https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/robotics-news/ en-us The latest news on robotics, robots, robotics sciences and technology science. The human hand is a dexterous and versatile machine. Scientists have conventionally tried to replicate these traits in robots by copying the biological mechanics of the hand, resulting in complex and difficult-to-control structures. An alternative solution to these challenges was proposed in a new study published in Advanced Science: the BioflexBot, a novel robot that mimics and even exceeds core motions of the hand with a simple design. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-simple-robot-exceeds-human-core.html Robotics Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:10:01 EDT news705748981 Researchers at the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research have developed tiny rolls that can be unrolled and rolled up in a controlled manner using a magnet. The model for this was the proboscis of butterflies. These smart materials enable the development of more efficient drive technologies for micro- and soft robotics, a field of research of great economic importance. The results have been published in the journal Advanced Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-butterfly-ceramic-microscrolls-unroll-magnets.html Robotics Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:20:07 EDT news705751501 Recent advances in miniaturized and portable electronics, particularly wearable and flexible devices, have increased the demand for self-powered sensing technologies. Among these, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have received considerable attention for developing highly sensitive tactile sensors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-electronic-skin-enables-tunable-proximity.html Robotics Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:20:03 EDT news705580442 When people work in pairs or teams, they can often solve a wider range of problems, completing some tasks faster and more efficiently than they would alone. To assist users similarly to how other humans would, robots should be able to rapidly interpret human behaviors and commands, using their predictions to plan and precisely execute helpful actions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-human-aware-robots-partners-strain.html Robotics Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:00:02 EDT news705056917 Robots are gradually making their way into a variety of settings, ranging from households to public spaces, offices, factories and health care facilities. Despite their potential, however, many existing robots do not perform as well in dynamic and unpredictable real-world environments as they do during controlled laboratory tests. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-rl-framework-robots-refine-tasks.html Robotics Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705055560 Legged robots have recently transitioned from science fiction to engineering fact, with modern humanoid and quadrupedal machines now capable of delivering packages to front doors and taking on dangerous military missions. With a massive surge in financial investment in the offing, a new study describes the technical advances that have made legged robots a reality and explores the critical ethical considerations, economic potential and policy implications of the "intelligent machines" that are increasingly walking among us. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-legged-robots-surveillance-job-battlefield.html Robotics Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:50:01 EDT news704633170 University of Queensland researchers have developed new noninvasive sensors that measure muscle forces, unlocking new possibilities for wearable robotic mobility devices. Ultra-wideband radar sensors measure electromagnetic changes in muscles as they contract, allowing researchers to collect data in a way that's never been done before. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-muscle-radar-potential-future-robotic.html Robotics Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:20:01 EDT news704631961 A new method developed by MIT researchers makes robots better at thinking ahead while they are acting, leading to smoother motions and quicker reactions. The research is published on the arXiv preprint server. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-future-aware-ai-robot-tasks.html Robotics Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:22:56 EDT news704463729 University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind AI system that allows underwater companion robots to monitor a diver's health in real time simply by "watching" their exhaled bubbles. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-underwater-robots-track-diver.html Robotics Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:40:02 EDT news704378282 Rescue teams in coastal cities and towns often need to rescue people who are at risk of drowning. These operations often require emergency teams to locate and reach people in distress as quickly as possible, as even a short delay could have serious or even fatal consequences. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-spider-robotic-boat-track-people.html Robotics Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:40:01 EDT news704029976 From the Ferranti Mark I to empathetic AI, Manchester researchers are exploring how intelligent machines can understand human behavior, respond to social cues and earn trust in our workplaces, hospitals and homes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-redesigning-relationships-humans-intelligent-machines.html Robotics Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:20:09 EDT news703853282 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 its gait on stairs, leaping over gaps and keeping its balance on forest trails. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-robot-animal.html Robotics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 07:50:02 EDT news703405349 Robots walking down the street, surrounded by astounded onlookers, are an increasingly common sight. But these machines aren't yet the do-it-all assistants you'd want working in a kitchen or factory, and a major bottleneck is data. Much like humans, robots learn best by experience. The challenge is that it's labor-intensive and time-consuming to physically teach these machines so many actions across different settings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-agents-virtual-playgrounds-robots.html Robotics Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:56:41 EDT news703241768 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 and react, most soft robots rely on separate electronic sensors, signal-processing circuits and powered actuators, all coordinated by computers. This chain of components adds weight, complexity and points of failure, particularly in wet, hot or high-pressure settings where electronics are highly susceptible to disruption. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-soft-sensor-robotic-action-electronics.html Robotics Sun, 12 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news702822241 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. They are being developed for real work, such as carrying heavy boxes, pushing furniture, pulling heavy objects and wiping tables. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-humanoid-robots-real-world.html Robotics Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:00:01 EDT news702907927 Robotics researchers often spend weeks, or even months, simply getting a new robot up and running before they can begin testing new behaviors. Researchers in the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science have developed an open-source software framework designed to eliminate much of that setup work, making it easier to deploy AI systems across different robots without rebuilding software from scratch. