Category: Robotics

Bio-inspired methods help guide coordination in underwater robot swarms Coordinating groups of underwater robots is difficult because communication below the surface is slow and unreliable. GPS signals do not work underwater, and radio waves fade rapidly in seawater. Most underwater communication relies on acoustic signals, which travel farther but introduce latency and carry limited data.…

Palm-sized piezo robot combines mobility with sub-micrometer positioning accuracy With the speed at which technology advances, there is little room for suboptimal performance and out-of-date tech. Precise positioning is a field where advancement is needed, as many conventional applications feature tools that are much larger than the objects being worked upon, making high precision a…

Snake-like robot unveiled for Fukushima debris removal A 22-meter robot arm will help remove a third sample of radioactive debris from inside Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator said Thursday, as it unveiled the snake-like device. Go to techxplore

Rise of the rice robots—creating active smart materials Rice becomes weaker when compressed quickly, while staying stronger under slow pressure—a discovery enabling scientists to design a new material that could be used to build “soft” robots that change stiffness automatically and protective gear that adapts to impact speed. Researchers harnessed this effect to design a…

Buzz of the Olympics: How drone cams deliver high-pace visuals and add a new dynamic for TV viewers Standing on a tower overlooking the cliffs of the Cortina downhill course, there is someone who is just as involved in the biggest skiing races of the Winter Olympics as Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson. Go to…

An assistive robot learns to set and clear the table by observing humans Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have developed a new methodology for a robot to learn how to move its arms autonomously by combining a type of observational learning with intercommunication between its limbs. This work represents a further step…

New drones provide first-person thrill to Olympic coverage Whether chasing skiers as they fly down the mountain or tracking the luge as it tears around bends, new drone-mounted cameras are offering Winter Olympics viewers a wild ride. Go to techxplore

AI-powered companionship: Harnessing music and empathetic speech in robots to combat loneliness Loneliness has a critical impact on the mental health of citizens, particularly among the elderly. Robots capable of perceiving and responding to human emotions can serve as heart-warming companions to help lift the spirits. A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University…

A programmable, Lego-like material for robots emulates life’s flexibility Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a proof-of-concept method for programming mechanical properties into solid Lego-like building blocks. By controlling the solidity of hundreds of individual cells in specific patterns, the approach could allow futuristic robotics to alter their mechanical properties and functionalities on the…

A mathematical framework for optimizing robotic joints Consider the marvelous physics of the human knee. The largest hinge joint in the body, it has two rounded bones held together by ligaments that not only swing like a door, but also roll and glide over each other, allowing the knee to flex, extend, and balance. Go…

Swarms of mini robots that ‘bloom’ could lead to adaptive architecture Nature is, of course, the master engineer—been there, seen it, solved it. While we struggle to design buildings that don’t overheat or feel like concrete cages, nature has been perfecting comfortable living structures for ages. Now scientists are borrowing from the natural world again;…

Soft robotic hand ‘sees’ around corners to achieve human-like touch To reliably complete household chores, assemble products and tackle other manual tasks, robots should be able to adapt their manipulation strategies based on the objects they are working with, similarly to how humans leverage information they gain via the sense of touch. While humans attain…

Robot learns to lip sync by watching YouTube Almost half of our attention during face-to-face conversation focuses on lip motion. Yet, robots still struggle to move their lips correctly. Even the most advanced humanoids make little more than muppet mouth gestures—if they have a face at all. Go to techxplore

Did that lamp just fold the laundry? Alumni rethink home robotics When Aaron Tan began his Ph.D. in mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Toronto in 2019, leading a robotics startup in Silicon Valley was the furthest thing from his mind. Go to techxplore

Grasshopper wings inspire gliding robot design A collaboration between Princeton University engineers and entomologists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign began with the researchers chasing grasshoppers in a hot parking lot. Their eventual focus on the hindwings of one species of grasshopper, Schistocerca americana, the American grasshopper, is inspiring a new approach to untethered gliding…

