Robotics news

Japanese researcher unveils 'hummingbird robot'

Electronics / Robotics

Dec 28, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (14) | 2

Japanese researchers said Monday they had developed a "hummingbird robot" that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements.

Cockroaches offer inspiration for running robots

Electronics / Robotics

Dec 28, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (6) | 0

The sight of a cockroach scurrying for cover may be nauseating, but the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel, and is providing researchers at Oregon State University with what they call "bioinspiration" ...

Supermarket robot to help the elderly (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Dec 17, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (6) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Robovie-II, a retail-assistant robot designed to help elderly and disabled people shop in supermarkets, is being tested in Kyoto, in Japan.

Robotic clam digs in mudflats

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 22, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

To design a lightweight anchor that can dig itself in to hold small underwater submersibles, Anette (Peko) Hosoi of MIT borrowed techniques from one of nature's best diggers -- the razor clam.

New study to evaluate robots as exercise trainers (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 19, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Maja Mataric', who directs the University of Southern California Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems, will lead an effort to evaluate robots as exercise coaches for adults of all ages, with a particular focus on the ...

iPhone Software That Controls Robot Movements (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 18, 2009 | 5 / 5 (6) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- At the graduate school of media design at Keio University in Tokyo, a project called "Walky" is under developed. Researchers have developed specifically designed software for the iPhone that ...

Robotic Devices Providing Home-Care Rehabilitation (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 13, 2009 | 5 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of researchers, at Northeastern University, have developed several portable robotic devices to aid in the rehabilitation process of stroke victims. These devices are small enough for ...

Engineers Will Create Planetary Rover From Retinal Implant Test Robot

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 11, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The research, led by Wolfgang Fink, will aid both people with visual impairments and scientists involved in planetary exploration.

UCI robot to aid brain research

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 04, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A robot powered by a computerized model of a rodent brain will help researchers from UC Irvine and UC San Diego understand how people recognize and adapt to change.

Robots primed for 'are you being served' role in Arabic

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 03, 2009 | 3.4 / 5 (5) | 0

A laboratory in the UAE has built what it says is the world's first Arabic-speaking robot which could soon go into mass production to serve as staff in shopping malls.

Robot fish could monitor water quality

Electronics / Robotics

Nov 02, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 2

Nature inspires technology for an engineer and an ecologist teamed up at Michigan State University. They're developing robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments.

New robot skier takes to the slopes (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Oct 23, 2009 | 3.5 / 5 (6) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new robot skier has been invented that can be fitted with off-the-shelf skis. This is not the first skiing robot, since Japanese scientists have produced their own (see PhysOrg.com article here), but is bigger and heavie ...

Robotic Hand That Senses Touch (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Oct 21, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (28) | 10

(PhysOrg.com) -- Developed by researchers at Lund University in Sweden and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy, the Smart Hand project has given patient, Robin af Ekenstam (see video) the sense of touch in ...

iRobot Unveils Morphing Blob Robot (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Oct 15, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (26) | 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- iRobot's latest robot is unique on many levels. The doughy blob moves by inflating and deflating - a new technique its developers call "jamming." As the researchers explain in the video below, ...

South Korea's little firefighting robots (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

Oct 08, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (7) | 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two South Korean firms have developed mini firefighting robots to help human firefighters safely plan their course of action before entering a blazing building.

Household robots do not protect users' security and privacy, researchers say

Electronics / Robotics

Oct 08, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 1

People are increasingly using household robots for chores, communication, entertainment and companionship. But safety and privacy risks of information-gathering objects that move around our homes are not yet adequately addressed, ...

Probing Question: Where are all the cool robots?

Electronics / Robotics

Oct 01, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (7) | 6

(PhysOrg.com) -- For the better part of a century, they’ve promised us robots. From Elektro, the 7-foot metal man of the 1939 World’s Fair, to Rosie the robot maid on "The Jetsons" to the android lieutenant ...

From nature, robots

Electronics / Robotics

Sep 25, 2009 | 5 / 5 (5) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- To a robot designer like Sangbae Kim, the animal kingdom is full of inspiration. "I always look at animals and ask why they are the way they are," says Kim, an assistant professor of mechanical ...