Blog

MIT develops milliMorph system that uses thin-film materials to change shape

Catwell

Researchers at MIT have built a fabrication system and a design space that can be used to create fluidic chambers and channels at millimeter-scale size for actuating thin film shape-changing materials with a high-resolution design. The project, milli...
- 13 Dec 2019
Farming bot can kill weeds by zapping them with electricity

Catwell

Soon enough, farmers won’t have to worry about spraying their fields with chemicals to keep them weed-free. Small Robot Company (SRC) and RootWave, two agritech start-ups based in the UK, have joined forces to build a high-precision robot that will e...
- 11 Dec 2019
Data on interstellar space released by Voyager 2’s team

Catwell

NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft crossed into interstellar medium on November 5, 2018. (Image Credit: NASA) Last year, on November 5, 2018, Voyager 2 crossed the heliopause, becoming the 2nd man-made spacecraft to leave the heliosphere, the protectiv...
- 6 Dec 2019
‘Ghost plane’ illuminates night sky during air show in China

Catwell

I'm always amazing at swarm robotics and motion control. Spectators who attended the 2019 Nanchang Flight Convention in China were treated to a one-of-a-kind spectacle of 800 choreographed drones that took the shape of a passenger jet, a propeller pl...
- 5 Dec 2019
Alphabet X’s robots can learn to sort trash

Catwell

Alphabet X’s moonshot division, formerly Google X, has announced a new project, called Everyday Robot, which teaches robots how to perform everyday tasks. The robots can use cameras and advanced machine learning algorithms to see and learn from their...
- 3 Dec 2019
Magnetic skin allows you to open a door with the wave of your hand

Catwell

The magnetic skin can be used in laboratory settings, effectively preventing contamination of equipment. (Image Credit: KAUST) Researchers from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a “magnetic ...
- 22 Nov 2019
Print soft circuits using a desktop inkjet printer

Catwell

It’s common to use printers to print out documents, but what if we could use printers to print out flexible devices, such as temporary tattoo paper, textiles, and thermoplastic? Engineers from Saarland University based in Saarbrucken, Germany, have p...
- 20 Nov 2019
OffWorld’s smart robots could help astronauts in the future, mine the moon

Catwell

Fleets of smart robots could work on the lunar surface. (Image Credit: OffWorld) OffWorld, a California-based start-up company, has some big plans to build a fleet of smart robots that could mine distant asteroids, moons, and planets in the sola...
- 15 Nov 2019
SpaceX launches 60 new Starlink satellites into orbit

Catwell

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched into space, carrying 60 Starlink satellites into orbit on November 11th. (Image Credit: SpaceX) It must be a busy place just outside the Earth's atmosphere. It's about to get a little more crowded too. Sp...
- 13 Nov 2019
LiDAR-Carrying Drones Reveal Ancient Florida Settlement on Raleigh Island

Catwell

UF’s GatorEye drones outfitted with a new sensor suite were used to find the 900 to 1200 AD settlement that was a significant producer of beads made from seashells. (Image credit: University of Florida) A team of researchers from the University...
- 11 Nov 2019
AVNET SmartEdge IIOT Gateway: Use the Isolated CAN

Jan Cumps

The SmartEdge IIOT GatewaySmartEdge IIOT Gateway is a Raspberry Pi 3 Compute based industrial Linux box.It runs Raspbian with some additions.There's a set of industrial hardware extensions. In this blog I review the isolated CAN port. Hard...
- 7 Nov 2019
AVNET SmartEdge IIOT Gateway: Use the Industrial I/O

Jan Cumps

The SmartEdge IIOT GatewaySmartEdge IIOT Gateway is a Raspberry Pi 3 Compute based industrial Linux box. It runs Raspbian with some additions. There's a set of industrial hardware extensions. In this blog I review the isolated industrial I/O. ...
- 4 Nov 2019
Rats are learning to Drive Tiny Vehicles and Exhibit no Signs of Road Rage

