Could “hop and roll” be the best way to explore new worlds? NREC researchers are designing spherical robots that combine hopping and rolling to move around in rugged environments. The Robotic All-Terrain Surveyors (RATS) could be used in interplanetary science missions (like exploring low-gravity planets such as Mars) or terrestrial missions in rough terrain (like […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Academic Leaders in Robotics Research Announce Effort To Create National Strategy for Robotics Growth…Atlanta (April 24, 2008) Citing the critical importance of the continued growth of robotics to U.S. competitiveness, 11 universities are taking the lead in developing an integrated national strategy for robotics research. . The United States is the only nation engaged in […]