News in Brief
Life Sciences - Jan 14
Mending the gap: University of Toronto's Molly Shoichet joins team developing new treatments for spinal cord injuries
Mending the gap: University of Toronto's Molly Shoichet joins team developing new treatments for spinal cord injuries
Social Sciences - Jan 13
New study investigates how to understand and improve social care assessments for older LGBTQ+ people in England
New study investigates how to understand and improve social care assessments for older LGBTQ+ people in England
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Computer Science - Microtechnics - 06.01.2022
Chemistry - Microtechnics - 08.12.2021 
These Liquid Robots Never Run Out of Juice as Long as They Have Food
By removing electricity from equation, discovery overcomes yearslong hurdle in robotics W hen you think of a robot, images of R2-D2 or C-3PO might come to mind. But robots can serve up more than just entertainment on the big screen. In a lab, for example, robotic systems can improve safety and efficiency by performing repetitive tasks and handling harsh chemicals.
Computer Science - Microtechnics - 08.12.2021 
Engineers Teach AI to Navigate Ocean with Minimal Energy
Research could enable monitoring of our oceans or exploration of alien ocean worlds Engineers at Caltech, ETH Zurich, and Harvard are developing an artificial intelligence (AI) that will allow autonomous drones to use ocean currents to aid their navigation, rather than fighting their way through them.
Computer Science - Microtechnics - 23.11.2021 
Robots build new hanging gardens
With the help of artificial intelligence and four collaborative robots, researchers at ETH Zurich are designing and fabricating a 22.5-metre-tall green architectural sculpture. Working with Müller Illien Landscape Architects, Timbatec and other partners from industry and research, researchers from the group led by ETH architecture professors Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler are creating a green architectural sculpture for the Tech Cluster Zug.
Health - Microtechnics - 09.11.2021 
Finding inspiration in starfish larva
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a tiny robot that mimics the movement of a starfish larva. It is driven by sound waves and equipped with tiny hairs that direct the fluid around it, just like its natural model. In the future, such microswimmers could deliver drugs to diseased cells with pinpoint accuracy.
Microtechnics - 07.10.2021 
Flying High-Speed Drones into the Unknown with AI
Researchers at the University of Zurich have developed a new approach to autonomously fly quadrotors through unknown, complex environments at high speeds using only on-board sensing and computation. The new approach could be useful in emergencies, on construction sites or for security applications. When it comes to exploring complex and unknown environments such as forests, buildings or caves, drones are hard to beat.
Microtechnics - Life Sciences - 14.09.2021
Materials Science - Microtechnics - 20.08.2021
Computer Science - Microtechnics - 13.08.2021 
Faster path planning for rubble-roving robots
Robots that need to use their arms to make their way across treacherous terrain just got a speed upgrade with a new path planning approach, developed by University of Michigan researchers. The improved algorithm path planning algorithm found successful paths three times as often as standard algorithms, while needing much less processing time.
Microtechnics - 21.07.2021 
New Algorithm Flies Drones Faster than Human Racing Pilots
For the first time an autonomously flying quadrotor has outperformed two human pilots in a drone race. The success is based on a novel algorithm that was developed by researchers of the University of Zurich. It calculates time-optimal trajectories that fully consider the drones' limitations. To be useful, drones need to be quick.
Microtechnics - 07.06.2021
Computer Science - Microtechnics - 01.06.2021 
Researchers create a camera that knows exactly where it is
Researchers from the University of Bristol have demonstrated how a new special type of camera can build a pictorial map of where it has been and use this map to know where it currently is, something that will be incredibly useful in the development of smart sensors, driverless cars and robotics. Knowing where you are on a map is one of the most useful pieces of information when navigating journeys.
Microtechnics - 18.05.2021
Microtechnics - 05.05.2021 
Robots could safeguard people from pain
Interview: Why robots need reflexes Robots could safeguard people from pain Reflexes protect our bodies - for example when we pull our hand back from a hot stove. These protective mechanisms could also be useful for robots. In this interview, Prof. Sami Haddadin and Johannes Kühn of the Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MSRM) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) explain why giving test subjects a "slap on the hand" could lay the foundations for the robots of the future.
Microtechnics - Art and Design - 26.03.2021 
Contemplate the nature of robotics at EPFL Pavilions
EPFL Pavilions re-opens its exhibition Nature of Robotics which offers perspective on robotics in a human and organic environment. At the entrance of Nature of Robotics a couple of robotic snails slither around the floor, leaving behind slimy trails. Two visitors, young boys, enter the exhibit and squat next to the slimy creatures, trying to follow both of them at once.
Astronomy / Space Science - Microtechnics - 05.03.2021 
Army of robots pushes the limits of astrophysics
One thousand newly-minted microrobots created in EPFL labs will soon be deployed at two large-scale telescopes in Chile and the United States. These high-precision instruments, capable of positioning optical fibers to within a micron, will vastly increase the quantity of astrophysics data that can be gathered - and expand our understanding of the Universe.
