Field: Robotics
Sun-powered soft robot could mop up the seas
Inspired by steam engines and water-walking insects, this soft robot may one day mop up oil spills at sea.
What’s so wrong about sexbots?
These sexbots remember that you are 32 years old, and you like sushi, except on Thursdays — and they can teach us a lot about coexisting with AI.
Humanoid robots are waking up — and they look eerily real
Engineered Arts, a robotics firm located in the United Kingdom, released a video showing a humanoid robot that looks exceptionally lifelike.
Vaccine robot administers doses without needles or human help
Canadian startup Cobioni has built a vaccine robot that can deliver a dose into a patient’s arm without a needle or any human help.
Powered exoskeletons may be the ultimate fitness machines
Enhanced Robotics is selling a powered exoskeleton to help people achieve their fitness goals, and it doesn’t cost thousands of dollars.
Perseverance is collecting more rock samples from Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover is on the hunt for its next samples from Mars, scraping away a small circle of rock to see beneath its surface.
Wearable robot helps people with paralysis sing
Seoul National University researchers have built a wearable robot that helps people with spinal cord injuries breathe, cough, and sing.
The world’s biggest industrial robot lasers off airplane paint
Dutch company Xyrec recently demonstrated a 67-ton industrial robot that uses lasers to quickly strip paint from aircraft.
Robotic exoskeleton gives prosthetic legs a power boost
University of Utah engineers have built a robotic exoskeleton that gives people with prosthetic legs a power boost that makes walking easier.
Are robotic kitchens the future of food?
Restauranteurs are using robotic kitchens to cut real estate costs, opening up room in their budgets for higher quality ingredients.
Caltech’s walking robot can also fly and skateboard
Caltech's new bipedal walking robot can fly to get around obstacles, and it's steady enough on its feet to skateboard or slackline.
Facebook robot winds fiber-optic cable around power lines
A Facebook robot that wraps fiber-optic cables around power lines could help bridge the digital divide by expanding internet access.
Robot avatar safely trims trees around active power lines
A robot avatar that mimics the motions of a human controller could take the place of workers in dangerous jobs by the end of 2022.
MIT’s robotic nose can detect first sign of disease
A powerful diagnosis tool may one day be in millions of smartphones.
Perseverance rover collects first Mars rock sample — for real
NASA’s Perseverance rover has collected its first Mars rock sample, which the agency plans to send to Earth in 2031.
Robot penguins are exploring mysterious ocean currents
In an effort to study mysterious ocean eddies, an oceanographer teamed up with a bionics company to build an AUV inspired by penguins.
NASA pays space startup $.10 for moon mining mission
NASA paid Colorado startup Lunar Outpost $.10 as part of a moon mining contract that could help advance human space exploration.
Ford replaces humans with robot test drivers
Ford Motor Company has built a pair of robot test drivers to fill in for humans during dangerous endurance tests at its Weather Factory.
Chameleon robot can change color to match its surroundings
Researchers in Korea have made a color changing robot that matches its background colors — a precursor to future active camouflage technology.
The plea to save the Afghan girls robotics team from the Taliban
A human rights lawyer is trying to get the Afghan girls robotics team evacuated to Canada so its members can avoid living under Taliban rule.
Robot café hires people with disabilities to operate robo-waiters
At the Dawn Avatar Robot Café in Tokyo, diners are served by robotic avatars controlled remotely by people with disabilities.
This beach-cleaning robot is a Roomba for sand
An all-electric, beach-cleaning robot called BeBot can sift through sand to extract pieces of debris too small for traditional systems.
Bipedal robot completes 5K after learning to run
Agility Robotics’ Cassie just became the first bipedal robot to complete an outdoor 5K run, completing the jaunt on a single charge.
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Just Might Work
How robots could end animal captivity in zoos and marine parks
Could robotic dolphins help marine parks become more humane spaces where people can learn about and connect with nature?
