https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/robotics-news/ en-us The latest news on robotics, robots, robotics sciences and technology science. Picture a futuristic swarm of robots deployed on a time-sensitive task, like cleaning up an oil spill or assembling a machine. At first, adding robots is advantageous, since many hands make light work. But a tipping point comes when too many crowd the space, getting in each other's way and slowing the whole task down. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-cooks-robots-goldilocks-randomness-robot.html Robotics Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:00:01 EDT news694708981 To be safely and reliably deployed in outer space, underwater and in other extreme environments, robots need to be able to withstand harsh conditions without breaking. In addition, they should be able to promptly and rapidly adapt to dynamic changes in their surroundings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-resilient-actuator-potential-space-ready.html Robotics Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:00:03 EDT news694354306 While technology has made the world "smaller," it has also pulled individuals apart, thanks to mobile phones and other devices that command our attention. Cornell University researchers are using technology, in the form of a mirror-equipped robot, to help bring people together. Members of the Architectural Robotics Lab, led by Keith Evan Green, have built a four-foot-tall robot—dubbed MirrorBot—with dual mirrors that, when placed in front of a pair of strangers, let each participant see themself in one mirror and the other person in the other. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-mirrorbot-robot-foster-human.html Robotics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:00:10 EDT news694366621 From birds flying in formation to students working on a group project, the functioning of a group requires not only coordination and communication but also trust—each member must be confident in the others. The same is true for networks of connected machines, which are rapidly gaining momentum in our modern world—from self-driving rideshare fleets, to smart power grids. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-framework-networks-robots-vehicles-safer.html Robotics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news694354745 Researchers at Arizona State University are developing bio-inspired robotic "muscles" that will enable robots to operate in boiling water, survive abrasive surfaces, bypass impediments that keep their motorized counterparts benched, and still lift up to 100 times their own weight. The new heavyweight champions of robotics will be lighter, smaller, and disconnected from a power source. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-air-powered-artificial-muscles-robots.html Robotics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news694343881 A LEGO brick is not smart. It doesn't compute. It doesn't plug in. It just fits. A team of Georgia Tech researchers has applied that logic to robotics. Bolei Deng, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech's Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and Xinyi Yang, an aerospace engineering Ph.D. student, build swarms of tiny robotic particles that latch, release, and reorganize without a single electronic component. No sensors, no processors, and no code. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-robotic-swarm-electronics-batteries-brains.html Robotics Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:00:02 EDT news694255561 Over the past few decades, robotics researchers have developed a wide range of increasingly advanced robots that can autonomously complete various real-world tasks. To be successfully deployed in real-world settings, such as in public spaces, homes and office environments, these robots should be able to make sense of instructions provided by human users and adapt their actions accordingly. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-combining-robot-llms-natural-language.html Robotics Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:10:01 EDT news694094773 We often imagine robots as machines with rigid arms, rotating joints, and targeted mechanical movements. The famous Optimus Prime and Bumblebee from the "Transformers" movies appear to fit these criteria. However, such robots would be unable to function in environments that are too confined and cramped. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-framework-flexible-robots-tight-spaces.html Robotics Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:40:06 EDT news694195441 A research team, including Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, James L. Henderson Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, is using pressure sensors—tiny devices, roughly the size of a paperclip, that can measure the force applied over an area—to design a highly sensitive electronic "skin" to use alongside robots and prosthetic limbs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-qa-robots-sensors.html Robotics Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:00:04 EDT news694108622 Robots are increasingly being used in manufacturing, agriculture and health care. But programming a team of robots to carry out individual tasks raises a question: How can robots learn from other robots if they are built differently? A multi-institutional team including Chongjie Zhang, an associate professor of computer science and engineering at WashU McKelvey Engineering, have developed a new method that enables robots to achieve intentions shown by their peers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-robots-bodies-skills-intention-based.html Robotics Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:20:04 EDT news694094674 The fields of manufacturing, logistics, and even restaurants are increasingly moving toward automation, with robots being employed for a wide range of tasks. One of the most critical applications of robots is material handling, where grippers are used to move objects, such as automotive parts, logistics packages, food ingredients, and restaurant dishes. This reduces the burden on human workers while lowering the risk of accidents, thereby improving workplace safety. