Robotics

When someone has suffered a stroke, they often have difficulty relaying commands from their brain to other parts of their body, such as their limbs. A new robotic system, known as NCyborg, may one day help them regain the ability to do so.

ESA has awarded a contract to Milrem Robotics for a series of projects to provide planetary rovers with a higher degree of autonomy by using the capabilities that Milrem developed for its line of modular military robots.

Scientists in China have developed an artificial skin for prosthetic devices and robotics that changes color in response to force, mimicking the bruising process to offer a visual sign that damage has taken place.

IBM's Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS400) has set sail across the Atlantic ocean without a crew or human control. The autonomous trimaran left Plymouth, England and en route to Plymouth, Massachusetts on a journey expected to take about three weeks.

The Estonian Defence Forces Artillery Battalion gave a glimpse into the battlefield of the future in a live-fire exercise with two Milrem Robotics combat robots that provided troops with situational awareness, support fire, and casualty evacuation.

A few years ago a designer named Dani Clode introduced the world to the Third Thumb, a robotic finger controlled using pressure sensors under one’s feet. Now neuroscientists are using the device to investigate how our brain's adapt to extra limbs.

There are now a number of materials designed to give robots or prostheses a sense of touch. And while most of them are thin and skin-like, a new alternative takes the form of a spongey foam – and it combines several desirable qualities.

The US Army is working on a technique that will allow teams of robots on the battlefield to work together effectively, even when communications become spotty. Called α-shape, the technique helps them to achieve their mission goals without conflict.

Boston Dynamics has revealed its first robot developed specifically for commercial applications. Named Stretch, the robot has been designed for warehouse work, purpose-built for mobile deployment in existing spaces.

ESA has unveiled a spherical robot that may one day be used to explore caves on the Moon. Called the Descent And Exploration in Deep Autonomy of Lunar Underground Structures (DAEDALUS) robot, the spelunking rover is propelled by its extendable arms.

Researchers have managed to create a kind of cyborg, integrating the ear of a locust into a robot. The robot was then able to respond to noises that the biological sensor picked up, which could pave the way for more sensitive and efficient sensors.

Hyundai is adapting its jaw-dropping Elevate platform for unmanned and autonomous missions. The TIGER keeps the chassis design and extraordinary articulating wheels-on-legs, and offers a modular platform to carry loads across the roughest terrains.