Sculpting robots chisel art out of marble
Italy's Robotor is inspiring artists to pick up Carrara marble as a medium by delegating the laborious carving process to sculpting robots.
Insect-sized robot can run like a cheetah
An insect-sized robot with the agility of a cheetah could one day save lives by assessing disaster zones ahead of first responders.
Toyota’s cleaning robot shows off its new skills
Toyota’s cleaning robot has demonstrated new skills, revealing an ability to detect clear objects and snap perfect selfies.
Throwable rescue robots sent to help at collapsed building
Teledyne Flir has sent at least two of its rescue robots to help hunt for survivors in a collapsed building in Florida.
A robot could save farmers from being buried alive in grain
The Grain Weevil robot helps farmers manage stored grain, keeping them out of bins where they might lose their lives to grain entrapment.
The world’s deepest pool will host astronaut training in the UK
U.K. company Blue Abyss has submitted plans to build a massive aquatic facility in Cornwall, England, and its centerpiece will be the world’s deepest pool.
Japan’s transforming moon rover gets help from toy company
Japan is sending a transforming moon rover to the lunar surface in 2022 to collect data that will inform an upcoming crewed mission.
"Hands-free" smart farm will replace laborers with robots
At a smart farm in Australia, robots and AI will do all the manual labor, potentially foreshadowing agriculture’s "hands-free" future.
Meet MIT’s Kate Darling: Why we should rethink our relationship with robots
According to MIT's Kate Darling, robots are more like animals, not humans.
The world’s first fully electric, self-driving tractor
Monarch Tractor’s all-electric, self-driving tractor could save farmers money, while also benefiting the environment.
Stanford’s ankle exoskeleton lets you walk 40% faster
An ankle exoskeleton that significantly increases self-selected walking speed could make it easier for older people to get around.
FDA authorizes mind-controlled exoskeleton for stroke rehab
Neurolutions’ IpsiHand — a brain-computer interface that uses an exoskeleton to assist with stroke rehab — has been authorized by the FDA.
Back-poking robot triggers presence hallucinations
A back-poking robot can trigger presence hallucinations in people with Parkinson’s disease, giving researchers a way to finally study the phenomenon.
We can now hear an AI robot’s thought process
This robot’s thought process isn’t a secret — researchers gave the AI the ability to share its internal monologue with humans.
Bat-inspired sound location tech could allow drones to fly solo
Inspired by bat’s ears, researchers at Virginia Tech have created a device capable of pinpointing sound location more accurately than other tech — or our ears.
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter just flew on Mars
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has made history on Mars, achieving the first controlled flight on another planet.
These robot legs taught themselves to walk
A pair of robot legs were able to teach themselves to walk thanks to a unique twist on reinforcement learning, a common AI training technique.
Robot dog helps military students “survive” combat training
A military school recently used Spot, a robot dog developed by Boston Dynamics, during combat training exercises.
The next generation of living machines: xenobots 2.0
Made from the stem cells of a frog, “Xenobots” are tiny living machines. And researchers have just debuted version 2.0.
This “hamster ball” robot could explore lunar caves
The spherical Daedalus robot may explore lunar caves during future ESA moon missions, looking for places that could potentially host human settlements.
Boston Dynamics unveils a new robot: Stretch
Boston Dynamics’ second commercial offering is a warehouse robot named Stretch that can lift and move 800, 50-pound boxes every hour.
Watch Japan’s latest robot painter in action
For SXSW’s AI Painting Project, a robot arm was trained to generate paintings based on given concepts and using a limited number of brushstrokes.
Quadruped robot can break a leg and keep going
Dyret is a shape-shifting quadruped robot that can change the length of its legs. This helps it walk across different terrains or account for any injuries.
MIT turned a robo-dog into a robot doctor
MIT converted a robo-dog built by Boston Dynamics into a robot doctor and then asked patients how they felt being treated by it.
Surgery robot could make hysterectomies less painful
The FDA has approved its first surgery robot for use during a vaginal hysterectomy, which is less invasive than the abdominal approach.