The origami wheel that could explore lunar caves Beneath the moon’s cratered surface lie networks of lava tubes and deep pits, natural caves that could shelter future lunar bases from cosmic radiation and wild temperature swings. These underground structures represent some of the most scientifically valuable areas in the solar system, but they come with…

Researchers create world’s smallest programmable, autonomous robots Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest fully programmable, autonomous robots: microscopic swimming machines that can independently sense and respond to their surroundings, operate for months and cost just a penny each. Go to techxplore

Technology that helps robots read human intentions could lead to safer, smarter, more trustworthy machines Robots are becoming part of our everyday lives, from health care to home assistance. But for humans to truly trust and collaborate with them, robots need more than technical skill—they need to understand us. Go to techxplore

Ultra-low power, fully biodegradable artificial synapse offers record-breaking memory In Nature Communications, a research team affiliated with UNIST present a fully biodegradable, robust, and energy-efficient artificial synapse that holds great promise for sustainable neuromorphic technologies. Made entirely from eco-friendly materials sourced from nature—such as shells, beans, and plant fibers—this innovation could help address the growing…

AI-powered robotic hands learn dexterity by mimicking human movements and anatomy Step inside the Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich, and you find yourself in a space that is part children’s nursery, part high-tech workshop and part cabinet of curiosities. The lab benches are strewn with foam blocks, stuffed animals—including a cuddly squid—and other colorful…

Beyond mimicry: Fiber-type artificial muscles outperform biological muscles Biological muscles act as flexible actuators, generating force naturally and with an impressive range of motion. Unsurprisingly, scientists and engineers have been striving to build artificial muscles that mimic these abilities. A new review study, published in Nature, takes a deep dive into recent developments surrounding fiber-type…

Humanoid robots take center stage at Silicon Valley summit, but skepticism remains Robots have long been seen as a bad bet for Silicon Valley investors—too complicated, capital-intensive and “boring, honestly,” says venture capitalist Modar Alaoui. Go to techxplore

Classical Indian dance inspires new ways to teach robots how to use their hands Researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) have extracted the building blocks of precise hand gestures used in the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam—and found a richer “alphabet” of movement compared to natural grasps. The work could improve how…

Aerial microrobot can fly as fast as a bumblebee In the future, tiny flying robots could be deployed to aid in the search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble after a devastating earthquake. Like real insects, these robots could flit through tight spaces larger robots can’t reach, while simultaneously dodging stationary obstacles and pieces of…

Humanoid robots reliably manipulate different objects with 87% success using new framework Robotic systems that mirror humans both in their appearance and movements, also known as humanoid robots, could be best suited for tackling many tasks that are currently performed by human agents. These include household chores, such as cleaning, tidying up and cooking, as…

Interlaced origami structure enables compact storage and high-strength robotic deployment Researchers at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, have applied the principle of interlacing to an origami-inspired structure and developed a “Foldable-and-Rollable corruGated Structure (FoRoGated-Structure)” that can be smoothly folded and rolled up for compact storage while maintaining very high strength when deployed.…

Real-world helper exoskeletons come closer to reality with AI training Georgia Tech researchers are using AI to quickly train exoskeleton devices, making it much more practical to develop, improve, and ultimately deploy wearable robots for people with impaired mobility. Go to techxplore

Innovative underwater exoskeleton boosts diving efficiency A research team led by Professor Wang Qining from the School of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics, Peking University, has developed the world’s first portable underwater exoskeleton system that assists divers’ knee movement, significantly reducing air consumption and muscle effort during dives. Go to techxplore

Robots trained with spatial dataset show improved object handling and awareness When it comes to navigating their surroundings, machines have a natural disadvantage compared to humans. To help hone the visual perception abilities they need to understand the world, researchers have developed a novel training dataset for improving spatial awareness in robots. Go to techxplore

Novel 3D nanofabrication techniques enable miniaturized robots In the 1980s when micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) were first created, computer engineers were excited by the idea that these new devices that combine electrical and mechanical components at the microscale could be used to build miniature robots. Go to techxplore

