Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Science

Can 3D printed organs alleviate shortages of kidneys for transplants?

by

Rising kidney transplant demands underscore a pressing global health concern. While 3D-printed organs promise a potential solution, challenges in printing speed and accuracy persist. In this Q&A interview, Vidmantas Šakalys of Vital 3D provides valuable insights and hints at a “transformative solution on the horizon”.

The increasing demand for organ transplants paints a dire picture of the global health industry. According to the Global Observatory of Donation and Transplantation, 2021 witnessed an overwhelming 144,301 organ transplants, marking an 11.3 percent surge from 2020 with this number gradually increasing each year. Alarmingly, out of this figure, approximately two-thirds were kidney transplants.

In the United States alone, out of almost 90,000 US citizens on the wait list for a kidney transplant in a given year, only around 25,000 receive one, with 17 individuals losing their battle against time every day, succumbing to the consequences of extended waiting periods. [Read more…] about Can 3D printed organs alleviate shortages of kidneys for transplants?

Carnegie Mellon researchers demo robotic hand costing less than $2,000

by

With prices ranging from $16,000 to $150,000, the cost of robotic hands has stunted progress in manipulation research.

Even as machine learning and artificial intelligence enable robots to acquire more skills and accomplish more tasks, the lack of suitable, reliable and affordable hardware has limited the transfer of these gains out of simulation and into the real world.

For example, robotic hands that can mimic a human’s more closely than the more affordable grippers currently used in labs can operate the same tools as people and accomplish more tasks. [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon researchers demo robotic hand costing less than $2,000

Washington university scientists build tiny, self-driving robot powered only by light and radio waves

by

Small mobile robots carrying sensors could perform tasks like catching gas leaks or tracking warehouse inventory. But moving robots demands a lot of energy, and batteries, the typical power source, limit lifetime and raise environmental concerns.

Researchers have explored various alternatives: affixing sensors to insects, keeping charging mats nearby, or powering the robots with lasers. Each has drawbacks. Insects roam. Chargers limit range. Lasers can burn people’s eyes.

Researchers at the University of Washington have now created MilliMobile, a tiny, self-driving robot powered only by surrounding light or radio waves. [Read more…] about Washington university scientists build tiny, self-driving robot powered only by light and radio waves

Worcester Polytechnic invents robot lizard to ‘sneak into small spaces’

by

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have partnered with the City of Worcester to develop a lizard-like soft robot that can creep into walls, ductwork, and pipes to perform inspections and three-dimensional mapping tasks that could be dangerous or impossible for humans.

Funded by a $50,000 National Science Foundation grant, the team – Cagdas Onal, Paul Mathisen, Yunus Telliel, and Berk Calli – collaborated with students and city officials to design the slender and deformable robot, which can get into tight spaces much less invasively than current methods allow.

The team built the prototype robot – an “origami” design made of plastic, 3D-printed, and laser-machined parts, custom circuit boards, a miniature computer, sensors, a few metal parts and motors – and tested it in locations across the city that included City Hall and the Worcester Senior Center. [Read more…] about Worcester Polytechnic invents robot lizard to ‘sneak into small spaces’

Purdue thermal imaging innovation allows AI to ‘see through pitch darkness like broad daylight’

by

Researchers at Purdue University are advancing the world of robotics and autonomy with their patent-pending method that improves on traditional machine vision and perception.

Zubin Jacob, the Elmore Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and research scientist Fanglin Bao have developed HADAR, or heat-assisted detection and ranging.

Their research was featured on the cover of the July 26 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Nature. A video about HADAR is available on YouTube. Nature also has released a podcast episode that includes an interview with Jacob. [Read more…] about Purdue thermal imaging innovation allows AI to ‘see through pitch darkness like broad daylight’

Plymouth university students design and build ‘scarecrow’ robots to protect wildlife

by

Plymouth State University (PSU) students in their “Spring 2023 Industrial Robotics” course began work on a multi-semester project to bring new life to a pair of robots belonging to Casella Waste Systems, which has used six of these robots to ward off wildlife at their Bethlehem, New Hampshire landfill for roughly the past four years.

The project will continue during the next school year, providing a hands-on learning experience in a partnership that will benefit students, Casella, and ultimately regional wildlife.

The partnership between Plymouth State University’s first-in-the-state Robotics bachelor’s degree program and Casella was created in the hopes of bringing many of these robots, which use obsolete systems and have fallen into general disrepair, back into peak working order. [Read more…] about Plymouth university students design and build ‘scarecrow’ robots to protect wildlife

MIT scientists find new way to help robots handle fluids

by

Researchers create new simulation tool for robots to manipulate complex fluids in a step towards helping robots more effortlessly assist with daily tasks that deal with liquids

Imagine you’re enjoying a picnic by a riverbank on a windy day. (Why you chose to do this on a windy day was your own poor decision).

A gust of wind accidentally catches your paper napkin and lands on the water’s surface, quickly drifting away from you. You grab a nearby stick and carefully agitate the water to retrieve it, creating a series of small waves.

These waves eventually push the napkin back towards the shore, so you grab it. In this scenario, the water acts as a medium for transmitting forces, enabling you to manipulate the position of the napkin without direct contact. [Read more…] about MIT scientists find new way to help robots handle fluids

Columbia scientists build ‘highly dexterous robot hand that can operate in the dark – just like humans’

by

Columbia university engineers design a robot hand (video below) that is the first device of its kind to join advanced sense of touch with motor-learning algorithms – it doesn’t rely on vision to manipulate objects

Think about what you do with your hands when you’re home at night pushing buttons on your TV’s remote control, or at a restaurant using all kinds of cutlery and glassware. 

These skills are all based on touch, while you’re watching a TV program or choosing something from the menu. Our hands and fingers are incredibly skilled mechanisms, and highly sensitive to boot.

Robotics researchers have long been trying to create “true” dexterity in robot hands, but the goal has been frustratingly elusive. Robot grippers and suction cups can pick and place items, but more dexterous tasks such as assembly, insertion, reorientation, packaging and so on have remained in the realm of human manipulation. [Read more…] about Columbia scientists build ‘highly dexterous robot hand that can operate in the dark – just like humans’

ETH scientists create one-wheel robot that balances with only a single reaction wheel

by

Robotics specialists from a group led by ETH professor Raffaello D’Andrea have created a new, cube-​shaped robot that can balance on its pivot and compensate for external disturbances.

What makes the One-​Wheel Cubli unique? Unlike its predecessors, it only requires a single reaction wheel.

It was almost ten years ago that researchers led by ETH robotics professor Raffaello D’Andrea made a splash with a robotic cube that was capable of balancing on its pivot. [Read more…] about ETH scientists create one-wheel robot that balances with only a single reaction wheel

A legged robotic system for playing soccer on various terrains

by

The new system enables a quadruped robot to dribble a soccer ball on landscapes such as sand, gravel, mud, and snow, using reinforcement learning to adapt to varying ball dynamics

If you’ve ever played soccer with a robot, it’s a familiar feeling. Sun glistens down on your face as the smell of grass permeates the air. You look around. A four-legged robot is hustling towards you, dribbling with determination.

While not a common occurrence for many, nor anything close to a well-matched adversary to Lionel Messi, it’s an impressive in-the-wild dribbling system nonetheless.

Researchers from MIT’s Improbable Artificial Intelligence Lab, part of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory developed a legged robotic system that can dribble a soccer ball under the same conditions as humans. [Read more…] about A legged robotic system for playing soccer on various terrains