The Cubli: a cube that can jump up, balance, and 'walk'
The Cubli is a 15 × 15 × 15 cm cube that can jump up and balance on its corner. Reaction wheels mounted on three faces of the cube rotate at high angular vel...
Methane leak? Robot sniffer dog is on the case
Gasbot and machines like it could one day be used to sniff out dangerous emissions in landfills, mines and even city streets
Robots can grip anything thanks to hands that can see
A robotic hand working with a Kinect depth-sensing camera can adjust its fingers to grasp any object it is presented with, from a lightbulb to a copy of New Scientist
Smaller Is Better -- The Future Of Warfare
The first is the Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) Ornithopter based on Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous designs. It has a wingspan of less than 5” and has an on-board rechargeable lithium polymer battery, which allows for 7 miuntes of flying time from a 5 minute charge. Air Force Plans To Pull Out Big (Uh, Little) Guns -- Chicago Tribune Scientists designing 'lethal' mini-drones WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — It may look like a futuristic arcade game, but it's a scene from an official Air Force…
Foam-squirting quadcopter becomes a flying 3D printer
Inspired by a bird known as the swiftlet, scientists have created a robotic quadcopter that can extrude polyurethane foam while in flight. By targeting where that foam goes, it can build up simple structures, essentially becoming a flying 3D printer.
Gecko adhesion takes electric turn
Challenging a favored theory, measurements suggest that electrostatic interactions make gecko feet supersticky.
Flexible 'skin' can help robots, prosthetics perform everyday tasks by sensing shear force
Engineers have developed a flexible sensor 'skin' that can be stretched over any part of a robot's body or prosthetic to accurately convey information about shear forces and vibration, which are critical to tasks ranging from cooking an egg to dismantling a bomb.