Robotics company is offering $125K if you’ll let a robot use your face
Running short on cash? U.K.-based additive manufacturing company Geomiq is currently offering $125,000 to the person willing to sign over face rights to let their appearance be used for a new line of humanoid robots. Here's how you can get involved with this unusual offer.
15-ton fighting robot now for sale on eBay, but watch out for shipping costs
Robot fighting company MegaBots' beautiful dream is coming to an end. And, while that's sad on multiple levels, it's great news for anyone who wants to buy a 15-ton fighting mech on eBay for way less than it cost to develop. Here's what it does, and how you can get your hands on it.
Boston Dynamics shows off Atlas robot doing parkour in new video
In a new video, the Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot, known as Atlas, shows off in an impressive a gymnastic routine, complete with somersaults, handstands, jumps, and turns. The company also released an additional video the Spot robot’s launch, showing off how it can benefit companies or organizations.
Robot helps a surgeon carry out world’s first long-distance heart operations
In a world'x first, a surgeon in India has successfully carried out several long distance heart operations using a telepresence robot to help him. Here's how the procedures played out -- and why these procedures are so exciting for the future of surgery in underserved parts of the world.
MIT’s snake robot is designed to crawl through blood vessels in the brain
What’s creepier than a snake robot? Answer: A snake robot that’s designed to crawl through the blood vessels in your brain. That’s exactly what researchers at MIT are working to develop. But, don’t worry, it’s here to help. Here's why it could one day help save someone's life.
Philisophical Russian-built robot is headed to the International Space Station
The International Space Station is about to get its latest guest, in the form of a Russian humanoid robot that will fly to the ISS this week. From carrying out useful tasks to cracking jokes and chatting with crew about the philosophy of space, here's what it will be doing.
Move over Spot. There’s a new robo-dog on the block — and it’s waterproof
ANYbotics, the Swiss robotics company behind the four-legged, oil rig-inspecting ANYmal robot, has released its latest autonomous, legged robot. And it’s boasting a shiny new red coat of paint, and a plethora of other under-the-hood improvements, too. Check it out in action.
Astro the dog-inspired quadruped robot can sit, lie down, and… learn?
Move over Spot! Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory have built a new dog-inspired quadruped robot called Astro. Thanks to A.I. and some powerful onboard computers, it promises to be able to learn just like a real dog.
The next photo you see while shopping online may have been snapped by a robot
Can a robotic photo studio replace a professional photographer for product photography? Meet the $20,000 robot that snaps product photos for less than $10 as part of the new Square Photo Studio. The robot snaps product photos on a traditional white background and is designed for small businesses.
Bouncing robot for low-gravity space missions has a spring in its step
If you've ever looked at astronauts bouncing on the moon and thought that looked a great way to get around, you're not the only one. The European Space Agency has created SpaceBok, a robot for low-gravity "dynamic walking". On the moon, SpaceBok could potentially jump as high as six and a half into the air.
MIT whiz kids got a robot to take on the viral #BottleCapChallenge
What do the ultra-smart students at MIT CSAIL think about when they’re not hard at work? It turns out that it’s much the same stuff the rest of us ponder: namely, the latest silly viral meme challenge. Unlike us, however, they've managed to get a robot to take a shot at it.
This robot arm for a wheelchair does everything from open doors to apply makeup
Canadian tech company Kinova Robotics has developed a lightweight, carbon fiber robotic arm which attaches to wheelchairs. Boasting three fingers and six degrees of freedom, it can be used for carrying out a wide range of everyday tasks that a lot of would take for granted.
Thought-controlled robotic hand can play games of rock-paper-scissors
Researchers at Japan’s Hiroshima University have developed a robotic prosthetic hand, controllable using only a wearer’s thoughts. The low-cost 3D-printed creation can perform a wide variety of hand gestures, and even engage in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Check it out.
Harvard’s tiny, insect-inspired RoboBee X-Wing can fly using solar power
Harvard University’s Wyss Institute's new RoboBee X-Wing is an impressive solar-powered winged flying robot that stands just 6.5 centimeters high, weighs only 259 milligrams, and can fly completely untethered. Check out it this minuscule flying milestone in aerial action.
Swish! Toyota’s basketball bot earns a Guinness record with 2,020 perfect throws
After years of trial and error, a humanoid robot built by Toyota (yes, the car company!) set a Guinness World Record for its impressive basketball shooting abilities. The robot, known as CUE3, earner its record by sinking 2,020 free throws in a row, without ever missing a shot.
Bill Nye the Science Guy talks “solar sailing” and the new space race
Launching June 24, The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 will be a milestone in spaceflight, the first craft to raise its orbit around the planet using just the power of sunlight. We grilled Bill Nye on just how it works, and what it means for the future of spaceflight.
Bouncing robot reaches new heights, artfully dodges moving obstacles
Meet Salto, a tiny adorable bouncing robot developed at UC Berkeley. The bot weighs just 100 grams and is about a foot long, and moves through its environment by bouncing and jumping. It can do hundreds of jumps in a 10-minute period, can jump 4 feet high, and can travel at eight to ten miles per hour.
