You can now feed Sony’s Aibo robot dog with virtual food
Sony rolled out a version 2.5 software update for Aibo, adding the ability to program the robot dog with custom tasks and feed it with virtual food. A web-based API offers access to the Aibo Developer Program for seasoned developers and Aibo Visual Programming for novice programmers.
Meet OffWorld, the startup that wants to mine the moon with a swarm of robots
Will the future of space exploration involve swarms of smart robots aiding human pioneers by mining for resources, or even autonomously preparing new locations on other planets for human habitation? California-based startup OffWorld certainly thinks so. Here's what it is working on.
Robot overlords? More like co-verlords. The future is human-robot collaboration
Forget stealing our jobs; the next frontier of robotics is going to help humans by allowing them to carry out a whole host of tasks remotely -- whether it's maintenance or even surgery. Here's why it could prove to be such a major game changer for a whole lot of people.
What Blade Runner got right (and wrong) about 2019
1982's Blade Runner is rightly considered a masterpiece among science fiction movies. But how accurate were its predictions about the future? With November 2019 being the far-flung month and year in which the movie is set, here’s what the movie got right and, in one case, very wrong.
Digital Trends Live: #boycottuber, MIT’s mini cheetah robots, SpaceX launch
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Luke Larsen dive into the biggest trending tech topics of the day, including #boycottuber, a successful SpaceX launch, MIT’s mini cheetah robots, NASA’s Maxwell X57, Canada’s space hotels, and more.
Watch MIT’s Mini Cheetahs limber up for the robot apocalypse
The MIT Biomimetics Robotics recently took a number of its talented Mini Cheetah robots for some fun in the park. Take a moment to enjoy the incredible sight of the nine remote-controlled quadrupeds frolicking in the fall leaves, playing soccer, and even performing backflips.
Drone and rover tag teams could help solve the world’s deadly land mine problem
Roughly 20,000 people are maimed or killed each year due to land mines; the vast majority being civilians in parts of the world subject to ongoing conflict. Could a tag team of autonomous robots help solve the problem? Roboticists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute think so.
What happens when you mix foosball and robots? A new game called RoboSoccer
Looking for the next great game? RoboSoccer is a nifty modern-day upgrade of foosball that combines the addictive concept of the original game with some impressively agile miniature robots, controlled via mobile app, on a folding pitch. Here's how you can get your hands on it.
Dear robots: If you come to steal our jobs, please take these ones first
Over the coming decades, it’s likely that huge numbers of other jobs will be replaced thanks to advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. But are there jobs we should specifically try and automate away for the good of humankind? Here are some which fit the bill.
Robots aren’t coming to steal your job. They’re coming to improve it
Paul Daugherty, chief technology an innovation officer at Accenture, thinks it’s neither inevitable nor likely that machines will ultimately replace humans in the workforce
Bop it, twist it, pull it, grip it: MIT robot hand can pick up objects with ease
Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have figured out a way to make a robot grasp an object quicker and more efficiently. It can take a robot tens of minutes to plan out the possibilities of the sequence, but with a new algorithm, it takes less than a second.Â
Youbionic’s new robot appendage lends a hand without costing an arm and a leg
Robot arms are all kinds of awesome. But they're also very expensive, frequently reaching into the thousands of dollars. Federico Ciccarese, the engineer behind low-cost robotic arm company Youbionic, is working hard to change that. Check out his latest $250 robotic creation.
New flying fish-inspired robot uses explosive water farts for propulsion
Researchers from Imperial College London and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology have built a flying fish-inspired swimming robot that can propel itself out of the water and glide for distances of 85 feet at a time. Check it out in action.
Boston Dynamics’ Spot is a cool robot. But is that enough for success?
When Boston Dynamics first showed off its Spot robot in 2009, the world hadn’t seen anything like it. Years later, it's finally ready to go to work for customers. But the robotics market of 2019 is a crowded place. Can Boston Dynamics triumph in a world where it's no longer a novelty?
Boston Dynamics shows off Atlas robot doing parkour in new video
In a new video, the Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot, known as Atlas, shows off in an impressive a gymnastic routine, complete with somersaults, handstands, jumps, and turns. The company also released an additional video the Spot robot’s launch, showing off how it can benefit companies or organizations.Â
FarmWise has built a robotic weeding machine that cuts out the chemicals
Killer robots are coming to a farm near you. Well, weed-killing robots, that is. Developed by autonomous farming robot startup FarmWise, these weed-killing machines have already removed weeds from more than 10 million plants. Now, the company has raised funds to grow its fleet.
DARPA is sending robots underground to teach them to save lives
What does the ultimate search-and-rescue robot look like? And how would it cope in an underground disaster zone? That's what DARPA set out to discover in its Subterranean Challenge. Here's what you need to know about the competition that's attracting the world's top research labs.