Popular AI models aren’t ready to safely power robots, study warns Robots powered by popular artificial intelligence models are currently unsafe for general purpose real-world use, according to new research from King’s College London and Carnegie Mellon University. Go to techxplore

Humans have remote touch ‘seventh sense’ like sandpipers, research shows A study by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and University College London has found that humans have a form of remote touch, or the ability to sense objects without direct contact, a sense that some animals have. Go to techxplore

Iranian tech prodigies battle it out with robots Two machines resembling robotic vacuum cleaners sped around a ring colliding, shooting sparks and catching fire, as Iranian engineering students watched from behind plexiglass. Go to techxplore

Bionic leg’s pilot performance spotlights its technology and the role of teamwork One year after the international Cybathlon 2024 competition, an Italian team has published a focus article in Science Robotics on the Omnia bionic leg, which took first place in the leg prosthesis race. Go to techxplore

A flexible lens controlled by light-activated artificial muscles promises to let soft machines see Inspired by the human eye, our biomedical engineering lab at Georgia Tech has designed an adaptive lens made of soft, light-responsive, tissuelike materials. Our study is published in the journal Science Robotics. Go to techxplore

AI trained robots, drones, team up with emergency rescue In a simulated natural disaster, robotic drones from the University of Maryland’s RoboScout Team arrived first, scanning the area for survivors. They beamed patients’ locations to robot dogs and medics on the ground to quickly find, triage and treat the most critically injured people first. Go…

From stiff to soft in a snap: Magnetic jamming opens new frontiers for microrobotics Could tiny magnetic objects, that rapidly clump together and instantly fall apart again, one day perform delicate procedures inside the human body? A new study from researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and at ETH Zurich…

‘Metabots’ shapeshift from flat sheets into hundreds of structures Researchers have created a class of robots made from thin sheets of material that can snap into hundreds of stable shapes, allowing them to execute a wide variety of actions despite the fact that they have no motor and are made of a single, flat material.…

Soft skin allows vine robots to navigate complex, fragile environments Researchers have developed a soft robotic skin that enables vine robots that are just a few millimeters wide to navigate convoluted paths and fragile environments. To accomplish this, the researchers integrated a very thin layer of actuators made of liquid crystal elastomer at strategic locations…

Robot ‘backpack’ drone launches, drives and flies to tackle emergencies Introducing X1: The world’s first multirobot system that integrates a humanoid robot with a transforming drone that can launch off the humanoid’s back, and later, drive away. Go to techxplore

Developing an autonomous crack segmentation and exploration system for civil infrastructure Identifying cracks is critical for the monitoring of civil infrastructure. To enhance inspection efficiency, a proposed autonomous crack segmentation and exploration system enables the agent to navigate itself without human operation, and the agent successfully captures more than 85% of cracks in the training…

The importance of a leader–follower relationship for performing tasks When multiple people work together, things sometimes turn out better than doing the same task alone. Then, there are other times, when cooperation actually seems to hinder progress, making things much more inefficient. Go to techxplore

Robot navigation improves 30% by mimicking how humans spread and forget information A research team has developed a new “Physical AI” technology that improves the efficiency of multi-robot autonomous navigation by modeling the spread and forgetting of social issues. This achievement is expected to become a key technology for boosting the productivity of autonomous mobile…

Novel film manufacturing technique lets robots walk on water Imagine tiny robots zipping across the surface of a lake to check water quality or searching for people in flooded areas. This technology is moving closer to reality thanks to work by researchers at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. Inspired by…

Lightweight framework enables faster, more accurate object detection for UAV remote sensing Remote sensing object detection is a rapidly growing field in artificial intelligence, playing a critical role in advancing the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for real-world applications such as disaster response, urban planning, and environmental monitoring. Yet, designing models that balance both…

Robot umpires are coming to MLB. Here’s how they work Robot umpires are coming to the big leagues in 2026 after Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee on Tuesday approved use of the Automated Ball/Strike System. Go to techxplore

