researchers

Heraeus and Aachen University develop ‘fastest-ever’ artificial synapses

June 4, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

The boffins say that the secret is ‘foreign atoms in the oxide layer’ which have so far gone unnoticed by experts

Scientists and researchers from the materials science-oriented technology group Heraeus and the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance have developed what they describe as “artificial synapses” similar to the ones found in the human brain.

The collective of brainboxes say that their discovery could be useful in the development of branches of artificial intelligence, such as machine learning and deep learning.

The boffins discovered how the switching properties of artificial synapses can be specifically influenced. [Read more…] about Heraeus and Aachen University develop ‘fastest-ever’ artificial synapses

Scientists develop ‘flexoskeletons’ that cost a dollar to 3D print

April 10, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new method that doesn’t require any special equipment and works in just minutes to create soft, flexible, 3D-printed robots. (See video below.)

The innovation comes from rethinking the way soft robots are built: instead of figuring out how to add soft materials to a rigid robot body, the UC San Diego researchers started with a soft body and added rigid features to key components.

The structures were inspired by insect exoskeletons, which have both soft and rigid parts – the researchers called their creations “flexoskeletons”. [Read more…] about Scientists develop ‘flexoskeletons’ that cost a dollar to 3D print

Columbia engineers develop ‘tactile robot finger with no blind spots’

February 26, 2020 by Sam Francis Leave a Comment

Researchers at Columbia Engineering say they have developed a new type of robotic finger with a sense of touch. Their finger can localize touch with very high precision – less than 1 mm – over a large, multicurved surface, much like its human counterpart. (See video below.)

Matei Ciocarlie, associate professor in the departments of mechanical engineering and computer science, says: “There has long been a gap between standalone tactile sensors and fully integrated tactile fingers–tactile sensing is still far from ubiquitous in robotic manipulation.”

Ciocarlie led this work in collaboration with Electrical Engineering Professor Ioannis Kymissis. [Read more…] about Columbia engineers develop ‘tactile robot finger with no blind spots’

Iowa scientists create nanoscale sensors to ‘better see how high pressure affects materials’

January 7, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Scientists at Iowa State University have developed new nanoscale technology to image and measure more of the stresses and strains on materials under high pressures.

As the researchers reported in the journal Science, that matters because, “Pressure alters the physical, chemical and electronic properties of matter.”

Understanding those changes could lead to new materials or new phases of matter for use in all kinds of technologies and applications, said Valery Levitas, a paper co-author and Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering at Iowa State University, the Vance Coffman Faculty Chair and professor in aerospace engineering. [Read more…] about Iowa scientists create nanoscale sensors to ‘better see how high pressure affects materials’

Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

December 6, 2019 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

An automated method of conducting materials science research can increase productivity by 384 times when compared to a human, according to researchers.

The robot-plus-software system also makes it easier for people who are not expert researchers or scientists to create new materials.

A Rutgers-led team of engineers has developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. [Read more…] about Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

Lenovo and Intel provide advanced supercomputing infrastructure to Harvard University

November 21, 2019 by Mai Tao Leave a Comment

Lenovo and Intel are providing critical components for Harvard University’s first liquid-cooled supercomputer, while Lenovo is creating a ‘Visionary Council’ to drive broad adoption of exascale technology

The new supercomputing infrastructure will enable discoveries in earthquake forecasting, predictions on the spread of disease, and star formation.

Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Research Computing’s newest supercomputing cluster performs three to four times faster with the upgrade. [Read more…] about Lenovo and Intel provide advanced supercomputing infrastructure to Harvard University

Researchers develop robot fingertips for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions

September 4, 2019 by Mai Tao

A team of researchers at Kanazawa University has developed a robot control system – or fingertips – for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions.

The researchers say that the study was able to verify that “object grasping by soft surface fluid fingertips with high friction was controllable by applying a suitable lubricant”.

However, they added that it was necessary to do more experiments under various conditions in order to apply the current controlling technology to manufacturing environments. [Read more…] about Researchers develop robot fingertips for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions

Scurrying cockroaches help researchers steady staggering robots

August 23, 2019 by David Edwards

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

Want to know how safe your warehouse job is? There’s an app for that

August 20, 2019 by David Edwards

In 2017 there were nearly 350,000 incidents of workers taking sick leave due to injuries affecting muscles, nerves, ligaments or tendons – like carpal tunnel syndrome – according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Among the workers with the highest number of incidents: people who work in factories and warehouses.

Musculoskeletal disorders happen at work when people use awkward postures or perform repeated tasks. These behaviors generate strain on the body over time. So it’s important to point out and minimize risky behaviors to keep workers healthy on the job. [Read more…] about Want to know how safe your warehouse job is? There’s an app for that

Human-robot teams work better ‘when there’s an emotional connection’, say researchers

July 23, 2019 by David Edwards

Humans and robots work better together when there’s an emotional connection, according to a study by the University of Michigan.

The researchers observed that soldiers develop attachments to the robots that help them diffuse bombs in the field. They add that, despite numerous warnings about privacy, “millions of us trust smart speakers like Alexa to listen into our daily lives”.

“Some of us name our cars and even shed tears when we trade them in for shiny new vehicles,” they say. [Read more…] about Human-robot teams work better ‘when there’s an emotional connection’, say researchers