https://techxplore.com/robotics-news/ en-us The latest news on robotics, robots, robotics sciences and technology science. The hottest drink of the summer may be the SEAS-colada. Here's what you need to make it: gin, pineapple juice, coconut milk and a dielectric elastomer actuator-based soft peristaltic pump. Unfortunately, the last component can only be found in the lab of Robert Wood, the Harry Lewis and Marlyn McGrath Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-powers-soft-robots-cocktails-door.html Robotics Thu, 13 Jul 2023 10:43:20 EDT news608463796 On the moon, there are raw materials that humanity could one day mine and use. Various space agencies, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), are already planning missions to better explore Earth's satellite and find minerals. This calls for appropriate exploration vehicles. Swiss researchers led by ETH Zurich are now pursuing the idea of sending not just one solitary rover on an exploration tour, but rather an entire team of vehicles and flying devices that complement each other. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-planetary-analog-environments-explored-team.html Robotics Thu, 13 Jul 2023 10:24:01 EDT news608462637 In a study published recently in Advanced Intelligent Systems, researchers from Queen Mary University of London have made significant advancements in the field of bionics with the development of a new type of electric variable-stiffness artificial muscle that possesses self-sensing capabilities. This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionize soft robotics and medical applications. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-self-sensing-electric-artificial-muscles.html Robotics Thu, 13 Jul 2023 09:13:46 EDT news608458421 Companion robots enhanced with artificial intelligence may one day help alleviate the loneliness epidemic, suggests a new report from researchers at Auckland, Duke, and Cornell Universities. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-ai-powered-robot-companions-combat-human.html Robotics Thu, 13 Jul 2023 04:34:59 EDT news608441690 The education of robot umpires has been complicated by an open secret in baseball for the past 150 years: The strike zone called on the field doesn't match the one mapped out in the rule book. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-baseball-robots-umpires-view-differently.html Robotics Mon, 10 Jul 2023 07:01:40 EDT news608191294 A United Nations technology agency assembled a group of robots that physically resembled humans at a news conference Friday, inviting reporters to ask them questions in an event meant to spark discussion about the future of artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-tech-agency-human-looking-robots-geneva.html Robotics Sat, 08 Jul 2023 06:42:37 EDT news608017351 Mars rovers have teams of human experts on Earth telling them what to do. But robots on lander missions to moons orbiting Saturn or Jupiter are too far away to receive timely commands from Earth. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-robots-decisions-fly.html Robotics Fri, 07 Jul 2023 14:09:03 EDT news607957741 A panel of AI-enabled humanoid robots told a United Nations summit on Friday that they could eventually run the world better than humans. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-ai-robots-conference-world.html Robotics Fri, 07 Jul 2023 09:43:15 EDT news607941783 Researchers have combined research with real and robotic insects to better understand how they sense forces in their limbs while walking, providing new insights into the biomechanics and neural dynamics of insects and informing new applications for large legged robots. They presented their findings at the SEB Centenary Conference 2023. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-big-robot-bugs-reveal-force-sensing.html Robotics Thu, 06 Jul 2023 09:30:01 EDT news607853048 Meet Axl and Slash. The pair of mechanical arms named after Guns N' Roses members each weigh more than a ton but possess the deftness to nail wood without splitting. "Metallic beasts," is how BotBuilt cofounder Brent Wadas describes his yellow robots. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-robots-company-solution-labor-shortage.html Robotics Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:00:02 EDT news607787123 Addressing a fundamental challenge in robotics, Associate Professor Yoshihiro Nakata of The University of Electro-Communications, Japan, and Senior Researcher Tomoyuki Noda from the Brain Information Communication Research Laboratory Group at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, have developed a pioneering technology to facilitate the integration of hybrid actuation systems. Hybrid actuation, which pairs two actuators operating on different principles to yield superior performance, has been historically difficult to incorporate into robots due to the complexity of its structure. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-fusion-hybrid-linear-actuator-concept.html Robotics Fri, 30 Jun 2023 13:41:01 EDT news607351259 A South Korean-made robot made its debut as an orchestra conductor before a sell-out crowd in Seoul on Friday, wowing the audience with a flawless performance in place of a human maestro. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-orchestra-conducting-robot-wows-audience-korean.html Robotics Fri, 30 Jun 2023 11:14:06 EDT news607342438 In a new study, researchers from Université libre de Bruxelles demonstrate the potential of blockchain technology, known from cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, to secure the coordination of robot swarms. In experiments conducted with both real and simulated robots, they show how blockchain technology enables a robot swarm to neutralize harmful robots without human intervention, thus enabling the deployment of autonomous and safe robot swarms. Their work is published in the journal Science Robotics. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-robot-swarms-neutralize-byzantine-robots.html Robotics Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:14:47 EDT news607338880 Stroke is the most important cause of disability for adults in the EU, which affects approximately 1.1 million inhabitants each year. After a stroke, patients commonly need rehabilitation to relearn to walk, talk, or perform daily tasks. Research has shown that besides physical and occupational therapy, music therapy can help stroke patients to recover language and motor function. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-soft-robo-glove-patients-relearn-play.html Robotics Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:10:01 EDT news607179908 Most robotic grippers are made using either soft plastics—to pick up objects without damaging them—that melt at high temperatures, or metals which are stiff and costly. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), together with their collaborators from the Northeast Forest University, have created a wooden robotic gripper that could be used in a very hot environment and yet maintain a tender touch. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-first-ever-wooden-robotic-gripper-driven.html Robotics Wed, 28 Jun 2023 10:51:03 EDT news607168261 Rapid progress in artificial intelligence (AI) has spurred some leading voices in the field to call for a research pause, raise the possibility of AI-driven human extinction, and even ask for government regulation. At the heart of their concern is the idea AI might become so powerful we lose control of it. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-robot-explore-moon-simple-limits.html Robotics Wed, 28 Jun 2023 10:25:48 EDT news607166732 A newly created real-life Transformer is capable of reconfiguring its body to achieve eight distinct types of motion and can autonomously assess the environment it faces to choose the most effective combination of motions to maneuver. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-bioinspired-robot-flies.html Robotics Tue, 27 Jun 2023 13:10:30 EDT news607090196 Engineers at Westlake University, China, have created a synthetic tube of liquid crystal elastomers with a unique range of motion. In their paper, "Bioinspired helical-artificial fibrous muscle structured tubular soft actuators," published in Science Advances, the engineering team reveals the unique manufacturing technique used to achieve a remarkably versatile tubular structure. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-liquid-crystal-elastomers-elephant-trunks.html Robotics Tue, 27 Jun 2023 09:45:32 EDT news607077904 Picture a network of interconnected, autonomous robots working together in a coordinated dance to navigate the pitch-black surroundings of the ocean while carrying out scientific surveys or search-and-rescue missions. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-emulating-krill-robotic-platform-ocean.html Robotics Mon, 26 Jun 2023 17:28:02 EDT news607019242 An unknown admirer of felines once remarked, "Cats and computers both have one thing in common—they both rule the Internet." https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-deepmind-unveils-self-training-robocat.html Robotics Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:10:01 EDT news607014372 Imperial College London and Empa researchers have built a drone that can withstand high enough temperatures to enter burning buildings. The prototype drone, called FireDrone, could be sent into burning buildings or woodland to assess hazards and provide crucial first-hand data from danger zones. The data would then be sent to first responders to help inform their emergency response. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-heat-resistant-drone-scope-wildfires.html Robotics Mon, 26 Jun 2023 11:47:49 EDT news606998861 A trio of roboticists at CREATE Lab, EPFL, in Switzerland, has designed, built and tested a robot that can pick raspberries. In their project, reported in the journal Communications Engineering, Kai Junge, Catarina Pires and Josie Hughes designed and tested their robot based on a new idea to reduce the cost of designing fruit-picking robots. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-fake-raspberries-robots-real.html Robotics Mon, 26 Jun 2023 09:50:22 EDT news606991808 Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have already proved to be highly promising for tackling numerous real-world problems, for instance allowing users to take aerial images, monitor remote or natural environments, deliver parcels, or assisting agents during search and rescue missions and military operations. While these systems are already being used by many companies and individuals worldwide, they can have significant limitations, such as a high-power consumption and limited operation times. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-energy-consumption-flapping-wing-flying-robots.html Robotics Mon, 26 Jun 2023 09:23:12 EDT news606990184 Rescuers spotted debris from the tourist submarine Titan on the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic on June 22, 2023, indicating that the vessel suffered a catastrophic failure and the five people aboard were killed. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-ocean-science-crewless-submarines.html Robotics Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:34:04 EDT news606742441 Researchers at three Japanese universities exploring the potential benefits of collaborations between robots and living creatures found bugs in their project. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-bugs-robotic-arms.html Robotics Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:42:46 EDT news606584552 Ensuring that countries abide by future nuclear arms agreements will be a vital task. Inspectors may have to count warheads or confirm the removal of nuclear weapons from geographical areas. Those hotspots could include underground bunkers and require confirmation that no weapons exist in a location at all. Now, researchers at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have devised an automated way to ensure compliance. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-robots-compliance-nuclear-arms-agreements.html Robotics Wed, 21 Jun 2023 15:58:04 EDT news606581881 The air taxi market is almost ready for take off, with companies such as Boeing, Hyundai, Airbus and Toyota building fleets to have commuters flitting through the sky. Europe and the U.S. have both drafted new rules to pave the way for air taxis to begin operations within the decade, with Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to follow suit. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-city-air-taxi-future.html Robotics Tue, 20 Jun 2023 14:03:04 EDT news606488581 Pangolins are fascinating creatures. This animal looks like a walking pine cone, as it is the only mammal completely covered with hard scales. The scales are made of keratin, just like our hair and nails. The scales overlap and are directly connected to the underlying soft skin layer. This special arrangement allows the animals to curl up into a ball in case of danger. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-scientists-magnetically-soft-medical-robot.html Robotics Tue, 20 Jun 2023 11:00:08 EDT news606391972 New work from Carnegie Mellon University has enabled robots to learn household chores by watching videos of people performing everyday tasks in their homes. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-ability-robots-videos.html Robotics Tue, 20 Jun 2023 08:59:40 EDT news606470368 Research in the field of robotics has been booming over the past decade with a view to tackle challenges of real value to industry and the public domain. With new robotic systems appearing every other day, developing reliable tools that can be used to evaluate their performance and test algorithms underpinning their functioning is salient. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-open-source-benchmark-skills-robots.html Software Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:00:01 EDT news606128108