Creating robots that adapt to your emotion Robots might be getting smarter, but to truly support people in daily life, they also need to become more empathetic. That means recognizing and responding to human emotions in real time. Go to techxplore

Simulated humanoid robots learn to hike rugged terrain autonomously Training humanoid robots to hike could accelerate development of embodied AI for tasks like autonomous search and rescue, ecological monitoring in unexplored places and more, say University of Michigan researchers who developed an AI model that equips humanoids to hit the trails. Go to techxplore

The MOTIF Hand: A tool advancing the capabilities of previous robot hand technology Growing up, we learn to push just hard enough to move a box and to avoid touching a hot pan with our bare hands. Now, a robot hand has been developed that also has these instincts. Go to techxplore

When robots are integrated into household spaces and rituals, they acquire emotional value Social companion robots are no longer just science fiction. In classrooms, libraries and homes, these small machines are designed to read stories, play games or offer comfort to children. They promise to support learning and companionship, yet their role in family life…

Humans sense a collaborating robot as part of their ‘extended’ body Researchers from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Genoa (Italy) and Brown University in Providence (U.S.) have discovered that people sense the hand of a humanoid robot as part of their body schema, particularly when it comes to carrying out a task together,…

Snap-through effect helps engineers solve soft material motion trade-off Everyday occurrences like snapping hair clips or clicking retractable pens feature a mechanical phenomenon known as “snap-through.” Small insects and plants like the Venus flytrap cleverly use this snap-through effect to amplify their limited physical force, rapidly releasing stored elastic energy for swift, powerful movements. Go…

Humanoid robots showcase skills at Ancient Olympia. But they’re on a long road to catch up to AI With jerky determination, robots played soccer, wowed children with shadow-boxing skills and shot arrows on Monday at the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Go to techxplore

Developing self-deploying material for next-gen robotics The field of robotics has transformed drastically in this century, with a special focus on soft robotics. In this context, origami-inspired deployable structures with compact storage and efficient deployment features have gained prominence in aerospace, architecture, and medical fields. Go to techxplore

Robot regret: New research helps robots make safer decisions around humans Imagine for a moment that you’re in an auto factory. A robot and a human are working next to each other on the production line. The robot is busy rapidly assembling car doors while the human runs quality control, inspecting the doors for damage…

The ‘100,000-year data gap’: Researcher explains why robots lag behind AI chatbots AI chatbots have advanced rapidly over the past few years, so much so that people are now using them as personal assistants, customer service representatives and even therapists. Go to techxplore

Smarter navigation: AI helps robots stay on track without a map Navigating without a map is a difficult task for robots, especially when they can’t reliably determine where they are. A new AI-powered solution helps robots overcome this challenge by training them to make movement decisions that also protect their ability to localize. Instead of…

Virtual reality merges with robotics to create seamless physical interactions Computer scientists at Princeton are working to bring virtual reality into the physical world, with the potential to enhance a variety of experiences, including remote collaboration, education, entertainment and gaming. Go to techxplore

Self-generated virtual experiences enable robots to adapt to unseen tasks with greater flexibility Humans instinctively walk and run—brisk walking feels effortless, and we naturally adjust our stride and pace without conscious thought. For physical AI robots, however, mastering basic movements doesn’t automatically translate to adaptability in new or unexpected situations. Go to techxplore

Robots can now learn to use tools—just by watching us Despite decades of progress, most robots are still programmed for specific, repetitive tasks. They struggle with the unexpected and can’t adapt to new situations without painstaking reprogramming. But what if they could learn to use tools as naturally as a child does by watching videos?…

With human feedback, AI-driven robots learn tasks better and faster At UC Berkeley, researchers in Sergey Levine’s Robotic AI and Learning Lab eyed a table where a tower of 39 Jenga blocks stood perfectly stacked. Then a white-and-black robot, its single limb doubled over like a hunched-over giraffe, zoomed toward the tower, brandishing a black…

