Ever since the Wright brothers innovated in the back of their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, aviation has been—at heart—a nuts-and-bolts endeavor. For all the sophisticated equipment Idaho National Laboratory's Unmanned Aerial Systems team has at its disposal for testing high-tech cameras, radios and sensors, there is still a lot of gearhead ingenuity involved.
A team of researchers at Soochow University, working with two colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and another from Harbin Institute of Technology has developed a type of soft robot that can be split into tinier components to pass through small spaces and then reassemble. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes how they made their tiny robots and suggest possible uses for them.
Since at least the time of inquiring minds like Plato, philosophers and scientists have puzzled over the question "What's so funny?" The Greeks attributed the source of humor to feeling superior at the expense of others. German psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed humor was a way to release pent-up energy. U.S. comedian Robin Williams tapped his anger at the absurd to make people laugh.
Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc. is building an autonomous, electric delivery vehicle, it said Wednesday at the North American International Auto Show.
There has been a lot of interest in mobile robots and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in recent times, primarily because these technologies have the potential to provide us with immense benefits. With the rise of 5G technology, it is expected that UAVs or drones and mobile robots will efficiently and safely provide a wide range of services in smart cities, including surveillance and epidemic prevention. It is now well established that robots can be deployed in various environments to perform activities like surveillance and rescue operations. But to date, all these operations have been independent of each other, often working in parallel. To realize the full potential of UAVs and mobile robots, we need to use these technologies together so that they can support each other and augment mutual functions.
The digital and physical worlds are becoming more and more populated by intelligent computer programs called agents. Agents have the potential to intelligently automate many daily tasks such as maintaining an agenda, driving, interacting with a phone or computer, and many more. However, there are many challenges to solve before getting there. One of them is that agents need to recognize and express intentions, Michele Persiani shows in his thesis in computing science at Umeå University.
As robots become increasingly advanced, they are likely to find their way into many real-world settings, including homes, offices, malls, airports, health care facilities, and assisted living spaces. To promote their widespread use and implementation, however, roboticists should ensure that robots are well-perceived and trusted by humans.
When you hear the term "robot," you might think of complicated machinery working in factories or roving on other planets. But "millirobots" might change that. They're robots about as wide as a finger that someday could deliver drugs or perform minimally invasive surgery. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials have developed a soft, biodegradable, magnetic millirobot inspired by the walking and grabbing capabilities of insects.
Advances in technology, in particular artificial intelligence (AI), are impacting our everyday lives in ever more ways—including our sex lives. Sex robots—life-size, lifelike machines powered by AI and used for sexual purposes—are one such emerging technological system. While they remain very niche, those who make, use and study them believe the market offers room for growth.
Recent technological advancements have paved the way for the creation of increasingly sophisticated robotic systems designed to autonomously complete missions in different familiar and unfamiliar environments. Robots meant to operate in uncertain or remote environments could greatly benefit from the ability to actively acquire electrical power from their surroundings.
Skin-like electronics could seamlessly integrate with the body for applications in health monitoring, medication therapy, implantable medical devices, and biological studies.
With recent advances in artificial intelligence and robotics technology, there is growing interest in developing and marketing household robots capable of handling a variety of domestic chores.
Barbara Ribeiro, Robert Meckin, Andrew Balmer and Philip Shapira have published a new paper in Research Policy on the digitalization paradox of everyday scientific labor.
In recent years, roboticists and material scientists worldwide have been trying to create artificial systems that resemble human body parts and reproduce their functions. These include artificial skins, protective layers that could also enhance the sensing capabilities of robots.
People have been fascinated by bird flight for centuries, but exactly how birds can be so agile in the air remains mysterious. A new study, published Sept. 5 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses modeling and aerodynamics to describe how gulls can change the shape of their wings to control their response to gusts or other disturbances. The lessons could one day apply to uncrewed aerial vehicles or other flying machines.