Robotics
Today's robots are stuck—their bodies are usually closed systems that can neither grow nor self-repair, nor adapt to their environment. Now, scientists at Columbia University have developed robots that can physically "grow," ...
Jul 16, 2025
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Robotics
A cheetah's powerful sprint, a snake's lithe slither, or a human's deft grasp: Each is made possible by the seamless interplay between soft and rigid tissues. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones work together to provide ...
Jul 16, 2025
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Robotics
The slimy, segmented, bottom-dwelling California blackworm is about as unappealing as it gets—but get a few dozen or thousand together, and they form a massive, entangled blob that seems to take on a life of its own.
Jul 15, 2025
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Robotics
Since early January 2025, residents of Birmingham in the UK have been caught in the dispute between the city council and the Unite union over pay, terms and conditions for waste and recycling collectors. The latest attempt ...
Jul 10, 2025
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Robotics
Conventional robots, like those used in industry and hazardous environments, are easy to model and control, but are too rigid to operate in confined spaces and uneven terrain. Soft, bio-inspired robots are far better at adapting ...
Robotics
Scientists are striving to discover new semiconductor materials that could boost the efficiency of solar cells and other electronics. But the pace of innovation is bottlenecked by the speed at which researchers can manually ...
Jul 4, 2025
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Robotics
While so far robots have predominantly been deployed individually, as teams, they can tackle a wider range of complex missions with remarkable speed and efficiency. For instance, they could help to rapidly transport objects ...
Robotics
A new imaging technique developed by MIT researchers could enable quality-control robots in a warehouse to peer through a cardboard shipping box and see that the handle of a mug buried under packing peanuts is broken.
Jul 1, 2025
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Engineering
Inspired by how nature blends toughness and flexibility, such as the rigid structure of bone surrounded by pliable cartilage, all with elegant and precise geometric properties, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin ...
Jun 30, 2025
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Robotics
Inspired by a simple children's toy, a jumping popper toy, researchers have unlocked a key to designing more agile and predictable soft robots. Soft robots, made from flexible materials, hold immense promise for delicate ...
Jun 30, 2025
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