Robotics

Faster Microfiber Actuators Mimic Human Muscle

IEEE Spectrum: Robotics, prosthetics, and other engineering applications routinely use actuators that imitate the contraction of animal muscles. However, the speed and efficiency of natural muscle fibers is a demanding benchmark. Despite new developments in actuation technologies, for the most past…

AI Weapons Are the Third Revolution in Warfare

The Atlantic: On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, against the backdrop of the rushed U.S.-allied Afghanistan withdrawal, the grisly reality of armed combat and the challenge posed by asymmetric suicide terror attacks grow harder to ignore. But weapons technology has changed…

Inflatable Prosthetic Hand with a Sense of Touch

Medgadget: Researchers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University created an inexpensive robotic hand intended for use by upper limb amputees. The device is more like a soft robot than previous robotic prostheses, and includes inflatable components and pneumatics, making…

Robot Could Operate a Docking Station Inside the Gut

IEEE Spectrum: Picture, if you will, a cargo rocket launching into space and docking on the International Space Station. The rocket maneuvers up to the station and latches on with an airtight seal so that supplies can be transferred. Now imagine…