Autonomous

Although autonomous, uncrewed ships are now being trialled, those vessels still need human workers to moor them when they come into port. That could soon change, however, thanks to a new automated suction-based mooring system.

When most of us think of freshly poured concrete, we picture a material that should be left to dry as smooth as possible. A new robot drives right over the stuff, however, gouging its surface to make structures stronger yet also cheaper to build.

The first of 35 driverless trains set for Taiwan's 100% autonomous Light Green Line has been delivered. When complete, the 22.8-km (14-mile) line will shave 30 minutes off the current commute time end to end, from New Taipei City to Taipei.

Back in July, the Japanese government outlined an intriguing idea to connect major cities with what sounded like a giant "conveyor belt" for cargo. Now we have a clearer picture of what that “Auto Flow Road” will look like.

Meet the EV equivalent of a full jerry can – a 141 kilowatt-hour battery charger on wheels, that can autonomously drive itself to wherever it's needed, flexibly extending charging networks and getting much-needed juice to stranded drivers.

Saronic, a defense-technology company based in Austin, Texas, has announced the Corsair, its largest autonomous surface vessel yet. It's a 24-ft-long sleek ship with customizable capabilities that can be deployed in "the thousands" for the US Navy.

In a world first, an autonomous electric ferry began commercial operation in Stockholm last year, transporting up to 25 passengers between islands in the region. Now the vessel has been remotely operated from 600 km away.

Nightmare fuel? Maybe – but in a historic moment for the dental profession, an AI-controlled autonomous robot has performed an entire procedure on a human patient for the first time, about eight times faster than a human dentist could do it.

The ratio of guide dogs to blind people in China is roughly one service pooch for every 40,000 people. Researchers are currently developing a six-legged, AI-enhanced robodog to close the gap and safely guide users to their destinations.

The Japanese government is planning to connect major cities with automated zero-emissions logistics links that can quietly and efficiently shift millions of tons of cargo, while getting tens of thousands of trucks off the road.

In a Stanford lab, researchers took a Unitree H1 humanoid robot, modified it, and used it to copy human movement with a webcam to train it to autonomously do tasks people would do – or don't want to do, like fold laundry.

Clear Robotics is expanding its fleet of autonomous marine trash collectors. Its Class 3 vessel boasts more onboard storage capacity plus towed barge potential for extended cleanup operations, and has also been designed to tackle invasive weeds.