Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from ESPCI Paris, Chiba University, and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology have used a 3D simulation to show that small fish swimming in a school can sense the position and tail beat of their neighbors as water pressure variation on the side of their bodies. This mechanism is thought to enable fish to maximize swimming efficiency in a group even in complete darkness, when no visual cues are available. Understanding group motion of fish is useful for predicting their migration and designing aquatic research robots that mimic fish behavior either for the energy-saving benefits of moving in a group or to blend in with the ocean creatures they are studying. The paper is published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
Over the past few decades, computer scientists have developed increasingly advanced techniques to train and operate robots. Collectively, these methods could facilitate the integration of robotic systems in an increasingly wide range of real-world settings.
In recent years, roboticists have developed mobile robots with a wide range of anatomies and capabilities. A class of robotic systems that has been found to be particularly promising for navigating unstructured and dynamic environments are legged robots (i.e., robots with two or more legs that often resemble animals).
Officials and engineers at Kawasaki have unveiled Bex, a quadruped robot that can walk, roll around and even carry a human passenger on its back—at this year's 2022 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. At the exhibition, Bex was configured to look like an Ibex, a type of wild goat, which is where it gets its name.
Hard, cold metal is usually what comes to mind when one imagines a robot. While these rigid automatons have their advantages, researchers are now exploring "soft" or continuum robots that can provide flexibility and compliance where traditional robots cannot. One such researcher is LSU Mechanical Engineering (ME) Assistant Professor Hunter Gilbert.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers argue in a new paper that previous tests of virtual reality versus social robots for cognitive training compare apples to apples when they really need to be comparing apples to oranges.
Physicists have discovered a new way to coat soft robots in materials that allow them to move and function in a more purposeful way. The research, led by the UK's University of Bath, is described today in Science Advances.
A new approach to producing realistic expressions of pain on robotic patients could help to reduce error and bias during physical examination.
Scientists from the Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems at the University of Tsukuba devised a text message mediation robot that can help users control their anger when receiving upsetting news. This device may help improve social interactions as we move towards a world with increasingly digital communications.
To monitor and navigate real-world environments, machines and robots should be able to gather images and measurements under different background lighting conditions. In recent years, engineers worldwide have thus been trying to develop increasingly advanced sensors, which could be integrated within robots, surveillance systems, or other technologies that can benefit from sensing their surroundings.
To better understand seas and oceans on Earth, their processes, and the living organisms inhabiting them, scientists must be able to explore them and collect data underwater. In recent years, roboticists have thus been trying to develop increasingly advanced systems that could aid the exploration and monitoring of underwater environments.
A study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, details one team's ground-breaking stabilization of the enzyme Chondroitinase ABC, (ChABC) offering new hope for patients coping with spinal cord injuries.
Imperial researchers have designed a malleable robotic arm that can be guided into shape by a person using augmented reality (AR) goggles.
Phone makers and telecoms firms unveiled a series of gadgets and innovations at one of the industry's biggest get-togethers this week in Barcelona.
These ancient creatures can squeeze through the tiniest cracks, fit snugly into tight spaces and survive in harsh environments: There aren't many spaces that are off-limits to an insect.