Robots are increasingly becoming a part of our lives—from warehouse automation to robotic vacuum cleaners. And just like humans, robots need to know where they are to reliably navigate from A to B.
Micro-robots that can inspect water pipes, diagnose cracks and fix them autonomously—reducing leaks and avoiding expensive excavation work—have been developed by a team of engineers led by the University of Sheffield.
EPFL researchers have developed a customizable soft robotic system that uses compressed air to produce shape changes, vibrations, and other haptic, or tactile, feedback in a variety of configurations. The device holds significant promise for applications in virtual reality, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.
Recent advances in the field of robotics have enabled the automation of various real-world tasks, ranging from the manufacturing or packaging of goods in many industry settings to the precise execution of minimally invasive surgical procedures. Robots could also be helpful for inspecting infrastructure and environments that are hazardous or difficult for humans to access, such as tunnels, dams, pipelines, railways and power plants.
The Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) has reached a milestone in humanoid robotics by demonstrating the first flight of iRonCub3, the world's first jet-powered flying humanoid robot specifically designed to operate in real-world environments.
QUT robotics researchers have developed a new robot navigation system that mimics the neural processes of the human brain and uses less than 10% of the energy required by traditional systems.
The loss of a limb following an injury, accident or disease can greatly reduce quality of life, making it harder for people to engage in daily activities. Yet recent technological advances have opened new exciting possibilities for the development of more comfortable, smarter and intuitive prosthetic limbs, which could allow users to easily complete a wider range of tasks.
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 Research, the group describes their goals in developing the robot and how they were achieved, along with a description of how it works.
Bees, ants and termites don't need blueprints. They may have queens, but none of these species breed architects or construction managers. Each insect worker, or drone, simply responds to cues like warmth or the presence or absence of building material. Unlike human manufacturing, the grand design emerges simply from the collective action of the drones—no central planning required.
Professor Peng Lu and his team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), have achieved a milestone in aerial manipulation technology. Their innovative Aerial Elephant Trunk (AET), a novel aerial continuum manipulator, has demonstrated unparalleled capability in performing complex aerial manipulation tasks, marking a significant leap forward for the development of the low-altitude economy.
A new, densely annotated 3D-text dataset called 3D-GRAND can help train embodied AI, like household robots, to connect language to 3D spaces. The study, led by University of Michigan researchers, was presented at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) Conference in Nashville, Tennessee on June 15, and published on the arXiv preprint server.
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.
Vision-language models (VLMs) are advanced computational techniques designed to process both images and written texts, making predictions accordingly. Among other things, these models could be used to improve the capabilities of robots, helping them to accurately interpret their surroundings and interact with human users more effectively.
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 are broadening the range of applications for these machines.
Over the past few decades, robots have gradually started making their way into various real-world settings, including some malls, airports and hospitals, as well as a few offices and households.