Tag: Robotics

Lifting heavy items can be made easier. Now, an Italian lab team has developed a battery-operated aid for those whose legs cannot support their bodies. The team’s exoskeleton comprises two robot frames with motorised joints at hip and knee level. The structure can be telescopically adjusted to fit different body sizes. It’s attached on the outer side of the...

Some fish perceive their surroundings in the dark. Now, a Chinese-South Korean research team has developed a sensor that can recognise nearby objects without touching them. Key to the enterprise is a composite film made from two highly conductive materials. A polymer based on silicon (polydimethylsiloxane) and a few organic macromolecules (graphitic carbon nitride), which are mixed and then...

Thanks to an app people with disabilities can date on an equal footing. And soon the same could be true for wheelchair users - at work and at home. A Lithuanian startup has developed a mobile device, which moves people from a sitting to a standing position at the touch of a button. The equipment is self-balancing and controlled...

Origami techniques can help vehicles achieve greater stability, whatever the terrain. Whereas, less stable objects can be lifted by robots with grippers made from soft materials such as cloth or silicon. Though useful, these grippers’ low load capacity is a limiting factor. Enter a Seoul-based research team, which is using a centuries old technique so that robots can grasp...

Recycled glass is saving beaches from erosion; while a remote-controlled buoy could rescue those in peril at sea. Seaweed’s high CO2 uptake means that it is contributing significantly to climate rescue. Still, Sargassum, a brown algae that spreads rapidly (see the 5,000 mile long slick in the Atlantic) has unwanted side effects. It deprives marine life of vital light...

Harvesting coconuts automatically would be a safer alternative to climbing. When it comes to cheese production, robots can lend a helping hand too. But not all automated helpers are equipped with sensors to facilitate collaboration with humans. Enter a research team from the USA and their new textile skin which can sense human contact and pressure. Comprising three layers,...

In dicey situations, fire-dousing robots or fire-fighting drones can save lives on both land and air. Now, thanks to a Portuguese startup and its remotely-operated life buoy, those in peril on the sea could expect help to come just as fast. With a turbine on each side, the U-shaped device has a top speed of 15 km/h and is...

Thanks to a special armband, people with limited hearing capacity could play a more active role in conversations. Now, a Portuguese research institute is helping children with visual impairment converse with their non-visually impaired counterparts. Key to the enterprise: a modified, commercially-available robotic toy. It moves between children as they speak and uses an in-built microphone to determine who...