Centrifugal force from a high-speed rotating water ring enables gripping rough surfaces. Specially designed vacuum suction units allow humans to climb walls. Scientists have developed…
Tiny ‘xenobots’ assembled from cells promise advances from drug delivery to toxic waste clean-up. A book is made of wood. But it is not a…
Although it may not be obvious, there’s a close link between manufacturing technology and innovation. Elon Musk often talks of the “machines that build the…
Built in 1961, the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is the cradle of robotic space exploration. The first probes…
This year has had its share of science and technology advances from Army researchers. The U.S. Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory, the Army’s corporate research…
Researchers at EPFL have developed an ultra-light robotic insect that uses its soft artificial muscles to move at 3 cm per second across different types…
Aerospace engineers are developing technology to repair and refuel broken satellites in space. When satellites break, which is surprisingly often, there isn’t much you can…
Researchers trained material the same way as Pavlov trained dogs. Conditioning is a method made famous by Ivan Pavlov’s experiments with dogs. Pavlov trained a…
Optimizing soft robots to perform specific tasks is a huge computational problem, but a new model can help. MIT researchers have invented a way to…
A little robotic explorer will be rolling into Antarctica this month to perform a gymnastic feat — driving upside down under sea ice. BRUIE, or…
Research could also lead to nontoxic method using sound to diminish mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes flap their wings not just to stay aloft but for two…
New control system may enable humanoid robots to do heavy lifting and other physically demanding tasks. Rescuing victims from a burning building, a chemical spill,…
ETH scientists have developed cube-shaped magnetic building blocks that can be assembled into two-dimensional shapes and controlled by an external magnetic field. They can be…
Autonomous system improves environmental sampling at sea: Robotic boats could more rapidly locate the most valuable sampling spots in uncharted waters. An autonomous robotic system…
Flexible yet sturdy robot is designed to “grow” like a plant. Its extendable appendage can meander through tight spaces and then lift heavy loads. In…
Skyscrapers are rising rapidly around the world, continuously transforming city skylines. However, their repair and maintenance is becoming more and more difficult. So, who can…
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and ETH Zurich have developed a micromachine that can perform different actions. First nanomagnets in the components of…
Navigation method may speed up autonomous last-mile delivery. In the not too distant future, robots may be dispatched as last-mile delivery vehicles to drop your…