Boston Dynamics’ clever Handle robot gets an autonomous co-worker
Boston Dynamics' Handle robot has teamed up with a robot from Otto Motors to show how autonomous machines can collaborate to complete tasks in a warehouse.
Digital Trends Live: Apple’s settlement, VR medical training, coronavirus update
On this episode Digital Trends Live, we discuss the biggest stories in tech, including the latest coronavirus updates, and Apple's $500 million settlement.
Flippy the burger-flipping robot is changing the face of fast food as we know it
A robot that flips burgers is coming to a fast food joint near you. And it can do a lot more than that, too. Meet Flippy, the robot superstar of Miso Robotics.
Boston Dynamics’ remarkable robot dog has landed its first gig
Spot the remarkable robot dog has landed its first job, carrying out various tasks for a Norwegian oil producer. The quadruped robot will start work soon.
Want to shake hands with the future? Check out this brain-controlled prosthetic
Shaking hands with BrainCo's artificial intelligence-powered prosthetic hand is like shaking hands with an exciting, optimistic version of the future. Here's what this amazing prosthesis is able to do, and how it promises to transform life for amputees all around the world.
Delta Airlines plans to equip employees with these powerful robotic exoskeletons
Whether it’s heavy luggage or fully aden planes that can weigh in excess of 100,000 pounds, working for an airline can involve shifting some pretty sizable weight. Could high-tech robot exosuits help make everything a little bit easier? Delta Air Lines plans to find out.
SoftBank enters the cafe business with new robot-filled Pepper Parlor
SoftBank is getting into the cafe business. The tech firm has just opened an eatery in Tokyo staffed by lots of its Pepper robots. It says it wants to use the site to help it learn more about how people interact with robots so that it can improve the design of its current high-tech offerings.
Meet OffWorld, the startup that wants to mine the moon with a swarm of robots
Will the future of space exploration involve swarms of smart robots aiding human pioneers by mining for resources, or even autonomously preparing new locations on other planets for human habitation? California-based startup OffWorld certainly thinks so. Here's what it is working on.
Watch MIT’s Mini Cheetahs limber up for the robot apocalypse
The MIT Biomimetics Robotics recently took a number of its talented Mini Cheetah robots for some fun in the park. Take a moment to enjoy the incredible sight of the nine remote-controlled quadrupeds frolicking in the fall leaves, playing soccer, and even performing backflips.
Digital Trends Live: Twitter bans political ads, Netflix speeds up, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we dig into the biggest trending tech topics of the day, including Twitter’s announcement to ban political ads, a new electric SUV, Netflix speeds up, an invisibility filter helps you hide from facial recognition, robot puppies, and more.
Bop it, twist it, pull it, grip it: MIT robot hand can pick up objects with ease
Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have figured out a way to make a robot grasp an object quicker and more efficiently. It can take a robot tens of minutes to plan out the possibilities of the sequence, but with a new algorithm, it takes less than a second.
Digital Trends Live: PlayStation 5 launch date, RIP iTunes, and robot racing
In this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Hanif Jackson dig into the top trending stories in tech, including the PlayStation 5’s 2020 launch, the official death of iTunes, an A.I. robot racing league, NASA’s electric X-57 aircraft, and more.
Digital Trends Live: OnePlus 7, Microsoft’s liquid-filled hinge, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss the biggest trending stories in tech, including the release of the OnePlus 7, Facebook meets with international banks about Libra, Microsoft’s liquid-filled hinge, the world’s largest flying robotic insect, flying car races are coming, and more
Digital Trends Live: Pixel 4 leak, Disney+ begins rollout, fish robots, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Adrien Warner dive into the biggest trending tech topics of the day, including a leak of the Pixel 4, Disney + starts its rollout, a Sega Genesis Mini review, flying fish robots, and more.
Digital Trends Live: Galaxy Fold review, Facebook Dating, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Adrien Warner discuss the biggest trending tech topics of the day, including a review of the Galaxy Fold, the launch of Facebook Dating, classic SNES games available on the Switch, fruit fly robots, and more.
Hyundai workers and crustaceans will soon have at least one thing in common
Hyundai has designed an exoskeleton called VEX for assembly line workers whose job is above them. The robot weighs about five pounds, and it provides roughly 12 pounds of boost. The company got positive feedback from the workers who tested it, so it will start using it in its factories in early 2020.
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.
Amazon and Postmates’ delivery robots heading to more sidewalks in the U.S.
More and more companies are developing autonomous wheel-based robots in an effort to expand their last-mile delivery operations. Amazon and Postmates are two such players aiming to get the most out of the technology, with both companies moving forward with trial deliveries using the machines.
Soft robots can be formed into firm shapes using light and magnets
Soft robots may be the future, but there are challenges with them. Some applications require a stiff material which will hold its shape, and soft materials won't do the job. Now, scientists have come closer to overcoming this challenge by creating soft robots which can be reconfigured into firm shapes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Improved fluidic robot paves the way for untethered soft robotics
Soft robots may be the future of robotics, but there are still many limitations in their design. One big problem is that soft robots generally need to be tethered, meaning that they have to be connected to an external device by wires. Now scientists have taken a first step towards untethering soft robots.
Digital Trends Live: iPod touch update, robotic pets, cyborg botany, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we take a look at the trending stories of the day, including the first iPod touch update in four years, Porsche and IKEA incorporate augmented reality into their apps, robotic pets get an upgrade, NASA lets you follow the Curiosity on Mars, cyborg botany, and more.
This soft and flexible leech-inspired robot can climb walls
A robot called the Longitudinally Extensible Continuum-robot inspired by Hirudinea (LEeCH) can elongate and bend its body to climb walls, just like a leech. It is made from a shower hose with two suction cups attached and is part of a growing trend of soft robots which are flexible and adaptable.
Anki, the startup that made little A.I. robots, is closing down
Anki, a San Francisco-based startup that brought us home robots such as Vector and Cozmo, is reportedly closing down after failing to find further funding to keep the business running. Anki was founded by roboticists from Carnegie Mellon University with a mission to bring objects to life through robotics and A.I.
Russia’s robot news anchor gives human TV presenters hope
Human news anchors anxious about robots taking their jobs will be feeling reassured this week after the appearance on Russian TV of a news-reading android that clearly needs a bit of work. Alex, as it’s called, read various news items, but some in the audience found the robot’s delivery a little on the stilted side.
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.
Robot invasion: Walmart to deploy thousands of automated assistants
Walmart has been testing robot technology at its stores for some time, but now the company is now planning a major rollout of thousands of automated assistants capable of performing a range of routine tasks. The idea is that they'll free up time for human workers so they can spend more time with customers.
Robotic bees are set to invade the International Space Station
There'll be a couple of bees buzzing about the International Space Station in a few weeks' time. OK, they're not real bees, but instead "Astrobees.” Designed by NASA, the compact flying robots are capable of performing routine chores so the crew can focus more on its research activities.
Robot assistants from Toyota and Panasonic gear up for the Tokyo Olympics
As you might expect with a country like Japan, the nation plans to use next year’s Tokyo Olympics to showcase a range of its advanced technologies. Sponsors Toyota and Panasonic are already getting in on the act, recently unveiling several robotic designs that they intend to deploy at the event.
Eat up! This robot is built to feed dinner to people who can’t feed themselves
Engineers have developed a robot that can feed people with disabilities that inhibit them from feeding themselves. Powered by an artificial intelligence algorithm, the system detects pieces of food on a plate, stabs them with a fork, and transports the morsels to a person’s mouth.