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Mimicking biological movements with soft robots

Designing a soft robot to move organically - to bend like a finger or twist like a wrist - has always been a process of trial and error. Now, researchers have developed a method to automatically design soft actuators based on the desired movement.

December 20, 2016 Read more

Electronic 'hairy skin' could give robots a more human sense of touch (w/video)

Researchers have combined hair-like wires with electronic skin to make a more versatile sensor for robots, prosthetics and other applications.

December 14, 2016 Read more

Engineers get under robot's skin to heighten senses (w/video)

Most robots achieve grasping and tactile sensing through motorized means, which can be excessively bulky and rigid. A group of researchers has devised a way for a soft robot to feel its surroundings internally, in much the same way humans do.

December 8, 2016 Read more

Robots to the rescue

The 2015 earthquake in Nepal is just one example of a recent natural disaster that required search and rescue operations. A European security research project has developed new robotic tools for such operations with great success. Some of its developments are already commercially available and ready to be deployed in order to save lives.

November 25, 2016 Read more

DIY walking robot which anyone can build with 3D printing technology

Two engineering graduates have developed QuadBot, a 3D printable walking robotics platform. Their aim is to help as many people as possible to learn about robotics.

November 21, 2016 Read more

New AI algorithm taught by humans learns beyond its training

A new machine learning training method enables neural networks to learn directly from human-defined rules, opening new possibilities for artificial intelligence in fields from medical diagnostics to self-driving cars.

November 16, 2016 Read more

Researchers question if banning of 'killer robots' actually will stop robots from killing

The public needs to better understanding the forces that can lead to development of autonomous weapons and how being a human is at the core of their impact.

November 15, 2016 Read more

Teaching robots to solve their own problems

Researchers are embarking on a project to make robots and other artificial intelligences 'persistently autonomous', so they can deal with unexpected problems.

November 10, 2016 Read more

Making computers explain themselves

New training technique would reveal the basis for machine-learning systems' decisions.

October 28, 2016 Read more

mROBerTO: The modular millirobot for swarm behavior studies (w/video)

Developed by a team at the University of Toronto, mROBerTO (milli-ROBot TORonto) is designed for swarm-robotics researchers who might wish to test their collective-behavior algorithms with real physical robots.

October 26, 2016 Read more

Robots in distress in the Venetian Lagoon

Two British artists are designing an unconventional fleet of autonomous devices that can help fight pollution in the lagoon environment of Venice.

October 25, 2016 Read more

Zebrafish want to hang out with moving 3-D robotic models of themselves

Authenticity is an important trait, and zebrafish take it especially seriously. An interdisciplinary team of researchers discovered that zebrafish engage more with 3D-moving robotic models of themselves than with other stimuli.

October 24, 2016 Read more

First steps towards the touch robot

Using a relatively simple system - a mannequin's arm with pressure sensors, connected to a computer - researchers have succeeded in getting it to recognize sixty percent of all touches.

October 24, 2016 Read more

Soft robots that mimic human muscles (w/video)

Soft robots, powered by muscle-like actuators, are designed to be used on the human body in order to help people move.

October 12, 2016 Read more

There's a way to turn almost any object into a computer - and it could cause shockwaves in AI

There is the possibilty of using alternative materials - potentially any material or physical system - as computers to perform calculations, without the need to manipulate electrons like silicon chips do. And it turns out these could be even better for developing artificial intelligence than existing computers.

October 11, 2016 Read more