MIT Develops a System That Can 3D Print the Basic Structure of an Entire Building
The list of materials that can be produced by 3D printing has grown to include not just plastics but also metal, glass, and even food….
robotics
Engineers Design Microfluidic Device That Generates Passive Hydraulic Power
Engineers have designed a microfluidic device that mimics the pumping mechanism of trees and plants, generating passive hydraulic power that may be used to make…
MIT Engineers Design Transparent, Gel-Based Robots
A team of engineers from MIT has developed transparent, gel-based robots that may one day assist in surgical operations and evade underwater detection. Engineers at…
New “Morphing” Wing Could Enable More Efficient Plane Flight
Engineers at MIT and NASA have developed a new kind of bendable, “morphing” wing that could enable more efficient plane manufacturing and flight. When the…
Motion-Directed Microrobots Can Be Propelled Light
Researchers reveal a surprisingly simple way to direct synthetic microswimmers towards light or darkness. Phototactic behavior directs some bacteria towards light and others into darkness:…
Researchers Develop Shape-Programmable Miniscule Robots
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute have developed functional elastomers that can be activated by magnetic fields. One day, microrobots may be able to swim…
SEAS Engineers 3D Print the First Autonomous, Entirely Soft Robot
Using a 3D printer, Harvard engineers have demonstrated the first autonomous, untethered, entirely soft robot. The small robot — nicknamed the “octobot” — could pave…
Engineers Are Developing Robotic Spacecraft to Assist Satellite Repairs in Orbit
NASA engineers are developing robotic spacecraft to help service and repair satellites in distant orbits. NASA is developing and demonstrating technologies to service and repair…
Engineers Developing ‘Hedgehog’ Robots That Hop and Tumble in Microgravity
Engineers from NASA, MIT and Stanford are developing “hedgehog” robots that are specifically designed to overcome the challenges of traversing small bodies in microgravity by…
Yale Engineers Develop a Shape-Shifting Navigation Device for the Visually Impaired
Researchers from Yale University have developed a shape-shifting navigation device for both the sighted and visually impaired. Combine mechanical engineering, experimental theater, and an old…
“Windbots” – The Future Explorers of Planetary Skies?
Engineers are investigating the feasibility of creating a windbot, a new class of robotic probe designed to stay aloft in a planet’s atmosphere for a…
Harvard Engineers Create a 3D Printed Autonomous Robot
Using a 3D printer, Harvard engineers have developed one of the first soft robots that moves autonomously. Traditional industrial robots are rigid — mostly metal…
Engineers Develop Micro-tentacles So Tiny Robots Can Handle Delicate Objects
Engineers at Iowa State University developed spiraling microrobotic tentacles that can gently grip delicate objects. The tiny tube circled an ant’s thorax, gently trapping the…
Engineers Design Printable Centimeter-long Origami Robot
Engineers at MIT have developed a tiny robot that can swim, climb an incline, traverse rough terrain, and carry a load twice its weight while…
New Algorithm Should Enable Household Robots to Better Identify Objects
New research from MIT shows that a system using an off-the-shelf algorithm to aggregate different perspectives allows household robots to recognize four times as many…
MIT Engineers Develop Underwater Robot for Port Security
Engineers from MIT have developed a football-size robot that can provide added port protection by skimming discreetly along a ship’s hull to search for hollow…
Untethered Electric Robotic Cheetah Runs and Jumps Across the Grass
MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm that allows their electric powered robotic cheetah to run and jump, untethered, across grass. See the MIT cheetah-bot…
Printable Robots That Self-Assemble When Heated
Using new algorithms and electronic components, researchers demonstrate the promise of printable robotic components that, when heated, automatically fold into prescribed three-dimensional configurations. Printable robots…