Robotics News – Latest Headlines

New AI to develop self-learning robots for nuclear sites

Researchers have secured funding to develop artificial intelligence systems to enable self-learning robots to be deployed in place of humans to hazardous nuclear sites.

May 4th, 2018

Researchers design 'soft' robots that can move on their own (w/video)

Using sensors, actuators and artificial muscle, robots could be used in medicine, rescue and defense.

Apr 18th, 2018

Invertebrates inspire first fully 3-D printed active materials for robots

To overcome the material rigidity and actuation limitations in current robotic systems, a research project sought inspiration from invertebrates.

Apr 17th, 2018

Gecko-inspired adhesives help soft robotic fingers to get a better grip

A team of researchers has developed a robotic gripper that combines the adhesive properties of gecko toes and the adaptability of air-powered soft robots to grasp a much wider variety of objects than the state of the art.

Apr 9th, 2018

Robotics takes mass spec to the third dimension for forensics, pharma applications

Scientists report that by combining a robotic arm and mass spectrometry, they can analyze the surface of irregularly shaped 3-D objects, potentially opening up new branches of forensics and pharmaceutics.

Apr 5th, 2018

Robot-mounted vacuum grippers flex their artificial muscles

The novel vacuum gripper enables robot arms to pick up objects and move them around freely in space.

Mar 23rd, 2018

Sherlock Drones - automated investigators tackle toxic crime scenes

Scientists are developing robot and remote-sensing technology to provide safe ways to assess crime or disaster scenes and begin gathering forensic evidence.

Mar 15th, 2018

Origami-inspired self-locking foldable robotic arm

Researchers have developed an origami-inspired robotic arm that is foldable, self-assembling and also highly-rigid.

Mar 14th, 2018

Six-legged robots get closer to nature

A study has uncovered new ways of driving multi-legged robots by means of a two-level controller. The proposed controller uses a network of so-called non-linear oscillators that enables the generation of diverse gaits and postures, which are specified by only a few high-level parameters.

Mar 9th, 2018

A singing robot helps to study human-robot interactions (w/video)

Meet ROVER. If you?re lucky - and trigger its heat sensors - it'll roll up to you and sing a song.

Mar 7th, 2018

Robotic spiders and bees: The rise of bioinspired microrobots

Jumping robot spiders and swarms of robotic bees sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but researchers are already working on such projects and aiming to lead the world in micro robotics.

Mar 1st, 2018

Human-in-the-loop optimization improves the function of soft, wearable robots

Researchers have developed an efficient machine learning algorithm that can quickly tailor personalized control strategies for soft, wearable exosuits.

Feb 28th, 2018

Snake-inspired robot uses kirigami to move (w/video)

As the robot stretches, the flat kirigami surface is transformed into a 3D-textured surface, which grips the ground just like snake skin.

Feb 21st, 2018

Can a cockroach teach a robot how to scurry across rugged terrain? (w/video)

Bug research paves the way for search-and-rescue and exploration tasks.

Feb 13th, 2018

Researchers help robots think and plan in the abstract (w/video)

Researchers have developed a method for helping robots plan for multi-step tasks by constructing abstract representations of the world around them. Their study is a step toward building robots that can think and act more like people.

Feb 8th, 2018

Researchers publish first experiments of robotic fish that can 'see' and mimic live fish

Researchers have tapped advances in real-time tracking software and robotics to design and test the first closed-loop control system featuring a bioinspired robotic replica interacting in three dimensions with live zebrafish.

Feb 7th, 2018