Robotics, Automation & Control

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Electronic Skin Sensor Decodes Human Motion

This system can track the motion of the entire body with a small sensory network.

Briefs: Motion Control

New Capabilities for Grasp-Assisting Gloves

Applications include aiding patients with impaired hand muscle strength and in manufacturing for operating tools for extended periods of time.

INSIDER: Motion Control

T-REX Rover Looks to the Dark Side

The Tethered permanently shadowed Region EXplorer (T-REX) rover, designed and built by a team of Michigan Technological University students – is designed to provide reliable power and data to other...

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Experts Weigh In: How Will a Robotic Future Impact Nature?

A survey of over 170 experts assessed the opportunities and challenges that drones, robots, and autonomous systems could have for urban nature and green spaces.

Facility Focus: Aerospace

Facility Focus: Stanford University School of Engineering

Stanford University’s School of Engineering has been at the forefront of innovation for nearly a century

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

New Method Makes Computer Memory from Titanium Oxide

The material, commonly found in house paint, can be used in a device to more efficiently process information.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Products of Tomorrow: January 2021

A malaria-test "bandage"; underwater navigation via sound; and a biodegrading, implantable sensor.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

A Spiraling Robotic Gripper 'Twines' Like a Plant

As engineering professor Mable Fok saw how the pole beans in her garden wrapped tightly around any objects nearby, she had an idea:

What if a robotic gripper could do the same...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robots Learn to Drive a Car in a Few Easy Lessons

USC researchers have developed a method that could allow robots to learn complicated new tasks, like setting a table or driving a car, from observing a small number of demonstrations.

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Materials Transform Robots Made of Robots

Scientists from the U.S. Army and MIT created a new way to link materials with unique mechanical properties, opening up the possibility of future military robots made of robots. The method...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Laser Jolts Microscopic Robots into Motion

A Cornell University team has created microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled – and made to walk – with standard electronic signals. The...

Blog: RF & Microwave Electronics

Q&A: 'Smellicopter' Uses Live Moth Antenna to Seek Out Smells

UW doctoral student Melanie Anderson explains how to make an autonomous 'Smellicopter' to navigate toward smells.

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sensors Driven by Machine Learning Sniff-Out Gas Leaks Fast

A new study has confirmed the success of a natural-gas leak-detection tool pioneered by Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists, which uses sensors and machine learning to...

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Executive Roundtable: Robotics Design

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

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Robot Takes Contact-Free Measurements of Patients’ Vital Signs

The mobile system could reduce healthcare workers’ exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Upper Body Robotic Exoskeleton

This lightweight, portable garment is designed for active shoulder and elbow positioning.

Briefs: Aerospace

Tethered Drones Improve Cellular and Internet Networks

Wire-connected drones may complement or replace the fixed base stations of cellular communications networks.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Tactile Robot Finger with No Blind Spots

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

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Flexible, Sturdy Robot “Grows” Like a Plant

The robot’s extendable appendage can wind through tight spaces and then lift heavy loads.