Robotics news

Robotics

Tiny 'rhinoceros beetle' robot does micro-scale manipulation in extreme conditions

Engineers have designed a tiny, low-weight and cordless robot that can act independently and with ultra-high precision in all directions in some of the most extreme conditions. The robot, which the designers call "Holonomic ...

Robotics

Innovative biorobotic arm uses artificial muscles to combat tremors, paving way for wearable solutions

It is estimated that about 80 million people worldwide live with a tremor. For example, those who live with Parkinson's disease. The involuntary periodic movements sometimes strongly affect how patients are able to perform ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Robots with eyes more likely to be perceived as having a 'mind'

Over the past few years, engineers have developed increasingly advanced robotic systems already introduced in some public spaces and could soon be deployed in home environments. Many of these robots are humanoids, meaning ...

Robotics

A robot nearly headbutted a festival spectator in China. Here are four urgent steps to make the tech safer

Humanoid robots are supposed to be our loyal assistants, but we saw another side to them the other day. Chinese robot manufacturer Unitree was demonstrating its latest H1 robots at a lantern festival in the city of Taishan, ...

Robotics

Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage

From mountain goats that run up near-vertical rock faces to armadillos that roll into a protective ball, animals have evolved to adapt effortlessly to changes in their environment. In contrast, when an autonomous robot is ...

Robotics

Robots learn how to move by watching themselves

By watching their own motions with a camera, robots can teach themselves about the structure of their own bodies and how they move, a new study by researchers at Columbia Engineering now reveals. Equipped with this knowledge, ...

Robotics

Low-cost drone system aids indoor search and rescue missions

Indoor search and rescue operations are some of the most dangerous tasks that law enforcement and first responders must face, but drone technology has revolutionized how they approach these intense situations, according to ...

Robotics

Turning robotic ensembles into smart materials that mimic life

Researchers have engineered groups of robots that behave as smart materials with tunable shape and strength, mimicking living systems. "We've figured out a way for robots to behave more like a material," said Matthew Devlin, ...

Robotics

A robust and adaptive controller for ballbots

The ballbot is a unique kind of robot with great mobility and possesses the ability to go in all directions. Obviously, controlling such a robotic device must be tricky. Indeed, ballbot systems pose unique challenges, particularly ...

Robotics

Leafbot: A soft robot that conquers challenging terrains

Soft robotics is an emerging field in the robotic world with promising adaptability in navigating unstructured environments. Where traditional robots struggle with unpredictable terrains, soft robots are advancing in their ...

Robotics

Robot acrobatics: Mammal tails offer surprising design insights

While exploring how best to design robots that use tails to reorient their bodies in midair, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan and University of California San Diego found that mammals had already figured ...

Robotics

Engineers help multirobot systems stay in the safety zone

Drone shows are an increasingly popular form of large-scale light display. These shows incorporate hundreds to thousands of airborne bots, each programmed to fly in paths that together form intricate shapes and patterns across ...