Robotics
Latest Stories
Meet the Researcher Who Teaches Robots to High Five Humans
If we're to embrace robots as companions, healthcare assistants, and co-workers, we'll need to communicate with them in a way we understand. Dr. Naomi T. Fitter explains why she's focusing on bi-directional clapping games, like the high five.
Inside the Online-Only Grocer Where Robots Get the Job Done
At UK-based Ocado, robots currently pick and pack the approximately 40,000 orders placed every day via a unique AI-powered grid system. CTO Paul Clarke explains.
Would You Have Sex With a Robot?
A survey from dating site SaucyDates.com asked both men and women that question and found that over a quarter of online daters would give AI a try in the bedroom.
Is Artificial Intelligence Good, Evil, or Both?
AI may help make the roads safer, reduce waste, improve accessibility, stem the spread of misinformation, and more. On the scary side, though, many fear the technology may be used to create more targeted cyberattacks, aid government surveillance, and power killer drones.
Delivery Robot Catches Fire in California
It's not just human delivery drivers feeling the pressure during the holiday season, some delivery robots find it hard to cope, too. This KiwiBot clearly couldn't cope and burst into flames during a delivery run.
Amazon Robot Sprays 54 Workers With Bear Repellent
Five local hospitals were used to treat 24 of the workers, with one remaining in a critical condition. A further 30 workers were treated at the scene for exposure to the spray containing concentrated Capsaican, which is also used in pepper spray.
This Google Research Scientist Helps Robots Make Good Decisions
Robots can help those with mobility issues become more self-sufficient; Dr. Aleksandra Faust from Google Brain Robotics explains how machine learning can supercharge that effort.
Toyota Uses 5G to Remotely Control Avatar-Like Robot
Thanks to 5G, it's now possible to remotely control and walk around as a robot located 10km away with near-instant feedback. Now Toyota needs to identify a resource-rich planet for us to send these robots to so we can remotely battle an alien race for control...
Does Your Kid Want to Code? Try This UnicornBot Kit
Looking for a STEM gift this holiday season? At an LA launch event, we checked out Ubtech's Jimu UnicornBot Kit, which helps kids build a robot version of the mythical creature.
How Many Electronic Toy Robots Did You Have in the 80s?
The 1980s was a fruitful time for robotic buddies and the toys that imitated them. It's no wonder the decade saw so many electronic toy robots hit the market.
How to Create Robots That Can Deal With Unpredictable Humans
At the Human Experience & Agent Teamwork Lab (HEATlab) at Harvey Mudd College, Dr. Jim Boerkoel is working on robots that work for us, not the other way round.
Watch Tiny Flying Robots Work Together to Open a Door
Micro robots that can work together, pull objects 40-times their own weight, and anchor themselves to surfaces using tech inspired by nature might sound futuristic, but they already exist and are called FlyCroTugs.
Anki Vector Review
The Anki Vector is a cute little robot that's part autonomous toy, part voice assistant. It doesn't do much now, but has loads of future potential.
Watch Boston Dynamics' Atlas Robot Do Parkour
Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot has a new skill: parkour, the act of getting from point A to B in the fastest way possible. Watch as it hops over a large log before gracefully scaling three, 15-inch offset platforms with ease.
This Robotic Finger Attaches to Your Phone, Strokes Your Hand
The not-at-all-creepy MobiLimb has joints that allow it to function like a real finger. When attached to the bottom of your phone, it can tickle your wrist, or reach around to caress the back of your hand.
How Advanced Prosthetics Turned This Man Into an 'Emerging Cyborg'
Alec McMorris is an amputee testing out advanced prosthesis with Dr. Tommaso Lenzi at the University of Utah's Bionic Engineering Lab. We stopped by to see how the trial is going.
Japan Created a Robot That Can Install Drywall
The robots really are coming for our jobs and the latest to be under threat are those of construction workers. This robot may have a long way to go before you can leave it drywalling an entire house, but it will get there eventually and take lots of jobs with it.
Cambridge University Develops Robot That Can Peel Lettuce Leaves
In 30 seconds the robot can have a lettuce completely free of leaves, and while it sounds slow at the moment this has big implications for the future of automated farming.
This Robot Might Make Invasive Colonoscopies a Thing of the Past
The University of Utah's Dr. Jake Abbott built an autonomous robot that peeks (painlessly) inside the body. Just swallow a magnetic pill and let the Spherical Actuator Magnetic Manipulator (SAMM) do a sweep over your body.
Robots May Replace A Lot More Human Jobs By 2022
The WEF's "Future of Jobs 2018" report found that 75 million existing jobs will be automated by 2022, and 52 percent of current job tasks will be performed by robots by 2025
