Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Click beetle-inspired robots jump using elastic energy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have made a significant leap forward in developing insect-sized jumping robots capable of performing tasks in the small spaces often found in mechanical, agricultural and search-and-rescue settings. A new study demonstrates a series of click beetle-sized robots small enough to fit into tight spaces, powerful enough to maneuver over obstacles and fast enough to match an insect's rapid escape time.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New soft robots poised to be more agile, controlled      (via sciencedaily.com) 

One of the virtues of untethered soft robots is their ability to mechanically adapt to their surroundings and tasks. Now they are poised to become even more agile and controlled.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Squid tissues and chemistry combine for versatile hydrogels      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The natural abilities of squid tissues and the creativity of chemists combine to take hydrogel research in new directions.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

'Smart' walking stick could help visually impaired with groceries, finding a seat      (via sciencedaily.com) 

For people who are blind or visually impaired, finding the right products in a crowded grocery store can be difficult without help. A team of computer scientists is trying to change that.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

How to push, wiggle, or drill an object through sand      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers developed a faster and simpler way to model the forces needed to push, wiggle, and drill an object through soft, granular material in real-time. The methods could help engineers drive a rover over Martian soil, anchor a ship in rough seas, and walk a robot through sand and mud.

Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Microelectronics give researchers a remote control for biological robots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

First, they walked. Then, they saw the light. Now, miniature biological robots have gained a new trick: remote control. The hybrid 'eBiobots' are the first to combine soft materials, living muscle and microelectronics, said researchers.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A precision arm for miniature robots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Until now, microscopic robotic systems have had to make do without arms. Now researchers have developed an ultrasonically actuated glass needle that can be attached to a robotic arm. This lets them pump and mix minuscule amounts of liquid and trap particles.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Feathered robotic wing paves way for flapping drones      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Birds fly more efficiently by folding their wings during the upstroke, according to a recent study. The results could mean that wing-folding is the next step in increasing the propulsive and aerodynamic efficiency of flapping drones.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Words prove their worth as teaching tools for robots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

What is the best way to teach a robot? Sometimes it may simply be to speak to it clearly. Researchers found that human-language descriptions of tools can accelerate the learning of a simulated robotic arm lifting and using a variety of tools.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

The physical intelligence of ant and robot collectives      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers took inspiration from ants to design a team of relatively simple robots that can work collectively to perform complex tasks using only a few basic parameters.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Should we tax robots?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A small tax on robots, as well as on trade generally, will help reduce income inequality in the U.S., according to economists.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Virtual reality game to objectively detect ADHD      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A virtual reality game offers an objective assessment of attention deficit disorders and may lead to an improved therapeutic approach.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New software based on Artificial Intelligence helps to interpret complex data      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Experimental data is often not only highly dimensional, but also noisy and full of artefacts. This makes it difficult to interpret the data. Now a team has designed software that uses self-learning neural networks to compress the data in a smart way and reconstruct a low-noise version in the next step. This enables it to recognize correlations that would otherwise not be discernible. The software has now been successfully used in photon diagnostics at the FLASH free electron laser at DESY. But it is suitable for very different applications in science.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New winged robot can land like a bird      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a method that allows a flapping-wing robot to land autonomously on a horizontal perch using a claw-like mechanism. The innovation could significantly expand the scope of robot-assisted tasks.

Energy: Batteries Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Designing better battery electrolytes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists give the lay of the land in the quest for electrolytes that could enable revolutionary battery chemistries.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

When using virtual reality as a teaching tool, context and 'feeling real' matter      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Psychologists had people learn words from two phonetically similar languages in virtual reality environments. Those who learned each language in its own unique context mixed up fewer words and were able to recall 92% of the words they had learned. In contrast, participants who had learned both sets of words in the same VR context were more likely to confuse terms between the two languages and retained only 76% of the words. Regardless of group, those participants who felt immersed in the VR world remembered more than those who did not feel immersed.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Researchers develop wireless, ultrathin 'Skin VR' to provide a vivid, 'personalized' touch experience in the virtual world      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Enhancing the virtual experience with the touch sensation has become a hot topic, but today's haptic devices remain typically bulky and tangled with wires. Researchers have now developed an advanced wireless haptic interface system, called WeTac, worn on the hand, which has soft, ultrathin soft features, and collects personalized tactile sensation data to provide a vivid touch experience in the metaverse.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New robot does 'the worm' when temperature changes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new gelatinous robot that crawls, powered by nothing more than temperature change and clever design, brings 'a kind of intelligence' to the field of soft robotics.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Molecular shape-shifting      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Structures made out of building blocks can shift their shape and autonomously self-organize to a new configuration. The physicists revealed this mechanism which may be used to actively manipulate molecular organization. A seed of the novel desired configuration is sufficient to trigger reorganization. This principle can be applied on to biological building blocks which are constantly recycled to form new structures in living systems.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Model shows how intelligent-like behavior can emerge from non-living agents      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new model describes how biological or technical systems form complex structures equipped with signal-processing capabilities that allow the systems to respond to stimulus and perform functional tasks without external guidance.