DARPA is sending robots underground to teach them to save lives
What does the ultimate search-and-rescue robot look like? And how would it cope in an underground disaster zone? That's what DARPA set out to discover in its Subterranean Challenge. Here's what you need to know about the competition that's attracting the world's top research labs.
Tomorrow’s jobs: 7 future roles that will exist in the age of automation
Forget Skynet gaining sentience, the real fear a lot of folks have about artificial intelligence and robots is what it means for all of our jobs. The good news: While robots will certainly eliminate certain jobs, new roles will be created as well. Here are seven great examples.
The Double 3 telepresence robot is now much more than an iPad on wheels
Double Robotics first effort at a telepresence robot appeared in 2012 and was widely regarded as little more than an iPad on wheels. Because that's pretty much what it was. Seven years on, it's managed to create a far more advanced machine, and one we can imagine trundling around in any modern office.
Autonomous robot deliveries are coming to 100 university campuses in the U.S.
Pioneering autonomous delivery robot company Starship Technologies is coming to more university campuses around America. The robotics startup announced that it will expand its service to 100 university campuses in the United States over the next 24 months. Here's how its tech works.
Wreckage, reefs, and robots: The high-tech quest to find Amelia Earhart’s plane
Over 80 years ago, aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart disappeared while trying to fly around the world. Now a cutting edge expedition is trying to find out what happened to her -- and it's calling in an impressive autonomous water-based robot to help find some answers. Here's how.
DARPA’s next robotics competition is an obstacle course in an abandoned mine
Kicking off this week, the DARPA Subterranean Challenge will put 11 robotics teams through their paces in a simulated disaster scenario in a defunct mine system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The ultimate goal is to create robot rescuers able to navigate effectively underground.
NASA wants your help developing autonomous robots to explore other worlds
NASA is asking for your help to create the autonomous robots which could one day explore the moon, Mars, and beyond. It has launched the second phase of its Space Robotics Challenge, searching for bright ideas from the public to develop robots to assist future astronauts on long-duration missions.
The future has arrived. Want proof? Check out these amazing robotic exoskeletons
From Aliens’ Power Loader to the Combat Jackets from Edge of Tomorrow, science fiction is full of amazing assistive robot exosuits that can be worn by humans to increase their capabilities. But real life is fast catching up with sci-fi. Here are some of the most exciting real examples.
Want a robotic tail? Well, Japanese scientists built one for you anyway
Ever wanted a robot tail? Developed by researchers at Keio University in Japan, this artificial biomimicry-inspired tail is designed to help improve the balance of wearers. Here's how it works -- and why its creators think it could one day be used as a serious work tool.
Has science gone too far? This invincible robo-cockroach is impossible to squish
A new cockroach-inspired roachbot can withstand weights of up to 1 million times its body weight. It can also carry heavy loads, climb slopes, and move at speeds of seven body lengths per second. Here's how its creators believe it could one day be used to help save lives.
This robotic ping-pong trainer is basically a mechanized version of Forrest Gump
Table tennis is not a sport that’s particularly easy to practice on your own. That’s where the new Infinity Smart Table Tennis Training Robot, created by iPong and table tennis company veteran Joola, literally comes in to play. Here's how it works -- and where you can get your hands on it.
Saudi prince is planning a futuristic city with robot dinosaurs and flying cars
Want to live in a city featuring drone taxis, A.I. maids, glow-in-the-dark beaches, artificial rain, and robot dinosaurs? It sounds like something straight out of a Michael Crichton techno-thriller, but it’s actually a real proposal by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Micro machines: How the next big thing in robotics is actually quite small
Think that robots need to be the size of a dog or even a full-grown person to be exciting? Not so, as the fast-developing field of micro-robotics demonstrates. As it turns out, in some cases the world's most innovative robots may even be too small for many of us to see.
Toyota shows off mascot robots and tiny autonomous car for Tokyo Olympics
Toyota has shown off seven robots that it says will assist and entertain at the Tokyo Olympics next summer. The collection includes mascot and telepresence robots, as well as a tiny autonomous car to help in field events. The robots form part of Toyota’s efforts to broaden its business beyond just auto sales.
Like the real thing, this robot ant colony is more than the sum of its parts
Researchers from Switzerland's EPFL institute have built a robot ant colony, consisting of tiny 10-gram robots which are able to communicate with one another, assign roles among themselves, and work together to complete tasks. Here's why they could prove to be so useful.
Meet NASA’s climbing robots, able to move through the slipperiest environments
When it comes to exploring far off planets, robots need to be able to tackle all sorts of environmental challenges. NASA has been working on a series of climbing robots to take on different tasks in inhospitable environments, like LEMUR which can climb rock walls using fishhooks in its fingers.
The Rev-1 delivery robot is fast enough to hit the bike lane
Tootling into view is yet another wheel-based delivery robot, this one from U.S. startup Refraction A.I. The autonomous Rev-1 robot is designed for last-mile deliveries, has enough space for around five grocery bags, and is said to be faster and cheaper than many of its rivals.
