Robotics, Automation & Control

Robotic Exploration of Mars Caves

Professor Wolfgang Fink of University of Arizona engineers discusses a new system that allows autonomous vehicles to scout out underground habitats for astronauts.

Helping Machine Vision Go Beyond Human Programming

Facial recognition AI inspections will go beyond simple geometry. They will learn how makeup, tattoos, or clothing may conceal features that were previously used to identify someone.

Multi-Pixel Magnetic Sensing Gives Robots the Gentle Touch

A reliable and cost-effective sense of touch now lets robots handle fragile objects to fulfill an even wider variety of tasks and interact more safely with humans.

Fluid-Driven Actuators Enable Complex Motions in Soft Robots

A team of researchers has designed a new system of fluid-driven actuators that enable soft robots to achieve more complex motions. The researchers accomplished this by taking advantage of the very thing — viscosity — that had previously stymied the movement of such robots.

Gecko-Inspired Climbing Soft Robot

The new robot, developed by engineers at the University of Waterloo, uses ultraviolet (UV) light and magnetic force to move on any surface, even up walls and across ceilings.

Rapidly Configuring Robots for Lunar Exploration

A team of MIT engineers is designing a kit of universal robotic parts that an astronaut could easily mix and match to rapidly configure different robot “species” to fit various lunar missions.

Robotic Wing Could Improve Drone Performance

Ornithological animals have always benefited from folding their wings during upstroke. So, a Swedish-Swiss research team has constructed a robotic wing that can flap like a bird.

Videos of the Month

Watch the Videos of the Month, including one about a swimming robot, one about 3D printing a controllable replica of a patient’s heart, and two more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the Products of Tomorrow, including silicon photonic MEMS, a micro-robotic arm, and more.

Model Simulates Variable Flap Stiffness for the Best Lift

There is extensive research on how a fixed-position flap affects lift in the realm of fluid-structure interaction. However, taking the conversation in a new direction, researchers at...

Autonomous Bus Sounds: It’s All About When, Not How

The town of Linköping, Sweden, has a small fleet of autonomous electric buses that carry riders along a predetermined route. The bright vehicles, emblazoned with the tagline, “Ride...

Self-Navigating Catamaran Can Carry Cargo into War Zones

A self-navigating, cargo-carrying sailboat designed by a team of Rice University engineering students could be a sustaining link for Marines hunkered down on shore during war. The...

Meet ARTEMIS — The World’s Fastest Walking Humanoid Robot

A soccer-playing, full-sized humanoid robot — ARTEMIS — with first-of-its-kind technology.

Robot Caterpillar Demonstrates New Locomotion Approach

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward, and dip under narrow spaces.

5 Ws of a Weeding Robot

MIT alumnus-founded FarmWise uses autonomous machines to snip weeds while preserving crops, eliminating the need for herbicides.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow--today.

A New Method to Improve Motion Planning for Robots

Interactive program aids motion planning for environments with obstacles.

An Artificial Intelligence System to Identify Objects in Cluttered Scenes

Robotic vision has come a long way, reaching a level of sophistication with applications in complex and demanding tasks, such as autonomous driving and object manipulation.

An Algorithmic Planner Helps Delegate Tasks to Human-Robot Teams

The technology could be useful in manufacturing and assembly plants for sorting packages, or in any environment where humans and robots collaborate.

Autonomous Driving Algorithm Distributes Risk Fairly

Researchers have developed the first ethical algorithm to fairly distribute the levels of risk rather than operating on an either/or principle.

Inflatable, Shape-Changing Spinal Implants Could Help Treat Severe Pain

The device uses soft robotics, ultra-thin electronics, and microfluidics.

Single-Step 3D-Printing Process to Build Robots

The piezoelectric “meta-bot” is capable of propulsion, movement, sensing, and decision-making.

Navigating the Road Ahead: Solving Design Challenges for Autonomous Vehicles

AV development will only become more important in the marketplace as the competition to produce new and advanced vehicle features continues to mount.

Four Ways AI Boosts Cobot Performance

Incorporating AI into a cobot-based application using a standard teach pendant or graphical user tool has been challenging and time-consuming, even for the most dedicated engineers.

New Products

See the new products for April 2023, including combustion valves, a linear motion system, an autonomous mobile robot, and more.

Producing Efficient, Scalable Aquabots

MIT engineers have come up with an innovative approach to building deformable underwater robots, using simple repeating substructures instead of unique components.