Robotics

If you're making a small robot that can explore tight spaces, it would be good if that device could also shimmy its way through narrow gaps. An experimental new robot can do just that, by emulating a caterpillar.

No single robot can perform all tasks, yet bringing a bunch of different robots along on Moon missions would be quite inefficient. The WORMS setup offers an alternative, in the form of components that can be mixed and matched to make whatever robot is needed.

In order to reach their full potential, soft robotic devices can't just consist of rigid electronic components encased in squishy rubber. A new material could help in that regard, as it's soft, self-healing and electrically conductive.

In order to see how well a corn plant is performing photosynthesis, you need to check the angle of its leaves relative to its stem. And while scientists ordinarily have to do so with a protractor, a new robotic system can now do the job much quicker.

As part of its 2023 Investor Day, Tesla has given the world a glimpse of where progress is at with its latest-gen Optimus humanoid robot. Nineteen months since it was first announced, the Tesla Bot is now walking, picking things up and doing basic tasks.

Earthworms move through the soil not just by wriggling around, but by sending peristaltic waves down their bodies. A new robot, which employs that same strategy, could one day be used in underground exploration or even search-and-rescue missions.

Students with learning disabilities struggle often require additional, individualized support to fill educational gaps. A team of researchers and experts have found that a cute little robot may help children with learning disabilities stay focused.

Robots that move across both land and water are potentially very useful, but they also tend to be complex and rather slow. A new bio-inspired amphibious bot, however, utilizes a relatively simple mechanism to undulate at a good clip.

A remarkable group of drone prototypes from a team at the University of Tokyo takes multirotor complexity to the next level. These hypnotic flying robots are able to change their structural shape mid-air, creating some unprecedented capabilities.

From MRIs to x-rays and sonograms, the medical community has a lot of ways to see beneath our skin. Now, researchers have created a robotic finger that may offer another way to analyze our human form – by poking and prodding it.

If you're designing robots for the exploration of oceans on other planets, you want something that's tough, versatile and easy to store in a spacecraft. It turns out that soft-bodied robots inspired by a marine organism may be the perfect choice.

Bioinspired underwater robots that swim by undulating their bodies may be more energy-efficient than their rigid counterparts, but they're also quite difficult to build. That could soon change however, thanks to a new modular robotics system.

There was a time when quadruped robots were only available to deep-pocketed corporate clients, but we're now seeing less-pricey miniature models hitting the market. One of the latest, the XGO 2, is the first such mini-bot to sport a robotic arm.

If a robot is going to be tiny, then it better have a way of getting around the many obstacles that will block its way. A new type of robot takes a unique approach to doing so, by jumping like a click beetle.

Back in 2012, we heard about tiny biped "biobot" robots that used actual muscle tissue to walk. Well, the descendants of those bots are now equipped with LEDs, which allow them to be remotely steered in a practical fashion.