Move over, Spot. Anymal is a four-legged dog robot with all kinds of new tricks
Boston Dynamics isn’t the only company building impressive dog robots. Swiss robotics company Anybotics has also created its own quadruped robot -- and it's pretty darn impressive. Here's what it's capable of, and the kinds of jobs that it excels at performing.
Researchers have built a robot whose sole mission in life is to pick lettuce
Researchers at the United Kingdom's University of Cambridge have developed an A.I.-powered robot that’s able to identify and pick iceberg lettuce. It joins the growing number of robots that are designed to help harvest fresh produce, ranging from strawberries to cucumbers.
Japanese researchers use deep learning A.I. to get driftwood robots moving
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have figured out a way to take everyday natural objects and get deep reinforcement learning algorithms to figure out how to make them move. Here's how they did it -- and why it's such an exciting development for robotics as we know it.
MIT’s tiny walking robot could eventually build other, bigger robots
A mobile motor created by a team at MIT could change the way we view and build robots. The robot consists of five tiny fundamental parts that have the ability to assemble and disassemble into different functional devices -- with the end goal of having it build other, larger robots.
This artificial muscle is powered just like the real thing, no battery required
Researchers from Germany’s Linköping University have developed an artificial muscle that's powered by glucose and oxygen, just like real biological muscles in the human body. That means, significantly, that no batteries are required for it to function. Here's how it could be used.
Crawler robots and imaging drones will monitor wind turbine blades for damage
By spotting signs of damage early, wind turbine blades can be kept in service for longer. To assist with this task, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed special blade-crawling robots and flying inspection drones. Here's how they could be used to help.
Self-assembling microrobots can be programmed to form a tiny steerable car
Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a new type of self-assembling mobile micromachine that can be programmed to assemble into different formations -- ranging from a tiny car to a miniature rocket. Here's what's next for the project.
Cornell’s lionfish-inspired robot uses artificial blood to stay powered up
Cornell University has developed a swimming robot, modeled on the lionfish, which uses a circulating liquid electrolyte likened by its creators to a kind of robot blood. This allows it to store up energy for use powering itself during long-duration tasks. Here's why that matters.
Check out this clever robot dishwasher, designed for busy restaurants
If you thought we were years away from seeing a restaurant staffed only by robots, then think again. Robot wait staff and robot chefs are already a thing, and now, to complete the setup, we have a high-tech robot dishwasher offering a fast, reliable, and environmentally friendly service.
Tormented robot pulls a gun on its creators in latest Boston Dynamics spoof
Boston Dynamics' remarkable robots often receive a good few shoves in its videos, and the eager mistreatment recently inspired a team of video artists to offer its hilarious take on the matter. And if you've ever felt any empathy for the put-upon robots, you'll be delighted at how this particular video turns out.
This crazy-looking robot uses microspines on its legs to climb up walls
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have built a bioinspired robot called T-RHex, which uses microspines on its feet to grip onto rough surfaces. This allows it to climb up very steep gradients in a way that very few robots have previously been able to do. Check it out.
DJI’s RoboMaster tank-bot can teach code, play games, and shoot beads
DJI’s new RoboMaster S1 is a robot kit designed to entertain and educate kids. It comes packed with features that include an FPV camera, multiple sensors, and app-based remote control. It even has a bead-firing blaster for when negotiations over an allowance raise break down.
Top Oxford researcher talks the risk of automation on employment
The threat of robots and A.I. stealing jobs is hotly debated. In a new book, titled The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation, Oxford professor Dr. Carl Benedikt Frey sorts the truth from the fiction. Dr. Frey spoke with Digital Trends about his findings.
The promise and pitfalls of using robots to care for the elderly
There's something dystopian about the idea of a future in which robots care for the elderly. But is this something we should really fight against? A number of new projects show that a future of caregiving robots and artificial intelligence may be just what the doctor ordered.
Motion-sensing shrubs and robo-Venus flytraps: Inside the world of Cyborg Botany
From motion-sensing plants to a Venus Flytrap you control using a computer interface, Harpreet Sareen is the brains behind a weird field called Cyborg Botany. Here's why he believes that it matters -- and what we can expect from this fast-growing (literally) area in the future.
This plane-pulling robo-dog makes Boston Dynamics’ Spot look scrawny
Man's strongest friend, anyone? A robot dog created by researchers at Italy’s Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) has shown off its impressive ability to pull a three-ton airplane down a runway. In future, its inventors hope that it will be used as a rescue tool by firefighters.
Ford’s bipedal delivery robot can walk straight up to your doorstep
Autonomous wheeled delivery robots are seemingly everywhere in 2019. Oregon-based startup Agility Robotics has a different idea, however. Its cutting edge Digit robot carries out deliveries while walking on two legs. Here's why Agility thinks that's a necessary innovation.