Someday, you may want your home robot to carry a load of dirty clothes downstairs and deposit them in the washing machine in the far-left corner of the basement. The robot will need to combine your instructions with its visual observations to determine the steps it should take to complete this task.
Robotic systems are already being deployed in various settings worldwide, assisting humans with a highly diverse range of tasks. One sector in which robots could prove particularly advantageous is agriculture, where they could complete demanding manual tasks faster and more efficiently.
Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick. The researchers have also demonstrated that this technique works with shape memory materials, allowing users to repeatedly lock the soft robots into a desired shape and return to the original shape as needed.
Today's intelligent robots can accurately recognize many objects through vision and touch. Tactile information, obtained through sensors, along with machine learning algorithms, enables robots to identify objects previously handled.
Today's intelligent robots can accurately recognize many objects through vision and touch. Tactile information, obtained through sensors, along with machine learning algorithms, enables robots to identify objects previously handled.
Nightmare material or truly man's best friend? A team of researchers equipped a dog-like quadruped robot with a mechanized arm that takes air samples from potentially treacherous situations, such as an abandoned building or fire. The robot dog walks samples to a person who screens them for potentially hazardous compounds, says the team that published its study in Analytical Chemistry. While the system needs further refinement, demonstrations show its potential value in dangerous conditions.
The public release of ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) has allowed developers worldwide to start experimenting with these models to enhance the interactive capabilities of their own systems. Similar generalizable models for robotic manipulation, however, remain scarce.
A disembodied woman's head mugged and grimaced, aping the facial expressions of a user on a nearby laptop as visitors to the China Humanoid Robot Developer Conference watched in fascinated unease.
Fast-moving autonomous mobile robots could help to deliver goods to various locations, helping to tackle disruptions to product supply chains. Nonetheless, wheeled or legged robots alone might not be sufficient to complete deliveries both efficiently and independently.
When it comes to mapping new territory, NASA's record swamps Lewis and Clark's. And the space agency doesn't only chart other stars and planets—a vantage point from space also allows a great view of Earth. Now a recent NASA invention could allow robots to map our planet's entire seafloor, helping to unlock valuable resources while protecting marine habitats. While the aquatic sonar devices for such an operation are not new, they've been severely hampered by batteries that leave them dead in the water.
Engineers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have developed a model that combines machine learning and collaborative robotics to overcome challenges in the design of materials used in wearable green tech.
A study conducted by researchers at the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Robotics, Soochow University, presents the development of a highly sensitive and responsive mechanosensor. This novel device is inspired by the ultrasensitive trigger hairs found in Venus flytraps, known for their rapid response to external stimuli. The study was published in the latest issue of Cyborg and Bionic Systems.
A new study by Carnegie Mellon University researchers found that when roboticists and people with disabilities collaborate on robot designs, interesting ideas emerge that could make existing robots more accessible and inspire new uses.
When robots come across unfamiliar objects, they struggle to account for a simple truth: Appearances aren't everything. They may attempt to grasp a block, only to find out it's a literal piece of cake. The misleading appearance of that object could lead the robot to miscalculate physical properties like the object's weight and center of mass, using the wrong grasp and applying more force than needed.
A team of researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology has introduced an innovative human-following surveillance robot designed to assist individuals with lower limb muscle weakness, a condition prevalent among the elderly and those suffering from neurological and motor system diseases. This cutting-edge technology promises to enhance daily mobility and accelerate recovery, offering a significant boost to rehabilitation efforts.