For robots, simulation is a great teacher for learning long-horizon (multi-step) tasks—especially compared to how long it takes to collect real-world training data.
In the current AI zeitgeist, sequence models have skyrocketed in popularity for their ability to analyze data and predict what to do next. For instance, you've likely used next-token prediction models like ChatGPT, which anticipate each word (token) in a sequence to form answers to users' queries. There are also full-sequence diffusion models like Sora, which convert words into dazzling, realistic visuals by successively "denoising" an entire video sequence.
In the current AI zeitgeist, sequence models have skyrocketed in popularity for their ability to analyze data and predict what to do next. For instance, you've likely used next-token prediction models like ChatGPT, which anticipate each word (token) in a sequence to form answers to users' queries. There are also full-sequence diffusion models like Sora, which convert words into dazzling, realistic visuals by successively "denoising" an entire video sequence.
Toyota Motor Corp.'s research unit and Hyundai Motor Co.'s Boston Dynamics are joining forces to speed up development of humanoid robots with artificial intelligence.
Within its new Responsible Innovation initiative, researchers at Penn Engineering discovered that certain features of AI-governed robots carry security vulnerabilities and weaknesses that were previously unidentified and unknown. The research aims to address the emerging vulnerability for ensuring the safe deployment of large language models (LLMs) in robotics.
Penn Engineers have developed a new algorithm that allows robots to react to complex physical contact in real time, making it possible for autonomous robots to succeed at previously impossible tasks, like controlling the motion of a sliding object.
The silkworm moth (Bombyx mori) is an insect that no longer flies due to domestication. The males use their antennae to detect pheromones emitted by females and respond very acutely, and have been used as model insects for the study of their odor source localization.
The development of affordable and highly performing sensors can have crucial implications for robotics research, as it could improve perception to help boost robot manipulation and navigation. In recent years, engineers have introduced a wide range of advanced touch sensor devices, which can improve the ability of robots to detect tactile signals, using the information they gather to guide their actions.
A patient recovering from a limb amputation won't use a prostheses that isn't comfortable. A person rehabbing from a stroke won't use a robotic exoskeleton if the mobility it grants doesn't allow them to perform everyday activities. And a diabetes patient won't use an insulin pump that doesn't deliver the appropriate dosage of medicine to control their blood sugar.
Ready for a robot to take on those menial tasks—and much more?
A three-armed robot trained to mimic a human orchestra conductor has made its debut in the German city of Dresden, directing music composed specially to complement the device's skills.
The Interactive and Robotic Systems Lab (IRS) group at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló has developed a mobile, lightweight, modular and reconfigurable manipulator robot, which includes a remote control station with 3D perception, modular and multi-device 3D simulation software that implements a digital twin for operator training, with the aim of operating in hazardous scenarios for human health, initially in the inspection of plastic pipes by probing and artificial vision.
In recent years, roboticists have developed a wide range of systems designed to tackle various real-world tasks, ranging from completing household chores to delivering packages or finding target objects in delineated environments.
Using mechanisms inspired by nature to create new technological innovations is a signature of one Virginia Tech research team. The group led by Associate Professor Michael Bartlett has created an octopus-inspired adhesive, inspired by the shape of octopus suckers, that can quickly grab and controllably release challenging underwater objects.
Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a soft robotic "finger" with a sophisticated sense of touch that can perform routine doctor's office examinations, including taking a patient's pulse and checking for abnormal lumps. This work was published October 9 in Cell Reports Physical Science.