Improving the novel RoboBall: From sea to space, this robot is on a roll While working at NASA in 2003, Dr. Robert Ambrose, director of the Robotics and Automation Design Lab (RAD Lab), designed a robot with no fixed top or bottom. A perfect sphere, the RoboBall could not flip over, and its shape promised…

Sea slug research advances soft robotics When designing new robots, engineers often look to nature for inspiration. They base their robots on the designs and behaviors of snakes, fish, humans, and more, such as sea slugs, whose feeding behaviors have been studied in recent research by the Carnegie Mellon University Biohybrid and Organic Robotics group…

Robots gain new function: Algorithm automatically recognizes sensors and their mathematical modeling Modern robotic systems—in drones or autonomous vehicles, for example—use a variety of sensors, ranging from cameras and accelerometers to GPS modules. To date, their correct integration has required expert knowledge and time-consuming calibration. Go to techxplore

Tiny robots use sound to self-organize into intelligent groups Animals like bats, whales and insects have long used acoustic signals for communication and navigation. Now, an international team of scientists has taken a page from nature’s playbook to model micro-sized robots that use sound waves to coordinate into large swarms that exhibit intelligent-like behavior. Go…

Humanoid robots embodiment of China’s AI ambitions Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai’s World AI Conference (WAIC) this weekend were embodiments of China’s growing AI prowess and ambition. Go to techxplore

Robot, know thyself: New vision-based system teaches machines to understand their bodies In an office at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), a soft robotic hand carefully curls its fingers to grasp a small object. The intriguing part isn’t the mechanical design or embedded sensors—in fact, the hand contains none. Instead, the entire…

Robotic space rovers keep getting stuck. Engineers have figured out why When a multimillion-dollar extraterrestrial vehicle gets stuck in soft sand or gravel—as did the Mars rover Spirit in 2009—Earth-based engineers take over like a virtual tow truck, issuing a series of commands that move its wheels or reverse its course in a delicate, time-consuming…

Elephant robot demonstrates bioinspired 3D printing technology A cheetah’s powerful sprint, a snake’s lithe slither, or a human’s deft grasp: Each is made possible by the seamless interplay between soft and rigid tissues. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones work together to provide the energy, precision, and range of motion needed to perform the complex movements…

Robots now grow and repair themselves by consuming parts from other machines Today’s robots are stuck—their bodies are usually closed systems that can neither grow nor self-repair, nor adapt to their environment. Now, scientists at Columbia University have developed robots that can physically “grow,” “heal,” and improve themselves by integrating material from their environment or…

First publicly available Japanese AI dialogue system can speak and listen simultaneously How do you develop an AI system that perfectly mimics the way humans speak? Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have taken a significant step forward to achieve this. They have created J-Moshi, the first publicly available AI system specifically designed for Japanese…

Wriggling robot worms team up to crawl up walls and cross obstacles The slimy, segmented, bottom-dwelling California blackworm is about as unappealing as it gets—but get a few dozen or thousand together, and they form a massive, entangled blob that seems to take on a life of its own. Go to techxplore

Formal guidelines can enable AI to precisely maneuver and position medical needles Imagine a physician attempting to reach a cancerous nodule deep within a patient’s lung—a target the size of a pea, hidden behind a maze of critical blood vessels and airways that shift with every breath. Straying one millimeter off course could puncture a…

AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. Go to techxplore

Robotic probe quickly measures semiconductor properties to accelerate solar panel development Scientists are striving to discover new semiconductor materials that could boost the efficiency of solar cells and other electronics. But the pace of innovation is bottlenecked by the speed at which researchers can manually measure important material properties. Go to techxplore

Playing games with robots makes people see them as more humanlike The more we interact with robots, the more human we perceive them to become—according to new research from the University of East Anglia, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. Go to techxplore

Robots could one day crawl across the moon, and undergrads are laying the groundwork The future of moon exploration may be rolling around a nondescript office on the CU Boulder campus. Here, a robot about as wide as a large pizza scoots forward on three wheels. It uses an arm with a claw at one…

