Robotics

In recent years, fish farms have increasingly started using underwater ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) for cleaning the nets that enclose their fish pens. A relatively new one, the StealthCleaner, has a unique triangular form factor.

The uniquely efficient movement of jellyfish has made them a popular model of study for robotics researchers, and scientists are now showing off a new machine inspired by these creatures that uses air channels to swim at great speeds.

When stroke patients are recovering from paralysis, therapists often guide their arms through the lost motions, helping their nervous system to "relearn" the actions. The task can be a demanding one, though, which is where Harmony SHR comes in.

A sloth-inspired robot has swung into action in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, albeit at a very slow pace, demonstrating how it can monitor animals, plants and environmental conditions, with an eye on assisting conservation efforts around the world.

As many of you may have just read, Boston Dynamics' Spot quadruped robot is now commercially available – for a cool US$75,000. If that's a little outside of your budget, then you might be more interested in the much cheaper open-source Solo 8.

Boston Dynamics revealed plans to launch commercial sales of its Spot robot last year, and after an eventful interim that saw it leased out for work on oil rigs and farms, the dog-like quadruped is now available to buy via the company’s website.

While legged robots are able to perform feats such as climbing stairs, their wheeled counterparts are faster and less complex. The Ascento robot offers the best of both worlds, as it has two jumping legs – each one with a wheel on the bottom.

Previously Salto the one-legged robot liked to keep on the hop since it had trouble coming to a stop without falling over – no surprise without another leg to fall back on. Now it's nailing its landings, with its jumping accuracy also benefitting.

As we continue to explore other planets, we're going to want to know not only what's on their surface, but also what's underneath it. That's where the Mole-bot comes in – it's a robot that autonomously tunnels its way through the ground.

Powdery mildew is a widespread fungal disease that attacks many crops. And while it typically has to be treated using fungicides, special ultraviolet light-emitting robots could soon prove to be a better way to go.

Back in 2015 we looked at an interesting approach to automated construction in the form of a brick-laying robot, which has just recorded a new record brick-laying speed said to make it commercially competitive with manual workers around the globe.

Engineers at the Fraunhofer Italia Innovation Engineering Center (IEC) in Bolzano, Italy, are developing software that would enable a robot assistant to carry out autonomous logistics tasks on construction sites.