https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/robotics-news/ en-us The latest news on robotics, robots, robotics sciences and technology science. Cornell researchers are investigating the potential for using artificial intelligence to give robots social intelligence—the ability to read facial cues, anticipate the needs of those around them, and function within society. The new study tested the ability of vision language models (VLMs)—AI systems that can interpret and generate both visual information and language—to predict whether a tense scenario in a short video would end well or badly, such as a toddler carrying an overly full mug of coffee. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-robots-chaos-human.html Robotics Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:00:07 EDT news700241101 Humanoid robots struggling with tasks like grasping a cup have a new teacher—a person wearing an ultrasound wristband that captures the movement of muscles, tendons and ligaments beneath the skin. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-mit-channel-ai-gestures-robot.html Robotics Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:03:10 EDT news700228929 It's a race against the clock when someone falls overboard: People's chances of being found before they drown from exhaustion or freeze to death dwindle by the minute. Rescue efforts are often hampered by the time it takes a vessel at full throttle to halt so a rescue boat can be deployed and start searching for the person, who is by now far from the ship. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-autonomous-drone-life-jackets-people.html Robotics Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:20:06 EDT news700143121 The oceans hide some of the most sophisticated solutions nature has ever developed and are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the robotics of the future. The Bioinspired Soft Robotics research unit, coordinated by Barbara Mazzolai, associate director for robotics at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT—Italian Institute of Technology), has developed an octopus-inspired soft robotic arm that, thanks to the technology embedded in its artificial suction cups, is capable of sensing contact, estimating the intensity and direction of the applied force, and grasping objects autonomously, even in complex environments such as underwater settings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-robotic-arm-octopus-tactile-sensors.html Robotics Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:20:08 EDT news700139881 Chinese-made humanoid robots are making waves with their ability to do backflips, direct traffic, and even make coffee as the companies developing them seek ways to expand and dominate the market. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-china-humanoids-scale-hard-buyers.html Robotics Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:20:02 EDT news699949182 Someone with no computing experience may soon be able to remotely control a robot from anywhere on the planet using a smartphone, thanks to new technology developed by Georgia Tech. The new technology is also set to revolutionize the scale of policy training data collection, which is essential to advancing robotic capabilities and meeting growing production demand. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-app-robot.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:20:06 EDT news699786961 If the future of warehouse work belongs to humans and robots working side by side, a key question remains: What is the most effective way for them to collaborate? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ways-humans-robots-requires-swarm.html Business Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:40:01 EDT news699719221 Teaching robots to manipulate objects with humanlike dexterity has long been one of robotics' toughest challenges. Tasks such as rotating an object in-hand or coordinating two robot arms to maneuver a bulky item require constant changes in contact, grip, and motion, skills that are difficult both to program and to demonstrate through human teleoperation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-complexity-key-robots-dexterity.html Robotics Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:09 EDT news699710641 Imagine working at a warehouse or office sometime in the near future, and you're asked to help a new trainee learn the basics of their job. The catch: It's a robot. To teach them, you might want to play a game of "show and tell"—that is, physically showing how to do something a few different ways, while also explaining what you're doing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-llms-robots-vague-focus-key.html Robotics Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:20:02 EDT news699617582 After outliving Booker T. Bones, their second service dog, Brenda and Brian Marquis still needed help with some of the more difficult parts of daily life. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-robot-ailing-couple-stay-home.html Robotics Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:15:26 EDT news699506075 The rapid expansion of soft robots and smart electronic devices is driving demand for materials that can not only move and adapt, but also complete their missions without leaving behind unwanted traces. As these technologies are increasingly explored for health care, environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection, and security applications, robots and devices are expected to operate in places where human access is limited—such as narrow pipes, sealed spaces, underground facilities, and hazardous environments. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-dual-mode-magnetic-elastomer-demand.html Robotics Sun, 31 May 2026 10:40:02 EDT news699280707 From the shallow shores of Lake Wahlberg to the salty depths of the ocean, University of Florida researchers are dropping robots in the water and training them to communicate more efficiently in murky conditions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-tiny-underwater-antenna-robots-dark.html Robotics Fri, 29 May 2026 14:20:03 EDT news699281406 SUTD researchers have developed a reinforcement-learning-based safety system that teaches a stair-traversing service robot to brace itself mid-fall, addressing one of the biggest barriers to deploying autonomous robots on staircases. