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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 ...

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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
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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

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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
Environment
Scientists say voluntary corporate emissions targets not enough to create real climate action
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
Biochemistry
A shortcut for drug discovery: Novel method predicts on a large scale how small molecules interact with proteins
Ecology
First-of-its-kind study shows that conservation actions are effective at halting and reversing biodiversity loss
Social Sciences
How much trust do people have in different types of scientists?
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
Evolution
Yeast study offers possible answer to why some species are generalists and others specialists
Ecology
Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century, analysis suggests
Biotechnology
Scientists replace fishmeal in aquaculture with microbial protein derived from soybean processing wastewater
Plants & Animals
Deer are expanding north, and that's not good for caribou: Scientists evaluate the reasons why
Analytical Chemistry
Freeze casting—a guide to creating hierarchically structured materials
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
Earth Sciences
Warming Arctic reduces dust levels in parts of the planet, study finds
Environment
Study shows the longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces

Research could advance soft robotics manufacturing and design

Soft robots use pliant materials such as elastomers to interact safely with the human body and other challenging, delicate objects and environments. A team of Rice University researchers has developed an analytical model ...

Harsh field tests shape robotic design in unexpected ways

Auke Ijspeert and his team in the BioRobotics Lab (BioRob) in EPFL's School of Engineering had operated their bio-informed robots in natural environments before, but this was more for demonstration purposes than for scientific ...