Robotics

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Living, Swimming, Self-Training Robots

Using 3D bioprinting, researchers have created biobots at the centimeter size range that can swim and coast like fish with unprecedented velocity. Rather than working with stiff or tethered...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robot Senses Hidden Objects

MIT researchers developed RF-Grasp, a robot that uses radio waves to sense occluded objects. RF-Grasp uses both a camera and an RF reader to find and grab tagged objects, even when they’re fully blocked from...

Briefs: IoMT

RFID-Based Rotary Position Sensor

Innovators have developed an RFID-based system for sensing the angular position of rotating systems. The RFID-Based Rotary Position Sensor can be used as a position/orientation sensor or implemented in a...

Facility Focus: Communications

Facility Focus: Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science

Notable graduates of the school include Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos, Google executive Eric Schmidt, Internet pioneer Bob Kahn, former Chrysler head Lee Iacocca, and six NASA astronauts.

NASA Spinoff: Electronics & Computers

Hot Water on Demand

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

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Pollen-Based Paper Bends and Curls in Response to Humidity

The paper-like material could be useful in soft robots, sensors, artificial muscles, and electric generators.

5 Ws: Sensors/Data Acquisition

5 Ws of Robot Healthcare Helpers

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

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

System Helps Drones Detect and Avoid Power Lines

This technology provides drones sufficient time and distance to react, avoid wires, and navigate follow-on maneuvers.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

3D Printing of Gels and Soft Materials

A new method could jump-start the creation of tiny medical devices for the body.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Navigation Algorithm Enables Drones to Learn Acrobatic Maneuvers

Autonomous quadcopters can be trained using simulations to increase their speed, agility, and efficiency.

Articles: Energy

Wireless Charging for Lunar Robots

See how WiBotic — a maker of wireless charging and fleet energy management technologies — is preparing robots for the Moon.

Blog: Software

'Magic' Software Makes Complex DNA Robots, Faster

New software being developed at Ohio State University will allow creation of more complex DNA robots, at much faster speeds.

Blog: Aerospace

A First Step for Humans on Mars: NASA's Rover Makes Oxygen

The technology demonstration is a first step in showing that humans could someday live (and breathe) on Mars.

Blog: Photonics/Optics

A Photonic 'Sunflower' Offers New Ideas for Light-Driven Systems

Taking inspiration from the insect, Tufts researchers created light-activated composite devices that execute precise, visible movements and form complex three-dimensional shapes, like a "photonic sunflower. "

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robotic Construction System

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

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

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.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

3D Structural-Sensing Robots

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

Products: Motion Control

New Products: April 2021 Motion Design

Servo drives, magnetic angle sensors, draw wires, and more.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Materials Capable of Self-Propulsion

Shape and environment can cause materials to move without motors or hands.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

High-Torque Light-Powered Actuator

These actuators can compete with electrical and pneumatic systems.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Soft Robots Turn Rigid on Demand

A new type of control system may broaden robots’ range of tasks and allow safer interactions with people.

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Underwater Navigation System Powered by Sound

This system enables battery-free ocean exploration with applications ranging from marine conservation to aquaculture.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Optical Phased Array Technology On-Chip at Near Infrared and Blue Wavelength

This compact beam steering technology has applications in autonomous navigation, AR, and neuroscience.

5 Ws: Robotics, Automation & Control

5 Ws of the Internal Injury-Sealing Patch

A medical patch can be folded around minimally invasive surgical tools and delivered through airways, intestines, and other narrow spaces.