Robotics, Automation & Control

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...

A Tabletop Robot May Revolutionize Physical Therapy Delivery

Mohammad Habibur (Habib) Rahman, Director of the BioRobotics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his team have been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm that therapists can use to assess and treat patients whether or not they are not in the same location.

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.

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.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including the world’s first soft touchpad that can sense the force, area, and location of contact without electricity; a hydrogel that retains the semiconductive ability needed to transmit information between living tissue and machine; and a thin film sensor that measures temperatures up to 1200 °F.

New Soft Robot Rolls Like Tires, Spins Like Tops, Orbits Like Moons

Researchers have developed a new soft robot design that engages in three simultaneous behaviors: rolling forward, spinning like a record, and following a path that orbits around a central point. The device, which operates without human or computer control, holds promise for developing soft robotic technologies that can be used to navigate and map unknown environments. The new soft robots are called twisted ringbots. Read on to learn more about them.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Top 10 Most-Read Tech Briefs Stories of 2024

With another year of Tech Briefs almost in the books, it's time to look at our most-read articles of 2024.

Meet MobiPrint: A Mobile 3D Printer that Can Automatically Measure a Room and Print to the Specs

University of Washington researchers have created MobiPrint, a mobile 3D printer that can automatically measure a room and print objects onto its floor. The team’s graphic interface lets users design objects for a space that the robot has mapped out.

Microrobots Swimming Autonomously in Viscous Liquids

The researchers’ groundbreaking study introduces the first toroidal, light-driven microrobot that can move autonomously in viscous liquids, such as mucus.

Helping Robots Make Good Decisions in Real Time

In 2018, Google DeepMind's AlphaZero program taught itself the games of chess, shogi, and go, using machine learning and a special algorithm to determine the best moves to win a game within a...

Magnetically Controlled Kirigami Surfaces Move Objects: No Grasping Needed

A novel device couples magnetic fields and kirigami design principles to remotely control the movement of a flexible dimpled surface, allowing it to manipulate...

Bird-Inspired Drone Can Jump for Take-Off

EPFL researchers have built a drone that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs, greatly expanding the range of potential environments accessible to unmanned aerial...

Vision-Based Approach and Landing System (VALS)

Incorporating a vision-based navigation method, NASA Ames has developed a novel Alternative Position, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) solution for AAM aircraft in environments where GPS is not available. Read on to learn more about it.

Cable Carriers Promote Efficiency in an Autonomous Hospitality Robot

Since the COVID-19 pandemic that advanced contactless service, robots are increasingly being seen conducting routine deliveries around hospitals and hotels. Developed by Robotise Technologies, JEEVES is one such autonomous service robot used in hotels, healthcare facilities, offices, airports, and other settings. Its main duty is to transport materials and products. Read on to learn more about JEEVES.

New Products

See the new products, including the TNC7 control system from HEIDENHAIN; ATI Industrial Automation's GBX 10 Gigabit Tool Changer Ethernet Module; Emerson's Rosemount™ 802 Wireless Multi-Discrete Input or Output Transmitter; Moticont's two 15.9 mm (0.625 in.) diameter Linear Voice Coil Motors, the LVCM-016-019-01M (Metric) and the LVCM-016-019-01 (Imperial); and much more.

ROSE Could Usher in a New Era of Automated Farming

A team of researchers has developed an innovative soft robotic gripper named ROtation-based Squeezing grippEr or ROSE. Read on to learn more about it.

Enabling Robots to Interpret Surroundings Quickly and Accurately

MIT engineers have developed a method that enables robots to make similarly intuitive, task-relevant decisions. The team’s new approach, named Clio, enables a robot to identify the parts of a scene that matter, given the tasks at hand. Read on to learn more about Clio.

Mastering Physical Contact with New Algorithm for Robots

Penn Engineers have developed a new algorithm that allows robots to react to complex physical contact in real time, making it possible for autonomous robots to succeed at previously impossible tasks, like controlling the motion of a sliding object. Read on to learn more.

Cat’s Eye-Inspired Vision System for Autonomous Robotics

Researchers led by Professor Young Min Song from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology have unveiled a vision system inspired by feline eyes to enhance object detection in various lighting conditions. Featuring a unique shape and reflective surface, the system reduces glare in bright environments and boosts sensitivity in low-light scenarios. Read on to learn more.

How a Standardized Platform Delivered Precision Motion Control

To upgrade its existing line of laboratory and high-speed production equipment, Genesis called on Moxley Electronics, a trusted distributor of automation components from Mitsubishi Electric. Read on to learn what happened.

Revolutionizing Seafood Production with Adaptive Robots

Robotic automation technology is reshaping food manufacturing, packaging, and handling by driving significant improvements in efficiency, quality, and flexibility. By integrating advanced artificial intelligence, computer vision, and proprietary force-sensing technology, Flexiv has introduced cutting-edge automation to the food processing sector. Read on to learn more.