Tissue-Like Pressure Sensors Key to Bionic Breast Project
Approximately one third of the 3.8 million female breast cancer survivors in the US today have undergone mastectomy, and as many as three quarters of…
Robotics
Researchers Create Bionic Jellyfish That Swim Faster and More Efficiently
Researchers at Caltech and Stanford use microelectronics to enhance jellyfish swimming. Engineers at Caltech and Stanford University have developed a tiny prosthetic that enables jellyfish…
Clever New Robot Rover Designed to Conquer Lunar and Planetary Exploration
Built with wheeled appendages that can be lifted, a new robot developed with U.S. Army funding has complex locomotion techniques robust enough to allow it…
Inspired by Cheetah Biomechanics, Researchers Build World-Record Fast Soft Robots
Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, researchers have developed a new type of soft robot that is capable of moving more quickly on solid surfaces…
Low-Cost, High-Accuracy GPS-Like System Developed for Flexible Medical Robots
Roboticists at the University of California San Diego have developed an affordable, easy to use system to track the location of flexible surgical robots inside…
Planetary Exploration Rover Features Complex Locomotion Techniques to Avoid Traps
The rolling hills of Mars or the moon are a long way from the nearest tow truck. That’s why the next generation of exploration rovers…
How Many Jobs Do Robots and Automation Really Replace?
MIT economist Daron Acemoglu’s new research puts a number on the job costs of automation. In many parts of the U.S., robots have been replacing…
Robots Help Some Firms Thrive, While Workers Across Industries Struggle
Study finds manufacturing companies that are quick to automate can thrive, but overall employment drops. Overall, adding robots to manufacturing reduces jobs — by more…
Shape-Shifting, Free-Roaming Soft Robot Created by Stanford Engineers [Video]
A new type of robot combines traditional and soft robotics, making it safe but sturdy. Once inflated, it can change shape and move without being…
Robots Can Help Combat COVID-19 – Here’s How
Can robots be effective tools in combating the COVID-19 pandemic? A group of leaders in the field of robotics, including Henrik Christensen, director of UC…
Showing Robots How to Do Your Chores – Automated Robots That Learn Just by Watching
By observing humans, robots learn to perform complex tasks, such as setting a table. Training interactive robots may one day be an easy job for…
A Psychological Theory Helps Robots Walk Like Humans [Video]
A psychological theory could kickstart improvements in the way robots are able to walk, thanks to a University of Manchester study. The study — a…
DARPA Underground Autonomous Robot Navigation Challenge
Whether robots are exploring caves on other planets or disaster areas here on Earth, autonomy enables them to navigate extreme environments without human guidance or…
‘Flapping Wings’ Powered by the Sun – Could Be Used for Solar Energy Harvesting
In ancient Greek mythology, Icarus’ wax wings melted when he dared to fly too close to the sun. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials…
Slithering Snakes on a 2D Plane – Search and Rescue Robots Inspired by Snakes [Video]
Snakes live in diverse environments ranging from unbearably hot deserts to lush tropical forests, where they slither up trees, rocks and shrubbery every day. By…
Microscopic Robots, Remotely Driven by Magnetic Fields, Coax Particles Into Position Using Capillary Forces
At microscopic scales, picking, placing, collecting, and arranging objects is a persistent challenge. Advances in nanotechnology mean that there are ever more complex things we’d…
MIT Bionic ‘Heart’ Made of Heart Tissue and a Robotic Pumping System Beats Like the Real Thing
Engineers design bionic ‘heart’ for testing prosthetic valves, other cardiac devices. As the geriatric population is expected to balloon in the coming decade, so too…
Spider-Man-Style Robotic Graspers Defy Gravity – Secret Is High-Speed Rotating Water Rings
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…