First operational drone traffic management system aims to prevent midair collisions The drone industry has landed after a long flight to the implementation of drone traffic management. Go to techxplore

China’s humanoid robots generate more soccer excitement than their human counterparts While China’s men’s soccer team hasn’t generated much excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in Beijing based more on the AI technology involved than any athletic prowess shown. Go to techxplore

Researchers launch open-source robotic exoskeleton to help people walk Imagine a future in which people with disabilities can walk on their own, thanks to robotic legs. A new project from Northern Arizona University is accelerating that future with an open-source robotic exoskeleton. Go to techxplore

Laser trackers shown to help improve accuracy of industrial robots, study shows Laser trackers help improve precision and reduce operational costs of industrial robots, new research from the University of Nottingham says. Go to techxplore

Two-actuator robot combines efficient ground rolling and spinning flight in one design A team of engineers at Singapore University of Technology and Design has created a truly unique robot—one that can roll around like a drum, then take off and fly like a spinning wheel. In their paper published in The International Journal of Robotics…

Robots to the rescue: Miniature robots offer new hope for search and rescue operations In the critical 72 hours after an earthquake or explosion, a race against the clock begins to find survivors. After that window, the chances of survival drop sharply. Go to techxplore

Q&A: Why improving robot design is essential to achieving true intelligence Thanks to artificial intelligence, robots can already perform many tasks that would otherwise require humans. In this interview, Edoardo Milana, a junior professor of soft machines in the Department of Microsystems Engineering at the University of Freiburg, explains how improved design and innovative mechanics…

Single-material electronic skin gives robots the human touch Scientists have developed a low-cost, durable, highly sensitive robotic “skin” that can be added to robotic hands like a glove, enabling robots to detect information about their surroundings in a way that’s similar to humans. The results are reported in the journal Science Robotics. Go to techxplore

Smart adaptation: The fusion of AI and robotics for dynamic environments The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has ushered in a new era of automated robotics that are adaptive to their environments. Go to techxplore

Single-sensor 3D microphone enables robots to locate humans in noisy environments A research team has developed a novel auditory technology that allows the recognition of human positions using only a single microphone. This technology facilitates sound-based interaction between humans and robots, even in noisy factory environments. Go to techxplore

Team achieves 3D recognition of transparent objects in less than two seconds What used to take 15 seconds now takes less than 2: Thanks to new single-shot technology, the goROBOT3D system, developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, will be able to measure three-dimensional objects even more efficiently…

Robotic table tennis system predicts ball trajectory and adapts swing in real time Over the past decades, roboticists have introduced various systems that can replicate specific human motions and behaviors with remarkable accuracy. Some of these robots can even compete with other robots or humans in specific sports, such as the robots showcased at the…

Robot morphs midair to switch from flying to rolling on terrain Specialized robots that can both fly and drive typically touch down on land before attempting to transform and drive away. But when the landing terrain is rough, these robots sometimes get stuck and are unable to continue operating. Go to techxplore

Drone-based method detects major methane leaks—the good news is that many can be repaired quickly When the wind hits an obstacle, it flows around it and creates a low-pressure zone on the other side, known as a “windwake.” This flow becomes clear in observing desert sand. Go to techxplore

New method for energy-aware deployment planning of delivery drones In the future, autonomous delivery drones could independently assess whether their remaining battery charge is sufficient for upcoming deliveries. A team of researchers from Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and…

Teaching theory of mind to robots can enhance collaboration Nature is brimming with animals that collaborate in large numbers. Bees stake out the best feeding spots and let others know where they are. Ants construct complex hierarchical homes built for defense. Flocks of starlings move across the sky in beautiful formations as if they were…

Handy octopus robot can adapt to its surroundings Scientists inspired by the octopus’s nervous system have developed a robot that can decide how to move or grip objects by sensing its environment. Go to techxplore

Robot that keeps food hot or cold could change up food delivery As demand for robotic delivery grows worldwide, an Australian-made design is leading the charge into a new era of temperature-controlled food delivery. Go to techxplore