Category robotics

Unlike birds, which navigate unknown environments with remarkable speed and agility, drones typically rely on external guidance or pre-mapped routes. However, a groundbreaking development by Professor Fu Zhang and researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has enabled drones and micro air vehicles (MAVs) to emulate the flight capabilities of birds more closely than ever before.

We’ve reached a point where once intractable challenges in the industrial space are being increasingly solved with robotics. Consider these three examples where industrial robotics is playing an increased role in our lives.

Claire chatted to Amy LaViers from the Robotics, Automation, and Dance Lab about the creative relationship between humans and machines.

Amy LaViers works at the intersection of robotics and dance. Her writing, choreography, and machine designs have been presented internationally at performing arts and engineering venues, including Merce Cunningham’s studios, the Performance Arcade, and universities like Berkeley and Brown. She is the founder of three startup companies, including AE Machines, which won “Product Design of the Year” at the 4th Rev Awards in Chicago. Amy runs the Robotics, Automation, and Dance (RAD) Lab, a non-profit for art-making, commercialization, education, outreach, and research.

Ready for that long-awaited summer vacation? First, you'll need to pack all items required for your trip into a suitcase, making sure everything fits securely without crushing anything fragile.

Imagine a robot that can manage aquaculture projects, repair oil pipelines, and scan the seabed — all without risking human life. Nauticus Robotics' flagship robot, Aquanaut, meets these challenges while running solely on electric power.

Imagine a robot that can manage aquaculture projects, repair oil pipelines, and scan the seabed — all without risking human life. Nauticus Robotics' flagship robot, Aquanaut, meets these challenges while running solely on electric power.

What used to take 15 seconds now takes less than 2: Thanks to new single-shot technology, the goROBOT3D system, developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, will be able to measure three-dimensional objects even more efficiently in future—even if they are transparent or black. The institute will be presenting the technology for the first time at the automatica trade show in Munich from June 24 to 27.

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) are helping machines become more emotionally aware using a new method that allows them to better recognize human facial expressions.

Funding will be used to expand globally, boost R&D in AI and robotics, scale manufacturing, and enhance predictive maintenance for the wind industry.

The effects of artificial intelligence on adolescents are nuanced and complex, according to a new report that calls on developers to prioritize features that protect young people from exploitation, manipulation and the erosion of real-world relationships.

Gemini 2.5 has new capabilities in AI-powered audio dialog and generation.

Surveying and maintaining underground pipes can be complex and resource intensive. To streamline the process, construction and facility management teams are increasingly turning to robots that can provide inspection as well as repair.

Three robotic arms extended under the water in a Canadian lake, delicately selecting pebbles from the bed, before storing them back inside the machine.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF have developed cognitive robot capabilities that can handle complex tasks in manufacturing that were previously impossible to automate. In addition, they are also unveiling PARU and computer-aided safety (CAS), the first safety technologies and planning tools for close human-machine collaboration that can also ensure safety in AI-generated robot movements.

Despite advances in machine vision, processing visual data requires substantial computing resources and energy, limiting deployment in edge devices. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a self-powered artificial synapse that distinguishes colors with high resolution across the visible spectrum, approaching human eye capabilities. The device, which integrates dye-sensitized solar cells, generates its electricity and can perform complex logic operations without additional circuitry, paving the way for capable computer vision systems integrated in everyday devices.