Robotics

5Ws of a 3D-Printed Electrospray Engine

With the goal to democratize space research, MIT engineers have demonstrated the first fully 3D-printed, droplet-emitting electrospray engine which can be produced rapidly and for a fraction of the cost of traditional thruster.

New Microactuator Driving System Could Give Microdrones a Jump-Start

An innovative circuit design could enable miniature devices, such as microdrones and other microrobotics, to be powered for longer periods of time while staying...

Insect Cyborgs: Toward Precision Movement

In a recent study published in the journal eLife, an international research group has studied the relationship between electrical stimulation in stick insects’ leg muscles and the resultant torque (the twisting force that makes the leg move). Read on to learn what they found.

A Color-Based Sensor Emulates Skin’s Sensitivity

Jamie Paik and colleagues in the Reconfigurable Robotics Lab in EPFL’s School of Engineering have developed a sensor that can perceive combinations of bending, stretching, compression, and temperature changes, all using a robust system that boils down to a simple concept: color. Read on to learn more about it.

When Mushrooms Control Robots

In creating a pair of new robots, Cornell researchers cultivated an unlikely component: fungal mycelia. By harnessing mycelia’s innate electrical signals, the researchers discovered a new way of controlling “biohybrid” robots that can potentially react to their environment better than their purely synthetic counterparts. Read on to learn more.

An AI Solution for Steering Adaptive Control Systems

A new study led by Flinders University and French researchers has used a novel bio-inspired computing artificial intelligence solution to improve the potential of UUVs and other adaptive control systems to operate more reliability in rough seas and other unpredictable conditions. Read on to learn more.

NASA Demonstrates Software ‘Brains’ Shared Across Satellite Swarms

New NASA technology works within satellite swarms. This technology, called Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA), allows individual spacecraft to make independent...

AI-Driven Manufacturing Efficiency Tool

Qing “Cindy” Chang and her team at the University of Virginia have made a significant advancement in manufacturing technology by developing an AI-driven system that could transform how factories operate. Using Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL), the team has created a more efficient way to optimize manufacturing systems, improving both speed and quality while reducing waste.

Using Embodied Energy to Power Modular Worms and Jellyfish

A modular worm robot built by the Organic Robotics Lab and a jellyfish that was a collaboration with the Archer Group, both in Cornell Engineering, demonstrate the benefits of “embodied energy.”

5Ws of a Micro-Aerial Robot

MIT researchers are developing robotic insects that could someday swarm out of mechanical hives to rapidly perform precise pollination.

Providing Robots a Soft Touch Using 3D Printing

A recent study demonstrates that soft skin pads doubling as sensors made from thermoplastic urethane can be efficiently manufactured using 3D printers. Read on to learn more.

A New Approach to Autonomous Vehicle Safety

A team has programmed a robotic spacecraft simulator with what it calls s-FEAST: Safe Fault Estimation via Active Sensing Tree Search. Read on to learn more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including a nanorobotic hand made of DNA that can grab viruses for detection or inhibition developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; a new and improved wearable ultrasound patch for continuous and noninvasive blood pressure monitoring developed at the University of California San Diego; and soft and intelligent sensor materials based on ceramic particles developed at Empa’s Laboratory for High-Performance Ceramics.

3 Robotic Technologies Looking to Change Life on Earth and the Moon

Watch this video to learn more about three new robotic technologies: A soft robot developed at NC State University; a pair of wearable robotic limbs developed by MIT engineers; and a camera inspired by the human eye developed at the University of Maryland.

Designing Robotic Insects for Mechanical Pollination

MIT researchers are developing robotic insects that could someday swarm out of mechanical hives to rapidly perform precise pollination.

Quoth the RAVEN: I Can Fly Like a Bird

RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments) is designed based on perching birds that frequently switch between air and land. Its multifunctional robotic legs allow it to take off autonomously in environments previously inaccessible to winged drones.

Gyro Sensors for Monitoring Motion on Martian Moon Rover

On the JAXA Martian Moons mission, gyro sensors from Silicon Sensing on the rover vehicle will explore the larger moon, Phobos, collecting vital surface samples.

Innovative Robot Navigation Inspired by Brain Function Boosts Efficiency and Accuracy

Led by postdoctoral research fellow Somayeh Hussaini, alongside Professor Michael Milford and Dr Tobias Fischer of the Queensland University of Technology...

Smallest Walking Robot Makes Microscale Measurements

Cornell researchers in physics and engineering have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move...

A New Home for Sustainability Robotics

The world is currently facing significant environmental challenges and complex demands related to infrastructure and natural ecosystems. To address these issues, viable solutions that are both...

Giving Robots the Human Touch via Listening

New research from Duke University details a system dubbed SonicSense that allows robots to interact with their surroundings in ways previously limited to humans.

How Much Do You Know About Industrial Robotics?

Industrial robots are playing a continually increasing role in manufacturing worldwide. It’s therefore important that we in the tech industries have a good understanding of what they are, what they do, and what they can do. How much do you know about industrial robotics? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

5Ws of a Raven-Inspired Drone

EPFL researchers have built RAVEN, a drone that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs.

Snail-Inspired Robot Could Scoop Ocean Microplastics

Inspired by a small and slow snail, scientists have developed a robot prototype that may one day scoop up microplastics from the surfaces of oceans, seas, and lakes.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of month, including one on UW researchers developing a flexible, durable electronic prototype that can harvest energy from body heat and turn it into electricity that can be used to power small electronics; one on Purdue University researchers using both ultrasonic waves and X-ray CT to “see inside” manufactured objects nondestructively; one on Rotograb, a robotic hand that merges the dexterity of human hands with the strength and efficiency of industrial grippers; and more.

Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Robotics: Far Beyond the Hype

Accelerating progress in AI is redefining what is possible with industrial robotics, enhancing everything from robots’ ability to grip, pick and place as well as their ability to map and navigate through dynamic environments. Read on to learn more about what this means.

Camera Inspired by the Human Eye Can Improve How Robots See, React

A team led by University of Maryland computer scientists invented a camera mechanism that improves how robots see and react to the world around them. Inspired by how the human eye works, their innovative camera system mimics the tiny involuntary movements used by the eye to maintain clear and stable vision over time. Read on to learn more.

Robotic “SuperLimbs” Aid Astronauts to Recover from Falls

MIT engineers are designing a pair of wearable robotic limbs that can physically support an astronaut and lift them back on their feet after a fall. The system, which the researchers have dubbed Supernumerary Robotic Limbs or “SuperLimbs,” is designed to extend from a backpack. Read on to learn more.