Microtechnics - 17.02.2021 
Credit card-sized soft pumps power wearable artificial muscles
Robotic clothing that is entirely soft and could help people to move more easily is a step closer to reality thanks to the development of a new flexible and lightweight power system for soft robotics. The discovery by a team at the University of Bristol could pave the way for wearable assist devices for people with disabilities and people suffering from age-related muscle degeneration.
Computer Science - Microtechnics - 15.02.2021
Microtechnics - 13.01.2021 
How to Keep Drones Flying When a Motor Fails
Robotics researchers at the University of Zurich show how onboard cameras can be used to keep damaged quadcopters in the air and flying stably - even without GPS. As anxious passengers are often reassured, commercial aircrafts can easily continue to fly even if one of the engines stops working. But for drones with four propellers - also known as quadcopters - the failure of one motor is a bigger problem.
Microtechnics - Materials Science - 24.11.2020 
Miniscule robots of metal and plastic
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a technique for manufacturing micrometre-long machines by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way. Such microrobots will one day revolutionise the field of medicine. Robots so tiny that they can manoeuvre through our blood vessels and deliver medications to certain points in the body - researchers have been pursuing this goal for years.
Microtechnics
Results 1 - 20 of 103.
Taking a step towards self-walking robotic exoskeletons
Preparing for an online start to the winter term: for more information. Trailblazing research is transforming the field of rehabilitation medicine by developing robotic exoskeleton legs capable of autonomous control and decision making Brokoslaw Laschowski is using his interdisciplinary education - spanning four academic degrees - as a toolkit to integrate robotics technology with rehabilitation medicine.
Preparing for an online start to the winter term: for more information. Trailblazing research is transforming the field of rehabilitation medicine by developing robotic exoskeleton legs capable of autonomous control and decision making Brokoslaw Laschowski is using his interdisciplinary education - spanning four academic degrees - as a toolkit to integrate robotics technology with rehabilitation medicine.
By removing electricity from equation, discovery overcomes yearslong hurdle in robotics W hen you think of a robot, images of R2-D2 or C-3PO might come to mind. But robots can serve up more than just entertainment on the big screen. In a lab, for example, robotic systems can improve safety and efficiency by performing repetitive tasks and handling harsh chemicals.
Research could enable monitoring of our oceans or exploration of alien ocean worlds Engineers at Caltech, ETH Zurich, and Harvard are developing an artificial intelligence (AI) that will allow autonomous drones to use ocean currents to aid their navigation, rather than fighting their way through them.
With the help of artificial intelligence and four collaborative robots, researchers at ETH Zurich are designing and fabricating a 22.5-metre-tall green architectural sculpture. Working with Müller Illien Landscape Architects, Timbatec and other partners from industry and research, researchers from the group led by ETH architecture professors Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler are creating a green architectural sculpture for the Tech Cluster Zug.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a tiny robot that mimics the movement of a starfish larva. It is driven by sound waves and equipped with tiny hairs that direct the fluid around it, just like its natural model. In the future, such microswimmers could deliver drugs to diseased cells with pinpoint accuracy.
Researchers at the University of Zurich have developed a new approach to autonomously fly quadrotors through unknown, complex environments at high speeds using only on-board sensing and computation. The new approach could be useful in emergencies, on construction sites or for security applications. When it comes to exploring complex and unknown environments such as forests, buildings or caves, drones are hard to beat.
Tuning Collagen Threads for Biohybrid Robots
Carnegie Mellon University The idea of incorporating actual muscles or neurons into a robotic system might sound like some sort of science fiction, but researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's Mechanical Engineering (MechE) Department are taking steps to make it a reality. This field, known as "biohybrid robotics," is the central focus of the Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Group (B.O.R.G.), led by Victoria Webster-Wood , an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Carnegie Mellon University The idea of incorporating actual muscles or neurons into a robotic system might sound like some sort of science fiction, but researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's Mechanical Engineering (MechE) Department are taking steps to make it a reality. This field, known as "biohybrid robotics," is the central focus of the Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Group (B.O.R.G.), led by Victoria Webster-Wood , an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Tantalizing Tantalum Actuators and Sensors
Carnegie Mellon University Accelerometers in mobile phones, microprocessors in laptops, and gyroscopes that balance drones each rely on microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS for short. Within these small systems are even smaller devices, called actuators and sensors, that perform various physical functions.
Carnegie Mellon University Accelerometers in mobile phones, microprocessors in laptops, and gyroscopes that balance drones each rely on microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS for short. Within these small systems are even smaller devices, called actuators and sensors, that perform various physical functions.
