Articles tagged with Robotic Designs
Researchers developed a robotic system inspired by social insects to optimize mining operations. The honeybee-inspired approach outperformed others in tests, reducing travel distance by up to 80% and completing ore delivery tasks 60% faster.
A new robot mimics the movement of an inchworm using a soft muscle-like material, allowing it to navigate challenging environments. The robot can be used to inspect sewer pipes or explore the planet Mars without multiple actuators.
Scientists created a shape-changing flying robot named Floaty that can fly efficiently while staying stable in the air. By adjusting its flaps to control air resistance, Floaty balances itself and recovers from disturbances.
A new soft gripper designed by WVU researcher Anand Mishra can accurately gauge the size, curvature, color, and ripeness of fruits like strawberries and avocados. The gripper's quick inspections and harvesting capabilities can reduce spoilage and lower supply chain costs.
Researchers have developed a compact magnetoelectric antenna system, BlueME, to improve underwater robot communication. The technology enables robots to share information over long distances with minimal power consumption, overcoming challenges in oceanic environments.
Researchers at Texas A&M University are designing how humans will build and survive on the moon, focusing on sustainable construction using lunar regolith. The institution's efforts aim to reduce costs associated with shipping materials to the moon, making it possible to produce rocket propellant locally.
Researchers at NC State University developed a morpho-interlocking protective module (MIPM) that responds to external threats and curls into a protective ball. The structure, inspired by armadillos' natural defense mechanisms, consists of multiple layers and can be tuned to respond to various levels of strain.
A robotic hand developed at USC can hear a melody once and play it back after just two minutes of self-taught practice on a keyboard. The system, called the Musician Hand, mimics the way the brain and body coordinate fine motor skills through trial and error, offering a new model for machines — and medicine — to approach complex moveme...
Researchers at Duke University introduce Argus, a 20-eyed robot with no front or back, demonstrating dynamic symmetry and improving performance across various measures. The design surpasses the theoretical maximum of 0.6, enabling robustness, energy efficiency, and resilience to damage.
The NTU Singapore team developed a tiny seed-sized robot that can perform five surgical functions wirelessly, including cutting and releasing drugs. The robot is controlled by weak magnetic fields and takes under a second to switch between functions. It has the potential to make surgeries more precise and safer.
Researchers at Princeton University developed a system to mimic natural structures' microstructural patterns and mechanical properties. By combining origami and tensegrity, they found that the same equation describes both engineering structures, enabling designers to create irregular shapes with less computational complexity.
Researchers emphasize the need for more thorough frameworks to ensure AI-enabled robots embody human values. The field should focus on three complementary lines of defense: rules that shape robot decisions, checks that monitor behavior, and safety reasoning.
Researchers develop Kinematic Intelligence framework to transfer skills between robots with different mechanical structures, enabling safe and predictable behavior. The approach reduces time and expertise needed to deploy robots in real-world settings.
Researchers have developed RoboChem Flex, a versatile and modular autonomous synthesis robot that reduces costs to $5000. The system offers human-in-the-loop analytics, Bayesian optimization, and integration with various analytical instruments, making it accessible to laboratories of all sizes.
Soft robots could work as medical implants, deliver drugs inside the body, and explore dangerous environments. The researchers designed a reconfigurable robot that can move repeatedly without degradation, using targeted heating to control motion and embedded temperature sensors for closed-loop control.
Researchers developed a flexible optical fiber that can be steered into the larynx to destroy hard-to-reach tumors, expanding outpatient laser treatment options. The device successfully reached 81% of targets in tests with a 3D-printed replica of a human larynx.
A new system can map soil moisture tree by tree, allowing growers to water specific trees if they're dry. Maintaining the right moisture level is crucial for plant health, as too little water can stress trees, while too much water can deprive roots of oxygen.
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute developed a palm-sized aerial robot that uses ultrasound sensors and AI to navigate through fog, smoke, and other difficult conditions. The drone achieved a success rate of 72% to 100% in navigating challenging courses during 180 tests.
The Center for Scalable and Intelligent Automation in Poultry Processing will hold its first field day on April 9 to share research on developing new robotic technologies. Researchers will demonstrate tools for deboning, detecting foreign materials and pathogens, as well as using virtual reality to operate equipment remotely.
Researchers developed magnetically controlled microrobots made from diatoms to target glioblastoma lesions with photodynamic therapy. The microrobots achieved a significant cytotoxic effect on primary glioblastoma cells and demonstrated good biocompatibility.
