A team of researchers developed a method for creating realistic virtual tomato farms that automatically generate data for training agricultural AI systems. The approach uses advanced reconstruction methods and Unreal Engine 5 software to reproduce lighting, textures, and geometry, resulting in highly accurate object detection models.
A University of Michigan research team is exploring the development of knee exoskeletons to reduce joint contact forces and relieve osteoarthritis pain. Preliminary testing suggests that these orthotic brace-based exos and drone-style motors could provide significant relief.
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.
A robot that catches itself when it falls has been developed using reinforcement learning and artificial intelligence. The system achieved an average success rate of 69.4 percent in arresting the robot's fall and returning it to a stable position.
Researchers from Kyushu University and DENSO IT Laboratory propose a new method to improve the accuracy of indirect Time-of-Flight (I-ToF) cameras by considering real-world sensor characteristics. The technology produces two tailored coding schemes that outperform conventional methods in terms of depth precision and stability, making i...
A clinical trial is underway at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine to develop advanced neuroprosthetics for individuals with paralysis. The team is working on decoding cortical neural signals to control robotic assistive devices, enabling people with tetraplegia to eat and drink independently.
Researchers developed an Insect Synergy Circuit that integrates body movement and internal physiological information to guide insect navigation. The system achieved high accuracy in classifying environmental conditions, enabling gentle control over the insect's movements.
The FutuRaM project mapped Europe's 'urban mine', revealing a vast reservoir of metals and minerals essential for clean energy, digital technologies, and modern industry. By 2050, recovery systems could enable the EU to recover between 4.1 and 5.7 million tonnes of critical raw materials annually.
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 national analysis found that robotic-assisted cholecystectomy remained linked to increased bile duct injury risks despite growing use. The study suggests small differences in overall complication rates between approaches.
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.
A new approach enables computers and machines to capture images at higher resolution and faster speed, making it impervious to reflective surfaces. The technology uses a virtual screen created by repurposing the surroundings of specular objects.
Researchers at Cornell University have developed a robotic collective that exhibits coordinated motion and adaptability without centralized control. The Cross-Link Collective consists of small robots that can entangle and move collectively, self-organizing into shifting configurations.
A new open-source trajectory-planning system, MIGHTY, has been developed by researchers at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania. The system enables robots to generate smooth flight paths while reacting to obstacles in real-time, making it suitable for applications such as search-and-rescue, last-mile delivery, and industrial inspection.
Researchers have developed centimeter-scale reconfigurable piezoelectric robots with a built-in-ceramic actuation unit, enabling fast response, simple structure, and no transmission mechanisms. The robots achieve high speeds and carry heavy loads, making them suitable for environmental exploration and confined-space detection.
Researchers are developing brain-inspired hardware that integrates memory and computation, enabling robots to process information in parallel with minimal energy use. The new systems mimic the event-driven processing of the human brain, allowing robots to achieve perception, decision-making, and action with human-like efficiency.
A high-resolution model developed by University of Pennsylvania researchers shows that river levels once expected every 50 years now occur every few years due to climate change. The 1-in-100-year threshold marks a tipping point when flooding spreads rapidly across the urban landscape.
Dr. Ningshi Yao is awarded $628,260 by the NSF CAREER program to develop a unified framework for real-time scheduling and control in networked safety-critical systems. The project aims to address complex resource contention issues, enabling safe resource management for large-scale autonomous technologies.
Researchers explore how next-gen AI and sensor-rich operating rooms can enable more precise, data-driven, personalized surgery. Advances in multimodal data integration, machine learning, and robotic systems could enhance situational awareness and intraoperative decision-making.
Experts warn that AI-enhanced surgical robotics could enable true personalized surgery and enhance surgical team performance. However, regulatory reforms are needed to address risks from adaptive systems and ensure patient benefits.
Researchers at Aston University have created an AI-based training method that enables robots to adapt to real-world conditions without extensive data collection. This breakthrough could significantly accelerate innovation in sustainable manufacturing, recycling, and autonomous industrial systems.
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.
New research from West Virginia University finds that judges are adopting generative artificial intelligence in courtrooms, but remain committed to human control over judicial decision-making. Judges use AI for administrative tasks like document summarization and case organization, but prioritize legal reasoning and final judgment.
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.
Small-body sampling robots rely on sampling, mobility, and anchoring technologies to interact with weak-gravity surfaces. The review summarizes the development of these technologies and discusses their interaction in real mission scenarios.
The eDNA-bot revolutionizes biological monitoring by providing comprehensive results at lower cost than conventional surveying methods. It can detect elusive species and monitor wastewater for pathogens, streamlining environmental assessments in hydropower licensing.
Researchers developed a new class of ultralight structural materials with 3D node winding, achieving compressive strengths comparable to concrete and up to ten times stronger than conventional lattice structures at equal weight. The approach enables continuous load paths, reducing inactive material and improving system-level performance.
Engineers at MIT and their collaborators create a new type of soft magnetic hydrogel that can be made into complex, magnetically activated three-dimensional structures. The new gel enables the creation of microscopic, magnetically responsive robots and materials with micron-scale precision.
Researchers designed a force-sensing miniature robot to handle delicate cell spheroids with precision. The mobile microgripper uses magnets for controlled movement and gentle gripping, allowing successful assembly of spheroids into patterns.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have designed a tiny robot that uses a knotted fiber to store energy, which is released when heated. The robot can leap meters into the air, flip mid-flight, and even plant seeds with high local pressure.
