Robotics news
Robotics
Pea-size liquid-metal pump runs robot butterfly on under 0.1 V
Engineers have invented an ingenious liquid-metal pump that could make future soft robotics and wearable devices much more portable and agile. The innovation, led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal ...
5 hours ago
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Robotics
It looks like a sea urchin, but this strange 20-legged machine is rewriting what robots can do
Symmetry is everywhere in nature, from the bilateral form of vertebrates to the radial geometry of starfish. For decades, roboticists have tried to copy these shapes and their abilities with bodies that look like humans, ...
7 hours ago
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'5-in-1' seed-sized surgical robot switches tools in under one second
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a tiny seed-sized robot that can navigate across soft and uneven surfaces to perform five surgical functions wirelessly, paving the ...
May 26, 2026
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Motion tracking system shows robots the path most traveled by, keeping them on task
There's a delicate art to teaching robots, even when you're preparing them for predictable environments like factories, where they'll repeat the same tasks a little differently depending on the obstacles they face. Whether ...
May 25, 2026
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New framework helps robots turn complex language into precise 3D actions
Over the past few decades, roboticists worldwide have introduced increasingly advanced robots that can understand human instructions, move in their surroundings and reliably complete basic manual tasks. While they perform ...
Robotics
Unlocking soft robotics control with AI's cousin: Reservoir computing
Soft robotics—machines made of flexible, muscle-like materials—can bend and stretch in fluid ways that put the rigid robots of old sci-fi movies to shame. But the flexibility that lets them pick ripe tomatoes or navigate ...
May 22, 2026
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Robotics
Robotic collective flows like matter, adapting without centralized control
Cornell engineers have developed a robotic collective that behaves less like a machine and more like a material that flows, reshapes, and adapts to its environment without centralized control. The system, called the Cross-Link ...
May 21, 2026
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Robotics
Turning surroundings into a 'virtual screen' could help machines see better in 3D
Imagine navigating a city street during rush hour—cars and bikes zipping by, pedestrians hustling down a crowded sidewalk, your eyes adjusting to the shop windows' glare in one moment and a dark underpass the next. Our brain, ...
May 20, 2026
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Robotics
What AI taxis and robots can learn from bees
Even advanced technology can struggle when the real world becomes unpredictable. In April 2026, a Waymo robotaxi in San Antonio, Texas, drove into a flooded lane during severe weather, prompting the company to recall about ...
May 20, 2026
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Robotics
Open-source framework lets drones dodge obstacles in milliseconds while minimizing travel time
In the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs) could fly through a collapsed building to map the scene, giving rescuers information they need to quickly reach survivors. But this remains an ...
May 19, 2026
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Robotics
Co-designed robots reveal what health care staff and patients actually need
As robots enter hospitals and care facilities, questions remain about whether they actually make care easier for the people who give and receive it. A new Cornell Tech-led study approaches that challenge by inviting health ...
May 14, 2026
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Robotics
Honeybees teach drones how to navigate
It sounds like science fiction, but also strangely familiar: drones buzzing around, inspecting tomatoes in greenhouses, delivering your package or inspecting an industrial site. With all the talk about drone-swarms, development ...
May 13, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Human-like robot voices boost customer support after mistakes, five experiments show
When service robots make mistakes, it is not only important whether customers receive compensation. The robot's voice can also shape how the situation is perceived. A human-like voice can make customers feel more supported ...
May 13, 2026
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Robotics
'Touch dreaming' helps humanoid robots handle five tricky tasks with 90.9% higher success
Humanoid robots, robotic systems with a body structure that resembles that of humans, could soon assist humans with various tasks in household environments, manufacturing sites, hospitals and other settings. While some humanoid ...
Robotics
Closing the gap between animal movement and robotic control
Animals move with a level of precision and adaptability that robots struggle to match. In Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, researchers are developing a new AI-driven approach to uncover how ...
May 12, 2026
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Robotics
Machines with the ability to 'feel' currently in development as we enter next frontier of AI
New artificial intelligence (AI) technologies currently in development could lead to an imminent future where machines no longer just process and analyze information, but can feel. In his new book "Perceptive Machines," futurologist ...
May 12, 2026
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Robotics
Artificial muscle merges sensing and movement in one structure for humanoid robots
A research team has developed an "intelligent artificial muscle" capable of simultaneously performing sensing and actuation functions, inspired by biological muscle–tendon complexes. This artificial muscle, which embeds liquid ...
May 10, 2026
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Robotics
From motion to memory: Researchers create soft machines that amplify movement and remember touch
Conventional soft actuators are often limited by weak force, small displacement, and slow response. To overcome these limitations, researchers have developed a new mechanical system that can amplify motion and remember external ...
May 8, 2026
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Robotics
New understanding of insect flight points way to stable flapping-wing robots
The way bugs and birds flap their wings may look effortless, but the dynamics that keep them aloft are dizzyingly complex and difficult to quantify. Cornell researchers have created a computational model that shows the effect ...
May 4, 2026
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Robotics
Table tennis robot defeats some of world's best players. Why this has major implications for robotics
A table tennis robot has outperformed elite players in recent evaluations. The robot, called Ace, marks a significant step toward artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can operate in fast, uncertain, real-world environments.
May 3, 2026
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Robotics
Robots can run a marathon and play ping pong. But will they ever achieve true sporting greatness?
A humanoid robot recently made headlines around the world for running a half-marathon and beating the human world record. Around the same time, an AI-powered robot defeated an elite human player in table tennis. What the ...
May 2, 2026
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Business
How to avoid supply chain issues as drone and robot production increases exponentially
Production of drones and autonomous robots is expected to explode by the late 2030s—by up to 10× for commercial drones and 100× for humanoid and quadruped robots. Publishing in Chem Circularity, researchers estimate how this ...
May 1, 2026
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Robotics
For autonomous robots, not all rules are equal
From driving cars to flying drones, as autonomous robots take on more responsibility, they also face more human-like dilemmas—including what to do when rules collide.
May 1, 2026
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Robotics
What will it take to make AI-enabled robots safer?
The effort to "align" AI with human values is falling dangerously short in robotic systems, according to researchers from Penn Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Oxford. In a new paper appearing ...
Apr 29, 2026
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Robotics
FingerEye bridges touch and vision to improve robot handling before and after contact
To reliably complete various manual tasks, robots should be able to handle a variety of objects, ranging from items found in households to tools used in specific professional settings. While many existing robotic systems ...