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-infrastructure-ai-robots.html Robotics Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:20:08 EDT news702889533 Most people think of the waterfront as the edge of the city. A team of MIT researchers sees it as a dynamic, Lego-like construction site. Their new system, called "FloatForm," is a swarm of small square robotic boats that assemble themselves into larger structures on the water, break apart and reassemble into something new, all with minimal human direction. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-small-aquatic-robots-reconfigurable.html Robotics Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news702822101 Loons, gulls, puffins and petrels are some of the 100 species of birds that can both fly and swim. These diving birds can plunge into water to swim after prey, and leap back into the air to fly away. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-birdlike-robot-underwater-flight.html Robotics Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:00:12 EDT news702794155 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 predictive control. This technique optimizes the robot's behavior but relies on accurate dynamics models, which are challenging to achieve in real-world settings and often require simplifying assumptions. The second is model-free reinforcement learning, which allows the robot to learn reliable but fixed behaviors, making them difficult to adapt after training. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-powered-robots-legs.html Robotics Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:40:03 EDT news702638941 Recent technological advances have opened valuable possibilities for supporting people with motor impairments or who are recovering from injuries to the brain, spinal cord or nerves. Millions of people worldwide currently experience difficulty moving their hands or other parts of their body. Some of these motor impairments are associated with progressive neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), while others are the result of neurological damage caused by an injury or a stroke. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-soft-exoskeleton-function-people-motor.html Robotics Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:30:01 EDT news702638755 Soft grippers, which are built from flexible materials that can bend and deform, are attracting a lot of attention from robotics researchers worldwide. Unlike conventional robots made from rigid metal or plastic, soft grippers can grasp items more gently while naturally adapting to different shapes. This makes them uniquely suitable for delicate tasks such as handling fruit, baked goods, lab samples and medical supplies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-eletac-elephant-soft-robotic-gripper.html Robotics Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:31:51 EDT news702627647 Engineers at Queen Mary University of London have built a new color-changing tactile sensor, which allows robots to "see" and touch in real-time. The novel idea was invented by Giacomo Sasso, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Engineering and Materials Science at Queen Mary University of London, and it works by transforming invisible forces into dynamic color patterns. This enables high-resolution maps of contact, strain and pressure to emerge instantly. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-robots-tactile-sensor.html Robotics Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:00:01 EDT news702199981 Imagine you're running and you sprain your ankle. The pain makes you gingerly limp the rest of the way home. This is a great example of how nature adapts to failures in a system. The pain tells you: "If you continue running like normal, the injury will only get worse." So you naturally adjust the way you run. Drones currently cannot do this with a worn-out propeller. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-drones-pain-instability.html Robotics Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:00:06 EDT news702222001 In horror movies, music is a dead giveaway. Tension builds with each note, and you brace for the inevitable jump scare. The same sense of anticipation has taken a leading role in an unlikely venue: a Georgia Tech robotics lab. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-horror-movie-cue-wearable-robot.html Robotics Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news702135423 Scientists from NTU Singapore and Waseda University have developed a flexible "diving suit" for cyborg cockroaches, enabling the insects to survive and move underwater and in low-oxygen environments for up to three hours. Published today in Nature Communications, the study could expand the use of cyborg insects in search-and-rescue missions, especially in disaster zones where flooded rubble, puddles or partially submerged spaces can block access for conventional robots. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-cyborg-cockroaches.html Robotics Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:40:07 EDT news701947321 A research team led by Prof. Seung Hwan Ko of Seoul National University College of Engineering's Department of Mechanical Engineering has developed an artificial skin technology that enables robots to sense temperature and pressure simultaneously, similar to human skin. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-artificial-skin-enables-robots-simultaneously.html Robotics Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:00:05 EDT news701693522 More and more robots are assisting workers in factories. However, human-robot collaboration is still far from seamless. Researchers from Prof. Lorenzo Masia's team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a solution that enables a factory worker wearing an exoskeleton to work closely and, above all, safely, with a robotic arm. This reduces the physical strain on workers and improves production processes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-exoskeleton-robotic-arm-factory-strain.html Business Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:20:05 EDT news701524201 A new chip developed by MIT researchers could help tiny, low-power UAVs avoid obstacles as they zip around tight corners inside an industrial HVAC system to check for gas leaks. The chip allows small autonomous robots and other battery-limited devices to construct detailed 3D maps of their environments in real time using only about as much power as a single LED. A robot could use such a map to plan a collision-free path to reach its goal. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ultraefficient-chip-tiny-robots-traverse.html Hardware Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:00:03 EDT news701437741 Current flying objects face a trade-off: Drones with propellers, for instance, are very agile and able to hover; however, they use up a lot of energy. Airplanes, on the other hand, feature fixed wings that allow them to fly very efficiently. The downside: They can't remain suspended in the air like a kestrel on the lookout for prey. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-robot-floaty-bird-staying-stable.html Robotics Mon, 22 Jun 2026 13:40:14 EDT news701354331 Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are now widely used for various purposes, ranging from filmmaking and aerial photography to industrial inspection, precision farming and reaching obstructed areas during emergency response missions. While many existing drones can move swiftly in their surroundings and circumvent large obstacles, most still struggle in cluttered environments. In addition, they are often unable to execute maneuvers that would allow them to safely pass through small gaps or reach secluded areas. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-drones-narrow-gaps-onboard-ai.html Robotics Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:40:04 EDT news701010015