Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

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.

March 3, 2022 Read more

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.

February 24, 2022 Read more

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.

February 19, 2022 Read more

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.

February 16, 2022 Read more

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.

February 9, 2022 Read more

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.

February 8, 2022 Read more

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.

February 2, 2022 Read more

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.

January 26, 2022 Read more

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.

January 24, 2022 Read more

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.

January 10, 2022 Read more

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.

December 28, 2021 Read more

Robotic manipulators Inspired by nature (w/video)

Flexible tentaclelike manipulators driven by air pressure can be designed to grasp, manipulate soft objects.

December 21, 2021 Read more

Giving bug-like bots a boost

A new fabrication technique produces low-voltage, power-dense artificial muscles that improve the performance of flying microrobots.

December 17, 2021 Read more

Mind-controlled robots now one step closer

Two research groups have developed a computer program that can control a robot using electrical signals emitted by a patient's brain. No voice control or touch function is needed; patients can move the robot simply with their thoughts.

December 17, 2021 Read more

Human-like brain helps robot out of a maze (w/video)

It's been known for some time that organic neuromorphic robots can learn. Now they can move too. Autonomously.

December 13, 2021 Read more

Criminal intent: How the Internet-of-Things can also be a threat

There's an Internet of Things, but also an 'Internet of Threat'. Since everything is now connected, that means everything is hackable. Better technologies create a great opportunity for hackers, and open a great future for cyber criminals.

December 10, 2021 Read more

Engineers teach AI to navigate ocean with minimal energy (w/video)

Research could enable monitoring of our oceans or exploration of alien ocean worlds.

December 9, 2021 Read more

These tiny liquid robots never run out of juice as long as they have food (w/video)

By removing electricity from equation, discovery overcomes yearslong hurdle in robotics.

December 8, 2021 Read more