Catwell

The tiny car was created using a plastic food container, an aluminum floor, a battery-powered mobile 4-wheeled platform, and three copper wires that act as a steering wheel. (Image credit: University of Richmond) Researchers from the University...
- 1 Nov 2019
MIT scientists develop robot gripper that can follow a cable

Catwell

The robot gripper can grip a cable and slide it through from one end to the other. (Image Credit: MIT, CSAIL) Up until now, you wouldn’t normally see robots gripping a USB cable and following it through from one end to the other like humans do w...
- 28 Oct 2019
Engineers develop LiftTiles, a scale shape-changing interface

Catwell

Engineers from the University of Colorado Boulder, Keio University, and the University of Tokyo have developed LiftTiles, a modular shape display that fits inside a room. LiftTiles can inflate and rise up as a unit through an inflatable actuato...
- 25 Oct 2019
Star Wars: Force for Change and First Team Up for Build My Droid Contest

Catwell

Contestants submit their droid drawings, sketches, or paintings for a chance to have them physically created and included in an upcoming Star Wars project. (Image credit: Star Wars: Force for Change) Star Wars fans who have ever thought about d...
- 24 Oct 2019
Robot arm of the future can enhance virtual reality experience

Catwell

A user interacts with the robot arm, Mantis, which has haptic force feedback and can be used to enhance a gamer’s virtual reality experience. (Image Credit: University of Bristol) Researchers from the University of Bristol have developed Mantis...
- 23 Oct 2019
Relativity Space uses Giant Robots to 3D Print Rockets

Catwell

The 3D printing robotic platform is known as Stargate and is used to manufacture Relativity’s Aeon 1 rocket engine and Terran 1 launch vehicle. (Image credit: Relativity Space via Wikipedia) Aerospace startup Relativity Space aims to launch the...
- 21 Oct 2019
OpenAI’s Robotic Hand uses Neural Networks to Solve a Rubik’s Cube

Catwell

OpenAI’s Dactyl system uses OpenAI Five neural networks to train a Shadow dexterous hand how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. (Image credit: OpenAI) More than a year ago, San Francisco-based AI research lab OpenAI managed to train a robotic hand to man...
- 18 Oct 2019
Right Now! Update - NASA Gives the Go-Ahead for First All-Women Spacewalk

Catwell

Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch will repair the damage done to the International Space Station’s power system. (Image credit: NASA) WATCH LIVEwww.youtube.com/watch NASA has recently announced the first-ever all-female spacewalk, ...
- 17 Oct 2019
NASA’s Shapeshifter robots could traverse on Saturn’s moon, Titan

Catwell

NASA’s Shapeshifter, a developing concept for transformational vehicles that can be used to explore far-away worlds, enables mini-robots to roll, fly, float, swim and finally, morph into a single machine. Engineers are testing out their concept with ...
- 8 Oct 2019
Clinatec’s BCI Project Allows Paralyzed Man to Walk Again using Brain Implants

Catwell

The WIMAGINE BCI implants translate electrical impulses in the brain associated with movement and transfer them into actions performed by an exoskeleton. (Image credit: Clinatec via Lancet YouTube video) Several years ago, French optician Thiba...
- 7 Oct 2019
SpaceX unveils Starship and Super Heavy

Catwell

On Saturday, September 28th, Elon Musk took the spotlight in Boca Chica, Texas, at SpaceX’s facility to reveal the company’s latest Starship prototype. SpaceX recently added a new section to its website solely dedicated to Starship, which also contai...
- 4 Oct 2019
Flying fish robot launches from the water

Catwell

Researchers at Imperial College London’s Aerial Robotics Lab have developed a robotic system known as AquaMAV that’s capable of launching itself from the water and into the air. The robot, weighing just 160 grams soars 26 meters through the air after...
- 2 Oct 2019
Boston Dynamics’ Spot Robot Goes on Sale with Custom Options

Catwell

The Spot base platform features stereo cameras for obstacle avoidance, has a runtime of 90-minutes, and comes with customizable options. (Image credit: Boston Dynamics via YouTube) Boston Dynamics has recently announced they are selling their ...
- 27 Sep 2019