Imagine a cocktail party full of 3D-printed, humanoid robots listening and talking to each other. That seemingly sci-fi scene is the goal of the Augmented Listening Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Realistic talking (and listening) heads are crucial for investigating how humans receive sound and developing audio technology.
Elythor, an EPFL spin-off, has developed a new drone whose wing shape can adapt to wind conditions and flight position in real time, reducing the drone's energy consumption. What's more, the position of the wings can change, allowing the drone to fly vertically or horizontally. These features make it a perfect candidate for inspecting power plants.
Centipedes are known for their wiggly walk. With tens to hundreds of legs, they can traverse any terrain without stopping.
When tackling missions as a team, robots should be able to coordinate their efforts, for instance, completing different sub-tasks, monitoring different parts of a target environment, and so on. Over the past few years, computer scientists have therefore been developing computational models designed to coordinate the actions and behaviors of different robots in a team.
For decades, roboticists have been trying to develop robots that closely resemble humans, both in terms of their appearance and capabilities. Recent technological advances have opened exciting new possibilities for the creation of human-like robotic systems, for instance by introducing more advanced sensors and soft artificial skins.
Deep Blue vs. Kasparov. Watson vs. Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Deepmind vs. Atari. Alpha Go vs. Lee Sedol.
SoftZoo is a soft robot co-design platform that can test optimal shapes and sizes for robotic performance in different environments.
Fast cars. Millions of us love them. The idea transcends national borders, race, religion, politics. We embraced them for more than a century, beginning in the early 1900s with the stately Stutz Bearcat and Mercer Raceabout (known as "the Steinway of the automobile world"), to the sexy Pontiac GTOs and Ford Mustangs of the 1960s, and through to the ultimate luxury creations of the Lamborghini and Ferrari families.
Recent progress in robotics has brought us startlingly lifelike replicas of humans and animals.
The social separation imposed by the pandemic led us to rely on technology to an extent we might never have imagined—from Teams and Zoom to online banking and vaccine status apps.
Throughout history, war has been irrevocably changed by the advent of new technologies. Historians of war have identified several technological revolutions.
Through their fingertips, humans can touch and grip onto things in their surrounding environment, but they can also sense the tactile properties of objects and detect other atmospheric changes. Fingertips are incredibly sensitive parts of our skin, with unique fingerprint patterns embossed on them.
Think about what you do with your hands when you're home at night pushing buttons on your TV's remote control, or at a restaurant using all kinds of cutlery and glassware. These skills are all based on touch, while you're watching a TV program or choosing something from the menu. Our hands and fingers are incredibly skilled mechanisms, and highly sensitive to boot.
When manipulating an arcade claw, a player can plan all she wants. But once she presses the joystick button, it's a game of wait-and-see. If the claw misses its target, she'll have to start from scratch for another chance at a prize.
Hormones released by the stomach, such as ghrelin, play a key role in stimulating appetite. These hormones are produced by endocrine cells that are part of the enteric nervous system, which controls hunger, nausea, and feelings of fullness.