Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

New scavenger technology allows robots to 'eat' metal for energy

Rather than from the chemicals in a battery, the researchers' metal-air scavenger vehicle gets energy from breaking chemical bonds in the metal surfaces it travels over.

April 21, 2020 Read more

Thanks to 'flexoskeletons', these insect-inspired robots are faster and cheaper to make

Engineers have developed a new method that doesn't require any special equipment and works in just minutes to create soft, flexible, 3D-printed robots.

April 9, 2020 Read more

The smallest microelectronic robot in the world (w/video)

The microelectronic robot is 0.8 mm long, 0.8 mm wide and 0.14 mm tall and driven and controlled by a twin-jet-engine.

March 19, 2020 Read more

Engineers create shape-changing, free-roaming soft robot

A new type of robot combines traditional and soft robotics, making it safe but sturdy. Once inflated, it can change shape and move without being attached to a source of energy or air.

March 18, 2020 Read more

The tentacle 'bot

Octopus-inspired robot can grip, move, and manipulate a wide range of objects.

February 27, 2020 Read more

Underwater Snail-o-Bot gets kick from light (w/video)

Researchers have developed a gel-like robot inspired by sea slugs and snails they are able to steer with light. Much like the soft body of these aquatic invertebrates, the bioinspired robot is able to deform easily inside water when exposed to this energy source.

February 27, 2020 Read more

A tactile robot finger with no blind spots

Engineers demonstrate a robotic finger with a highly precise sense of touch over a complex, multicurved surface.

February 26, 2020 Read more

Shimon: Now a singing, songwriting robot (w/video)

Marimba-playing robot composes lyrics and melodies with human collaborators.

February 26, 2020 Read more

Exceptional catapulting jump mechanism in a tiny beetle could be applied in robotic limbs

Researchers describe the fascinating and highly efficient jumping mechanism in flea beetles. Despite having been known since 1929, the explosive jump has not been fully understood. The scientists tested the existing theories, using micro-computed tomography, 3D reconstructions, high-speed filming and dissection. The team also proposed a design of a bionic limb inspired by their findings.

February 25, 2020 Read more

Swarming robots avoid collisions, traffic jams

Researchers have developed the first decentralized algorithm with a collision-free, deadlock-free guarantee and validated it on a swarm of 100 autonomous robots in the lab.

February 24, 2020 Read more

Watch 2 robots work together to make a hot dog (w/video)

An advance in machine learning allows two robots, named Jaco and Baxter, to make a hot dog.

February 20, 2020 Read more

Slithering snakes on a 2-D plane (w/video)

By studying how snakes move, engineers have created a snake robot that can nimbly and stably climb large steps.

February 19, 2020 Read more

New method proposed to achieve better robot self-learning

Researchers have proposed a new framework of incremental learning method based on Q-Learning and adaptive kernel linear (AKL) model. The framework allows robot to learn new behaviors without forgetting the previous ones.

February 18, 2020 Read more

Sensorized skin helps soft robots find their bearings

Flexible sensors and an artificial intelligence model tell deformable robots how their bodies are positioned in a 3D environment.

February 13, 2020 Read more

Robot sweat regulates temperature, key for extreme conditions

Just when it seemed like robots couldn't get any cooler, researchers have created a soft robot muscle that can regulate its temperature through sweating.

January 30, 2020 Read more

Spider-Man-style robotic graspers defy gravity

Scientists have developed a suction unit that can be used on rough surfaces, no matter how textured, and that has applications in the development of climbing robots and robotic arms with grasping capabilities.

January 17, 2020 Read more

Robotic gripping mechanism mimics how sea anemones catch prey

The doughnut-shaped, plastic rubber device crimps its skin to latch onto anything from cloth to beakers filled with liquid.

January 14, 2020 Read more

Can sea star movement inspire better robots?

What researchers uncovered about sea star locomotion could help scientists design simpler, decentralized systems in robotics and beyond.

January 8, 2020 Read more