Robotics

The world’s first industrial robot was an idea conceived after a conversation about science fiction novels between inventors George Devol and Joseph Eagleburger in 1954. Six years later, Unimate had secured its place in the robotic hall of fame as the world’s first industrial robot. It was then put to work on the General Motors assembly line in 1961.

Introduced onstage in a peppy video, "Liam" the robot — more specifically a robotic arm — was specifically developed by Apple engineers to pick apart iPhone and other gadgets, tearing the devices down into discreet modules. These parts, like an iPhone screen or logic board, can then be broken down further to recover materials for reintroduction into the global supply. 

Imagine an aircraft that could alter its wing shape in midflight and, like a pelican, dive into the water before morphing into a submarine. Cornell University engineering professor Rob Shepherd and his group might help make that futuristic-sounding vehicle a reality. The key is a hybrid material featuring stiff metal and soft, porous rubber foam that combines the best properties of both stiffness and elasticity. The material also has the ability ...

Drone images accumulate much faster than they can be analysed. Researchers have developed a new approach that combines crowdsourcing and machine learning to speed up the process. Who would win in a real-life game of "Where's Waldo," humans or computers? A recent study suggests that when speed and accuracy are critical, an approach combing both human and machine intelligence would take the prize.

Roboticists are as focused on small robots that can function and go where the big robots cannot. It's all about scale at the Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory at Stanford. They are working on robots that live at the boundary of airborne and surface locomotion. Smaller robots are robust in dealing with impacts, more capable of rapid orientation changes, and can achieve higher adhesive forces relative to their size.

A new class of miniature biological robots, or bio-bots, has seen the light - and is following where the light shines. The bio-bots are powered by muscle cells that have been genetically engineered to respond to light, giving researchers control over the bots' motion, a key step toward their use in applications for health, sensing and the environment. Led by Rashid Bashir, the University of Illinois head of bioengineering, the researchers publish...

Comau continues its growth in the Robotics sector, and for the third consecutive year has recorded a double-digit increase in articulated robot sales. Similarly, the results in individual industries reflect the global growth trend, which is even more significant as it underlines the success of Comau’s market penetration strategies.

Remembering robots from film portrayals may help ease some of the anxiety that older adults have about using a robot, according to Penn State researchers. In a study, older adults who recalled more robots portrayed in films had lower anxiety toward robots than seniors who remembered fewer robot portrayals, said S. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor of Communications and co-director, Media Effects Research Laboratory.

The computerisation of manufacturing, or what is commonly referred to as Industry 4.0, is changing the way we work in the 21st century as smart technologies become increasingly integral to factory processes and supply chain automation.

Imagine a health care robot that could display the patient's temperature and pulse, and even reacts to a patient's mood. It sounds futuristic, but a team of Cornell graduate students, led by Rob Shepherd, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has developed an electroluminescent "skin" that stretches to more than six times its original size while still emitting light. The discovery could lead to significant advances in healt...