Researchers at Oxford University developed an ultra-low-cost technique for manufacturing soft robots, using common lab equipment. The new method enables rapid and affordable production of soft robotic actuators, with a material cost of less than $0.10 per unit, and demonstrated strong mechanical performance and durability.
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed AI-designed robots called 'legged metamachines' that can combine and recombine in the wild, recover from injury and transform into new shapes. The robots can adapt to the environment, survive catastrophic damage and even recover from being chopped in half or cut into pieces.
Researchers at King's College London develop SimTac platform to simulate biologically inspired robotics, creating artificial sensors with a human-like sense of touch. This approach reduces the design and training time of tactile robots from 18 months to just two weeks.
Researchers created a robotic wing that senses and adapts to water flow, achieving double the stability of a barn owl's glide. The wing consumes five times less energy than traditional AUVs, paving the way for more agile and efficient underwater robots.
Researchers demonstrated a breakthrough in microrobotics: swarms of magnetic microrobots can manipulate objects without physical contact by harnessing fluid-generated torque. The microrobots act as motors to move millimeter-sized passive objects, opening new pathways for precision manufacturing and biomedical applications.
Researchers at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a new fabrication method for printing robotic devices with long filaments featuring precisely placed hollow channels. This allows the device to bend and deform in predetermined ways, enabling the creation of soft robots with predictable s...
A hierarchical 3D LiDAR localization method improves robot positioning in large outdoor spaces even after seasonal changes. The method integrates deep learning techniques to extract discriminative local features from 3D point clouds, making it robust to environmental variability.
A new tool has arrived: a highly customizable, open-source robot design called The Robot of Theseus (TROT), developed at the University of Michigan. TROT can model most mammals and enable direct comparisons of variations on the same structure, helping researchers discover the advantages related to limb length and segmentation.
Researchers at Duke University have created a programmable Lego-like material that can change its stiffness and damping in response to temperature changes. The material, made from gallium and iron, can be programmed to mimic various commercially available soft materials.
Researchers at Harvard University have developed a new design method for optimizing rolling contact joints in robots, which can lead to better grippers, assistive devices, and more efficient robotic movement. The optimized joints performed spectacularly, correcting misalignment by 99% in knee-assist devices.
A new fabrication method, optofluidic assembly, has been developed to create tiny 3D objects from a variety of materials, including metals, semiconductors and polymers. The technique uses light-driven flow to guide the assembly of micro- or nanoparticles within a confined space.
Scientists created biologically realistic artificial cilia using hydrogel, enabling precise control over their motion. The tiny structures can be powered by low-voltage electrical signals and have shown remarkable durability and versatility.
A team of Princeton engineers studied grasshopper gliding to develop a model for multimodal locomotion in tiny robots. They successfully created a glider that can fold its wings and change strategies depending on the situation, achieving performance comparable to actual grasshoppers.
A low-cost, simple robotic apple picker arm developed by Washington State University researchers can pick an apple in about 25 seconds. The inflatable arm is made of a soft fabric filled with air and weighs less than 50 pounds, making it safe to use in orchards.
Developed by U-M and Penn, the robots can sense and respond to their surroundings, operate for months, and cost just a penny each. They have applications in monitoring cell health and aiding manufacturing.
Researchers at Penn and UMich created microscopic swimming machines that can independently sense and respond to their surroundings, operate for months, and cost just a penny each. The robots are powered by light and can be programmed to move in complex patterns, sense local temperatures, and adjust their paths accordingly.
A new robotic design uses vine-like structures to lift and grasp a variety of objects, including humans, with a gentler approach. The robot can snake around obstacles, squeeze through tight spaces, and even secure itself in a closed loop to create a sling.
Researchers developed soft robots inspired by manta rays, utilizing magnetic fields to move, recharge power supply, and perform tasks autonomously. The magnets stabilize electrochemical reactions in flexible batteries, enhancing performance and efficiency.
A team of engineers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences designed a proof-of-concept walking robot using only four moving parts connected by rubber bands and powered by one motor. The robot can find its way through mazes, avoid obstacles, and sort objects by mass without electronic control systems.
Researchers developed a soft robotic skin that allows vine robots to navigate convoluted paths and fragile environments. The robot is steered by controlling the pressure inside its body and temperature of the actuators.
