Robotics & Automation News

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MIT CSAIL’s robo-starfish enables closer study of aquatic life

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Scientists have invented a ‘robo-starfish’ which give us more insights into aquatic life, as Adam Conner-Simons, or MIT CSAIL, reports. (See video below.)

Biologists have long experienced the challenges of documenting ocean life, with many species of fish proving quite sensitive to the underwater movements of humans.

As a possible solution, computer scientists have been developing special marine robots that can stealthily move among their carbon-based counterparts. In 2018, for example, a team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) fabricated a soft robotic fish that autonomously swam with real fish along the coral reefs of Fiji.

However, the complex dynamics of how water moves – and its ability to quickly ruin some perfectly good electronics systems – have made underwater robots especially difficult to develop compared to ones for air or land. [Read more…] about MIT CSAIL’s robo-starfish enables closer study of aquatic life

Millions of microscopic robots could be used to fight diseases inside the body

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By David Nutt, Cornell University

Millions of tiny little robots, like the ones unveiled by scientists at Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania, could be used to fight diseases inside the human body.

The researchers have built microscopic robots that consist of a simple circuit made from silicon photovoltaics – essentially the torso and brain – and four electrochemical actuators that function as legs.

When laser light is shined on the photovoltaics, the robots walk. [Read more…] about Millions of microscopic robots could be used to fight diseases inside the body

Scurrying cockroaches help researchers steady staggering robots

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Ew, a cockroach! But it zips off before the swatter appears. Now, researchers have leveraged the bug’s superb scurrying skills to create a cleverly simple method to assess and improve locomotion in robots.

Normally, tedious modeling of mechanics, electronics, and information science is required to understand how insects’ or robots’ moving parts coordinate smoothly to take them places.

But in a new study, biomechanics researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology boiled down the sprints of cockroaches to handy principles and equations they then used to make a test robot amble about better. [Read more…] about Scurrying cockroaches help researchers steady staggering robots

Hyundai walking car concept for the ‘first responder’ industry

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Any first responder will tell you that the first 72 hours following a natural disaster are the most crucial to saving lives.

However, often times due to the nature of the disaster (forest fire, earthquake, hurricane, or flood), it can be difficult for search-and-rescue and humanitarian aid missions to reach and get immediate help to those in need.

The need for efficient, rapid, resilient transportation for disaster assistance is what led Hyundai to develop the first-ever vehicle with moveable legs.

[Read more…] about Hyundai walking car concept for the ‘first responder’ industry