Humans and animals are the key inspiration for many robotic systems developed to date, as they possess body structures that innately support efficient locomotion. While many bipedal (i.e., two-legged) robots are humanoids, meaning that their body resembles that of humans, others draw inspiration from other animals that walk on two legs, such as ostriches and some other birds.
Scientists have developed an advanced swarm navigation algorithm for cyborg insects that prevents them from becoming stuck while navigating challenging terrain.
A research team from Seoul National University has proposed a gripper capable of moving multiple objects together to enhance the efficiency of pick-and-place processes, inspired by humans' multi-object grasping strategy. The gripper not only transfers multiple objects at once but also places individual objects at desired locations. The study, which analyzed human motion principles and successfully applied them to a robotic gripper, is published in the journal Science Robotics.
Roboticists at the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) have developed a new class of bio-inspired feet that significantly enhance robot mobility on challenging terrains like mud and wet snow. The findings, published in Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, could expand the capabilities of robots, allowing them to navigate in complex natural terrains to conduct sensitive environmental monitoring, aid in agriculture and participate in disaster response.
Piezoelectric and triboelectric tactile sensors are designed to convert mechanical stimuli into electrical signals, making them critical components in intelligent systems. Piezoelectric sensors leverage voltage generation through mechanical stress in non-centrosymmetric materials, such as quartz and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), while triboelectric sensors operate on contact-induced charge transfer.
Robot systems explore unfamiliar terrain, buildings or danger zones with cameras. In the 3D-InAus project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE are using a LiDAR laser on a mobile robot, emitting laser pulses to measure distances. The results are used to produce geometrically accurate 3D environments.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-enabled robots are becoming a bigger part of our daily lives. Real-time, flexible interactions between humans and robots are no longer just science fiction. As robots become smarter and more human-like in both behavior and appearance, they are transforming from mere tools to potential partners and social entities.
Even if an android's appearance is so realistic that it could be mistaken for a human in a photograph, watching it move in person can feel a bit unsettling. It can smile, frown, or display other various, familiar expressions, but finding a consistent emotional state behind those expressions can be difficult, leaving you unsure of what it is truly feeling and creating a sense of unease.
In recent years, roboticists have developed a wide range of systems that could eventually be introduced in health care and assisted living facilities. These include both medical robots and robots designed to provide companionship or assistance to human users.
Federal authorities have provided new details in the case of "the mysterious drones" spotted around the northeastern U.S.
Imagine trying to move a heavy piece of furniture with a group of people. Everyone's effort matters, but how do you ensure that each person is pulling their weight? This challenge of fairly distributing the load is a critical issue not only in human teamwork but also for coordinating robotic swarms.
Moving in a dense cloud, like throngs of people walking across a crowded public square, 100 drones maneuver through the night sky in Hungary's capital, the result of over a decade of research and experimentation that scientists believe could change the future of unmanned flight.
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated an autonomous robotic field monitoring, sampling and data-gathering system that could accelerate understanding of interactions among plants, soil and the environment.
University of Queensland researchers have developed a 3D printing method to produce shape-shifting liquid metal robotics with musculoskeletal qualities inspired by animal physiology.
Wearable haptic devices, which provide touch-based feedback, can provide more realistic experiences in virtual reality, assist with rehabilitation, and create new opportunities for silent communication. Currently, most of these devices rely on vibration, as pressure-based haptics have typically required users to wear stiff exoskeletons or other bulky structures.