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The next generation of robots to be shape-shifters (w/video)

Physicists have discovered a new way to coat soft robots in materials that allow them to move and function in a more purposeful way.

Mar 11th, 2022

New fluid dynamics provide the flying robotics of the future (w/video)

Thanks to new research, we are now on the way to a better understanding of the complex physics surrounding wings, bringing us one step closer to robotic birds, that take off, fly and land like real birds.

Mar 11th, 2022

Creating our robotic allies

When we think of having our own handy multi-purpose robots, we tend to picture something out of Star Wars or The Jetsons - but the useful technology of the 'future' may not be as far off as we think. Researchers show how robots can become our best allies.

Mar 10th, 2022

A helping hand for working robots

A reimagined robot hand combines strength with flexibility and resilience, sidestepping problems with existing designs.

Mar 8th, 2022

Bendy robotic arm twisted into shape with help of augmented reality (w/video)

Researchers have designed a malleable robotic arm that can be guided into shape by a person using augmented reality (AR) goggles.

Mar 4th, 2022

Robot 'bugs' that can go just about anywhere

Engineers have created tiny bug-inspired robots that can carry out tasks in hard-to-reach spaces and inhospitable environments.

Mar 4th, 2022

Getting a handle on a robotics challenge (w/video)

Researchers have created a robotic hand that can fully rotate various objects even as its grippers occasionally break contact with the object.

Mar 3rd, 2022

Robot photographer has eye for aesthetics (w/video)

AutoPhoto is a robotic system that can automatically roam an interior space and capture aesthetically pleasing photographs.

Mar 3rd, 2022

Fingertip sensitivity for robots (w/video)

Striving to improve touch sensing in robotics, scientists developed a thumb-shaped sensor with a camera hidden inside and trained a deep neural network to infer its haptic contact information.

Feb 24th, 2022

Self-healing hydrogel materials for robotics

Researchers have developed self-healing, biodegradable, 3D-printed materials that could be used in the development of realistic artificial hands and other soft robotics applications.

Feb 19th, 2022

Introducing Nikola, the emotional android kid

Researchers have made an android child named Nikola that successfully conveys six basic emotions - happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust - which were generated by moving 'muscles' in Nikola's face. This is the first time that the quality of android-expressed emotion has been tested and verified for these six emotions.

Feb 16th, 2022

New soft robot morphs from a ground to air vehicle using liquid metal

Imagine a small autonomous vehicle that could drive over land, stop, and flatten itself into a quadcopter. The rotors start spinning, and the vehicle flies away.

Feb 9th, 2022

Towards self-sensing soft robots with electrochemically driven pumps

Researchers design a transducer powered by electrochemical reactions for operating fluid pumps without cumbersome parts in soft robots.

Feb 8th, 2022

Researchers develop insect-sized flying robots with flapping wings (w/video)

A new drive system for flapping wing autonomous robots has been developed, using a new method of electromechanical zipping that does away with the need for conventional motors and gears.

Feb 2nd, 2022

Kirigami robotic grippers are delicate enough to lift egg yolks (w/video)

Engineers have demonstrated a new type of flexible, robotic grippers that are able to lift delicate egg yolks without breaking them, and that are precise enough to lift a human hair. The work has applications for both soft robotics and biomedical technologies.

Jan 26th, 2022

How robots learn to hike (w/video)

To navigate difficult terrain, humans and animals quite automatically combine the visual perception of their environment with the proprioception of their legs and hands. This allows them to easily handle slippery or soft ground and move around with confidence, even when visibility is low.

Jan 24th, 2022

Slow (no, fast) and steady TurtleBot wins robotic race

Researchers have developed an algorithm to help robots avoid colliding with humans and other moving obstacles in their path.

Jan 10th, 2022

Engineers bring a soft touch to commercial robotics

Inspired by the natural dexterity of the human hand, a team of engineers has created a reconfigurable hybrid robotics system that is able to grip a variety of objects: from the small, soft and delicate to the large, heavy and bulky.

Dec 28th, 2021