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Assembler robots make large structures from little pieces

Systems of tiny robots may someday build high-performance structures, from airplanes to space settlements.

Oct 16th, 2019

These new soft actuators could make soft robots less bulky

Engineers have developed a way to build soft robots that are compact, portable and multifunctional. The advance was made possible by creating soft, tubular actuators whose movements are electrically controlled, which makes them easy to integrate with small electronic components.

Oct 11th, 2019

Researchers develop intelligent, shape-morphing, self-healing material for soft robotics

Researchers have developed a material that exhibits a unique combination of high electrical and thermal conductivity with actuation capabilities that are unlike any other soft composite.

Oct 10th, 2019

Deep3DFly: the deep-learning way to design fly-like robots

DeepFly3D can infer the 3D pose of the fly - or even other animals - meaning that it can automatically predict and make behavioral measurements at unprecedented resolution for a variety of biological applications.

Oct 9th, 2019

Soft robot programmed to move like an inchworm (w/video)

Researchers take inspiration from nature to design tiny flexible robots outfitted with smart materials.

Oct 7th, 2019

Research developing sensors for 'worm robots' to be used after disasters

Researchers are developing chemical sensors that can be mounted on to 'worm robots', as part of a project involving partners in four European countries to improve detection of people trapped under debris after a disaster.

Oct 2nd, 2019

Artificial intelligence improves biomedical imaging

Researchers use artificial intelligence to improve quality of images recorded by a relatively new biomedical imaging method. This paves the way towards more accurate diagnosis and cost-effective devices.

Sep 30th, 2019

Researchers build microscopic biohybrid robots propelled by muscles, nerves

Researchers have developed soft robotic devices driven by neuromuscular tissue that triggers when stimulated by light - bringing mechanical engineering one step closer to developing autonomous biobots.

Sep 23rd, 2019

Shape-shifting robot built from 'smarticles' shows new locomotion strategy

Building conventional robots typically requires carefully combining components like motors, batteries, actuators, body segments, legs and wheels. Now, researchers have taken a new approach, building a robot entirely from smaller robots known as 'smarticles' to unlock the principles of a potentially new locomotion technique.

Sep 19th, 2019

Researchers explore fish movement to enhance underwater robots

By taking a deep dive into the complex interaction between structure and fluid dynamics, mechanical engineering professors hope to advance bio-inspired technology.

Sep 18th, 2019

'Flying fish' robot can dive and fly (w/video)

A bio-inspired bot uses water from the environment to create a propelling gas and launch itself from the water's surface.

Sep 12th, 2019

Nerve-like 'optical lace' gives robots a human touch

A new synthetic material that creates a linked sensory network similar to a biological nervous system could enable soft robots to sense how they interact with their environment and adjust their actions accordingly.

Sep 11th, 2019

Scurrying roaches help researchers steady staggering robots

Bomechanics researchers boiled down the sprints of cockroaches to handy principles and equations they then used to make a test robot amble about better.

Aug 23rd, 2019

Understanding the animal brain could help robots wash your dishes

Neuroscientists show how evolution and animal brains can be a rich source of inspiration for machine learning, especially to help AI tackle some enormously difficult problems, like doing the dishes.

Aug 22nd, 2019

The future of robots: A psychological approach to human-automation interaction

The increasingly digital nature of our world introduces a seemingly endless list of considerations when it comes to ensuring automated systems can successfully meet human needs.

Aug 17th, 2019

A miniature stretchable pump for the next generation of soft robots

Scientists have developed a tiny pump that could play a big role in the development of autonomous soft robots, lightweight exoskeletons and smart clothing. Flexible, silent and weighing only one gram, it is poised to replace the rigid, noisy and bulky pumps currently used.

Aug 14th, 2019

'MacGyver'-like robot can build own tools by Aassessing form, function of supplies

Thanks to new technology that enables them to create simple tools, robots may be on the verge of their own version of the Stone Age.

Aug 13th, 2019

Guided by AI, robotic platform automates molecule manufacture

New system could free bench chemists from time-consuming tasks, may help inspire new molecules.

Aug 9th, 2019