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Robots navigating the unknown

A computer algorithm that copies the navigation functionality of humans and animals helps robots navigate unfamiliar spaces.

Oct 7th, 2015

Embedded optical sensors could make robotic hands more dexterous (w/video)

Researchers have developed a three-fingered soft robotic hand with multiple embedded fiber optic sensors. They also have created a new type of stretchable optical sensor.

Sep 28th, 2015

Robots - our new underwater 'astronauts'

Soon it may be easier to design, plan and carry out infrastructure operations in deep water. The EU project called SWARMs aims to achieve this by integrating autonomous vehicles such as ROVs and AUVs.

Sep 28th, 2015

Mind your manners, robot: How social cues influence human-robot interaction

New research to be presented at the HFES 2015 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles in October examines the importance of social cues when evaluating the role of trust in human-robot interaction.

Sep 21st, 2015

Robotic Landing gear could enable future helicopters to take off and land almost anywhere (w/video)

The adaptive system replaces standard landing gear with four articulated, jointed legs that are able to fold up next to the helicopter's fuselage while in flight and are equipped with force-sensitive contact sensors in their feet.

Sep 10th, 2015

Biophysicists take small step in quest for 'robot scientist'

Biophysicists have taken another small step forward in the quest for an automated method to infer models describing a system's dynamics - a so-called robot scientist

Aug 25th, 2015

Smooth robot movements reduce energy consumption by up to 40 percent

By minimizing the acceleration of industrial robots, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 40 percent - while retaining the given production time. This is the result of a new optimization algorithm.

Aug 24th, 2015

Kontur-2 - Controlling robots remotely from space

Although only about 400 kilometres separate the Kontur-2 joystick and the German Aerospace Center ROKVISS robot, the remote control operations that took place on 18 August 2015 were truly special: Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, flying aboard the International Space Station over Earth at 28,000 kilometres per hour, controlled the robot on the ground while in microgravity.

Aug 21st, 2015

Researchers harness unstable responses to build new soft actuators

Researchers have engineered a new, soft actuator that harnesses the power of instability to trigger instantaneous movement.

Aug 17th, 2015

Reflexes for robots (w/video)

New human-machine interface keeps robot balanced, with human reflexes.

Aug 11th, 2015

Robo-whiskers mimic animals exploring their surroundings

Inspired by animals, scientists have developed a robotic 'whisker' tactile sensor array designed to produce tomographic images by measuring fluid flow.

Aug 5th, 2015

Giving robots a more nimble grasp (w/video)

Engineers use the environment to give simple robotic grippers more dexterity.

Aug 4th, 2015

Robotic insect mimics Nature's extreme moves (w/video)

Researchers looked to water strider insects to develop robots that jump off water's surface.

Jul 30th, 2015

Object recognition for robots (w/video)

Robots' maps of their environments can make existing object-recognition algorithms more accurate.

Jul 24th, 2015

Scientist develops model for robots with bacteria-controlled brains (w/video)

Understanding the biochemical sensing between organisms could have far reaching implications in ecology, biology, and robotics.

Jul 16th, 2015

Hopping towards a better soft robot (w/video)

Engineers have developed one of the first 3-D printed, soft robots that moves autonomously. The design offers a new solution to an engineering challenge that has plagued soft robotics: the integration of rigid and soft materials.

Jul 9th, 2015

Seahorse tails could inspire new generation of robots

Inspiration for the next big technological breakthrough in robotics, defense systems and biomedicine could come from a seahorse's tail, according to a new study.

Jul 2nd, 2015

Materials modelled after plants may help robots to move more naturally

Engineers developing moveable robot components may soon take advantage of a trick plants use. Researchers have devised porous materials that could serve as actuators, or motors. The dynamic mechanism of the material resembles that of some plant tissues.

Jun 29th, 2015