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Not either, but both: making a highly precise and highly mobile precision positioning robot

Researchers from Yokohama National University created a highly precise mobile robot with a wide range of motion using piezoelectric actuators, achieving path errors of under 0.5-4.75 µm. The robot's performance demonstrated its suitability for precise positioning and wide transportation of objects of various sizes.

SourceYokohama National University·JournalAdvanced Intelligent Systems·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 3, 2026

Magnetic microrobot swarms enable contactless manipulation of objects through fluidic torque

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.

SourceMax Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems·JournalScience Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 25, 2026

MambaAlign fusion framework for detecting defects missed by inspection systems

Researchers developed an efficient system to detect subtle defects missed by existing inspection systems. The MambaAlign framework captures long-range and orientation-aware context using state-space refinement, achieving improved localization and detection accuracy without excessive computational overhead.

SourceShibaura Institute of Technology·JournalJournal of Computational Design and Engineering·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 24, 2026

3D printing soft robots

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...

SourceHarvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences·JournalAdvanced Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 19, 2026

How can you rescue a “kidnapped” robot? A new AI system helps the robot regain its sense of location in dynamic, ever-changing environments

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.

SourceUniversidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche·JournalInternational Journal of Intelligent Systems·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 18, 2026

AI-powered companionship: PolyU interfaculty scholar harnesses music and empathetic speech in robots to combat loneliness

Researchers at PolyU have discovered that combining music and empathetic speech in robots can foster a stronger bond between humans and machines. Music enhances the emotional resonance of on-screen robots, making interactions feel more real, but its impact diminishes over time.

SourceThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University·JournalACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction·DateFeb 16, 2026

Resource-sharing boosts robotic resilience

A team of EPFL roboticists has designed a modular robot that shares power, sensing, and communication resources among its individual units, significantly increasing its resistance to failure. The approach, called hyper-redundancy, allows the robot to continue functioning even if one module fails, by compensating with neighboring modules.

SourceEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne·JournalScience Robotics·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 12, 2026

Path Planning Transformers supervised by IRRT*-RRMS for multi-mobile robots

The Path Planning Transformer (PPT) model learns to plan efficient paths from occupancy maps, avoiding obstacles with a modified right-of-way rule. This approach improves path smoothness and adaptability while reducing computational requirements, with potential applications in industrial automation and collaborative robot systems.

SourceELSP·JournalRobot Learning·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 11, 2026

Open-source modular robot for understanding evolution

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.

SourceUniversity of Michigan·JournalBioinspiration & Biomimetics·DateFeb 11, 2026

Flexible electronics: Technological revolution of robot components for intelligent robots

Recent advancements in flexible electronics have transformed robotic systems, allowing for conformal integration of electronic components and autonomous decision-making. Flexible devices have improved operational accuracy and transformed the interaction methods of robots, laying the foundation for intelligent robotics development.

Optimizing robotic joints

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.

SourceHarvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 2, 2026

How can robots learn from humans?

Researchers developed a new approach to teach robots to learn human grasping skills, enabling adaptive and universal grasping to diverse objects. The framework captures multimodal tactile data and encodes it into high-level semantic grasping states, allowing robots to recognize general states of interaction.

SourceScience China Press·JournalNational Science Review·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 16, 2026

Bringing human dexterity to robots by combining human motion and tactile sensation

A team of researchers from Keio University has developed a novel system that uses Gaussian process regression to model and reproduce complex human motions. This enables robots to adapt to touch and interact with objects in dynamic environments, improving their dexterity and versatility.

SourceKeio University Global Research Institute·JournalIEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 13, 2026

AI learns to build simple equations for complex systems

A new AI framework uncovers simple, understandable rules governing complex dynamics in nature and technology. The AI generates equations that accurately describe complex systems, revealing hidden variables that govern their behavior. This approach offers scientists a new way to leverage AI for understanding complex systems.

SourceDuke University·Journalnpj Complexity·DateDec 17, 2025

Penn and UMich create world’s smallest programmable, autonomous robots

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.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science·JournalScience Robotics·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 15, 2025

RoboCrop: Teaching robots how to pick tomatoes

A new model developed by Osaka Metropolitan University Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga enables robots to accurately pick tomatoes, with an 81% success rate. The system evaluates the ease of harvesting for each tomato, taking into account factors such as fruit clustering and stem geometry.

SourceOsaka Metropolitan University·JournalSmart Agricultural Technology·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 8, 2025

Reactive whole-body locomotion-integrated manipulation based on combined learning and optimization

Collaborative robots require adaptive solutions to handle dynamic environments. A new approach integrates reactive planning and control, enabling seamless interaction with humans and surroundings. The method uses combined learning and optimization to generate feasible motion for mobile manipulators, improving efficiency and performance.

SourceBeijing Zhongke Journal Publising Co. Ltd.·JournalMachine Intelligence Research·DateDec 3, 2025