Tomorrow’s jobs: 7 future roles that will exist in the age of automation
Forget Skynet gaining sentience, the real fear a lot of folks have about artificial intelligence and robots is what it means for all of our jobs. The good news: While robots will certainly eliminate certain jobs, new roles will be created as well. Here are seven great examples.
The Double 3 telepresence robot is now much more than an iPad on wheels
Double Robotics first effort at a telepresence robot appeared in 2012 and was widely regarded as little more than an iPad on wheels. Because that's pretty much what it was. Seven years on, it's managed to create a far more advanced machine, and one we can imagine trundling around in any modern office.
Autonomous robot deliveries are coming to 100 university campuses in the U.S.
Pioneering autonomous delivery robot company Starship Technologies is coming to more university campuses around America. The robotics startup announced that it will expand its service to 100 university campuses in the United States over the next 24 months. Here's how its tech works.
Wreckage, reefs, and robots: The high-tech quest to find Amelia Earhart’s plane
Over 80 years ago, aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart disappeared while trying to fly around the world. Now a cutting edge expedition is trying to find out what happened to her -- and it's calling in an impressive autonomous water-based robot to help find some answers. Here's how.
DARPA’s next robotics competition is an obstacle course in an abandoned mine
Kicking off this week, the DARPA Subterranean Challenge will put 11 robotics teams through their paces in a simulated disaster scenario in a defunct mine system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The ultimate goal is to create robot rescuers able to navigate effectively underground.
NASA wants your help developing autonomous robots to explore other worlds
NASA is asking for your help to create the autonomous robots which could one day explore the moon, Mars, and beyond. It has launched the second phase of its Space Robotics Challenge, searching for bright ideas from the public to develop robots to assist future astronauts on long-duration missions.
The future has arrived. Want proof? Check out these amazing robotic exoskeletons
From Aliens’ Power Loader to the Combat Jackets from Edge of Tomorrow, science fiction is full of amazing assistive robot exosuits that can be worn by humans to increase their capabilities. But real life is fast catching up with sci-fi. Here are some of the most exciting real examples.
Want a robotic tail? Well, Japanese scientists built one for you anyway
Ever wanted a robot tail? Developed by researchers at Keio University in Japan, this artificial biomimicry-inspired tail is designed to help improve the balance of wearers. Here's how it works -- and why its creators think it could one day be used as a serious work tool.
Has science gone too far? This invincible robo-cockroach is impossible to squish
A new cockroach-inspired roachbot can withstand weights of up to 1 million times its body weight. It can also carry heavy loads, climb slopes, and move at speeds of seven body lengths per second. Here's how its creators believe it could one day be used to help save lives.
This robotic ping-pong trainer is basically a mechanized version of Forrest Gump
Table tennis is not a sport that’s particularly easy to practice on your own. That’s where the new Infinity Smart Table Tennis Training Robot, created by iPong and table tennis company veteran Joola, literally comes in to play. Here's how it works -- and where you can get your hands on it.
Saudi prince is planning a futuristic city with robot dinosaurs and flying cars
Want to live in a city featuring drone taxis, A.I. maids, glow-in-the-dark beaches, artificial rain, and robot dinosaurs? It sounds like something straight out of a Michael Crichton techno-thriller, but it’s actually a real proposal by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Micro machines: How the next big thing in robotics is actually quite small
Think that robots need to be the size of a dog or even a full-grown person to be exciting? Not so, as the fast-developing field of micro-robotics demonstrates. As it turns out, in some cases the world's most innovative robots may even be too small for many of us to see.
Toyota shows off mascot robots and tiny autonomous car for Tokyo Olympics
Toyota has shown off seven robots that it says will assist and entertain at the Tokyo Olympics next summer. The collection includes mascot and telepresence robots, as well as a tiny autonomous car to help in field events. The robots form part of Toyota’s efforts to broaden its business beyond just auto sales.
Like the real thing, this robot ant colony is more than the sum of its parts
Researchers from Switzerland's EPFL institute have built a robot ant colony, consisting of tiny 10-gram robots which are able to communicate with one another, assign roles among themselves, and work together to complete tasks. Here's why they could prove to be so useful.
Meet NASA’s climbing robots, able to move through the slipperiest environments
When it comes to exploring far off planets, robots need to be able to tackle all sorts of environmental challenges. NASA has been working on a series of climbing robots to take on different tasks in inhospitable environments, like LEMUR which can climb rock walls using fishhooks in its fingers.
The Rev-1 delivery robot is fast enough to hit the bike lane
Tootling into view is yet another wheel-based delivery robot, this one from U.S. startup Refraction A.I. The autonomous Rev-1 robot is designed for last-mile deliveries, has enough space for around five grocery bags, and is said to be faster and cheaper than many of its rivals.
Move over, Spot. Anymal is a four-legged dog robot with all kinds of new tricks
Boston Dynamics isn’t the only company building impressive dog robots. Swiss robotics company Anybotics has also created its own quadruped robot -- and it's pretty darn impressive. Here's what it's capable of, and the kinds of jobs that it excels at performing.