Carnegie Mellon University

Teaching robots to sort out their issues

Robots can help do a lot of things - assemble cars, search for explosives, cook a meal or aid in surgery. But one thing they can't do is tell you how they're doing - yet.

Self-healing material a breakthrough for bio-inspired robotics

Many natural organisms have the ability to repair themselves. Now, manufactured machines will be able to mimic this property. In findings published this week researchers have created a self-healing material that spontaneously repairs itself under extreme mechanical damage.

Paint Job Transforms Walls Into Sensors, Interactive Surfaces

Walls are what they are — big, dull dividers. With a few applications of conductive paint and some electronics, however, walls can become smart infrastructure that sense human touch, and detect things like gestures and when appliances are used.

Pipe-crawling robot will help decommission DOE nuclear facility

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.

Invisible, stretchable circuits

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.

Programming drones to fly in the face of uncertainty

Companies have big ideas for drones that can deliver packages right to your door. But even putting aside the policy issues, programming drones to fly through cluttered spaces like cities is difficult. Being able to avoid obstacles while traveling at high speeds is computationally complex, especially for small drones that are limited in how much they can carry onboard for real-time processing.

New 3-D printing technique for manufacturing strain gauges

Have you ever weighed your car at a weighing station on the highway? Have you ever thought about how the deflections in an airplane wing are monitored? Have you ever wondered how engineers monitor the stress and bend of a bridge?

Inner workings of victorious AI

Libratus, an artificial intelligence that defeated four top professional poker players in no-limit Texas Hold'em earlier this year, uses a three-pronged approach to master a game with more decision points than atoms in the universe, researchers report.

Scientists make research 'jelly' grow more like biological tissues

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have found a way to direct the growth of hydrogel, a jelly-like substance, to mimic plant or animal tissue structure and shapes.

Air-breathing battery can store electricity for months

Wind and solar power are increasingly popular sources for renewable energy. But intermittency issues keep them from connecting widely to the grid.

Snake robot used in search for Mexico quake survivors

Researchers deployed a snake-like robot to search for trapped survivors in a Mexico City apartment building that collapsed in the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that shook the city September 19.

Machine-learning system enables smoother streaming

We've all experienced two hugely frustrating things on YouTube: our video either suddenly gets pixelated, or it stops entirely to rebuffer. Both happen because of special algorithms that break videos into small chunks that load as you go.

Revolutionising animated characters' speech

Animating the speech of characters such as Elsa and Mowgli has been both time-consuming and costly. But now computer programmers have identified a way of creating natural-looking animated speech that can be generated in real-time as voice actors deliver their lines.

Interactive tool helps novices and experts make custom robots

A new interactive design tool enables both novices and experts to build customized legged or wheeled robots using 3D-printed components and off-the-shelf actuators.

Using distinctive body locations to control mobile devices

Researchers are placing ultra-thin, electronic tattoos on distinctive body locations. The user can touch, squeeze or pull them, and thereby intuitively control mobile devices such as a music player, or easily make indicators light up.

Low-cost touch sensing added to objects of almost any shape

Touch sensing is most common on small, flat surfaces such as smartphone or tablet screens. Researchers, however, turn surfaces of a wide variety of shapes and sizes into touchpads using tools as simple as a can of spray paint.

Stretchable rubber packs a thermal conductive punch

Researchers have developed a thermally conductive rubber material that represents a breakthrough for creating soft, stretchable machines and electronics.

Flying robot is the newest expert inspecting your city's bridges

Researchers have joined forces to develop the Aerial Robotic Infrastructure Analyst. This tabletop-sized drone uses photo and video capture techniques, as well as state-of-the-art laser scanners, to create a high-resolution 3-D model of the bridge, which can then be safely analyzed by an inspector on the ground.

Spherical induction motor eliminates robot's mechanical drive system

The spherical induction motor eliminates the mechanical drive systems that each used on previous ballbots. Because of this extreme mechanical simplicity, SIMbot requires less routine maintenance and is less likely to suffer mechanical failures.

Making energy harvesting computers reliable

A revolutionary and emerging class of energy-harvesting computer systems require neither a battery nor a power outlet to operate, instead operating by harvesting energy from their environment.