotic swarm with no electronics, no batteries and no brains
A LEGO brick is not smart. It doesn't compute. It doesn't plug in. It just fits. A team of Georgia Tech researchers has applied that logic to robotics. Bolei Deng, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech's Daniel Guggenheim ...
Apr 1, 2026
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Robotics
Control framework lets flexible robots move in tight spaces with less math
We often imagine robots as machines with rigid arms, rotating joints, and targeted mechanical movements. The famous Optimus Prime and Bumblebee from the "Transformers" movies appear to fit these criteria. However, such robots ...
Mar 31, 2026
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Robotics
Robots with different bodies can now share skills: What intention-based learning changes
Robots are increasingly being used in manufacturing, agriculture and health care. But programming a team of robots to carry out individual tasks raises a question: How can robots learn from other robots if they are built ...
Mar 30, 2026
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Robotics
HEAPGrasp: A faster, smarter way for robots to handle tricky objects
The fields of manufacturing, logistics, and even restaurants are increasingly moving toward automation, with robots being employed for a wide range of tasks. One of the most critical applications of robots is material handling, ...
Mar 30, 2026
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Robotics
Q&A: Robots can't feel, but novel sensors could change that
A research team, including Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, James L. Henderson Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, is using pressure sensors—tiny devices, roughly the size of a paperclip, ...
Mar 30, 2026
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Robotics
AI benchmark helps robots plan and complete their chores in the real world
No matter how sophisticated they are, robots can often be indecisive and struggle with multi-step chores in the real world. For example, if you tell a robot to tidy a messy room, it might understand the goal but not know ...
Robotics
Alive or not? Tiny 3D-printed robots that swim and navigate just like animals
Leiden researchers Professor Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have created microscopic robots that move without sensors, software, or external control. Instead, their behavior emerges entirely from their shape and the way they ...
Mar 27, 2026
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Robotics
Bat-inspired ultrasound helps palm-sized drones navigate fog and smoke
A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Nitin J. Sanket has shown that ultrasound sensors and a form of artificial intelligence (AI) can enable palm-sized aerial robots to navigate with limited power ...
Mar 26, 2026
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Robotics
Video-based AI gives robots a visual imagination
In a major step toward more adaptable and intuitive machines, Kempner Institute Investigator Yilun Du and his collaborators have unveiled a new kind of artificial intelligence system that lets robots "envision" their actions ...
Mar 26, 2026
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Robotics
AI system learns to prevent warehouse robot traffic jams, boosting throughput 25%
Inside a giant autonomous warehouse, hundreds of robots dart down aisles as they collect and distribute items to fulfill a steady stream of customer orders. In this busy environment, even small traffic jams or minor collisions ...
Mar 26, 2026
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Robotics
Digital twins to rescue robots: What faster 3D point cloud processing enables
What if technology, such as self-driving cars, drones, or intelligent navigation systems, could understand the world the way we do—not just seeing shapes, but recognizing meaning? A person waiting at a crosswalk, a bicycle ...
Mar 26, 2026
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Robotics
A robotic hand without motors? How a sub-second shape-shifting actuator could work
While space structures and robotic arms require lightweight actuation devices capable of repetitive movement, conventional motor-based systems face limitations due to their heavy weight and complex structures. A KAIST research ...
Mar 25, 2026
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Robotics
Wristband enables wearers to control a robotic hand with their own movements
The next time you're scrolling on your phone, take a moment to appreciate the feat: The seemingly mundane act is possible thanks to the coordination of 34 muscles, 27 joints, and over 100 tendons and ligaments in your hand. ...
Mar 25, 2026
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Robotics
Robots take the heat for humans maintaining our biggest solar farms
AI-powered robots are set to track across thousands of kilometers of baked, uneven ground, reducing the danger for maintenance workers on Australia's large-scale solar farms. A successful trial by CSIRO, Australia's national ...
Mar 25, 2026
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