Sky high—Europe's first drone cargo airline gets ready to take off
Drones can make air freight cheaper and remote areas more connected. But tracking them will be key.
Sep 23, 2024
0
27
The future of delivery with transformative drones for low-altitude economy
The emerging low-altitude economy brings unconventional opportunities for urban and economic development, including revolutionizing parcel delivery. Researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have utilized ...
Sep 23, 2024
0
1
Computational approach could continually teach robots new skills via dialogue
While roboticists have introduced increasingly sophisticated robotic systems over the past decades, most of the solutions introduced so far are pre-programmed and trained to tackle specific tasks. The ability to continuously ...
Team develops versatile knee exoskeletons for safer lifting
A set of knee exoskeletons, built with commercially available knee braces and drone motors at the University of Michigan, has been shown to help counteract fatigue in lifting and carrying tasks. They helped users maintain ...
Sep 18, 2024
0
70
Combining soft artificial muscles with a rigid, magnetic exoskeleton to create building blocks for versatile robots
Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) have developed hexagon-shaped robotic components, called modules, that can be snapped together LEGO-style into high-speed robots that can be rearranged ...
Sep 18, 2024
0
41
Task planning framework supports human-robot collaborative furniture assembly
Ensuring that robots can smoothly collaborate with humans in real-world environments is a crucial step towards their large-scale deployment. While some robotic systems are already engaging daily with human agents, for instance ...
Magnetically driven soft robot achieves high-speed jumping
Many animal species, ranging from insects to amphibians and fish, use jumping as a means of moving within their surrounding environment. Jumping can be very advantageous for these animals, for instance, allowing them to reach ...
Combining existing sensors with machine learning algorithms improves robots' intrinsic sense of touch
A team of roboticists at the German Aerospace Center's Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics finds that combining traditional internal force-torque sensors with machine-learning algorithms can give robots a new way to sense ...
Stretching the possibilities of soft robots with flexible electronics
From search-and-rescue missions to orthopedic therapy and many other applications, soft robots and wearable electronic devices show great promise for many fields. However, designing them to be functional and practical to ...
Sep 12, 2024
0
37
Teaching robots to use color in moving objects
Research at Michigan State University is focused on teaching robots to use colors to perceive, visualize, and interpret interactions when manipulating objects. A force-interpreting optical system is being developed so robots ...
Sep 12, 2024
0
35
Algorithm takes robots a step closer to being able to 'act on intuition'
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have developed a new algorithm that will allow robots to function more intuitively—that is, make decisions using their environment for guidance.
Sep 11, 2024
0
74
Versatile microscale robots can fold into 3D shapes and crawl
Cornell University researchers have created microscale robots less than 1 millimeter in size that are printed as a 2D hexagonal "metasheet," but with a jolt of electricity, morph into preprogrammed 3D shapes and crawl.
Sep 11, 2024
0
95
Multimodal ultra-thin soft robots can explore narrow spaces for inspection and maintenance
Researchers at Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology at the University of Nottingham have developed ultra-thin soft robots, designed for exploring narrow spaces in challenging ...
Sep 11, 2024
0
73
Robot leg powered by artificial muscles outperforms conventional designs
Inventors and researchers have been developing robots for almost 70 years. To date, all the machines they have built—whether for factories or elsewhere—have had one thing in common: They are powered by motors, a technology ...
Sep 9, 2024
0
73
Will humans accept robots that can lie? Scientists find it depends on the lie
Honesty is the best policy… most of the time. Social norms help humans understand when we need to tell the truth and when we shouldn't, to spare someone's feelings or avoid harm. But how do these norms apply to robots, ...
Sep 5, 2024
0
49
UK research suggests that lighting, music, national flags could help customers find service robots more acceptable
A new study has found that U.K. hotels and restaurants using humanlike service robots can make solo guests feel more comfortable in engaging with these robots by providing comfortable ambient conditions—including lighting, ...
Sep 3, 2024
0
16
Robot waiters in Kenya create a buzz. But there are concerns about what it means for human labor
Children giggle as young people flash their smartphones to film robots carrying plates of freshly prepared meals on their inbuilt trays to deliver to diners in a busy eatery in Kenya's capital.
Sep 1, 2024
0
7
AI technology and self-coordinating drones to detect and investigate wildfires
A swarm of self-coordinating drones for firefighting, as part of an effort to develop cost-effective early mitigation strategies for wildfires has been developed.
Aug 30, 2024
0
15