Robotics
Having already revolutionized the production line, robots promise to transform our lives in myriad ways. Here you'll find the news and opinion on the latest advances in robotics and where they are taking us.
Latest News
-
Scientists give robots a sense of touch – by knitting them a sweater
May 26, 2023In order to keep from hurting their human coworkers, many robots have sensors that detect contact with people or other objects. Scientists have now devised a high-tech sweater which brings this functionality to robots that don't have it already. -
Sound-powered microbots zip to where they're needed to deliver drugs
May 24, 2023Researchers have taken another step forward in medical micro-robotics, designing a tiny sound-propelled bot with a unique design that mimics natural swimmers like bacteria. It can quickly move around the body to deliver drugs where they're needed. -
High-tech renaissance man Brett Adcock on Figure's humanoid robots
May 24, 2023In 10 years, Brett Adcock has gone from founding an online talent marketplace, to selling it for nine figures, to founding the third-ranked eVTOL aircraft company, to going after one of tech's greatest challenges: general-purpose humanoid robots. -
Tesla's Optimus robot is learning to navigate, sense and pick things up
May 18, 2023At Tesla's 2023 shareholders meeting, Elon Musk showed some new video of the Optimus robot he believes will represent the vast majority of the company's value in the future – as well as the method through which the development team is training the AI. -
Sanctuary rolls out Phoenix, a Carbon-based humanoid AI labor robot
May 17, 2023Canada's Sanctuary AI has revealed a new humanoid robot, shooting for the "world's first human-like intelligence in general purpose robots." Phoenix builds on some very impressive earlier work and a neat "piloted" approach to training. -
Swappable Jizai Arms bring new meaning to "Could you lend me a hand?"
May 16, 2023Equipping people with extra sets of robotic arms could definitely help them perform certain tasks, but what role might such arms play in social interactions? The wild-looking Jizai Arms were designed with that question in mind. -
NASA's autonomous robot snake in search of life on an icy Saturn moon
May 10, 2023NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has engineered a self-propelled, autonomous robot snake designed to explore extreme extraterrestrial terrain. Its first-of-a-kind propulsion system means it can boldly go where no robot snake has gone before. -
Robo-centipede overcomes obstacles by throwing lotsa legs at the problem
May 08, 2023Although biped and quadruped robots may excel at traversing uneven terrain, they require multiple sensors and complex algorithms in order to do so. Scientists have now taken a "simpler" approach, by creating a robotic centipede. -
Groundbreaking robotic fish has a twisted method of propulsion
April 28, 2023When designing fish-like underwater robots, you want a means of propulsion which is both energy-efficient and reasonably speedy. A new tail-flapping system may fit the bill, paving the way for wider usage of such bots. -
Quadruped robot uses satellite tools to walk along a balance beam
April 17, 2023While quadruped robots may surpass their wheeled counterparts at traversing rough terrain, they still aren't able to move along narrow ridges. That could change, though, as scientists have devised a method of allowing them to walk on a balance beam. -
Rizon 4 robot could reduce the cost of back massages
April 11, 2023While massage therapy is certainly helpful for some back problems, it also tends to be expensive. California tech company Flexiv has set out to change that, by getting a back-massaging robot to do the job. -
OpenAI and Figure join the race to humanoid robot workers
April 10, 2023Humanoid robots built around cutting-edge AI brains promise shocking, disruptive change to labor markets and the wider global economy – and near-unlimited investor returns to whoever gets them right at scale. Big money is now flowing into the sector. -
DribbleBot learns to dribble a soccer ball under realistic conditions
April 04, 2023MIT's Improbable Artificial Intelligence Lab has developed a Dexterous Ball Manipulation with a Legged Robot (DribbleBot) that can dribble a soccer ball under real-world conditions similar to those encountered by a human player. -
Robotic hand identifies what it's grasping by sensing its shape
April 03, 2023If a robot is going to be grasping delicate objects, then that bot had better know what those objects are, so it can treat them accordingly. A new robotic hand allows it to do so, by sensing the shape of the object along the length of its digits. -
Tiny hybrid robot can identify, capture a single cell
April 03, 2023Researchers have created a micro-robot the size of a single biological cell that navigates using both electricity and magnetic fields and can identify and capture a single cell, opening the door to a vast array of applications.
Load More