Robotics, AI and SmartTech News – Latest Headlines

Bee model could be breakthrough for robot development

Scientists have created a computer model of how bees avoid hitting walls - which could be a breakthrough in the development of autonomous robots.

May 5, 2016 Read more

Robots may be able to lift, drive, and chat, but are they safe and trustworthy?

In a newly published scan of the literature, an expert concludes that the time is ripe for human factors researchers to contribute scientific insights that can tackle the many challenges of human-robot interaction.

April 26, 2016 Read more

Robotic consensus

Control algorithm for teams of robots factors in moving obstacles.

April 21, 2016 Read more

Humanoid robotics and computer avatars could help treat social disorders

A collaborative research team has found humanoid robotics and computer avatars could help rehabilitate people suffering from social disorders such as schizophrenia or social phobia. It is thanks to the theory of similarity, which suggests that it is easier to interact socially with someone who looks, behaves or moves like us.

April 11, 2016 Read more

Virtual robots for the simulated brain

The neurorobotics platform gives scientists the chance to apply brain models to various different robots and thus conduct their own experiments.

March 30, 2016 Read more

Metal-foam hybrid has potential in soft robotics, aeronautics (w/video)

Imagine an aircraft that could alter its wing shape in midflight and, like a pelican, dive into the water before morphing into a submarine.

March 21, 2016 Read more

Development of a wall-climbing drone

A new wall-climbing drone can approach any type of structure by flying and sticking to the target and utitlizing a pose change and perching mechanism.

March 15, 2016 Read more

Amputee feels texture with a bionic fingertip

An amputee was able to feel smoothness and roughness in real-time with an artificial fingertip that was surgically connected to nerves in his upper arm. Moreover, the nerves of non-amputees can also be stimulated to feel roughness, without the need of surgery, meaning that prosthetic touch for amputees can now be developed and safely tested on intact individuals.

March 8, 2016 Read more

Orchestration of systems of mobile robots for border protection, search and rescue, and personal security

New research enables the efficient planning of the activities of systems of mobile robots for socially beneficial services including border patrol, search and rescue, and security escort.

March 7, 2016 Read more

Super elastic electroluminescent skin will soon create mood robots

Imagine a health care robot that could display the patient's temperature and pulse, and even reacts to a patient's mood.

March 3, 2016 Read more

How to tame your robot

Now programming robots is not just for those with years of coding knowledge, it's for anyone who wants to experience what it's like to simply wave at a robot and have it wave back.

March 1, 2016 Read more

In emergencies, should you trust a robot? (w/video)

In emergencies, people may trust robots too much for their own safety, a new study suggests.

February 29, 2016 Read more

Automatic programming makes swarm robots safer and more reliable

Researchers have applied a novel method of automatically programming and controlling a swarm of up to 600 robots to complete a specified set of tasks simultaneously.

February 25, 2016 Read more

Using stories to teach human values to artificial agents

Artificial intelligence technique Quixote teaches 'value alignment' to robots by training them to read stories, learn acceptable sequences of events and understand successful ways to behave in human societies.

February 13, 2016 Read more

Robotically driven system could reduce cost of discovering drug and target interactions

Scientists have created the first robotically driven experimentation system to determine the effects of a large number of drugs on many proteins, reducing the number of necessary experiments by 70%.

February 9, 2016 Read more

Cockroach inspires robot that squeezes through cracks (w/video)

Cockroaches' ability to squeeze through the tiniest cracks has inspired a robot that can rapidly squeeze through cracks - a new capability for search-and-rescue in rubble resulting from tornados, earthquakes and explosions.

February 9, 2016 Read more

Robotic fingers with a gentle touch

Scientists have invented a new soft gripper that uses electroadhesion: flexible electrode flaps that act like a thumb-index duo. It can pick up fragile objects of arbitrary shape and stiffness, like an egg, a water balloon or paper.

February 1, 2016 Read more

Half million dollar Robotic Art Grand Challenge seeks technologists to build a classical artist

In the tradition of recent Technological Grand Challenges, RobotArt has pledged over half a million dollars in prizes over 5 years to competitors in a new Robotic Grand Challenge. This Grand Challenge is simple to describe but difficult to master, create a robot that paints with a brush like a classical master. The more skilled and creative the robot, the better.

January 27, 2016 Read more