Their task is to monitor the condition of ecosystems, for instance in the forest floor—and crumble to dust when their work is done: bio-gliders modeled on the Java cucumber, which sails its seeds dozens of meters through the air. Empa researchers have developed these sustainable flying sensors from potato starch and wood waste.
A research article by scientists at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics developed a neural control algorithm to coordinate the adhesive toes and limbs of a climbing robot. The new research article, published in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, provided a novel hybrid-driven climbing robot and introduced a neural control method based on CPG (Central Pattern Generator) for coordinating between adhesion and motion.
Differential geometry has been employed in previous studies to depict the finite and instantaneous motions of rigid bodies. The product of exponential (POE) formula based on differential geometry has been developed to describe the kinematics of articulated robots. This model can efficiently avoid model singularities and improve the robustness of parameter identification, compared with traditional methods based on Denavit-Hartenberg conventions.
Researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute (RI) have designed a system that makes an off-the-shelf quadruped robot nimble enough to walk a narrow balance beam—a feat that is likely the first of its kind.
HBP researchers at the Institute of Biophysics of the National Research Council (IBF-CNR) in Palermo, Italy, have mimicked the neuronal architecture and connections of the brain's hippocampus to develop a robotic platform capable of learning as humans do while the robot navigates around a space.
As evidence mounts that gas drilling and sewer systems leak far more greenhouse gases than previously believed, a team of Princeton researchers has developed a method to pinpoint leaks both big and small for speedy repair.
Have you ever wondered why some insects like cockroaches prefer to stay or decrease movement in darkness? Some may tell you it's called photophobia, a habit deeply coded in their genes. A further question would be whether we can correct this habit of cockroaches, that is, moving in the darkness just as they move in bright backgrounds.
In recent years, robots have become incredibly sophisticated machines capable of performing or assisting humans in all tasks. The days of robots functioning behind a security barrier are long gone, and today we may anticipate robots working alongside people in close contact.
Eating a meal involves multiple precise movements to bring food from plate to mouth.
Robots are machines that can sense the environment and use that information to perform an action. You can find them nearly everywhere in industrialized societies today. There are household robots that vacuum floors and warehouse robots that pack and ship goods. Lab robots test hundreds of clinical samples a day. Education robots support teachers by acting as one-on-one tutors, assistants and discussion facilitators. And medical robotics composed of prosthetic limbs can enable someone to grasp and pick up objects with their thoughts.
Researchers have designed a low-cost, energy-efficient robotic hand that can grasp a range of objects—and not drop them—using just the movement of its wrist and the feeling in its "skin."
New York City officials unveiled three new high-tech policing devices Tuesday, including a robotic dog that critics called creepy when it first joined the police pack 2 1/2 years ago.
The Moralities of Intelligent Machines research group headed by Michael Laakasuo investigates people's moral views on imaginary rescue situations where the rescuer is either a human or a robot specifically designed for the task. The rescuer has to decide whether to save, for example, one innocent victim of a boating accident or two individuals whose irresponsible behavior caused the accident.
Robots have become a crucial indicator for measuring the competitive strength of a country in science and technology. Robotic systems have made advancements in fields such as mechanical engineering, control and artificial intelligence technologies. However, the performance of current robotic systems still includes limitations and cannot satisfy the demands of an increasing number of applications. In order to address these problems, researchers have constructed a brain-inspired intelligent robotic system.
Most kids know it's wrong to yell or hit someone, even if they don't always keep their hands to themselves. But what about if that someone's name is Alexa?