Despite ‘friends’ like Alexa and Siri, we’re still lonely
Despite the increasing popularity of humanized products like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and iRobot’s pet-like Roomba vacuum, people have never reported feeling more alone or isolated. This raises an...
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This tool lets you make your own robot ‘puppy’
Scientists have created a new interactive design tool that makes it possible for novices and experts to create custom robots with 3D-printed parts and consumer-level actuators. Using a familiar...
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Watch: Robot composer performs its own work
A four-armed, marimba-playing robot can now write and play its own compositions with aid from artificial intelligence and deep learning. Researchers fed the robot nearly 5,000 complete songs—from...
View ArticleGecko-like gripper could clean up space junk
Right now, about 500,000 pieces of human-made debris are whizzing around space, orbiting our planet at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour. The debris poses a threat to satellites, space vehicles, and...
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Program makes robots better listeners
Researchers have created a system that may make robots better at following spoken instructions from people, regardless of how abstract or specific those instructions may be. The research is a step...
View ArticleToilet or chair? Robots that ‘see’ in 3D can tell
A new technology lets machines make sense of 3D objects in a richer and more human-like way. Autonomous robots, for example, can inspect nuclear power plants, clean up oil spills in the ocean,...
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Watch new rescue robot grow and twist like a vine
Inspired by natural organisms—such as vines, fungi, and nerve cells—that cover distance by growing, mechanical engineers have created a new type of soft robot that can extend itself like a fast-moving...
View Article4D camera gives robots a wider view
Researchers have created a new camera that could create four-dimensional images and capture nearly 140 degrees of information. “We’re great at making cameras for humans but do robots need to see the...
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Telescoping design would make awesome robots
Researchers have created a way to design telescoping structures that can twist and bend, which could allow the creation of robots that collapse themselves to make transport easier or stretch out to...
View ArticleTry out your code on a swarm of real robots
Researchers from around the globe can write their own computer programs, upload them, then get the results as machines at Georgia Tech carry out the commands. The researchers will even send video...
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Octopus-inspired material morphs from flat to 3D
Scientists are using octopuses and other cephalopods—and their ability to quickly change color and shape—as inspiration for a method to morph stretchable flat surfaces into 3D ones on demand. The...
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‘Skin’ sensor gives robots better sense of touch
Engineers have developed a flexible sensor “skin” that can stretch over any part of a robot’s body or prosthetic to accurately convey information about shear forces and vibration—information critical...
View ArticleAlgorithms can’t replace these jobs of the future
Computers have quickly moved from providing pure processing power to learning and adapting without programming, creating widespread unease that the rise of the machines will leave many jobless. In...
View ArticleCan robots feel guilty? Answer reveals 3 parts of mental life
Asking people to think about the sensations and emotions of inanimate or non-human entities, offers a glimpse into how they think about mental life. The responses show that Americans break mental life...
View ArticleWatch: This robot swims like a manta ray
Researchers have created an aquatic robot called MantaDroid that mimics the swimming locomotion of manta rays. The robotic manta ray, which swims at the speed of twice its body length per second and...
View ArticleGentle nudges teach robots to better assist us
Like toddlers, robots can use a little help as they learn to function in the physical world. A new program uses gentle physical feedback to guide machines toward the most helpful, human-like ways to...
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There are perks to attending class as a robot
Robot learning—students learning remotely online while controlling robots in the classroom—can help students feel more engaged and connected to the instructor and other students, according to a new...
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Watch: VR lets users control robots from miles away
New software allows people using virtual reality hardware to control robots over the internet. Even as autonomous robots get better at doing things on their own, there will still be plenty of...
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Folding ‘exoskeleton’ could get cell-sized robots moving
Researchers have created a robot “exoskeleton” that can rapidly change its shape by sensing shifts in its environment. The researchers say these microscale machines—equipped with electronic, photonic,...
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Abstract thinking makes robots better planners
Researchers have developed a method for helping robots plan for multi-step tasks by constructing abstract representations of the world around them. Their study is a step toward building robots that can...
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