Category: Robots

Engineers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, invented the world’s smallest remote-controlled walking robot. The robotic crab can balance on the side of a penny. (Northwestern University) 

By Megan Marples

EVANSTON, Ill. — For these tiny robotic crabs, being small is a virtue.

Engineers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, invented the world’s smallest remote-controlled walking robot, according to research published in the journal Science Robotics.

Each one is about half a millimeter wide, which is smaller than the thickness of a United States penny.

It took a year and a half to create the miniscule metal creatures, said coauthor John A. Rogers, the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University.

His team was comprised of students across varying academic levels who combined critical- and creative-thinking skills to design robots that looked like crabs as well as other animals like inchworms and crickets, he said.

Some students found the sideways motion of crabs to be amusing, which was the inspiration behind the crab robot, Rogers said. The tiny robot can also twist, turn and jump, he added.

Continue reading… “Tiny robotic crabs: Engineers invent the world’s smallest remote-controlled walking robots”

ECHO is part of a scientific project studying climate change’s impact on emperor penguins.

By Teodosia Dobriyanova  

ECHO is a small yellow robot currently living with a colony of emperor penguins in Antarctica. The robot is part of a project by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution studying climate change’s impact on the South Pole’s most iconic inhabitants. Physicist Daniel Zitterbart, who has been working alongside ecologist Céline Le Bohec, tells us about how ECHO works, what the project is trying to achieve, and his hopes for the future.

Continue reading… “In Antarctica, a clunky robot has befriended a colony of penguins”

by Melissa T. Miller

Swedish composer Fredrik Gran programs robotic arms to play bowed instruments like the cello and double bass. He also plays duets with the robots, blurring the lines between the musician and the music itself. The robot arms do make some mechanical noise as they move, but it blends into the sound of the instruments. The robots’ intended purpose is for automated assembly lines in the automotive, healthcare, or food industries, instead, here, they make music. 

All the movements the robots use to make music come from the same abilities they need for their day jobs. But it’s still remarkable to see it applied in this way. It’s automated, but the listener still feels a swell of emotions, and the robots seem to come alive as they play their instruments. We found out about these unique performances thanks to Laughing Squid.

Based on his social media feeds, Gran has experimented with many uses of robotic arms in music. He also uses them to create feedback effects, moving a microphone around other equipment. For a more intense performance of robot music, check out the Instagram video below.

Continue reading… “A CELLO-PLAYING ROBOT MAKES MUSIC WITH ITS HUMAN PROGRAMMER”

By Beatriz Valero de Urquía

Advancements in robotics technology might enable scientists to drill asteroids for precious metals such as iron, nickel and platinum.

The Space Capable Asteroid Robotic Explorer known as Scar-e is a six-legged robot capable of mining precious metals from asteroids. 

Designed by the Asteroid Mining Corporation (AMC) in partnership with Tohoku University in Japan, Scar-e could be the key to opening up the exploration of the solar system, in line with current trends in the launch services market, with a low-cost, highly functional, walking and climbing robot. 

Currently, the world is facing a shortage of precious metals, particularly those vital for the making of consumer electronics such as phones, laptops and cars, as well as battery and hydrogen technology, causing  chaos in supply chains. With only a finite supply of them on Earth, people are increasingly looking to space to meet this increased demand.

Enter Scar-e, a robot capable of gripping onto an asteroid in space to stop it from floating away and drilling it to obtain iron, nickel and platinum.

Continue reading… “Asteroid-mining may be possible with Scar-e robot”

University of Plymouth spinoff Fieldwork Robotics has commercially deployed its raspberry picking robots in two locations in Portugal.

The autonomous robots feature four arms for picking, using sensor technology and grippers to curb harvesting times and reduce slippage. 

Fieldwork is now working to accelerate the robots’ picking speed, aiming for each robot to collect 4 pounds of fruit per hour or more than 25,000 raspberries a day. The average human picking rate of 15,000 in a standard eight-hour working day. The team is also working to cut costs on the design by adapting the materials used for the robots, according to www.iotworldtoday.com

Continue reading… “Autonomous robots can pick up to 25,000 raspberries per day”

ABB Robotics Unveils World’s First Robot-painted Art Car 

ABB Robotics has collaborated with two world-renowned artists, eight year old Indian child prodigy Advait Kolarkar and Dubai-based digital design collective Illusorr, to create the world’s first robot-painted art car. ABB’s award-winning PixelPaint technology has, without human intervention, perfectly recreated Advait’s swirling, monochromatic design as well as Illusorr’s tri-color geometrical patterns.

Equipped with 1,000 nozzles in the printer head, ABB’s IRB 5500 paint robots were able to complete the highly complex artworks in less than 30 minutes. The PixelPaint technology demonstrates unprecedented precision and speed, capturing intricate, elaborate detail that would be impossible to achieve by hand. A film highlighting this world-first achievement can be seen here.

Sami Atiya, president of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business area, commented, “ABB’s PixelPaint technology is more than an evolution–it is a revolution. It’s a shining example of how robotic automation and our RobotStudio software can not only pave the way for more sustainable manufacturing but can also perfectly replicate delicate pieces of art that celebrate the originality and beauty of the human spirit. At a time when consumers want more customized products, PixelPaint is a game changer and allows any design to be replicated in a manner that is both sustainable and affordable.”

ABB’s ground-breaking PixelPaint technology reimagines the paint application process and reflects the growing demand for sustainable personalization in the automotive industry, particularly in exterior paint. Multi-colored car painting has traditionally been a laborious and costly process involving multiple stages of masking and unmasking, but ABB’s technology allows for a detailed, colorful, and exact replication of any design.
Carefully controlled, the paint can be quickly applied in a single application. This breakthrough in the automation of the paint process opens the door to specialized and personalized designs to the automotive market.

Continue reading… “ABB Robotics Unveils World’s First Robot-painted Art Car”

By SHIVALI BEST

• The system uses an anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensor system
• This system can precisely determine changes in magnetic fields
• Hairs on the surface are linked to the sensors, which can detect touch
• The e-skin could be used to make more realistic humanoid robots 

The idea of a robot with hairy arms may sound like a concept from the latest science fiction blockbuster.

But the bizarre invention could soon become a reality, as scientists have taken a major step forward in the development of electronic skin with integrated artificial hairs.

Hairs allow for ‘natural touch’ and let us detect different sensations such as rough and smooth, as well as the direction the touch is coming from.

Researchers from Chemnitz University of Technology say the ‘e-skin’ could have a range of uses in the future, including skin replacement for humans and artificial skin for humanoid robots.

Continue reading… “A hair-raising invention! Scientists are developing a robot with electronic HAIRS that mimic the natural touch of human skin”

The video showcases the robot lifting and putting into position several large components

by Raag Mathur Ramdev

What’s incredibly unique about this robot is that the human who is controlling it, is doing so through VR goggles. While holding on to a pair of handles, the operator is able to move the robot’s arms and hands, thereby performing repairs remotely. 

The West Japan Rail Company has unveiled a giant worker robot that can carry out repairs and other tasks deemed too dangerous for human beings. According to publication New Atlas, the objectives are “to improve productivity and safety”, and allow workers to move around different forms of heavy equipment. When working on repairs or improvements, many railway workers are at risk of electric shocks as well as falling. The robot is controlled by a human being using Virtual Reality.

A video showcasing the robot’s functionality has been posted on the railways’ official Twitter handle.

Continue reading… “Japan To Deploy VR-Controlled Giant Robot For Repairs On Railway Tracks”