Month: March 2018

A short electric pulse is all it takes to generate and release a powerful vacuum in the blink of an eye. The novel vacuum gripper enables robot arms to pick up objects and move them around freely in space. The system works without the need for compressed air to generate the vacuum, it is energy efficient, quiet and suitable for use in clean rooms.
Keeping a tight hold on things: Robot-mounted vacuum grippers flex their artificial muscles

What are those tiny spheres doing as they move across that slide? They’re doing the breaststroke. Rice University
These micro-robots do the breaststroke

Playground Global leads a sizeable round with the goal of turning walking robots into useful tools

Agility Robotics Raises Million for Commercial Bipedal Robots

This soft robotic fish is reef friendly and won’t scare away the real thing

MIT's Soft Robotic Fish Explores Reefs in Fiji

Supercapacitor technology could make tiny accelerometers as much as 1 million times more sensitive

Supersensitive Accelerometer Could Be the Answer to Better Drone Control

Manche können turnen, reiten oder Liegestütze machen: Humanoide Roboter sollen lernen, sich wie Menschen zu bewegen. Doch nur bis zu einem gewissen Punkt – darüber hinaus werden die Maschinen uns unheimlich.
Wie Roboter dem Menschen ähnlicher werden

The Avatar XPRIZE is a compelling idea, but it needs to recalibrate in order to significantly advance the technology

XPRIZE's Million Telepresence Robot Challenge Is Not Challenging Enough

For years, scientists have been inspired by nature to innovate solutions to tricky problems, even oil spills — manmade disasters with devastating environmental and economic consequences. A new study takes a cue from leaf structure to fabricate material that can separate oil and water, which could lead to safer and more efficient oil spill clean-up methods.
What plants can teach us about oil spill clean-up, microfluidics

A pair of autonomous robots will soon be driving through miles of pipes at the US Department of Energy’s former uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio, to identify uranium deposits on pipe walls.
Pipe-crawling robot will help decommission DOE nuclear facility

Ducted fans in its toes help this robot to balance while taking giant steps

Bipedal Robot Uses Jet-Powered Feet to Step Over Large Gaps