The Robotics Collection

A shape memory polymer allows the gripper to be more efficient than a purely hydraulic system. Roboticists may soon create miniature tools for minimally invasive surgery.

Like schools of fish or flocks of birds, “smart swarms” of micro-robots move in concert based on what’s happening in the environment.

With six arms, a Kiwi drive, and custom detectors designed for contact-based pollination, the precision Stickbug reaches flowers growing above the greenhouse floor while navigating narrow plant rows.

As an add-on to electric or hydraulic motors, an efficient spring-assisted actuator could be a “game changer” for robotics.

Northwestern University researchers have developed a method that allows robots to learn to perform new tasks reliably and safely using less data.

Despite advances in robotic components, a new study finds that modern robots lack the integration capabilities to support locomotion at the same level as the animals that often inspire their design.

Toyota Research Institute’s Punyo soft robot is an innovation in whole-body manipulation research.

Discover what a cognizant engineer is, and why it's important to broaden the engineering pipeline.

After contemplating a Lego, researchers at Carnegie Mellon have developed a small robot with complex mobility.

Cornell research team developed a snail-inspired aquatic robot that could one day rid oceans and lakes of microplastics.

Robots may soon be able to not only detect when their legs are tangled, but also figure out how to get themselves free.

Bio-inspired robotic insects abound, but they’re usually mere approximations that borrow a concept or two from nature. Now there’s a robotic fruit fly with realistic legs, feet, and sensors.

Researchers have developed a robot that uses algorithms and a camera to locate items in a house. This capability would be especially helpful for people with dementia who often lose important items.

UPenn researchers working with nanoparticles developed microrobots that form bristels to brush teeth without help.

Using heat sent via nanowires embedded in a layer of polymer, this soft robot may eventually be used in search and rescue missions. It travels like a caterpillar, advancing forward and backward.

Robots that don’t do what users want them to do have to go back to the shop for re-programming. But now there’s an algorithm that lets robots and non-roboticists communicate.