Robotics, Automation & Control

Metallic Glass Gears Up for Cobots, Coatings, and More

A bulk metallic glass could slash prices of collaborative robots and lead to advanced 3D-printed metals.

Is The Future of Automation in the Manufacturing Sector Already Here?

These technologies provide a tantalizing glimpse into the future of manufacturing automation.

Simulator Helps Robots Sharpen Their Cutting Skills

USC researchers unveiled a new simulator for robotic cutting that can accurately reproduce the forces acting on a knife as it slices through common food such as fruit and vegetables....

Giving Robots Better Moves

RightHand Robotics combines machine vision with an intelligent gripper design to make more adaptable robots.

Algorithm Gives Robots a Faster Grasp

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

System Provides Robots with Context Awareness

The system enables robots to predict what their human coworker will do next.

Hot Water on Demand

With a clever design by NASA, waiting for hot water could be a thing of the past.

5 Ws of Robot Healthcare Helpers

A research team programmed two robots — a humanoid figure and a robotic arm — to measure human physiological signals.

Robotic Construction System

Emerging robotics technology may lead to better buildings in less time.

Get a Handle on Grippers

In North America alone, the gripper market is worth roughly $100 million — and that number is expected to climb up to 5 percent each year.

3D Structural-Sensing Robots

These robots could perform basic healthcare tasks to support the work of doctors and nurses.

Here's an Idea: Hospital Robots

In this episode of Here's an Idea, we look at a set of robots already helping out hospitals in the fight against COVID-19.

Human-Like Hands with Flexible, Hybrid Pneumatic Actuators

These hands, with a large grasping force, enable safer human-robot interactions.

Executive Roundtable: Robotics Design

A panel of experts explains how robots are playing a larger role in manufacturing.

Compact, Long-Reach Robotic Arm

Applications include retractable covers and awnings, camera booms, and spacecraft and astronaut positioning.

Tactile Robot Finger with No Blind Spots

This robotic finger has a highly precise sense of touch over a complex, multi-curved surface.

Facility Focus: Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego

Jacobs' scientists are helping to make contract-tracing apps, emergency-use ventilators, and even squid-bots.

Octopus-Inspired Soft Robotic Arm

The Tentacle Bot can grip, move, and manipulate a wide range of objects.

Simple Robot Vision Tools Support Complex Applications

New collaborative robot-based vision systems are changing how manufacturers can inspect their parts.

Biomorphic Batteries Could Provide 72 Times More Energy for Robots

Like biological fat reserves store energy in animals, a new rechargeable zinc battery integrates into the structure of a robot to provide much more energy, a team led by...

Facility Focus: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

NIBIB is committed to integrating the physical and engineering sciences with the life sciences to advance basic research and medical care.

Scavenger Technology Allows Robots to ‘Eat’ Metal for Energy

A new metal-air scavenger works like a battery, in that it provides power by repeatedly breaking and forming a series of chemical bonds. But it also works like a harvester,...

Medical Robots' Role Expands as COVID-19 Outbreak Continues

Robots are in high demand as medical professionals seek hands-free ways to disinfect environments and contain the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19.

Collaborative Robots vs. Traditional Robots: What's Right for Your Manufacturing Applications

Massive manufacturing bots have evolved into something new — collaborative robots.

Smart Manufacturing Control

Today's advanced smart CNC controls allow manufacturers to optimize the manufacturing process right on the factory floor

Robots Assemble Large Structures from Little Pieces

Systems of tiny robots could build high-performance structures, from airplanes to space settlements.