Robots are used to carry out daily health inspections at schools across China
China has reportedly installed health-checking robots at more than 2,000 preschools across the country. The robot uses cameras and an infrared thermometer to look for signs of possible disease in kids aged 2 to 6, ranging from red eyes or a sore throat to blisters and fever.
The Tamagotchi Effect: How digital pets shaped the tech habits of a generation
Tamagotchis, the egg-shaped virtual pets that were the obsession of kids and the scourge of many parents and teachers in the late 1990s, are making a comeback. Here's how the originals helped shape the tech views of an entire generation of kids, now in their twenties and thirties.
USC’s penny-sized robotic bee is the most sci-fi thing you’ll see all week
Engineers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles have built a bee-inspired robot that weighs just 95 milligrams and is smaller than a one-cent coin. It can fly, swim -- and its creator thinks it may very well one day be useful for exploring Mars and other planets, too.
The holy grail of robotics: Inside the quest to build a mechanical human hand
Building an ultra-accurate robot hand has long been the Holy Grail for robotics experts. Now the world's most advanced robot hand, the so-called Dexterous Hand, has gotten even better -- thanks to some amazing haptics tech that allows it to be operated from across the world.
Harvard looks to the natural world to make its snake robots even faster
Researchers from Harvard have found a way to make their snake-inspired soft robots faster and more efficient. The secret? Using a Japanese paper craft called kirigami to create an outer shell that grips the ground, just like the scales on a real snake skin. Check it out.
Climeworks wants to clean the atmosphere with a fleet of building-sized vacuums
Using machines that resemble jet engines, Climeworks wants to fight climate change by extracting CO2 from thin air. The gas can then be sold to carbonated drink and agriculture companies, or sequestered underground.
Inside the Ocean Cleanup’s ambitious plan to rid the ocean of plastic waste
In 2013, Boyan Slat crowdfunded $2.2 million to fund the Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization that builds big, floating trash collectors and sets them out to sea, where they’re designed to autonomously gobble up garbage. The organization has since raised over $35 million and a lot of questions from incredulous experts.
NASA is building an inflatable space robot named King Louie
Don't expect the robots which thrive in space to look the same as the ones that we're used to here on Earth. The latest illustration of this is King Louie, a NASA-funded inflatable robot which could travel to the stars in deflated form and then be blown up when and where required.
Watch a pack of SpotMini robot dogs perform a terrifying feat of strength
Boston Dynamics’ SpotMini robotic dog is already a stunning creation, but look what 10 of them can achieve when they work together. The company confirmed this week that SpotMinis are now rolling off the production line and will be available for a range of applications soon.
Blue the robot could help fold clothes or unload your dishes for under $5,000
Ever dreamed of having your very own dedicated helper robot? Roboticists from UC Berkeley have created a new commercial robot called Blue, which could one day help unpack your dishwasher or fold your clothes. Best of all, it's not going to be quite as expensive as you might expect.
MIT’s bot sifts through trash to do your recycling for you
Engineers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a new recycling robot that’s capable of automating the process of sifting through tons of trash to distinguish between paper, plastic and metal items. Here's how it works.
Are we living in a simulation? This MIT scientist says it’s more likely than not
The simulation hypothesis, which was famously probed in the 1999 film The Matrix, is the subject of a new book by Rizwan Virk, a computer scientist and video game developer who leads Play Labs at MIT. In his book, Virk endeavors to unpack the heady arguments that call our physical world into question.
Self-driving apple harvesting robot suctions the fruit off trees
An autonomous tractor-style vehicle which can suction the apples right off apple trees could be the future of farming as we know it. Developed by the startup Abundant Robotics, this self-driving vehicle was recently deployed for the first time at an orchard in New Zealand.
Boston Dynamics builds the warehouse robot of Jeff Bezos’ dreams
Handle may not be the most well known of Boston Dynamics' collection of robots, but it could well be the most practical. In a new video, viewers can get a better idea of what this impressive wheeled bipedal robot is capable of as it plies its trade inside a warehouse. Check it out.
Smoothie-making robots are here to steal your Jamba Juice job
Want a custom smoothie made by a robot to your exact specifications? Of course you do. Fortunately, California startup Blendid is here to make that delicious science fiction dream a reality. Here's all you need to know about its new venture, recently launched in San Francisco.
This sleek new exoskeleton makes walking easier, fits under your clothes
Engineers from Vanderbilt University have developed with a new ankle exoskeleton that is designed to be worn under clothes. It is intended to help people to walk without fatiguing -- and without restricting natural motion or drawing attention to itself. Here's how it works.
Tombot is the hyper-realistic dog robot that puts Spot to shame
Forget Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot canine, and move over Sony’s Aibo! When it comes to robot dogs, the folks behind a new Kickstarter campaign have plans to stake their claim as makers of man’s (and woman’s) newest best friend. Here's how it works and who it aims to help.