Robotics news

Robotics

From robot swarms to human societies, good decisions rely on the right mix of perspectives

When groups make decisions—whether it's humans aligning on a shared idea, robots coordinating tasks, or fish deciding where to swim—not everyone contributes equally. Some individuals have more reliable information, whereas ...

Robotics

A squirrel-inspired robot that can leap from limb to limb

Engineers have designed robots that crawl, swim, fly and even slither like a snake, but no robot can hold a candle to a squirrel, which can parkour through a thicket of branches, leap across perilous gaps and execute pinpoint ...

Business

When a robot becomes the boss: Exploring authority, obedience and relationships with machines

How does a robot perform as a boss at work? The results of research by Polish scientists published in Cognition, Technology & Work suggest that while robots can command obedience, they are not as proficient at it as humans. ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Co-design empowers inclusive tech for individuals with intellectual disabilities

A series of QUT research studies have shed light on the importance of involving individuals with intellectual disabilities in the development of assistive technologies.

Robotics

Silk-inspired in situ web spinning for situated robots

Researchers at the Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, present a robotics concept in which temporary robot embodiments and movement pathways are spun in situ from a polymer solution. They demonstrate an ad hoc gripper ...

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

Speedy robo-gripper reflexively organizes cluttered spaces

When manipulating an arcade claw, a player can plan all she wants. But once she presses the joystick button, it's a game of wait-and-see. If the claw misses its target, she'll have to start from scratch for another chance ...

Robotics

Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world's oceans

Most of the world is covered in oceans, which are unfortunately highly polluted. One of the strategies to combat the mounds of waste found in these very sensitive ecosystems—especially around coral reefs—is to employ ...

Robotics

How a horse whisperer can help engineers build better robots

Humans and horses have enjoyed a strong working relationship for nearly 10,000 years—a partnership that transformed how food was produced, people were transported and even how wars were fought and won. Today, we look to ...

Robotics

Grasping the future with a robotic arm-hand combo

Reaching into your pocket to retrieve your phone seems like no big deal. For a robot, however, it is. Like many routine gestures that we take for granted, it's actually very complex. Doing so requires large movements from ...

Robotics

Drones navigate unseen environments with liquid neural networks

In the vast, expansive skies where birds once ruled supreme, a new crop of aviators is taking flight. These pioneers of the air are not living creatures, but rather a product of deliberate innovation: drones. But these aren't ...

Robotics

AI weed-killing drones are coming for mega farms

For the past three years, Terry Aberhart has watched the spindly, fixed-wing drones zip across the big skies over his farm in Canada's Saskatchewan province, testing a technology that could be the future of weeding.