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Categories: Ecology: General, Engineering: Robotics Research
Published Preschoolers prefer to learn from a competent robot than an incompetent human
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers found that preschoolers prefer learning from what they perceive as a competent robot over an incompetent human. This study is the first to use both a human speaker and a robot to see if children deem social affiliation and similarity more important than competency when choosing which source to trust and learn from.
Published Meet the hybrid micro-robot: The tiny robot that is able to navigate in a physiological environment and capture targeted damaged cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a hybrid micro-robot, the size of a single biological cell (about 10 microns across), that can be controlled and navigated using two different mechanisms -- electric and magnetic. The micro-robot is able to navigate between different cells in a biological sample, distinguish between different types of cells, identify whether they are healthy or dying, and then transport the desired cell for further study, such as genetic analysis.
Published Habitat will dictate whether ground beetles win or lose against climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) The success of North American crops from corn to Christmas trees partly depends on a relatively invisible component of the food web -- ground beetles. Nearly 2,000 species of ground beetle live in North America. New research shows that some of these insects could thrive while others could decline as the climate changes. The team found that the response will largely depend on the species' traits and habitats and could have significant implications for conservation efforts.
Published Robot caterpillar demonstrates new approach to locomotion for soft robotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dip under narrow spaces. The caterpillar-bot's movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the way the robot bends, allowing users to steer the robot in either direction.
Published Biodegradable artificial muscles: Going green in the field of soft robotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have developed fully biodegradable, high-performance artificial muscles. Their research project marks another step towards green technology becoming a lasting trend in the field of soft robotics.
Published Simulated terrible drivers cut the time and cost of AV testing by a factor of one thousand
(via sciencedaily.com) The push toward truly autonomous vehicles has been hindered by the cost and time associated with safety testing, but a new system shows that artificial intelligence can reduce the testing miles required by 99.99%.
Published Going beyond English is critical for conservation
(via sciencedaily.com) Research in languages other than English is critically important for biodiversity conservation and is shockingly under-utilized internationally, according to an international research team.
Published Biodiversity amid climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Fewer parasites in U.S. waters might be seen by many as a good thing, but a biologist says the trend signals potential danger for fish and other wildlife.
Published Head-worn device can control mobile manipulators
(via sciencedaily.com) New research aims to increase autonomy for individuals with such motor impairments by introducing a head-worn device that will help them control a mobile manipulator. Teleoperated mobile manipulators can aid individuals in completing daily activities, but many existing technologies like hand-operated joysticks or web interfaces require a user to have substantial fine motor skills to effectively control them. Research led by robotics Ph.D. student Akhil Padmanabha offers a new device equipped with a hands-free microphone and head-worn sensor that allows users to control a mobile robot via head motion and speech recognition.
Published Coffee plantations limit birds' diets
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study explores a record of birds' diets preserved in their feathers and radio tracking of their movements to find that birds eat far fewer invertebrates in coffee plantations than in forests, suggesting that the disturbance of their ecosystem significantly impacts the birds' dietary options.
Published Mind-control robots a reality?
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed biosensor technology that will allow you to operate devices, such as robots and machines, solely through thought control.
Published A sowing, pruning, and harvesting robot for SynecocultureTM farming
(via sciencedaily.com) Synecoculture, a new farming method, involves growing mixed plant species together in high density. However, it requires complex operation since varying species with different growing seasons and growing speeds are planted on the same land. To address this need, researchers have developed a robot that can sow, prune, and harvest plants in dense vegetation growth. Its small, flexible body will help large-scale Synecoculture. This is an important step towards achieving sustainable farming and carbon neutrality.
Published 3D-printed revolving devices can sense how they are moving
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers created a system that enables makers to incorporate sensors directly into rotational mechanisms with only one pass in a 3D printer. This gives rotational mechanisms like gearboxes the ability to sense their angular position, rotation speed, and direction of rotation.
Published Electronic skin as flexible as crocodile skin
(via sciencedaily.com) A research team has developed a crocodile-skin-inspired omnidirectionally stretchable pressure sensor.
Published How fishermen benefit from reversing evolution of cod
(via sciencedaily.com) Intense fishing and over-exploitation have led to evolutionary changes in fish stocks like cod, reducing both their productivity and value on the market. These changes can be reversed by more sustainable and far-sighted fisheries management. A new study shows that reversal of evolutionary change would only slightly reduce the profit of fishing, but would help regain and conserve natural genetic diversity.
Published Bigger flowers, greater rewards: Plants adapt to climate disruptions to lure pollinators
(via sciencedaily.com) There's been a well-documented shift toward earlier springtime flowering in many plants as the world warms. The trend alarms biologists because it has the potential to disrupt carefully choreographed interactions between plants and the creatures -- butterflies, bees, birds, bats and others -- that pollinate them.
Published Resilient bug-sized robots keep flying even after wing damage
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed resilient artificial muscles that can enable insect-scale aerial robots to effectively recover flight performance after suffering severe damage.
Published Researchers control the degree of twist in nanostructured particles
(via sciencedaily.com) Micron-sized 'bow ties,' self-assembled from nanoparticles, form a variety of different curling shapes that can be precisely controlled, a research team has shown.
Published Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots
(via sciencedaily.com) The Walking Oligomeric Robotic Mobility System, or WORMS, is a reconfigurable, modular, multiagent robotics architecture for extreme lunar terrain mobility. The system could be used to assemble autonomous worm-like parts into larger biomimetic robots that could explore lava tubes, steep slopes, and the moon's permanently shadowed regions.
Published Robots can help improve mental wellbeing at work -- as long as they look right
(via sciencedaily.com) Robots can be useful as mental wellbeing coaches in the workplace -- but perception of their effectiveness depends in large part on what the robot looks like.