A brain-flexing team of researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Beihang University has recently designed a soft Cthulhu-inspired arm that might have a variety of real-world applications, especially for those with impaired motor functions or physical handicaps. By imitating the concentration and […]

Deformable robots know how their bodies are positioned in a 3D environment with help from flexible sensors and an artificial intelligence (AI) model. MIT researchers have enabled a soft robotic arm to understand its configuration in 3D space, by leveraging only motion and position data from its own sensorized skin. In […]

Most robots use wheels for movement, with newer bio-inspired ones trying to accomplish bipedalism. Salto-1P, a robot built in Berkeley’s Biomimetics lab, was inspired by saltatorial animals. Its one unique leg, modeled after the galago, instantaneously uses up stored energy to perform a string of jumps. Its jumping locomotion allows it to travel across complex […]

“Small-scale drones have enough sensing and computing power to find use across a growing number of applications. However, flying in the low–Reynolds number regime remains challenging. High sensitivity to atmospheric turbulence compromises vehicle stability and control, and low aerodynamic efficiency limits flight duration. Conventional wing designs have thus far failed to […]