Grade school children learn robotics through performance-based learning, exploring science, tech, engineering, arts, and math. The expanded curriculum will introduce ethical considerations, such as fairness, privacy, and bias in technology.
Researchers discovered that humans treat a robotic hand as part of their body schema when working together on tasks, particularly when the robot's gestures are synchronized with those of humans. The study paves the way for better-designed robots that can interact more intuitively with humans.
The robotic exoskeleton TWIN has been awarded the Compasso d’Oro International Award for its innovative design and ability to adapt to different user needs. Developed by Rehab Technologies IIT – INAIL and ddpstudio, TWIN provides energy assistance to individuals with limited mobility, enabling them to stand, walk, and sit down.
A team of researchers has developed a mathematical model that integrates sensory feedback to enable eel-like robots to swim and crawl on land. The study shows how multisensory feedback enables eels to adapt their movement patterns after spinal cord injury, providing insights into the evolutionary transition of vertebrates from water to...
A Washington State University-led team has designed a robotic harvester that can detect and classify hidden strawberries 80% of the time. The harvester uses a combination of artificial-intelligence vision system, soft silicone grippers, and a fan to gently move leaves out of the way, improving picking efficiency.
Researchers at NTU Singapore have developed an AI-powered robotic system to assemble cyborg insects for search and rescue efforts, significantly reducing preparation time and human error. The automated system can attach electronic backpacks to Madagascar hissing cockroaches in under 8 minutes, about 30 times quicker than manual methods.
Researchers have developed soft artificial muscles that provide the performance and mechanical properties required for building robotic musculoskeletal systems. The new muscles can be battery-powered, enabling robots to move more naturally and safely in unstructured environments.
Scientists create programmable lattice structure with infinite geometric variations, enabling the fabrication of lightweight, adaptable robots inspired by biological tissues. The technology offers scalable solutions for designing unprecedentedly flexible and rigid robots.
A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that interacting with robots through social games makes them seem more human-like. The researchers used a box-shaped robot called Cozmo and found that participants who played games with it considered it more human-like, whereas those who interacted mechanically did not.
Researchers developed a new robot navigation system called LENS, which uses brain-inspired computing to set a low-energy benchmark for robotic place recognition. The system combines a spiking neural network with a special camera and low-power chip to enable fast and energy-efficient location tracking.
Researchers at Harvard developed link-bots, centimeter-scale robots composed of V-shaped chains with notched links, capable of coordinated movements and emergent collective behavior. The team demonstrated link-bots' ability to move forward, stop, change direction, squeeze through gaps, and cooperate on tasks.
Antonio Bicchi has been selected for the 2025 Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award for his groundbreaking contributions to robotics and prosthetics. He is recognized for developing innovative robotic limbs that match human hand capabilities, as well as natural prosthetic limbs.
Researchers at Duke University developed a novel framework called WildFusion that fuses vision, vibration and touch to enable robots to sense complex outdoor environments like humans do. The system was tested in real-world settings and showed remarkable ability to accurately predict traversability and improve robot decision-making.
SWORD accelerates robotics development by reducing manual coding required for complex applications, integrating CAD with open-source ROS tools to streamline automation. The software models, plans, and executes automation in a user-friendly environment.
A cutting-edge robotic dog, inspired by mammals' swimming style, achieves remarkable efficiency in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The robot's unique paddling mechanism and bioinspired trajectory planning enable it to reach speeds of up to 0.576 km/h in water and 1.26 km/h on land.
A soft robot can carry loads through the air along established tracks, navigating angles of up to 80 degrees and carrying loads up to 12 times its weight. The robot uses infrared light to move along the track, repeating a rolling motion that pulls it forward.
The new robotic gripper, called GRIP-tape, uses a combination of softness and stiffness to grasp fragile fruits and vegetables with precision. With its ability to navigate obstacles and deposit objects into containers, the gripper has shown promising results in lifting large fruits like lemons.
Researchers developed electronics-free robots that can walk without electronics, using compressed gas as a power source. The robots were printed in one go from standard 3D printing material and demonstrated three-day operation with air pressure control.
The Harvard robot uses latch-mediated spring actuation to jump high and cover long distances relative to its size. It combines walking and jumping modes for effective navigation in natural environments.
A team of researchers has created a robotic material-like collective that can change shape and stiffness in response to internal signals. The robots, composed of disk-shaped autonomous units, use light sensors, magnets, and force fluctuations to achieve this behavior, reducing power consumption compared to traditional robotic systems.