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Duke computer science professor and colleagues’ creations dance on something smaller than a pin’s head. Microscopic robots crafted to maneuver separately without any obvious guidance are now assembling into self-organized structures after years of continuing research led by a Duke University computer scientist.”It’s marvelous to be able to do assembly and control at this fine a resolution with such very, very tiny things,” said Bruce […] Read More

The space shuttle’s 45-foot robotic arm may look simple and automatic as it gracefully lifts a multi-ton satellite from the cargo bay and lets it drift off into space…Far from it…Controlling the spindly arm is a delicate process of manipulating multi-axis joysticks with both hands simultaneously — a feat that makes rubbing your stomach while patting your head seem like, well, child’s play.. For years, […] Read More

Mechanical locomotion principles from jumping insects applied to microrobots. Researchers from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL are unveiling a novel, grasshopper-inspired jumping robot at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation today in Pasadena, California.The robot weighs a miniscule 7 grams, and can jump 1.4 meters, or more than 27 times its body size — ten times farther for its size and […] Read More