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-stair-climbing-robot-falls.html Robotics Fri, 29 May 2026 12:00:05 EDT news699274713 Scientists at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have developed a robotic hand that can hear a melody once and play it back after just two minutes of self-taught practice on a keyboard, without relying on sheet music or preprogrammed scores. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robot-play-music-ear-possibilities.html Robotics Thu, 28 May 2026 12:00:02 EDT news699186841 Cyborg insects have long been studied as bio-hybrid systems that combine living organisms with small electronic devices. These systems may one day support tasks such as disaster search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and sensing in spaces too small or dangerous for conventional robots. However, most existing systems control insects based mainly on externally visible behavior, such as whether the insect is walking or stopping. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-insect-body-cyborg-cockroaches.html Robotics Thu, 28 May 2026 11:40:01 EDT news699186781 Mechanical hands dexterous enough to thread a needle, childlike dancing robots and adult-sized ones to help with deliveries were on display Thursday as the Humanoids Summit Tokyo opened. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-humanoids-thread-needles-japanese-robotics.html Robotics Thu, 28 May 2026 09:55:22 EDT news699180881 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 Nature Communications, presents a low-voltage power source with the potential to transform robotic systems for a wide range of applications, from robotic legs to haptic gloves used in medical and industrial settings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-pea-size-liquid-metal-robot.html Robotics Wed, 27 May 2026 15:40:04 EDT news699114181 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, dogs or insects. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-sea-urchin-strange-legged-machine.html Robotics Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:10 EDT news699025870 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 way for developing robots to make surgeries and medical treatments more precise. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-seed-sized-surgical-robot-tools.html Robotics Tue, 26 May 2026 07:40:04 EDT news698999821 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 a human is suddenly in their way or there's new clutter, the machine must closely mimic its operator's actions by staying on a trajectory (or motion path). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-motion-tracking-robots-path-task.html Robotics Mon, 25 May 2026 12:40:01 EDT news698930882 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 a search-and-rescue site comes at a cost: Soft robotics are notoriously difficult to control. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-soft-robotics-ai-cousin-reservoir.html Robotics Fri, 22 May 2026 10:20:04 EDT news698663701 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 well in some scenarios, many of these robots still struggle to translate the instructions of users into precise and executable actions that would allow them to successfully complete desired tasks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-framework-robots-complex-language-precise.html Robotics Fri, 22 May 2026 09:40:05 EDT news698591508 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 Collective, consists of dozens of small robots that have limited mobility individually, but together exhibit coordinated and sustained motion. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robotic-centralized.html Robotics Thu, 21 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news698587802 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 3,800 vehicles for a software fix. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-taxis-robots-bees.html Robotics Wed, 20 May 2026 13:40:01 EDT news698500157 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, of course, does all this without us being aware of the complex processes going on in that moment. In real time, our eyes and brain create a three-dimensional, accurate representation of a dynamic scene, constantly calculating distances between objects with myriad shapes, sizes, and surfaces. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-virtual-screen-machines-3d.html Robotics Wed, 20 May 2026 05:00:04 EDT news698398261 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 extremely challenging problem for an autonomous robot, which would need to swiftly adjust its trajectory to avoid sudden obstacles while staying on course. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-source-framework-drones-dodge-obstacles.html Robotics Tue, 19 May 2026 15:20:04 EDT news698422499 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 care workers, long-term care residents, and community members to help design the robots themselves. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robots-reveal-health-staff-patients.html Robotics Thu, 14 May 2026 11:36:00 EDT news697977317 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 in drones seems to move fast. But their navigation still requires a lot of computing power and memory, making them heavy, expensive and energy-hungry. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-honeybees-drones.html Robotics Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:24 EDT news697883521 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 after a service failure. This is the finding of a study by the Chair of Value Based Marketing at the University of Augsburg, published in the Journal of Business Research. The findings are relevant for companies that use service robots and similar AI-based systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-human-robot-voices-boost-customer.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 13 May 2026 09:40:02 EDT news697882962 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 brains and bodies work together. By turning complex biological systems into models that can be tested and refined, the team seeks to understand and replicate animal performance in robotic systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-gap-animal-movement-robotic.html Robotics Tue, 12 May 2026 11:40:06 EDT news697804501