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-heapgrasp-faster-smarter-robots-tricky.html Robotics Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:20:03 EDT news694087501 No matter how sophisticated they are, robots can often be indecisive and struggle with multi-step chores in the real world. For example, if you tell a robot to tidy a messy room, it might understand the goal but not know where to grab each object. It could even end up inventing steps. To address these common mistakes, Microsoft and a group of academics have developed an AI benchmark system to improve the accuracy of robot planning. The details of their work are published in a paper on the arXiv preprint server. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ai-benchmark-robots-chores-real.html Robotics Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:30:02 EDT news693838292 Leiden researchers Professor Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have created microscopic robots that move without sensors, software, or external control. Instead, their behavior emerges entirely from their shape and the way they interact with their environment. They are only a few tens of micrometers long—far smaller than the width of a human hair—yet these robots can swim, sense, navigate and adapt in ways that look surprisingly life-like. And all this without having a brain. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-alive-tiny-3d-robots-animals.html Robotics Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:40:04 EDT news693822013 What if technology, such as self-driving cars, drones, or intelligent navigation systems, could understand the world the way we do—not just seeing shapes, but recognizing meaning? A person waiting at a crosswalk, a bicycle left on the pavement, or a dog running across a yard—for us, these distinctions are instant. For systems that rely on data, they have long been a challenge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-digital-twins-robots-faster-3d.html Robotics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:50:01 EDT news693758162 In a major step toward more adaptable and intuitive machines, Kempner Institute Investigator Yilun Du and his collaborators have unveiled a new kind of artificial intelligence system that lets robots "envision" their actions before carrying them out. The system, which uses video to help robots imagine what might happen next, could transform how robots navigate and interact with the physical world. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-video-based-ai-robots-visual.html Robotics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:20:03 EDT news693736261 Inside a giant autonomous warehouse, hundreds of robots dart down aisles as they collect and distribute items to fulfill a steady stream of customer orders. In this busy environment, even small traffic jams or minor collisions can snowball into massive slowdowns. To avoid such an avalanche of inefficiencies, researchers from MIT and the tech firm Symbotic developed a new method that automatically keeps a fleet of robots moving smoothly. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ai-warehouse-robot-traffic-boosting.html Robotics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:30:01 EDT news693734879 A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Nitin J. Sanket has shown that ultrasound sensors and a form of artificial intelligence (AI) can enable palm-sized aerial robots to navigate with limited power and computation through fog, smoke, and other challenging conditions during search-and-rescue operations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ultrasound-palm-sized-drones-fog.html Robotics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:06:49 EDT news693734657 AI-powered robots are set to track across thousands of kilometers of baked, uneven ground, reducing the danger for maintenance workers on Australia's large-scale solar farms. A successful trial by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, repurposed autonomous robots originally designed for the mining industry. Without robots, the work is done on foot, bringing significant cost and safety risks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-robots-humans-biggest-solar-farms.html Robotics Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:10:07 EDT news693652993 While space structures and robotic arms require lightweight actuation devices capable of repetitive movement, conventional motor-based systems face limitations due to their heavy weight and complex structures. A KAIST research team has developed a smart material-based actuation technology that operates rapidly in less than a second without a motor, suggesting new possibilities for next-generation robotics and space deployable structures. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-robotic-motors-shifting-actuator.html Robotics Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:00:04 EDT news693650702 The next time you're scrolling on your phone, take a moment to appreciate the feat: The seemingly mundane act is possible thanks to the coordination of 34 muscles, 27 joints, and over 100 tendons and ligaments in your hand. Indeed, our hands are the most nimble parts of our bodies. Mimicking their many nuanced gestures has been a longstanding challenge in robotics and virtual reality. