Robotics news
Robotics
A programmable, Lego-like material for robots emulates life's flexibility
Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a proof-of-concept method for programming mechanical properties into solid Lego-like building blocks. By controlling the solidity of hundreds of individual cells in ...
Feb 3, 2026
0
17
Software
They're robots, and they're here to help: Computer scientist improves robot interactions with human beings
Friendly robots, the ones people love to love, are quirky: R2-D2, C-3PO, WALL-E, BB-8, Marvin, Roz and Baymax. They're emotional, prone to panic or bossy, empathetic and able to communicate like humans do—even when they ...
Feb 3, 2026
0
0
A mathematical framework for optimizing robotic joints
Consider the marvelous physics of the human knee. The largest hinge joint in the body, it has two rounded bones held together by ligaments that not only swing like a door, but also roll and glide over each other, allowing ...
Feb 2, 2026
0
0
Quickly and precisely localizing radioactive material with drones and robots
Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive substances (CBRNE substances for short) can pose a threat to the public and to emergency services. For example, in 2023, a cesium capsule measuring just a few millimeters ...
Feb 2, 2026
0
0
Training four-legged robots as if they were dogs
Over the next decades, robots are expected to make their way into a growing number of households, public spaces, and professional environments. Many of the most advanced and promising robots designed to date are so-called ...
Robotics
A smelly snapshot of the current state of electronic noses for robots
Robots are getting better at sniffing out smells thanks to improvements in electronic noses (e-noses). A comprehensive review of the state of robot olfaction, published in the journal npj Robotics, has surveyed recent advances ...
Jan 31, 2026
0
35
Robotics
Synthetic 'muscle' with microfluidic blood vessels shows promise for soft robotics
Researchers are continuing to make progress on developing a new synthetic material that behaves like biological muscle, an advancement that could provide a path to soft robotics, prosthetic devices and advanced human-machine ...
Jan 27, 2026
0
63
Robotics
Not ready for robots in homes? The maker of a friendly new humanoid thinks it might change your mind
As the new robot called Sprout walks around a Manhattan office, nodding its rectangular head, lifting its windshield wiper-like "eyebrows" and offering to shake your hand with its grippers, it looks nothing like the sleek ...
Jan 27, 2026
0
0
Robotics
Scientists develop advanced low-damping impedance control for collaborative robots
Collaborative robots, or cobots, are required to maintain compliant interaction while delivering rapid response performance when subjected to sudden, strong forces, such as during impact riveting, resistance spot welding, ...
Jan 27, 2026
0
7
Business
Should companies replace human workers with robots? Study takes a closer look
Last year, when The New York Times reported that Amazon's robotics team's ultimate goal was to automate 75% of the company's operations, replacing more than half a million human jobs in an attempt to pass cost savings onto ...
Jan 27, 2026
0
0
Robotics
Meet the soft humanoid robot that can grow, shrink, fly and walk on water
Humanoid robots look impressive and have enormous potential to change our daily lives, but they still have a reputation for being clunky. They're also heavy and stiff, and if they fall, they can easily break and injure people ...
Robotics
Unpredictable movements of autonomous robots can increase human discomfort
A research team from the Visual Perception and Cognition Laboratory and the Cognitive Neurotechnology Unit at Toyohashi University of Technology investigated how the movements of autonomous mobile robots influence human emotional ...
Jan 26, 2026
0
0
Robotics
Swarms of mini robots that 'bloom' could lead to adaptive architecture
Nature is, of course, the master engineer—been there, seen it, solved it. While we struggle to design buildings that don't overheat or feel like concrete cages, nature has been perfecting comfortable living structures for ...
Robotics
Shapeshifting materials could power next generation of soft robots
McGill University engineers have developed new ultra-thin materials that can be programmed to move, fold and reshape themselves, much like animated origami. They open the door to softer, safer and more adaptable robots that ...
Jan 23, 2026
0
36
Robotics
Musk makes Davos debut with promise of robots for all
Elon Musk sees his humanoid robots hitting the market next year, one of several "optimistic" forecasts by the US tech mogul at his first-ever Davos appearance on Thursday.
Jan 22, 2026
0
0
Robotics
Handy robot can crawl and pick up objects from multiple angles
Like something out of the Addams Family, scientists have created a detachable robotic hand that can crawl and grab objects. The design enables tasks such as retrieving objects beyond normal reach and performing multi-object ...
Jan 21, 2026
0
26
Robotics
A geometric twist boosts the power of robotic textiles
By rethinking how thin metal threads are woven into a flexible textile, EPFL researchers have created a lightweight fabric capable of lifting over 400 times its own weight. The work advances the development of wearables that ...
Jan 20, 2026
0
0
Robotics
Soft robotic hand 'sees' around corners to achieve human-like touch
To reliably complete household chores, assemble products and tackle other manual tasks, robots should be able to adapt their manipulation strategies based on the objects they are working with, similarly to how humans leverage ...
Robotics
New RoboReward dataset and models automate robotic training and evaluation
The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms has opened new possibilities for the development of robots that can reliably tackle various everyday tasks. Training and evaluating these algorithms, however, typically ...
Robotics
Underwater robots inspired by nature are making progress, but hurdles remain
Underwater robots face many challenges before they can truly master the deep, such as stability in choppy currents. A new paper published in the journal npj Robotics provides a comprehensive update of where the technology ...
Robotics
Robot learns to lip sync by watching YouTube
Almost half of our attention during face-to-face conversation focuses on lip motion. Yet, robots still struggle to move their lips correctly. Even the most advanced humanoids make little more than muppet mouth gestures—if ...
Jan 14, 2026
0
77
Robotics
Adaptive motion system helps robots achieve human-like dexterity with minimal data
Despite rapid robotic automation advancements, most systems struggle to adapt their pre-trained movements to dynamic environments with objects of varying stiffness or weight. To tackle this challenge, researchers from Japan ...
Jan 13, 2026
0
30
Robotics
Humanoid robots or human connection? What Elon Musk's Optimus reveals about our AI ambitions
When Elon Musk talks about robotics, he rarely hides the ambition behind the dream.
Jan 12, 2026
0
0
Robotics
Did that lamp just fold the laundry? Alumni rethink home robotics
When Aaron Tan began his Ph.D. in mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Toronto in 2019, leading a robotics startup in Silicon Valley was the furthest thing from his mind.
Jan 10, 2026
0
0
Robotics
One image is all robots need to find their way
While the capabilities of robots have improved significantly over the past decades, they are not always able to reliably and safely move in unknown, dynamic and complex environments. To move in their surroundings, robots ...
