Robotics Research News

January 26, 2025

Top Headlines

Finding Better Photovoltaic Materials Faster With AI

Jan. 23, 2025 — Perovskite solar cells are a flexible and sustainable alternative to conventional silicon-based solar cells. Researchers were able to find -- within only a few weeks -- new organic molecules that increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells. ...

Biodegradable Nylon Precursor Produced Through Artificial Photosynthesis

Jan. 22, 2025 — Scientists have developed an artificial photosynthesis technology that produces precursors of biodegradable nylon from biomass-derived compounds and ...

AI Transforms Label-Free Photoacoustic Microscopy Into Confocal Microscopy

Jan. 17, 2025 — In life sciences, confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) is widely regarded for producing high-resolution cellular images. However, it requires fluorescent staining, which poses risks of photobleaching and phototoxicity, potentially damaging the ...

Robots Should Be Repurposed Rather Than Recycled to Combat Rising Scale of E-Waste, Scientists Warn

Jan. 16, 2025 — The robotics industry should be creating robots that could be reprogrammed and repurposed for other tasks once its life span is completed, researchers have ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:37pm EST

A New Research Program Is Indigenizing Artificial Intelligence

Jan. 15, 2025 — A new initiative is challenging the conversation around the direction of artificial intelligence (AI). It charges that the current trajectory is inherently biased against non-Western modes of ...

Wearable Devices Can Detect and Predict Inflammatory Bowel Disease Flare-Ups

Jan. 16, 2025 — Data collected by wearable technology can identify disease flare-ups up to seven weeks in ...

Innovative 6D Pose Dataset Sets New Standard for Robotic Grasping Performance

Jan. 16, 2025 — Researchers have developed a novel 6D pose dataset designed to improve robotic grasping accuracy and adaptability in industrial settings. The ...

Autonomous AI Assistant to Build Nanostructures

Jan. 16, 2025 — The chemical composition of a material alone sometimes reveals little about its properties. The decisive factor is often the arrangement of the molecules in the atomic lattice structure or on the ...

Fine-Tuned Brain-Computer Interface Makes Prosthetic Limbs Feel More Real

Jan. 16, 2025 — Two new articles document progress in neuroprosthetic technology that lets people feel the shape and movement of objects moving over the 'skin' of a bionic ...

This Fast and Agile Robotic Insect Could Someday Aid in Mechanical Pollination

Jan. 15, 2025 — New insect-scale microrobots can fly more than 100 times longer than previous versions. The new bots, also significantly faster and more agile, could ...

Crash Tests, Emergency Brake Assistants and Night Bans: How Automated Lawnmowing Is Becoming Hedgehog-Proof

Jan. 15, 2025 — Night-time collisions with robotic lawnmowers are a significant animal welfare and conservation problem for hedgehogs as these often suffer serious ...

Nord Stream Methane Spread Across the Southern Baltic Sea

Jan. 15, 2025 — Methane from the destroyed Nord Stream pipelines spread over a large part of the southern Baltic Sea and remained for several ...

Self-Stimulated Ejection of Freezing Droplets, Unlocking Cost-Effective Applications in De-Icing

Jan. 14, 2025 — Water droplets under freezing conditions do not spontaneously detach from surfaces as they do at room temperature due to stronger droplet-surface ...

Using Robots in Nursing Homes Linked to Higher Employee Retention, Better Patient Care

Jan. 8, 2025 — Facing high employee turnover and an aging population, nursing homes have increasingly turned to robots to complete a variety of care tasks, but few ...

Electrohydraulic Wearable Devices Create Unprecedented Haptic Sensations

Jan. 8, 2025 — Scientists have invented compact wearable devices that deliver rich, expressive, and pleasant tactile sensations that go far beyond the buzzing vibrations of today's consumer ...

How Does a Hula Hoop Master Gravity? Mathematicians Prove That Shape Matters

Jan. 2, 2025 — Hula hooping is so commonplace that we may overlook some interesting questions it raises: 'What keeps a hula hoop up against gravity?' and 'Are some body types better for hula hooping ...