Soft robots could get stronger by pumping iron
Soft robots could get more muscular with a new soft gel that becomes tougher when subjected to vibration.
Sophia the Robot will be mass-produced this year
Hanson Robotics is going to begin mass-producing Sophia the robot in 2021, making the social robot available to help combat the pandemic.
Bots can now swim like a school of real fish
Bluebots, robotic fish developed at Harvard, are the first to demonstrate complex swarm behaviors underwater.
This robot creates a GPS for your lungs
In partnership with Intuitive
A traditional lung biopsy is incredibly invasive, but new tech is allowing doctors to get ahead of lung cancer and give patients a fighting chance.
One robot was able to watch another bot and predict its actions
A Columbia University study suggests that empathy between robots may be possible — and the skill could make the bots more useful to humans.
This spider-like moon rover will explore lunar lava tubes
A spider-like moon rover heading to the lunar surface in 2021 is designed to explore the underground lava tubes in which astronauts might one day live.
Recycling robot keeps waste out of landfills
AMP Robotics has developed a recycling robot that uses AI to sort recyclables twice as quickly as humans can.
Robot made of ice can repair and rebuild itself
A team of researchers wants to build robots out of ice and send them to space. The icy bots can use found materials to rebuild themselves.
NASA scientists want to send this robot dog to Mars
A modified version of Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot could be the ideal Mars rover for exploring caves and other underground structures.
This VR exoskeleton lets you actually run through virtual worlds
A VR exoskeleton called the Holotron works with a person’s entire lower body to let them control the locomotion of an avatar in VR.
The best therapy dog may be a robot
A life-life robot dog might be an effective — or even preferable — alternative to a living therapy dog, according to a new study.
A massive iceberg is about to crash into an island of penguins
A massive iceberg is expected to hit South Georgia Island. To assess the impact of the collision, researchers are deploying a pair of robot submarines.
Robot dogs are being deployed at a US military base
Four robot dogs are heading to a Florida Air Force base to serve as security patrol, marking the U.S. military’s first full-time deployment of a robot dog.
Ballerina teaches robot to dance with her during pandemic
“Quantum ballerina” Merritt Moore choreographed duets during lockdown — and then programmed a dancing robot to perform them with her.
MIT built an AI to design robots
MIT has developed an AI capable of robot design — all you need to do is tell RoboGrammar the bot’s goal and the available body parts.
This robot will put your contact lenses in for you
A man in Florida has invented a contact lens robot to insert or extract lenses for people with hand tremors or dexterity issues.
Disney gives humanoid robot a “lifelike” gaze
To escape the uncanny valley, Disney created a humanoid robot that mimics the minor eye and head movements people make during interactions.
Autonomous boats could move people and goods
MIT launches a new autonomous boat — a fleet of floating platforms that could come together to build bridges, taxi people across a river, or create a party platform.
How synchronized fireflies could inspire robot swarms
A recent discovery about the synchronized fireflies' amazing light shows could help researchers acquire fresh insight into swarm robotics.
If you train robots like dogs, they learn faster
The dog-inspired SPOT framework effectively trains an AI robot more quickly than other reinforcement learning methods.
Firefighting robot helps battle blaze in Los Angeles
The U.S.’s first firefighting robot helped keep LAFD firefighters safe while they battled a blaze in downtown Los Angeles.
Robot cook could help restaurants recover from COVID-19
Miso Robotics is making Flippy ROAR available for $30,000 in the hopes the robot cook will help the restaurant industry recover from the pandemic.
This robot dolphin could free animals from captivity
This robot dolphin could replace the real ones forced to entertain people at marine park exhibits across the globe.
Adidas’ sustainable shoes are string art made by a robot
The Adidas Futurecraft team has unveiled a pair of sustainable shoes made by a robot that weaves individual threads like it's creating string art.
Toyota unveils Spiderman-like home cleaning robot
Toyota built a cleaning robot that descends from a kitchen's ceiling as an example of the kind of tech that might one day support Earth’s aging population.
