Robotics

A research team has developed an origami-inspired robotic arm that is foldable, self-assembling and also highly-rigid.

The IDTechEx Show! in Berlin, Germany, on April 11-12 is the key meeting place for those involved in technology scouting and product innovation, bringing together emerging technologies with global brands.

Using 3-D printing researchers have successfully mimicked a biological phenomenon in plant leaves called the "Salvinia effect."

A short electric pulse is all it takes to generate and release a powerful vacuum in the blink of an eye. The novel vacuum gripper robot arms to pick up objects and move them around freely in space. The system works without the need for compressed air to generate the vacuum, it is energy efficient, quiet and suitable for use in clean rooms.

Healthcare robots in the homes of independent elderly rural residents may help lessen social isolation and help with medical care, according to new research.

Connecting Emerging Technologies With Global Brands 11 - 12 April 2018 | Estrel Convention Center, Berlin, Germany

A team of scientists has published first-of-its-kind findings on a new method of restoring natural movement sensation in patients with prosthetic arms.

The conference "Off Grid Energy Independence" Berlin April 11-12 will be unique in focussing exclusively on zero emission off grid and fringe-of-grid advances, challenges and prospects globally.

A pair of autonomous robots will soon be driving through miles of pipes at the U.S. Department of Energy's former uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio, to identify uranium deposits on pipe walls.

Researchers have discovered a process for engineering next-generation soft materials with embedded chemical networks that mimic the behavior of neural tissue. The breakthrough material may lead to autonomous soft robotics, dual sensors and actuators for soft exoskeletons, or artificial skins.

Three-dimensional printing offers unique advantages, but still faces many challenges, for fabricating small, flexible robots that can navigate through the human body and other confined spaces.

Electrically conductive films that are optically transparent have a central role in a wide range of electronics applications, from touch screens and video displays to photovoltaics. These conductors function as invisible electrodes for circuit wiring, touch sensing, or electrical charge collection and are typically composed of transparent conductive oxides. But, they have a weakness. Most transparent conductors are mechanically stiff. Stretching the inelastic material causes it to break apart and lose electrical functionality. This inability to support strain greatly limits the role of these existing materials for emerging applications in wearable computing, soft bioelectronics, and biologically-inspired robotics. The displays and touchscreens used in these next-generation technologies will require transparent conductors that are soft, elastic, and highly stretchable. Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Carmel Majidi and his research team have developed conductive thin-films that have the unique combination of properties needed for these next-generation technologies: high electrical conductivity, visual imperceptibility, low mechanical stiffness, and high elasticity.

Traditional robotic arms are caged, operating in robot-only zones. This is changing with the emergence of collaborative robotic arms.

IDTechEx Launchpad will showcase innovations from 21 start-up companies at the IDTechEx Show! held in Berlin, Germany on 11-12 April 2018. All winners will be showing a new working prototype or product, many for the first time.

When it comes to soft assistive devices — like the wearable exosuit being created by the Harvard Biodesign Lab — the wearer and the robot need to be in sync. But every human moves a bit differently, and tailoring the robot's parameters to an individual user is a time-consuming and inefficient process.

For the first time, scientists will deploy a small fleet of long-range autonomous underwater vehicles that have the ability to collect and archive seawater samples automatically. These new robots will allow researchers to track and study ocean microbes in unprecedented detail.

Our research, published in Agricultural Robots and Drones 2018-2038: Technologies, Markets and Players, describes how robotics is transforming the world of agriculture. Indeed, our previous articles have described agricultural robotics and drones could become a $28Bn and $35B industry by 2028 and 2038, respectively. In this article, we seek to demonstrate the diversity of functions, forms and fortunes that exists, and will continue to exist, in agricultural robotics.

Growers concerned about workforce shortages in the wake of Brexit could soon have an alternative solution - robots.

Researchers have taken a key step toward the rapid manufacture of flexible computer screens and other stretchable electronic devices, including soft robots.

Every year thousands of carpenters injure their hands and fingers doing dangerous tasks such as sawing. In an effort to minimize injury and let carpenters focus on design and other bigger-picture tasks, a team has created AutoSaw, a system that lets nonexperts customize different items that can then be constructed with the help of robots.