New Algorithm Flies Drones Faster Than World-Class Human Racing Pilots
To be useful, drones need to be quick. Because of their limited battery life, they must complete whatever task they have — searching for survivors…
Robotics
Giving Robots Better Moves: Combining Unique Gripper Designs With AI and Machine Vision
MIT alumnus-founded RightHand Robotics has developed picking robots that are more reliable and adaptable in warehouse environments. For most people, the task of identifying an…
Microspheres Quiver When Shocked: Developing Microrobots That Move Like Microorganisms
Columbia and Northwestern engineers use electric fields to induce oscillations in tiny particles; this motion could be used by researchers to develop microrobots. A challenging…
AI-Powered Recycling Robot Could Help Solve Plastic Waste Crisis
Researchers create robot that sorts soft plastic Technology could be a boon for recycling industry Engineering researchers are developing a unique method to increase the…
Bacteria-Sized Metallic Robots Take On Microplastics – And Win by Breaking Them Down
Small pieces of plastic are everywhere, stretching from urban environments to pristine wilderness. Left to their own devices, it can take hundreds of years for…
Argonaut Ultracold Robotics Project: Voyaging Into a Sea of Liquid Argon
The Argonauts of Greek mythology braved sharp rocks, rough seas, magic, and monsters to find the fabled Golden Fleece. A new robotics project at the…
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Creating Robots to Go Where Humans Can’t
JPL is the lead NASA center for robotic exploration, which means we send robots, not humans, into space. NASA has plans in the works to…
“The Robot Made Me Do It” – Robots Can Encourage Risk-Taking Behavior in People
New research has shown robots can encourage humans to take greater risks in a simulated gambling scenario than they would if there was nothing to…
Next Generation Swimming Biobots Can Self-Train, Showing Striking Speed and Strength
Robotics field aims at mimicking what natural biological entities have achieved throughout millennia of evolution — actions like moving, adapting to the environment, or sensing….
The Robot Smiled Back: Engineers Use AI to Teach Robots to Make Appropriate Reactive Human Facial Expressions
While our facial expressions play a huge role in building trust, most robots still sport the blank and static visage of a professional poker player….
MIT Smart Clothes: Tactile Textiles Sense Movement via Touch
By measuring a person’s movements and poses, smart clothes developed at MIT CSAIL could be used for athletic training, rehabilitation, or health-monitoring for elder-care facilities….
New MIT Algorithm Helps Robots Collaborate to Get the Job Done
Algorithm enables robot teams to complete missions, such as mapping or search-and-rescue, with minimal wasted effort. Sometimes, one robot isn’t enough. Consider a search-and-rescue mission…
New Robot-Assisted Nondestructive Broadband Imager Is the Next Step Towards Advanced Technology
One of the key aspects of academic and industrial research today is non-destructive imaging, a technique in which an object or sample is imaged (using…
Robotic “Third Thumb” Use Can Alter How the Hand Is Represented in the Brain
Using a robotic ‘Third Thumb’ can impact how the hand is represented in the brain, finds a new study led by University College London researchers….
RoboWig: A Robot That Can Help You Untangle Your Hair
Robotic arm equipped with a hairbrush helps with brushing tasks and could be an asset in assistive-care settings. With rapidly growing demands on health care…
Robot That Senses Hidden Objects – “We’re Trying to Give Robots Superhuman Perception”
System uses penetrative radio frequency to pinpoint items, even when they’re hidden from view. In recent years, robots have gained artificial vision, touch, and even…
BOBbots: Simple Robots, Smart Algorithms
Anyone with children knows that while controlling one child can be hard, controlling many at once can be nearly impossible. Getting swarms of robots to…
Xenobots 2.0: Scientists Create the Next Generation of Living Robots
Artificial living organisms can move material in swarms and record information. Last year, a team of biologists and computer scientists from Tufts University and…