Robots that need to use their arms to make their way across treacherous terrain just got a speed upgrade with a new path planning approach, developed by University of Michigan researchers. The improved algorithm path planning algorithm found successful paths three times as often as standard algorithms, while needing much less processing time.
For the first time an autonomously flying quadrotor has outperformed two human pilots in a drone race. The success is based on a novel algorithm that was developed by researchers of the University of Zurich. It calculates time-optimal trajectories that fully consider the drones' limitations. To be useful, drones need to be quick.
Shoot Better Drone Videos With a Single Word
Carnegie Mellon University Research maps emotions to robotic behavior The pros make it look easy, but filmmaking with a drone can be anything but. It takes skill to fly the often expensive piece of equipment smoothly and without crashing. Once one has mastered flying, there are still camera angles, panning speeds, trajectories and flight paths to plan.
Carnegie Mellon University Research maps emotions to robotic behavior The pros make it look easy, but filmmaking with a drone can be anything but. It takes skill to fly the often expensive piece of equipment smoothly and without crashing. Once one has mastered flying, there are still camera angles, panning speeds, trajectories and flight paths to plan.
Researchers from the University of Bristol have demonstrated how a new special type of camera can build a pictorial map of where it has been and use this map to know where it currently is, something that will be incredibly useful in the development of smart sensors, driverless cars and robotics. Knowing where you are on a map is one of the most useful pieces of information when navigating journeys.
Helping drone swarms avoid obstacles without hitting each other
Engineers at EPFL have developed a predictive control model that allows swarms of drones to fly in cluttered environments quickly and safely. It works by enabling individual drones to predict their own behavior and that of their neighbors in the swarm. There is strength in numbers. That's true not only for humans, but for drones too.
Engineers at EPFL have developed a predictive control model that allows swarms of drones to fly in cluttered environments quickly and safely. It works by enabling individual drones to predict their own behavior and that of their neighbors in the swarm. There is strength in numbers. That's true not only for humans, but for drones too.
Interview: Why robots need reflexes Robots could safeguard people from pain Reflexes protect our bodies - for example when we pull our hand back from a hot stove. These protective mechanisms could also be useful for robots. In this interview, Prof. Sami Haddadin and Johannes Kühn of the Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MSRM) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) explain why giving test subjects a "slap on the hand" could lay the foundations for the robots of the future.
EPFL Pavilions re-opens its exhibition Nature of Robotics which offers perspective on robotics in a human and organic environment. At the entrance of Nature of Robotics a couple of robotic snails slither around the floor, leaving behind slimy trails. Two visitors, young boys, enter the exhibit and squat next to the slimy creatures, trying to follow both of them at once.
One thousand newly-minted microrobots created in EPFL labs will soon be deployed at two large-scale telescopes in Chile and the United States. These high-precision instruments, capable of positioning optical fibers to within a micron, will vastly increase the quantity of astrophysics data that can be gathered - and expand our understanding of the Universe.
Robotic clothing that is entirely soft and could help people to move more easily is a step closer to reality thanks to the development of a new flexible and lightweight power system for soft robotics. The discovery by a team at the University of Bristol could pave the way for wearable assist devices for people with disabilities and people suffering from age-related muscle degeneration.
Under the Sea
Soft robots are better suited to certain situations than traditional robots. When interacting with an environment, humans or other living things, the inherent softness built into the structure of a robot made of rubber, for example, is safer than metal. Soft robots are also better at interacting with an unstable or uncertain environment - if a robot contacts an unpredicted object, it can simply deform to the object rather than crashing.
Soft robots are better suited to certain situations than traditional robots. When interacting with an environment, humans or other living things, the inherent softness built into the structure of a robot made of rubber, for example, is safer than metal. Soft robots are also better at interacting with an unstable or uncertain environment - if a robot contacts an unpredicted object, it can simply deform to the object rather than crashing.
Robotics researchers at the University of Zurich show how onboard cameras can be used to keep damaged quadcopters in the air and flying stably - even without GPS. As anxious passengers are often reassured, commercial aircrafts can easily continue to fly even if one of the engines stops working. But for drones with four propellers - also known as quadcopters - the failure of one motor is a bigger problem.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a technique for manufacturing micrometre-long machines by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way. Such microrobots will one day revolutionise the field of medicine. Robots so tiny that they can manoeuvre through our blood vessels and deliver medications to certain points in the body - researchers have been pursuing this goal for years.
News in Brief
Life Sciences - Jan 14
Mending the gap: University of Toronto's Molly Shoichet joins team developing new treatments for spinal cord injuries
Mending the gap: University of Toronto's Molly Shoichet joins team developing new treatments for spinal cord injuries
Social Sciences - Jan 13
New study investigates how to understand and improve social care assessments for older LGBTQ+ people in England
New study investigates how to understand and improve social care assessments for older LGBTQ+ people in England