Meet the Mayflower, the robot boat crossing the Atlantic in 2021
The new Mayflower, set to traverse the Atlantic in 2021, won’t bear any pilgrims. It’s a robot boat, sailing sailor-free.
This massive farm robot is helping secure the future of food
A massive farm robot is analyzing crops in Arizona, helping identify ones that could grow in hotter climates to help secure the future of food.
Underwater robots may be the future of deep sea mining
Tech requires raw material, and some lays at the bottom of the sea. Could underwater robots be the future of deep sea mining?
These microbots may one day crawl through the body
Researchers have designed semiconductor legs for microbots. Laser activated, they are the first capable of being controlled by standard electronic signals.
Pocket-sized bot can perform surgery better than humans
A tiny origami-inspired robot assists surgeons in a mock surgery.
Meet snatcher, the chameleon lizard robot with an ultra-fast tongue
The chameleon lizard has a highly specialized tongue. Now, a team of engineers created a quick-tongued robot.
Training a home robot to see — and hear
Facebook's AI lab has released new tools for its embodied AI training platform, including one to train a home robot to respond to sounds.
The material that could help humans become cyborgs
Coating implantable electronics in the polymer PEDOT can extend their life, which could make cyborgs more common in the future.
Japan automates construction with the first bot-built dam
A Japanese construction company has robots taking over jobs that are understaffed, due to a labor shortage.
A humanlike brain means this smart robot can see, feel, and think
A smart robot that uses neuromorphic computing, may one day “think” like humans.
How to watch the Mars 2020 rover launch
NASA plans to launch its Mars 2020 rover on July 30. Here’s what you need to know about the agency’s latest Mars mission.
Cracking the mystery of how insects fly — with robots
Scientists made a robot that can keep up with flying insects, helping researchers understand flight physics.
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Challengers
The driverless future of construction robotics
Innovation in the construction industry has been stagnant for decades, but the use of construction robotics could radically alter the way we build.
This AI robot could become your favorite coworker
European researchers have developed an AI robot to safely work alongside humans, anticipating their needs and providing a strong pair of extra hands.
New exosuit helps stroke survivors walk farther and faster
A new exosuit helps stroke survivors overcome hemiparesis by assisting them in making two key walking motions with their feet.
Can a robot really freestyle?
Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed the first robot capable of not only playing music, but creating it.
Spain will use robots to increase coronavirus testing
Spain is buying a fleet of robots to increase coronavirus testing from 20,000 COVID-19 tests daily to 80,000, according to officials.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – friday, march 27th
Slowing infection rates in New York, a robot that's delivering vital supplies, and other fresh coronavirus news updates.
Delivery robot distributes supplies during coronavirus
Chinese company Neolix’s delivery robot has proven to be an instrumental — and versatile — weapon in China’ fight against the novel coronavirus.
The coronavirus hospital staffed by robots
A robot-run coronavirus hospital in Wuhan, China, is just one remarkable example of how technology is helping combat the global COVID-19 outbreak.
Robot artist challenges our definition of art
Artists have a history of subverting expectations and mainstream culture, but the world’s first humanoid robot artist is taking it to a new level. So far, she has sold over $1 million worth of art.
The robot racing to study Antarctica’s massive ice melt
Icefin, a semi-autonomous research vessel, is on a mission to search for clues about one of the continent’s fastest melting glaciers, the Thwaites Glacier.
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Uprising
The truth about self-driving cars
Self-driving cars have the potential to save thousands of lives and reduce carbon emissions. Will we be smart enough to hop on board?
Trash-talking robots get under our skin
Can robots control us? Probably not, but they can influence our actions, as this recent study on human-robot interaction by Carnegie Mellon shows.
Robot bees could one day save your life
For the first time, a microbot powered by soft actuators has achieved controlled flight.
What's special about cancer-killing nanobots? precision.
These tiny, robotic machines can deliver drugs directly to infected cells, and they're changing the future of medicine.