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Underwater robot pioneers new energy-efficient buoyancy control

A remotely operated underwater robot built by a team of Rice University engineering students pioneers a new way to control buoyancy via water-splitting fuel cells. The device, designed and constructed at the Oshman Engineering ...

Why can't robots outrun animals?

Robotics engineers have worked for decades and invested many millions of research dollars in attempts to create a robot that can walk or run as well as an animal. And yet, it remains the case that many animals are capable ...

Virtual sensors help aerial vehicles stay aloft when rotors fail

No crystal ball is needed to envision a future that engineers have in mind, one in which air taxis and other flying vehicles ferry passengers between urban locations, avoiding the growing gridlock on the ground below. Companies ...

People, not design features, make a robot social

It takes a village to nurture social robots. Researchers who develop social robots—ones that people interact with—focus too much on design features and not enough on sociological factors, like human-to-human interactions, ...

Octopus inspires new suction mechanism for robots

A new robotic suction cup that can grasp rough, curved and heavy stone, has been developed by scientists at the University of Bristol. The team, based at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, studied the structures of octopus biological ...

How 3D printers can give robots a soft touch

Soft skin coverings and touch sensors have emerged as a promising feature for robots that are both safer and more intuitive for human interaction, but they are expensive and difficult to make. A recent study demonstrates ...

A rimless wheel robot that can reliably overcome steps

Robots with wheels could potentially navigate a variety of indoor and outdoor environments, traveling for longer distances and with fewer risks of losing balance. While some wheeled robots have achieved very promising results ...

More news

Robotics
A miniaturized vision-based tactile sensor based on fiber optic bundles
Robotics
Better battery manufacturing: Robotic lab vets new reaction design strategy
Robotics
Helping robots make a better first impression
Robotics
A fusion SLAM system that enhances the sensing and localization capabilities of biped climbing robots
Robotics
Engineers design flexible 'skeletons' for soft, muscle-powered robots
Robotics
Eye gaze and facial expression of robots are essential for interaction with humans, finds researcher
Robotics
A scalable reinforcement learning–based framework to facilitate the teleoperation of humanoid robots
Robotics
Elon Musk says Tesla will unveil robotaxi in August
Robotics
A framework to improve air-ground robot navigation in complex occlusion-prone environments
Business
Apple explores making personal robots: Report
Robotics
'Smart swarms' of tiny robots inspired by natural herd mentality
Robotics
Teaching robots to walk on the moon, and maybe rescue one another
Robotics
New robot swims and jumps like a Chinese rice grasshopper
Robotics
Robotic face makes eye contact, uses AI to anticipate and replicate a person's smile before it occurs
Robotics
New study finds invisible 'human work' allows robots to make deliveries
Robotics
Engineering household robots to have a little common sense
Robotics
Future robots to stay one step ahead of bushfires
Robotics
A method to enhance the planning of missions completed by multiple UAVs
Robotics
A model that could broaden the manipulation skills of four-legged robots
Robotics
Using drone swarms to fight forest fires

Other news

Optics & Photonics
Demonstration of heralded three-photon entanglement on a photonic chip
General Physics
First experimental proof for brain-like computer with water and salt
Astronomy
Recently discovered black hole is part of a nearby disrupted star cluster, study finds
Earth Sciences
Managing meandering waterways in a changing world
Ecology
New dataset sheds light on relationship of far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to canopy-level photosynthesis
Environment
Scientists say voluntary corporate emissions targets not enough to create real climate action
Social Sciences
How much trust do people have in different types of scientists?
Ecology
First-of-its-kind study shows that conservation actions are effective at halting and reversing biodiversity loss
Biochemistry
A shortcut for drug discovery: Novel method predicts on a large scale how small molecules interact with proteins
Cell & Microbiology
Barley plants fine-tune their root microbial communities through sugary secretions
Evolution
Cichlid fishes' curiosity promotes biodiversity: How exploratory behavior aids in ecological adaptation
Ecology
Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century, analysis suggests
Evolution
Yeast study offers possible answer to why some species are generalists and others specialists
Plants & Animals
Deer are expanding north, and that's not good for caribou: Scientists evaluate the reasons why
Earth Sciences
Warming Arctic reduces dust levels in parts of the planet, study finds
Analytical Chemistry
Freeze casting—a guide to creating hierarchically structured materials
Biotechnology
Scientists replace fishmeal in aquaculture with microbial protein derived from soybean processing wastewater
Environment
Cocaine is an emerging contaminant of concern in the Bay of Santos (Brazil), says researcher
Cell & Microbiology
Advanced cell atlas opens new doors in biomedical research
Environment
Study shows the longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces

New robot swims and jumps like a Chinese rice grasshopper

Biologist, materials scientist and bionics specialist Professor Stanislav N. Gorb and his team at Kiel University's Institute of Zoology are known for analyzing the spectacular abilities of animals and translating them into ...

Future robots to stay one step ahead of bushfires

Bushfires can move at astonishing speeds. The land, amount of vegetation, and the weather all have a big impact on how a fire spreads. Staying one step ahead is no easy task, but our bushfire researchers are working on it.

Engineering household robots to have a little common sense

From wiping up spills to serving up food, robots are being taught to carry out increasingly complicated household tasks. Many such home-bot trainees are learning through imitation; they are programmed to copy the motions ...

Using drone swarms to fight forest fires

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires. Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by ...