Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

A soft robotic insect that survives being flattened by a fly swatter (w/video)

Researchers have developed an ultra-light robotic insect that uses its soft artificial muscles to move at 3 cm per second across different types of terrain. It can be folded or crushed and yet continue to move.

December 18, 2019 Read more

A robot and software make it easier to create advanced materials

A team of engineers has developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health.

December 5, 2019 Read more

Researchers create new metallic material for flexible soft robots (w/video)

Researchers have created a material that is half as light as paper and highly flexible but also shows enhanced characteristics for electrical conductivity, heat generation, fire-resistance, strain-sensing and is inherently capable of wireless communications.

November 25, 2019 Read more

How to design and control robots with stretchy, flexible bodies

Optimizing soft robots to perform specific tasks is a huge computational problem, but a new model can help.

November 21, 2019 Read more

Soft skin-like robots you can put in your pocket

Stretchable skin-like robots that can be rolled up and put in your pocket have been developed by researchers using a new way of embedding artificial muscles and electrical adhesion into soft materials.

November 20, 2019 Read more

A better understanding of soft artificial muscles

Artificial muscles will power the soft robots and wearable devices of the future. But more needs to be understood about the underlying mechanics of these powerful structures in order to design and build new devices. Now, researchers have uncovered some of the fundamental physical properties of artificial muscle fibers.

November 16, 2019 Read more

Magnets for the second dimension

Scientists have developed cube-shaped magnetic building blocks that can be assembled into two-dimensional shapes and controlled by an external magnetic field. They can be used for soft robotics applications.

November 11, 2019 Read more

Flexible yet sturdy robot is designed to 'grow' like a plant

Its extendable appendage can meander through tight spaces and then lift heavy loads.

November 7, 2019 Read more

Technique helps robots find the front door (w/video)

Navigation method may speed up autonomous last-mile delivery.

November 4, 2019 Read more

Worker robots that learn from mistakes

Practise makes perfect - it is an adage that has helped humans become highly dexterous, and now it is an approach that is being applied to robots.

November 4, 2019 Read more

Self-transforming robot blocks jump, spin, flip, and identify each other

Researchers have engineered self-assembling robotic cubes that can climb over and around one another, leap through the air, and roll across the ground.

October 30, 2019 Read more

Human reflexes keep two-legged robot upright

Engineers are a step closer to human-operated robotics with their two-legged unit, which can walk, run, jump and interact with the environment in synchrony with a human operator.

October 30, 2019 Read more

Chameleon's tongue strike inspires fast-acting robots (w/videos)

Researchers were inspired by a chameleon's tongue to create soft robots able to quickly catch a live flying beetle. Fabricated robots capable of performing such large-amplitude motions at high speed like chameleons could mean many automated tasks could be completed more accurately and in a much faster way.

October 29, 2019 Read more

Rebel robot helps researchers understand human-machine cooperation

In a new twist on human-robot research, computer scientists have developed a handheld robot that first predicts then frustrates users by rebelling against their plans, thereby demonstrating an understanding of human intention.

October 23, 2019 Read more

Pushy robots learn the fundamentals of object manipulation

Systems 'learn' from novel dataset that captures how pushed objects move, to improve their physical interactions with new objects.

October 22, 2019 Read more

New lightweight, portable robotic suit to increase running and walking performance

Newly developed robot suit made of fabric vest and wires to help people with restricted mobility to walk or run more efficiently.

October 21, 2019 Read more

New haptic arm places robotics within easy reach

Imagine being able to build and use a robotic device without the need for expensive, specialist kit or skills. That is the vision that researchers from the University of Bristol have turned into reality, creating a lightweight, affordable and simple solution for everyday users.

October 20, 2019 Read more

Giving robots a faster grasp

An algorithm speeds up the planning process robots use to adjust their grip on objects, for picking and sorting, or tool use.

October 17, 2019 Read more