Crossing the Uncanny Valley: Breakthrough in Technology for Lifelike Facial Expressions in Androids

Dec. 27, 2024 — Even highly realistic androids can cause unease when their facial expressions lack emotional consistency. Traditionally, a 'patchwork method' has been used for facial movements, but it ...

Wind Sensing by Biomimetic Flexible Flapping Wing With Strain Sensors

Dec. 26, 2024 — Bio-inspired wind sensing using strain sensors on flexible wings could revolutionize robotic flight control strategy. Researchers have developed a method to detect wind direction with 99% accuracy ...

AI-Driven Approach Reveals Hidden Hazards of Chemical Mixtures in Rivers

Dec. 20, 2024 — Artificial intelligence can provide critical insights into how complex mixtures of chemicals in rivers affect aquatic life -- paving the way for better environmental ...

Swarms of 'Ant-Like' Robots Lift Heavy Objects and Hurl Themselves Over Obstacles

Dec. 18, 2024 — Scientists have developed swarms of tiny magnetic robots that work together like ants to achieve Herculean feats, including traversing and picking up objects many times their size. The findings ...

Tiny Robots, Big Impact: Revolutionizing Infertility Treatment With Magnetic Microrobots

Dec. 17, 2024 — Infertility affects an estimated 186 million people worldwide, with fallopian tube obstruction contributing to 11%-67% of female infertility cases. Researchers have developed an innovative solution ...

Diversity and Inclusion Accelerate the Pace of Innovation in Robotics

Dec. 12, 2024 — Diverse and inclusive teams are not merely a moral imperative but also a catalyst for scientific excellence in robotics, scientists point out in a study. The team has outlined how a scientific ...

Minuscule Robots for Targeted Drug Delivery

Dec. 11, 2024 — An interdisciplinary team has created tiny bubble-like microrobots that can deliver therapeutics right where they are needed and then be absorbed by the ...

Breakthrough in Zinc-Based Rechargeable Batteries: A Safer, Sustainable Alternative

Dec. 11, 2024 — Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power everything from electric vehicles to wearable devices. But new research suggests that a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative may lie in zinc-based ...

Empowering Older Adults With Home-Care Robots

Dec. 10, 2024 — The rapidly increasing aging population will lead to a shortage of care providers in the future. While robotic technologies are a potential alternative, their widespread use is limited by poor ...

New Shape-Changing Polymer Developed

Dec. 6, 2024 — A team of scientists has created a new shape-changing polymer that could transform how future soft materials are ...

Magnetically Controlled Kirigami Surfaces Move Objects: No Grasping Needed

Dec. 6, 2024 — Researchers have developed a novel device that couples magnetic fields and kirigami design principles to remotely control the movement of a flexible dimpled surface, allowing it to manipulate objects ...

Bird-Inspired Drone Can Jump for Take-Off

Dec. 6, 2024 — Researchers have built a drone that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs, greatly expanding the range of potential environments accessible to unmanned aerial ...

Researchers Innovate Scalable Robotic Fibers With Light-Emitting, Self-Healing and Magnetic Properties

Dec. 6, 2024 — A team of interdisciplinary scientists has developed flexible fibers with self-healing, light-emitting and magnetic properties. The Scalable Hydrogel-clad Ionotronic Nickel-core Electroluminescent ...

Helping Robots Make Good Decisions in Real Time

Dec. 4, 2024 — An innovative algorithm called Spectral Expansion Tree Search helps autonomous robotic systems make optimal choices on the ...

Manta Rays Inspire Fast Swimming Soft Robot Yet

Dec. 4, 2024 — A team of researchers has beaten its own record for the fastest swimming soft robot, drawing inspiration from manta rays to improve their ability to control the robot's movement in the ...

How a Middle Schooler Found a New Compound in a Piece of Goose Poop

Dec. 2, 2024 — A group of young students became bonafide biomedical scientists before they even started high school. Through a partnership with a nearby university, the middle schoolers collected and analyzed ...

Smallest Walking Robot Makes Microscale Measurements

Dec. 2, 2024 — Researchers have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move independently, so that it can maneuver to specific ...

Innovative Robot Navigation Inspired by Brain Function Boosts Efficiency and Accuracy

Dec. 2, 2024 — A research team has taken inspiration from the brains of insects and animals for more energy-efficient robotic ...