Researchers at Tufts University and Harvard University's Wyss Institute have created tiny biological robots that they call Anthrobots from human tracheal cells that can move across a surface and have been found to encourage the growth of neurons across a region of damage in a lab dish.
A team of engineers at Beihang University, working with a colleague from Tsinghua University, both in China, has designed, built and tested a haptically controlled octopus robot arm that is capable of grasping, lifting and carrying objects on land and underwater. In an article published in the journal Science Robotics, the group describes how they built their robot, how it works and how well it performed when tested under a variety of scenarios.
A smooth production process is critical for a company’s success. The constantly growing demands of the market and increasing cost pressure require innovative solutions to optimize production. This is where transfer systems come into play.
Modern robots know how to sense their environment and respond to language, but what they don't know is often more important than what they do know. Teaching robots to ask for help is key to making them safer and more efficient.
An inspection design method and procedure by which mobile robots can inspect large pipe structures has been demonstrated with the successful inspection of multiple defects on a three-meter long steel pipe using guided acoustic wave sensors.
We share the discovery of 2.2 million new crystals – equivalent to nearly 800 years’ worth of knowledge. We introduce Graph Networks for Materials Exploration (GNoME), our new deep learning tool that dramatically increases the speed and efficiency of discovery by predicting the stability of new materials.
People could manage emergency weather events more effectively with robots. These are a few ways technology is already helping them live in a world heavily affected by climate change.
You've likely heard that "experience is the best teacher"—but what if learning in the real world is prohibitively expensive? This is the plight of roboticists training their machines on manipulation tasks. Real-world interaction data is costly, so their robots often learn from simulated versions of different activities.
This paper reviews the concept of Functional Safety as it relates to machinery. The design steps for a safe machine are outlined and the methodology for determining appropriate PL/SIL safety ratings discussed.
To best assist humans in real-world settings, robots should be able to continuously acquire useful new skills in dynamic and rapidly changing environments. Currently, however, most robots can only tackle tasks that they have been previously trained on and can only acquire new capabilities after further training.
A new robotic tool developed by a team of experts in computer science and biokinesiology could help stroke survivors more accurately track their recovery progress.
Researchers have developed a self-healing robotic gripper for use in soft robotics that is adaptable, recyclable and resilient to damage, thanks to heat-assisted autonomous healing.
Legged robots that artificially replicate the body structure and movements of animals could efficiently complete missions in a wide range of environments, including various outdoor natural settings. To do so, however, these robots should be able to walk on different terrains, such as soil, sand, grass, and so on, without losing balance, getting stuck or falling over.
To teach an AI agent a new task, like how to open a kitchen cabinet, researchers often use reinforcement learning—a trial-and-error process where the agent is rewarded for taking actions that get it closer to the goal.
A mantra often heard within the manufacturing and logistics industries is that robots are not taking the jobs of humans. And, in many ways, this is true. Today, automation is even a necessary solution to plug a shortage of human labour.