INSIDER

Interuniversity Project to Design Wave-Powered Autonomous Robot

With the perpetual motion of its waves and tides, the Earth's ocean represents a highly predictable, theoretically limitless source of kinetic energy.

Walking Feeds Pressure to Pneumatic Robots That Could Help Those with Disabilities

Mechanical engineers at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering have built a handy extra limb able to grasp objects and go, powered only by...

A New Kind of Transistor — A Conductive Polymer

A new material holds promise for the next generation of organic electronics.

Smart Implants to Monitor Healing

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering are creating patient-specific 3D-printed smart metamaterial implants that double as sensors to monitor spinal healing.

3D Printing of Organic Electronics

Professor Mohammad Reza Abidian of the Cullen College of Engineering — foresees the future production of micro-scale organic electronics via multiphoton 3D printers.

Organic Bipolar Transistor Developed at the Tu Dresden

Professor Karl Leo has been thinking about the realization of this component for more than 20 years, now it has become reality: His research group at the Institute for Applied Physics...

Humans in the Loop Help Robots Find Their Way

Just like us, robots can’t see through walls. Sometimes they need a little help to get where they’re going. Engineers at Rice University have developed a method that allows humans to help...

MIT Engineers Devise a Recipe for Improving Any Autonomous Robotic System

A new general-purpose optimizer can speed up the design of walking robots, self-driving vehicles, and other autonomous systems.

Artificial Skin Gives Robots a Sense of Touch

We tend to take our sense of touch for granted in everyday settings, but it is vital for our ability to interact with our surroundings. Imagine reaching into the fridge to grab an egg for...

Robotic Arms Connected Directly to Brain of Partially Paralyzed Man Allows Him to Feed Himself

Two robotic arms — a fork in one hand, a knife in the other — flank a seated man, who sits in front of a table, with a piece of cake on a...

Charting a Safe Course Through a Highly Uncertain Environment

An autonomous spacecraft exploring the far-flung regions of the universe descends through the atmosphere of a remote exoplanet. The vehicle, and the researchers who programmed...

Nanostructured Fibers Can Impersonate Human Muscles

Mimicking the human body, specifically the actuators that control muscle movement, is of immense interest around the globe. In recent years, it has led to many innovations to improve...

An Engineer Uses an Ancient Art to Solve a Very Modern Problem

If you’ve ever made an origami paper crane, using folds and creases to transform a square piece of craft paper into the delicate long-necked bird, it may seem odd that those...

Making Robotic Assistive Walking More Natural

A new method of generating gaits for robotic assistive devices aims to guarantee stability and achieve more natural locomotion for different users. The method is being developed by a team at...

Roboticists Go Off Road to Compile Data That Could Train Self-Driving ATVs

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University took an all-terrain vehicle on wild rides through tall grass, loose gravel, and mud to gather data about how the ATV...

Tiny Robotic Crab Is Smallest-Ever Remote-Controlled Walking Robot

Northwestern University engineers have developed the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot — and it comes in the form of a tiny peekytoe crab.

Twisted Soft Robots Navigate Mazes Without Human or Computer Guidance

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of Pennsylvania have developed soft robots that are capable of navigating complex environments, such...

Robotic Lightning Bugs Take Flight

Fireflies that light up dusky backyards on warm summer evenings use their luminescence for communication — to attract a mate, ward off predators, or lure prey.

New Silicon Nanowires Could Speed Up Computer Processors

Scientists at Berkeley Lab have discovered a physical phenomenon that is the basis for a new material that has 150% better thermal conductivity than conventional materials used in...

LEGO-Like Artificial Intelligence Chip

Imagine a more sustainable future, where cellphones, smartwatches, and other wearable devices don’t have to be shelved or discarded for a newer model. Instead, they could be upgraded with the latest...

Powerful Family of Two-Dimensional Materials

A team from the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering has developed a new family of two-dimensional materials that researchers say has promising applications, including in advanced...

Computer Simulation Accurately Models Moving Cars

Specialists in fluid dynamics at Rice University and Waseda University in Tokyo have developed their computer simulation methods to the point where it’s possible to accurately model moving...

Jumping Robot Leaps to Record Heights

A mechanical jumper developed by University of California Santa Barbara engineering professor Elliot Hawkes and collaborators is capable of achieving the tallest height — roughly 100 feet (30 meters)...

Lessons from How Dragonflies Right Themselves While They're Falling

With their stretched bodies, immense wingspan and iridescent coloring, dragonflies are a unique sight. But their originality doesn’t end with their looks: As one of the...

Ultra-Thin Solar Panels Achieve Record Efficiency

In a paper published in American Chemical Society’s ACS Photonics, a University of Surrey team detailed how they used characteristics of sunlight to design a disordered honeycomb layer to...

Predict Battery Lifetimes with Machine Learning

In a new study, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have turned to machine learning to predict the lifetimes of a wide range of different battery...

EV Managed Charging Improves Vehicle-Grid Integration

It is 5 p.m., and you arrive home from work when it is peak demand for the grid. Your electric vehicle (EV) is 50% charged — you could either plug it in and charge right away or, if it...

Joystick-Operated Robot Could Help Surgeons Treat Stroke Remotely

MIT engineers have developed a telerobotic system to help surgeons quickly and remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm. With a modified joystick, surgeons...

Kirigami Robotic Grippers Are Delicate Enough to Lift Egg Yolks

Engineering researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated a new type of flexible, robotic grippers that are able to lift delicate egg yolks without...