Robotics News
How Boston Dynamics’ robots learned to dance
By now you’ve likely seen Boston Dynamics’ latest viral video in which its Atlas, Handle, and Spot robots dance to The Contours’ “Do You Love Me?” If you haven’t, or if you want to watch it again, watch it here. One of the more common questions I received after...
Researchers develop powerful optical neuromorphic processor
Dr. Xingyuan Xu with the integrated optical microcomb chip, which forms the core part of the optical neuromorphic processor. | Credit: Swinburne University An international team of researchers, led by Swinburne University of Technology, demonstrated what it claimed is...
How the Army is improving reinforcement learning for robots
Army researchers reduced the unpredictability of current reinforcement learning policies so they are more applicable to ground robots. These learning components will permit autonomous robots to reason and adapt to changing conditions. | Credit: U.S. Army Multi-domain...
Watch Boston Dynamics’ robots tear up the dance floor
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Neural network plus motion planning equals more useful robots, finds UC Berkeley
Researchers have developed software that combines deep learning neural networks with motion planning optimization to rapidly compute how to quickly and smoothly grasp and move objects. Credit: Adam Lau, UC Berkeley In the past year, lockdowns and other COVID-19 safety...
How 3D vision systems can meet the demands of industrial automation applications
PhoXi 3D scanner. Source: Photoneo As mobile robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles move into challenging environments, developers must consider several factors when building or choosing 3D vision systems that can provide high performance. The post How 3D vision...
Unlimited Tomorrow designs personalized prosthetics to empower amputees
Early prototypes were built around a glove, with all the control electronics clumsily housed wth it. Once the designs were proven, focus quickly shifted to aesthetics and operation. Source: Unlimited Tomorrow When Easton LaChappelle of Unlimited Tomorrow started...
BIONIK Laboratories applies robotics, AI, and data analysis to neurological rehabilitation
InMotion combines robotics and AI for physical therapy. Source: BIONIK Laboratories Between March and June, U.S. hospitals and healthcare systems collectively lost about $51 billion per month because of decreased patient volume and concerns about personal protective...
Upgraded radar could let autonomous vehicles see in bad weather
A new kind of radar could make it possible for self-driving cars to navigate safely in bad weather. Electrical engineers at the University of California San Diego developed a clever way to improve the imaging capability of existing radar sensors so that they...
Metamaterials could lead to transforming robots, say U.S. Army, MIT researchers
The U.S. Army and MIT’s way of linking metamaterials makes building a supermileage vehicles, like this one from collaborators Toyota Automotive Society, possible. Source: Kohshi Katoh, Toyota Automotive Society Scientists from the U.S. Army and the Center for Bits and...
NASA Supercomputers Crunch Safety Procedures for Future Moon Landing
The last moon landing occurred nearly half a century ago, in December of 1972. NASA’s Artemis III mission is looking to change that, with the agency planning to use its new Orion spacecraft to launch from Cape Canaveral in 2024, land humans on the moon and return them...
Capabilities Alignment Critical for Military Exoskeleton Development
As this case study from Boston Engineering attests, the process of developing and testing exoskeleton technologies for military applications requires a capabilities alignment across all program participants, including military, industry and academic contributors....