New Atlas

Drones Audio available

Autonomous drone gets the goods on forest fires

Ben Coxworth June 19, 2019

When a forest fire is starting, it's vitally important for firefighting crews to know exactly what it is that they're up against, so they can prepare most effectively. A new Spanish project is helping to make that happen, utilizing an autonomous intel-gathering drone.

The quadcopter is equipped with thermal and optical cameras

Marine

MIT developing autonomous self-docking Roboats to reinvigorate Amsterdam canals

David Szondy June 6, 2019

MIT has unveiled the latest version of the robotic boats it is developing for Amsterdam that are intended to help move passengers and goods along the city's 165 canals in the near future. The new iteration of these "Roboats" has been given the ability to locate and dock with one another.

MIT researchers have given their fleet of autonomous “roboats” the ability to automatically target and clasp ...

Robotics Audio available

Two-legged robot delivers packages to your door

Paul Ridden May 22, 2019

In the near future, delivery truck drivers may be replaced by autonomous vehicles or drones that can take a package right to your door. Ford is looking to this future with a parcel-delivering robot called Digit.

Ford has partnered with Agility Robotics to explore a possible future where autonomous vehicles transport delivery ...

Materials Audio available

Spider hair-inspired sensors could give drones a "spidey-sense"

Michael Irving May 20, 2019

Spider-Man's "spidey-sense" isn't purely fiction – spiders have tiny, sensitive hairs on their legs that help them avoid predators or hunt prey. And now, engineers at Purdue University have developed similar sensors for autonomous cars or drones.

Medical Audio available

Autonomous robotic device helps heal live pigs' hearts

Ben Coxworth April 26, 2019

For some time now, we've seen surgical devices that can be remotely guided within the body. And while they do make surgery more precise, they still have to be continuously operated by a surgeon. Recently, however, a robotic catheter successfully navigated beating pig hearts on its own.

In a procedure known as a paravalvular aortic leak closure, the catheter is used to help ...

Drones Audio available

Rega air rescue drone can autonomously search for missing persons

David Nield April 16, 2019

We've seen autonomous aircraft doing everything from spraying crops to surveying wildlife, and now the Swiss air rescue organization Rega has announced a drone that's capable of searching for and finding missing people all on its own.

The Rega drone can spot signs of missing people and alert rescue teams on the ground

Robotics

SwagBot autonomous agricultural robot to hit the farmers market in 2020

Loz Blain April 9, 2019

Back in 2016, we wrote about the Agerris SwagBot farming robot and its abilities in crop inspection, weed removal and yield counting. Now, having raised US$4.6 million for commercialization, the company is looking to get an AI version of the robot onto the market within a year.

The SwagBot autonomous farm robot has received enough funding to commercialize it by 2020

Space Audio available

Self-driving spacecraft tech to be road-tested as part of planetary defense mission

Michael Irving April 9, 2019

ESA has now detailed the side mission it’s planning for the asteroid-visiting spacecraft Hera. After the main work is complete, the probe will test out some new autonomous navigation systems, which should help future spacecraft get around without relying on ground control all the way back on Earth.

Hera is set to become the first autonomous spacecraft

Robotics Audio available

Pile-driving autonomous robot builds walls in the ground

Ben Coxworth April 8, 2019

Driven into the ground, interlocking metal plates known as sheet piles can keep soil from eroding after rainfall, they can serve as retaining walls on slopes, or perform other functions. Installing them is a laborious process, though, which is why scientists have created a robot to do the job.

The Romu robot, seen here inserting sheet piles in the sand

Robotics Audio available

Autonomous sub seeks plankton patches to save birds

Ben Coxworth March 7, 2019

Phytoplankton aren't just evenly distributed throughout the ocean. Instead, they occur in three-dimensional concentrated patches. A new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is able to find and map those patches, potentially helping to preserve wildlife such as seabirds.

The Harald AUV detects fluorescence that signifies the presence of phytoplankton