Robotics news

Robotics

A new robotic hand capable of switching between multiple grippers using a single motor

For robots to be used in various settings, such as factories, logistics, service industries and households, they must be able to stably handle a diverse range of objects differing in shape, size, weight and rigidity. However, ...

Robotics

Engineers develop robot that judges its surroundings and walks, runs, and jumps like an animal

An era in which robots decide "how to walk" on their own has arrived. A four-legged robot has been developed that, much like a person or an animal, autonomously chooses the appropriate gait strategy for its surroundings—changing ...

Robotics

New soft sensor can turn touch into robotic action without electronics

Built from flexible, compliant materials, soft robots are gaining relevance for tasks ranging from minimally invasive surgery to deep-sea exploration but remain held back by a fundamental constraint. To sense their surroundings ...

Robotics

New test measures how well humanoid robots handle real-world forces

As technology advances, more is expected from humanoid robots. What were once seen as gimmicks that could walk, if not like us, then close to it, are now pulling their weight and doing more work in places like factories. ...

Robotics

An AI-powered control system for robots with legs

Walking robots, such as quadruped robotic dogs, must be able to move safely through rough, often changing environments. Today, there are two main ways to program these walking, or legged, robots. The first is called model ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Sony discontinues Japan sales of robot puppy 'aibo'

Sony is halting sales of its robotic puppy "aibo" in Japan, the company said, eight years after the latest model of its interactive android pet became an instant hit.

Software

New low-cost technology to prevent drone collision

Using only on-board sensors and cameras, researcher Julián Estévez, from the Computational Intelligence Group (GIC) of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has developed low-cost, autonomous, navigation technology ...

Robotics

Shape-shifting 'transformer bots' inspired by origami

Inspired by the paper-folding art of origami, North Carolina State University engineers have discovered a way to make a single plastic cubed structure transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active ...

Robotics

A robot that survives through self-amputation

Self-amputation may seem like a drastic move, but it's a survival tactic that's proved particularly handy for numerous creatures. Yale roboticists have drawn inspiration from lizards, crabs, and other animals who shed parts ...

Robotics

Trajectory planning could boost safety in medical robotics

Using a newly-devised complex algorithm, the researchers have created a perfectly choreographed "dance" using two robotic arms, continuously retaining a clear space between them—where a patient's body would fit—as well as ...

Robotics

Sea slug feeding structure model informs soft robot design

Carnegie Mellon University researchers at the Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Group (B.O.R.G.) led by Victoria Webster-Wood, in collaboration with researchers at Case Western Reserve University, are studying the sea slug feeding ...

Robotics

Tiny sunlight-powered drone flies for an hour

A team of engineers at Beihang University, working with a colleague from Center of Advanced Aero-Engine, both in China, has developed a micro-aerial vehicle that flies using direct sunlight. They reported their results in ...