Emerging AI technologies are enabling faster, smarter, and more integrated solutions to global challenges. AI-powered systems can track pollution levels, detect anomalies, and predict future risks in water, soil, air, and waste systems.
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University developed a new AI-powered snake-like robot that optimizes its movement using deep reinforcement learning. The robot's 'rolling motion' achieves twice the travel speed per unit of power consumption compared to traditional slithering motion, making it more efficient on flat surfaces.
The study, led by Lucy Liu and L. Mahadevan, shows that adding the right amount of noise to individual robot movements can ease gridlock and improve efficiency in crowded environments. The researchers used computer simulations and experiments with small robots to test their ideas.
Researchers developed a language-model-guided robotic system for perovskite solar cell research, accelerating device fabrication and characterization. The system achieved a record-breaking power conversion efficiency of 27.0% and generated over 578 million tokens for recipe optimization.
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 at Binghamton University have created a talking robot guide dog system that determines ideal routes and guides visually impaired users safely to their destinations. The system offers real-time verbal feedback and provides situational awareness, significantly enhancing the user experience.
A study by Cornell University researchers found that MirrorBot, a mirror-equipped robot, can spur conversations and playful exchanges between strangers. The device facilitates eye contact, which is the first step in forming social connections.
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.
IITGN researchers develop a novel control framework for flexible continuum robots, called virtual actuation space (VAS), to improve their precision and scalability. VAS reduces the complexity of controlling multi-section robots by using just two parameters: direction and magnitude.
HeapGrasp uses RGB images to analyze object silhouettes and estimate its 3D shape, reducing the need for depth information. The approach achieves high accuracy while minimizing camera movement and execution time.
Researchers are developing snail-inspired soft robots to deliver targeted therapy directly to tumor sites in bowel cancer patients. The robots aim to increase drug bioavailability and reduce off-target toxicity., Transforming colorectal cancer treatment by enabling precise drug release at tumour sites.
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.
Researchers at MIT have developed an ultrasound wristband that precisely tracks hand movements, allowing users to control a robotic hand or manipulate virtual objects. The device produces high-quality images of the wrist's muscles and tendons, which are then translated into specific hand positions, enabling precise movement control.
Researchers developed a 2.4 GHz wireless receiver chip that can withstand up to 500 kGy of radiation, enabling wireless control of robots in ultra-high-radiation environments. The chip's design reduces charge trapping and increases stability under high radiation exposure.
Researchers at Tufts University developed a proof-of-concept for efficient AI systems using neuro-symbolic AI, reducing power consumption by 100 times while providing accurate results. The approach uses symbolic reasoning to limit trial and error during learning, leading to faster completion and significant energy savings.
Scientists create functional machines using DNA, adapting macro-scale robotics principles for nanoscale performance. Control strategies use biochemical methods and physical stimuli to direct movement.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new technique using generative artificial intelligence models to overcome the precision bottleneck in wireless vision systems. The method produces more accurate shape reconstructions, which could improve robots' ability to grasp and manipulate objects blocked from view.
Researchers tested robots with factual and fictional dialogue on SEL lessons, finding that the factual robots encouraged deeper engagement and improved mastery. The study challenges conventional wisdom on robot design for education, suggesting that robots can be powerful supplements to human teaching.
Scientists develop a simpler route-sensing signal to support accurate control in tendon-sheath mechanisms, opening doors to more compact and adaptable robotic systems. They found that friction-induced elongation is governed by the accumulated curve angle, enabling a comprehensive feedforward control framework.
In a breakthrough study, researchers successfully integrated neuronal precursor cells into biobots, resulting in the formation of functional nervous systems. This development has significant implications for neuroscience, bioengineering, and regenerative medicine, enabling the investigation of fundamental questions about the origin of ...
Researchers at Brown University develop a way for robots to use inputs from both human language and gesture to reason about object location. The approach, which incorporates insights from dog behavior, achieved an 89% success rate in finding the correct object in complex environments, outperforming other methods.
A Chinese study reports a 100% technical and clinical success rate for robot-assisted brain angiography, with median procedure times 11 minutes shorter than manual angiography. No added radiation or complications were observed, showcasing the feasibility and safety of the YDHB-NS01 system
MIT researchers developed a generative AI-driven approach for planning long-term visual tasks, surpassing existing techniques with a 70% success rate. The system combines vision-language models with formal planners, enabling robots to navigate complex environments and assemble multi-robot teams with high efficiency.
Researchers developed a novel magnetorheological fluid-based soft robot with reversible t robot with reversible for precise targeting of gastrointestinal tract diseases. The robot demonstrated stable flip, steering, and folding motions, as well as reliable movement performance under load, and successfully attached to the drug release p...
The Global Physics Summit will feature over 12,000 individual presentations on new research in astrophysics, particle physics, and quantum information science. Registered journalists and public information officers will receive daily emails with information during the meeting.
A novel AI-based framework, EDGCN, decodes dynamic variations in EEG patterns for better brain-computer interface technology. The model outperforms current state-of-the-art methods with high classification accuracies and decoding accuracy, enabling more seamless communication between the human brain and machines.
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed LIBRIS, an automated microfluidic platform capable of generating lipid nanoparticle formulations at high speed and scale. This enables the creation of large, systematic datasets needed to train predictive AI models, accelerating the design of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery.
The dual-coil magnetic guidewire robot offers improved steering capabilities, switching between three modes for better curvature control and branch entry. The robot's design and control enable safer and more consistent procedures by reducing unintended vessel-wall interaction and enhancing access to small, tortuous, and branching targets.
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.