Robotics news

Robotics

Feeling is believing: Bionic hand 'knows' what it's touching, grasps like a human

Johns Hopkins University engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging ...

Robotics

Sony's aibo dog could soon walk quietly and perform elaborate dance routines

Aibo, the cute-looking robot puppy developed by Sony, was designed to be a household companion. The robot can already emulate many of the movements and behaviors of real dogs, such as walking on four legs, responding when ...

Robotics

A new high-quality dataset to train robotics algorithms on textile manipulation tasks

Many industrial processes and household tasks currently completed by humans entail the manipulation of textiles, including clothes, sheets, towels, cloths and other fabric-based objects. Most robotic systems developed so ...

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

Turning robotic ensembles into smart materials that mimic life

Researchers have engineered groups of robots that behave as smart materials with tunable shape and strength, mimicking living systems. "We've figured out a way for robots to behave more like a material," said Matthew Devlin, ...

Robotics

A robust and adaptive controller for ballbots

The ballbot is a unique kind of robot with great mobility and possesses the ability to go in all directions. Obviously, controlling such a robotic device must be tricky. Indeed, ballbot systems pose unique challenges, particularly ...

Robotics

Leafbot: A soft robot that conquers challenging terrains

Soft robotics is an emerging field in the robotic world with promising adaptability in navigating unstructured environments. Where traditional robots struggle with unpredictable terrains, soft robots are advancing in their ...

Robotics

Manta rays inspire the fastest swimming soft robot yet

A team of researchers has beaten its own record for the fastest swimming soft robot, drawing inspiration from manta rays to improve their ability to control the robot's movement in the water.

Robotics

Smallest walking robot makes microscale measurements

Cornell researchers in physics and engineering have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move independently, so that it can maneuver to specific ...

Software

Intelligent swarm: Working in a team is also relevant for drones

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are omnipresent and have grown in popularity due to their wide potential use in many civilian sectors. Equipped with sophisticated sensors and communication devices, ...

Robotics

Newly developed robot can play the drums, listen and learn

It seems simple: The robot ZRob, a small machine easily placed on a table, holds a drumstick and beats a drum. In reality, it is anything but simple. ZRob's arm has a flexible grip, just like the human wrist. It also has ...

Robotics

Robotic model with real pigeon feathers can fly like a bird

Have you ever wondered why an airplane has a vertical tailfin? The plane needs it to stabilize its flight. Since flying without a vertical tail is much more energy-efficient, the aviation industry has worked hard to accomplish ...