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-wristband-enables-wearers-robotic-movements.html Robotics Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:00:09 EDT news693584821 Amazon has acquired Fauna Robotics, just under two months after the startup introduced a humanoid robot called Sprout designed to be a friendly addition to social spaces like homes and schools. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-amazon-buys-fauna-robotics-maker.html Robotics Wed, 25 Mar 2026 05:30:01 EDT news693634437 A combination of infrared imaging, thermal imaging and color cameras on an uncrewed drone, along with an AI system to interpret the data, can help emergency responders and search-and-rescue teams locate, identify and track people who have gone missing in the wilderness. The experimental system helps responders pinpoint where a missing person is and determine whether they are hurt or even alive. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-drones-paired-ai-searchandrescue-teams.html Robotics Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:20:05 EDT news693573945 Imagine a horse stumbling on a rock. It regains momentum, then hits bumpier terrain and slows to a walk. Back on steady ground, the horse picks up its pace to catch up with the herd. How is the horse able to transition between these different gaits? Researchers at Brown University's Carney Institute for Brain Science have developed an artificial neural network that shows how a four-legged creature may generate multiple distinct patterns in gait. Their research provides new insights into how the brain may process complex behaviors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-artificial-neural-network-gait-patterns.html Robotics Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:20:08 EDT news693504122 A research team from Fraunhofer HNFIZ has published a newly developed evaluation model that classifies the technical capabilities of humanoids into five levels. Applications can also be classified based on the required robot capabilities. The model makes humanoids comparable, facilitates finding the right humanoid for a specific application, and highlights open issues in technology development. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-humanoid-robots-mobility-cognition.html Robotics Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:20:07 EDT news693504721 A bird banking in a crosswind doesn't rely on spinning blades. Its wings flex, twist and respond instantly to its environment. Engineers at Rutgers University have taken a major step toward building bird-like drones that move the same way, flapping their wings like real birds, using electricity-driven materials instead of conventional electromagnetic motors to power them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-birdlike-robots-greater-flexibility-drones.html Robotics Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:20:02 EDT news693490201 When a nuclear plant reaches the end of its life or is damaged, it must be decommissioned. This process can take more than 20 years and includes decontamination, dismantling, and handling radioactive materials so the site can be reused. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, almost half of the 423 nuclear power reactors in operation today are expected to enter decommissioning by 2050. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-radiationhardened-wifi-chip-survives-kgy.html Robotics Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:00:09 EDT news693487945 A collaborative research group has developed a bio-inspired robotic system based on insect behavior which can locate odor sources both indoors and outdoors with consistent accuracy, even if one of its two sensors fails. The team includes Assistant Professor Shigaki Shunsuke of the National Institute of Informatics (NII), Professor Kurabayashi Daisuke of the School of Engineering at Science Tokyo, and Associate Professor Owaki Dai of the Graduate School of Engineering at Tohoku University. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-insect-robot-tracks-odors-antenna.html Robotics Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:03 EDT news693485341 Scientists have developed a network of mechanical motors that mimic the molecular machinery underpinning human muscle contraction. The University of Bristol-led findings, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface this week, could open new possibilities for artificial muscles in robotics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-simple-motor-networks-mimic-human.html Robotics Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:00:03 EDT news693154987 In a crowded fourth-grade classroom in Chicago, a new kind of tutor is shaping how children learn about empathy, conflict, and problem-solving. These robots aren't programmed to act like friendly classmates with invented emotions and backstories. Instead, they speak plainly, without pretense or fiction, and the results will attract educators' attention across the country. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-chicago-robot-sel-effectively-human.html Robotics Fri, 20 Mar 2026 06:10:01 EDT news693204875 Researchers at Cranfield University have created WANDER-bot, a low-cost, 3D-printed robot that is powered by wind energy. Designed to spend long durations in hostile, windy environments such as certain deserts, polar regions or even other planets, WANDER-bot doesn't need a battery to power movement, enabling longer operations without having to pause and recharge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-powered-robot-enable-term-exploration.html Robotics Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:20:03 EDT news693149580